Sunday Music: Flaming Lips

You might get the impression that all of the artists from Oklahoma are Country and Western (many of them are), but certainly not all of them. The Flaming Lips are an alternative rock band from Oklahoma City who have achieved Top 40 success.

I got this information from Answers.com:

The Flaming Lips formed in Oklahoma City in 1983, when founder and guitarist Wayne Coyne allegedly stole a collection of musical instruments from an area church hall and enlisted his vocalist brother Mark and bassist Michael Ivins to start a band. Giving themselves the nonsensical name the Flaming Lips (its origin variously attributed to a porn film, an obscure drug reference, or a dream in which a fiery Virgin Mary plants a kiss on Wayne in the backseat of his car), the band made its live debut at a local transvestite club. After progressing through an endless string of drummers, they recruited percussionist Richard English prior to recording their self-titled debut, issued on green vinyl on their own Lovely Sorts of Death label in 1985.

...

With new guitarist Ronald Jones and drummer Steven Drozd, they cut 1993's sublime Transmissions from the Satellite Heart, which they supported by playing the second stage at Lollapalooza and touring the nation in a Ryder truck. Initially, the album stiffed; however, nearly a year after its initial release, the single "She Don't Use Jelly" became a grassroots hit, and against all odds the Flaming Lips found themselves on the Top 40 charts. They took full advantage of their requisite 15 minutes of fame, appearing everywhere from MTV's annual Spring Break broadcast to an arena tour in support of Candlebox to a memorably surreal lip-synched performance on the teen soap opera Beverly Hills 90210, where supporting character Steve Sanders (portrayed by actor Ian Ziering) uttered the immortal words, "You know, I've never been a big fan of alternative music, but these guys rocked the house!"

Here are a few videos of some of their most popular songs I found on YouTube. The first song was their breakout hit.

Do You Realize??


The next song was a hit on Top 40 radio and is a video of their live performance at the Zoo Amphitheatre in Oklahoma City.

She Don't Use Jelly (Live From Oklahoma)


The last song is their song which has received the most views for the band on YouTube. Where they ask: "What would you do with power if you had it?"

The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song


Here is their most recent release at Amazon.com.