Do you realise a decade has passed since the release of 'Do You Realise??' Life sure goes fast, not that we weren't warned. THE FLAMING LIPS have always been one of those glass half-full kinda bands, exuding a quirky playfulness. If you've ever experienced the childish-grin-inducing joy of a Lips live show, you know what I mean.
Delivered via a series of questions so simple yet so often left unmuttered, 'Do You Realise??' is like a beautiful kick in the arse. It's 3 minutes and 33 seconds of matter-of-fact honesty that's enough to make you cry (with happiness) when you do realise that Coyne and the gang have been right all along.
The instrumental elements in it's DNA already seem iconic, that irresistibly lush acoustic guitar strum, the atmospheric synth that has us "floating in space", that epic drum roll and crash. All of these ingredients combined with a message so basic in essence yet grand in scope allows 'Do You Realise??' to sit alongside the likes of 'What a Wonderful World' and 'Imagine' as anthems of the human race.
Every now and then someone will ask us to stop and look at the bigger picture, but it's far easier to appreciate the picture when it's been painted by The Flaming Lips.
Words by Brad Davies.
