From Her Lips to God's Ears
Encyclopedia
"From Her Lips to God's Ears (The Energizer)" is a song by the Gainesville, Florida
-based punk rock
band Against Me!
, released as the second single
from their 2005 album Searching for a Former Clarity
. Like the first single "Don't Lose Touch
", it was released exclusively on twelve-inch vinyl with a remix
ed version of the song as the A-side
and the album version as the B-side. The A-side version was remixed by Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys
. The single was limited to 3,185 copies. The lyrics of the song address then-United States Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice
on the subject of the Iraq War, with lines such as "After all this death and destruction, do you really think your actions advocate freedom?" and "Condoleezza, what are we gonna do now?"
The music video
for "From Her Lips to God's Ears (The Energizer)" depicts a fantasy world analogous to that of The Wizard of Oz
. A young girl with the head of a rabbit
, after watching news footage of Condoleezza Rice defending the United States' police actions in the Iraq War, sets out along a yellow brick road
in search of Rice. Along the way she is joined by two men, one with the head of a pig
and the other with the head of a chicken
, both of whom are also seeking Rice. The trio arrive at a palace in which they find an animatronic puppet with Rice's televised face, to which they pose the question "What are we gonna do now?" The question confounds and overloads the puppet, and the trio escape as it and the building collapse and explode.
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
-based punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Against Me!
Against Me!
Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida and relocated to Gainesville, Florida in 1999. Their first full-length album, released on No Idea Records in 2002, was Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose. They have released music on Misanthrope Records, Crasshole Records,...
, released as the second single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from their 2005 album Searching for a Former Clarity
Searching for a Former Clarity
Searching for a Former Clarity is the third album by the Gainesville, Florida punk rock band Against Me!, produced by J. Robbins and released on September 6, 2005 by Fat Wreck Chords. Supported by singles and music videos for the songs "Don't Lose Touch" and "From Her Lips to God's Ears ", it was...
. Like the first single "Don't Lose Touch
Don't Lose Touch
"Don't Lose Touch" is a song by the Gainesville, Florida-based punk rock band Against Me!, released as the first single from their 2005 album Searching for a Former Clarity. Like the second single "From Her Lips to God's Ears ", it was released exclusively on twelve-inch vinyl with a remixed...
", it was released exclusively on twelve-inch vinyl with a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed version of the song as the A-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
and the album version as the B-side. The A-side version was remixed by Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
. The single was limited to 3,185 copies. The lyrics of the song address then-United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
on the subject of the Iraq War, with lines such as "After all this death and destruction, do you really think your actions advocate freedom?" and "Condoleezza, what are we gonna do now?"
The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "From Her Lips to God's Ears (The Energizer)" depicts a fantasy world analogous to that of The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
. A young girl with the head of a rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
, after watching news footage of Condoleezza Rice defending the United States' police actions in the Iraq War, sets out along a yellow brick road
Yellow brick road
The road of yellow brick is an element in the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, with additional such roads appearing in The Marvelous Land of Oz and The Patchwork Girl of Oz...
in search of Rice. Along the way she is joined by two men, one with the head of a pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
and the other with the head of a chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
, both of whom are also seeking Rice. The trio arrive at a palace in which they find an animatronic puppet with Rice's televised face, to which they pose the question "What are we gonna do now?" The question confounds and overloads the puppet, and the trio escape as it and the building collapse and explode.
Track listing
Band
- Tom GabelTom GabelThomas James "Tom" Gabel is the lead vocalist, songwriter, and a guitarist for Gainesville, Florida punk rock band Against Me!, as well as a solo artist. He was born on Fort Benning, Georgia a US Army post, where his father was stationed. At age 17, he dropped out of high school and formed Against...
– guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - James Bowman – guitar, backing vocals
- Andrew Seward – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Warren OakesWarren OakesWarren Oakes is an American drummer best known for his eight years spent as the drummer for the punk rock band Against Me!.On June 8, 2009 he announced that he was leaving the band to pursue a career as a restauranteur...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Production
- J. RobbinsJ. RobbinsJames Robbins is an American rock music artist. He began his career as a bassist for Government Issue, and has also led four of his own bands: Jawbox, Rollkicker Laydown, Burning Airlines, and Channels. He was a touring bassist for Scream and played bass on the debut 7" from Jack Potential, which...
– producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, engineer, mixing engineerMixing engineerA mix engineer is the person responsible for incorporating all the different recorded elements of music to make the final version of a song. These mixing professionals have many years of experience and training with audio equipment which has enabled them to master the art of audio mixing... - Alan Douches – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
External links
- "From Her Lips to God's Ears (The Energizer)" at Against Me!'s official website – includes links to song lyrics
- "From Her Lips to God's Ears (The Energizer)" at Fat Wreck ChordsFat Wreck ChordsFat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by Fat Mike and his ex-wife, Erin, in 1990....