The Way We Get By

Spoon's story begins in Austin, Texas, as early as 1993. After two neglected albums and a somewhat traumatic dismissal from Elektra Records circa 1998, Spoon almost fell by the wayside. Luckily, the band's talent prevailed, and with a new artistic diligence and loyalty to independent labels, they made a gradual and respectable comeback, finally reaching the level of success falsely promised to them in the beginning.

"The Way We Get By," from 2002's Kill The Moonlight, is a particularly good introduction to Spoon's long and diverse career because it typifies one of their defining characteristics: a self-conscious devotion to punk "cool" mixed with a knack for commercial melodies and intelligent songwriting.

"The Way We Get By" is, in a sense, about apathy, and yet it testifies to the band's passion and ambition, as well as their strikingly academic approach to their craft.

With "The Way We Get By," Spoon started walking down the same path toward acceptance and respect.

About the Song

Shmoop Connections

Spoon's music somehow manages to be contemporary even as it points heavily in the direction of its influences from the past. The two primary members of the band, Britt Daniel and Jim Eno, are well versed in the history of rock and roll. At the beginning of their career this hindered their success, as several critics deemed their music too derivative. But critics had made the same complaint about the debut albums of two other bands that would grow to become the biggest, most well respected names in progressive independent rock music: Wilco and Radiohead.

With "The Way We Get By," Spoon started walking down the same path toward acceptance and respect.

On the Charts

The album Kill The Moonlight charted at #23 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums. It was also featured in several "best-of" lists, including Blender's "The 100 best indie rock albums ever," and Rolling Stone's "100 best albums of the decade."

"The Way We Get By" was released as a single, and though it did not chart, it received wide recognition from its placement in TV and film, including the popular television show The O.C. and the soundtrack to the film Stranger Than Fiction, starring Will Ferrell.