Queens of the Stone Age
Carnavoyeur
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I haven’t listened to a single Queens of the Stone Age song in a decade so when I discovered there’s a new album on the way, I was intrigued – have they progressed? What’s new? Is the genre still the same? So many questions.
Queens of the Stone Age have been around ever since the Stone Age. Being formed in 1996, the band definitely have an amazing track record of collaborating with the bestest of the bestestest – from Mark Lanegan, famous for working with so many musicians you’ll fall asleep if you ever start reading the list, to Dave Grohl, the guy who resembles the Nirvana drummer and plays the guitar in Foo Fighters.
Two singles, ‘Carnavoyeur’ and ‘Emotion Sickness’, are out from the new album, In Times New Roman…. The release date is set to 16 June 2023.
Should you wait for the entire package? Let’s see.
First impressions, music, and is it Nick Cave?
The song starts very slowly, sounds instrumental at first, the drums dictate the pace, and the bass only creates the background while Josh picks up the mic. I have to be completely honest, I had to check if Josh Homme is still at the helm because the Nick Cave vibe I’m getting from the song is immense. Still Josh.
But I digress.
The music, heavily supported by the lyrics, slowly develops into something much less instrumental, more layered and heftier. Eventually, by the end, it climaxes into a very distorted version of hard rock. As if there’s some hidden discord. A discord that reflects the nature of the song, the lyrics, and the meaning.
There’s a certain feeling of being cheated as the song ends almost abruptly before the orchestra can take over and you away – likely to another plane.
The way the song starts, slowly finds tempo, and gains significant instrumental depth and gravity is astonishing. There are parts that are dominated by stringed instruments, making the song sound orchestral as Homme reaches the heights from where he can observe the world because for him, the observer, the carnavoyeur, life presumably never ends.
For the rest, though, that’s another story.
Nihilism, life, death, time, and the perfect combination
A certain Friedrich Nietzsche would be happy with this one.
Have you ever thought about nihilism, the aesthetic beauty of death, the importance of nothingness, and honesty in it all?
What is ‘Carnavoyeur’ about?
A life doesn’t mean much. Since it’s short, its relevance is low and yet we tend to cling to it as much as possible:
Nothing, nothing
Queens of the Stone Age – Carnavoyeur, verse 1
Nothing inside
And there’s no reason to cry
Just fade away like love
Clutching, hanging
By a nail in this life
Desperate always
Always looks that way
Also, love, the one thing that’s supposed to drive and push us forward, even love is an empty word. As if it doesn’t matter because it, too, fades away. Which it does.
The second verse sheds a lot more light on the meaning and where we should take the interpretation:
Minutes, seconds, and so little time
Queens of the Stone Age – Carnavoyeur, verse 2
Give your secrets away
Well, whisper in my ear
Every living thing will die
From the king of the jungle to butterfly
The only sin is waiting too long
To cut a long story short, life is short, everything dies, so make sure you enjoy your ride while it lasts. There may be nothing to enjoy soon.
The notion of life not having a meaning is, though, kept somewhat in a balance, hanging somewhere there:
We live, we die
Queens of the Stone Age – Carnavoyeur, outro
We fail, we rise
I’m a vulture, so I hear goodbyes
There’s no end to life
On and on, always life
On and on, always life
We live, we die, but we also fail and, more importantly, rise to do better.
What does the word carnavoyeur mean?
The meaning of the word ‘carnavoyeur’ mean is suggested in the chorus:
And there’s nothing I can do
Queens of the Stone Age – Carnavoyeur, chorus 1
Except enjoy the view
When there’s nothing I can do
I smile
And you get even more confirmation from the second chorus:
When there’s nothing I can do
Queens of the Stone Age – Carnavoyeur, chorus 2
I smile
I smile
I
A carnavoyeur is someone who finds pleasure in watching other people live, succeed, fail, and die. Completing and repeating the circle of life. After all, carnaval is French for circus, a voyeur is someone taking pleasure in watching other people.
Carnavoyeur is someone who enjoys watching the circle, or circus, of life.
Queens of the Stone Age – Carnavoyeur
Queens of the Stone Age – ‘Carnavoyeur’ Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Nothing, nothing
Nothing inside
And there’s no reason to cry
Just fade away like love
Clutching, hanging
By a nail in this life
Desperate always
Always looks that way[Pre-Chorus]
Free fall from the nest, then glide to the left
A shine catch the eye, so flow on to the right
Flying high, realize there are no more mountains to climb[Chorus]
And there’s nothing I can do
Accept enjoy the view
When there’s nothing I can do
I smile[Verse 2]
Minutes, seconds, and so little time
Give your secrets away
Well, whisper in my ear
Every living thing will die
From the king of the jungle to butterfly
The only sin is waiting too long[Chorus]
When there’s nothing I can do
I smile
I smile
I[Bridge]
Free fall from the nest, then glide to the left
A shine catch the eye, so flow on to the right
Flying high, realize there are no more mountains to climb[Outro]
We live, we die
We fail, we rise
I’m a vulture, so I hear goodbyes
There’s no end to life
On and on, always life
On and on, always life
Queens of the Stone Age Articles
Written by Vinklarek on
