Do You Realize
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"Do You Realize??" is a song by
The Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, vocals), Derek Brown ...
, and was released as the first single from their 2002 album ''
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots ''Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots'' is the tenth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released on July 16, 2002, by Warner Bros. Records. The album saw the band pursue a more electronic direction than previous efforts, incorporati ...
''. It is one of the group's most accessible and popular songs, having reached No. 32 in the UK Singles Chart. It was adopted as the Official Rock Song of Oklahoma from 2009 to April 2013 and was ranked No. 31 on Rolling Stone's ''100 Best Songs of the 2000s''. It is also the band's most popular live song, and has rarely been excluded from setlists since its inception into their live shows in 2002.


Structure and recording

In an interview with ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...
'',
Wayne Coyne Wayne Michael Coyne (born January 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the founder, lead vocalist, main songwriter, and only constant member of the psychedelic rock band the Flaming Lips. Early life Coyne was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ...
revealed that during the recording of ''Yoshimi...'', band member
Steven Drozd Steven Gregory Drozd (born June 11, 1969) is an American musician. He is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter for the Flaming Lips, Electric Würms, and other projects. Early life Drozd was born in Houston, Texas, and grew up in Ri ...
was trying to kick a heroin addiction. When they took breaks from playing, Drozd would have a really tough time with his withdrawal. Listening to him cry, and with the death of his father in mind, Coyne wrote: "Do You Realize??". Coyne, commenting on "Do You Realize??" said, "Whenever I analyze the scientific realities of what it means to be living here on Earth – in this galaxy – spinning around the sun – flying through space – a terror shock seizes me!!! I'm reminded once again of how precarious our whole existence is..." Coyne stated in a 2023 interview: "Steven Drozd, our guitarist, liked the line: “Everyone you know someday will die.” You don’t really know where the song is going until that point. There’s storytelling and it has wisdom, romance and heartache. It’s gentle but not mellow and has elements of propulsion and triumph even though it’s lazy and sad at the same time. It also benefits from not knowing it’s going to be an important song. That’s the best thing about it. The “1, 2, 3, 4” at the beginning is like the laughter at the end of Within You Without You on the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Anything we could do to lift the song and deliver a great but not heavy message."


UK track listing

*7" #"Do You Realize??" #"Up Above the Daily Hum" *CD1 #"Do You Realize??" #"If I Go Mad/Funeral in My Head" #"Syrtis Major" *CD2 #"Do You Realize??" #"Up Above the Daily Hum" #"Xanthe Terra" *DVD single # "Do You Realize??" (video) # "Do You Realize??" (audio) # "The Southern Oklahoma Trigger Contest" # "Noodling Theme (Epic Sunset Mix #5)" "Syrtis Major" and "Xanthe Terra" are instrumental pieces intended to be taken from the forthcoming '' Christmas on Mars'' soundtrack.


Video

The music video was recorded on
Fremont Street Fremont Street is a street in Downtown Las Vegas, downtown Las Vegas, Nevada that is the second-most famous street in both the Las Vegas Valley and in the state of Nevada, after the Las Vegas Strip. It is named in honor of explorer and politicia ...
in
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
and features Wayne Coyne, people dressed as bunnies and pigs, four female dancers in
negligee The negligee or ''négligée'' ( ; ), also known in French as (; ), is a form of see-through clothing for women consisting of a sheer, usually long, dressing gown. It is a form of nightgown intended for wear at night and in the bedroom. It was in ...
and a live elephant. The video begins with Coyne resting at a bus stop at night along with a man dressed as a pig before being picked up by an unseen force that takes him to Fremont Street. Coyne walks down Fremont Street followed by four models while he sings the song. No other members of the band are seen. Close-up shots of people in various states of emotion ranging from sadness to joy are interspersed throughout the video. The elephant falls down when Coyne sings of death, but raises up later when he speaks of love, suggesting hope and renewal. The video ends with Coyne being returned by the same unseen force to the bus stop to sit with the man dressed as a pig to continue waiting for the bus.


Oklahoma state song

In March 2009, "Do You Realize??" was announced as the official state rock song of Oklahoma, after winning an online vote among ten finalists as authorized by the Oklahoma state legislature: out of 21,000 votes cast, nearly 51% were for "Do You Realize??" The
Oklahoma Senate The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.Oklahoma House of Representatives The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's ...
fell three votes short of the 51 votes necessary to ratify the resolution: one Republican state legislator attacked the band for its use of offensive language, while another said he opposed the song because band member
Michael Ivins Michael Lee Ivins (born March 17, 1963) is the former bassist, keyboardist, backing vocalist and founding member of The Flaming Lips. Along with Mark Coyne and Wayne Coyne, he formed The Flaming Lips in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Accordi ...
had worn a red T-shirt with a yellow
sickle and hammer The hammer and sickle (Unicode: ) is a communist symbol representing proletarian solidarity between industrial and agricultural workers. It was first adopted during the Russian Revolution at the end of World War I, the hammer representing wor ...
during a previous appearance by the band. Democratic governor
Brad Henry Charles Bradford Henry (born July 10, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 26th governor of Oklahoma from 2003 to 2011. A Democrat, he previously served in the Oklahoma Senate from 1992 to 2003. As of 2025, he is the last ...
subsequently announced that he would issue an
executive order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of the ...
in lieu of the resolution rejected by the Oklahoma House.Michael McNutt
"Oklahoma House votes down Flaming Lips' state rock song 'Do You Realize??'"
, ''
The Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circul ...
'', 23 April 2009.
However, it was revealed in 2013 that Republican governor
Mary Fallin Mary Fallin (; née Copeland; born December 9, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, she was elected in 2010 Oklahoma gub ...
removed the song's designation as the Official Rock Song of Oklahoma by not renewing Brad Henry's executive order upon taking office in 2011.


Reception

Coyne said of the reception to the song: "From the beginning, we would meet people who told us about playing Do You Realize?? when their mother was dying in the hospital or their brother had been in a car accident. We didn’t know what to say. In time, we were able to have some distance and let down our guard. We wrote the song, but what we made is not what it’s become."


Commercial appearances

Hewlett-Packard The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company. It was founded by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in 1939 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California ...
featured the band alongside
Penn and Teller Penn may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Penn'' (film), 1954 Tamil film starring Vyjayanthimala * ''Penn'' (TV series), a 1991 Tamil mini-series * ''Penn'' (TV series), a 2006 Tamil-language soap opera * '' The Penn'', or ''The Stylus'', ...
in its 2002 commercial for its HP Media Center PC, which included a clip of the music video. In a review of the ad, music journalist
Jim DeRogatis James Peter DeRogatis (born September 2, 1964) is an American music critic and co-host of ''Sound Opinions''. DeRogatis has written articles for magazines such as ''Rolling Stone'', '' Spin'', ''Guitar World'', ''Matter'' and '' Modern Drummer'' ...
said, "It was a commercial for the Flaming Lips," as much as it was for HP's computer. In 2003,
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
featured the song in a spot that promoted its network. In 2004,
Mitsubishi The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group traces its origins to the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company that existed from 1870 to 194 ...
used the song in a television ad for one of its cars, as did
Land Rover Land Rover is a brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by British multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR builds Land Rovers in Brazil ...
in 2007 with voice-over by
Charles Shaughnessy Charles George Patrick Shaughnessy, 5th Baron Shaughnessy (born 9 February 1955) is a British actor. His roles on American television include Shane Donovan on the soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'', Maxwell Sheffield on the sitcom ''The Nanny ...
. A cover version was used in the teaser trailer of '' Transformers: The Last Knight'' in late 2016. The song was used in the trailer for '' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'' shown at
San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
in July 2022 and would later be included in the film as a part of '' Awesome Mix Vol. 3''. The song was later used in the trailer for the 2023 film ''
Landscape with Invisible Hand ''Landscape with Invisible Hand'' is a 2023 American science fiction film written and directed by Cory Finley, based on the 2017 novel of the same name by M. T. Anderson. The film stars Asante Blackk, Kylie Rogers, and Tiffany Haddish. Humans ...
''.


Covers

The song was covered by
The Reign of Kindo The Reign of Kindo is an American rock band originating from Buffalo, New York, currently based out of New York City. They produce and release their music independently. They finance the creation of their recordings and videos by writing, produ ...
on their eponymous debut album. It was also covered in 2012 by
Ball Park Music Ball Park Music is an Australian five-piece indie rock band from Brisbane consisting of Sam Cromack, Jennifer Boyce, Paul Furness, Dean Hanson and Daniel Hanson. Since forming in 2008, the band has released eight studio albums. Their debut, '' ...
for Australian radio station
Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...
's
Like a Version ''Like a Version'' is a long-running weekly segment on Australian youth radio station Triple J. It involves musicians playing two songs live in the Triple J studio, one of their own songs and then a cover version. The series was created by pres ...
.
Father John Misty Joshua Michael Tillman (born May 3, 1981), better known by his stage name Father John Misty, is an American musician. He is known for his satirical lyrics and eccentric performance style. Tillman began his career in Seattle in the early 2000s. O ...
, American
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...
singer-songwriter and former member of
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
bands
Saxon Shore The Saxon Shore () was a military command of the Late Roman Empire, consisting of a series of fortifications on both sides of the English Channel. It was established in the late 3rd century and was led by the " Count of the Saxon Shore". In the ...
and
Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes are an American indie folk band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2006. The band currently consists of Robin Pecknold (vocals, guitar), Skyler Skjelset (guitar, mandolin, backing vocals), Casey Wescott (keyboards, mandolin, backin ...
, performed a version of the song in July 2012 for ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
'' A.V. Undercover series. Father John Misty's version is featured in the 2022 film '' Press Play''. American
Jewish rock Jewish rock is a form of contemporary Jewish religious music that is influenced by various forms of secular rock music. Pioneered by contemporary folk artists like Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach (musician), Shlomo Carlebach and the Diaspora Yeshiva Band, ...
band
Blue Fringe Blue Fringe was an American Jewish rock band from New York City. Formed in 2001 by lead singer Dov Rosenblatt, the band's debut album, '' My Awakening'' (2003), sold more than 14,000 copies, an uncommon feat in the limited Jewish market, and b ...
covered the song on their 2007 album '' The Whole World Lit Up''. In 2015, the song was covered by British singer/composer Ursine Vulpine (aka Frederick Lloyd). This version was used for the first theatrical trailer of '' Transformers: The Last Knight'' as well as the trailer for the third season of the television series
Penny Dreadful Penny dreadfuls were cheap popular Serial (literature), serial literature produced during the 19th century in the United Kingdom. The pejorative term is roughly interchangeable with penny horrible, penny awful, and penny blood. The term typical ...
). In 2016,
Sharon Van Etten Sharon Katharine Van Etten (born February 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress. Originally from New Jersey, and currently based in Los Angeles, Van Etten's music is noted for its indie rock aesthetic and personal lyric ...
covered the song for Amazon's ''
Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street ''Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street'' is an American live action, magic realism family television series created by David Anaxagoras that was initially streamed for two seasons (2014–16) on Amazon Prime Video. The series, follows young G ...
'' soundtrack.
Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...
released his cover of “Do You Realize??” as the second single from his 2024 album ''
Last Leaf on the Tree ''Last Leaf on the Tree'' is the 76th solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. It was released on November 1, 2024, through Legacy Recordings. Produced and curated by Micah Nelson, the album contains songs from songwriters su ...
'' which was released on November 1, 2024.


Chart positions


Certifications


References


External links

*
Song review A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usually ...
from
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
{{authority control 2002 singles The Flaming Lips songs
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
Songs about death Symbols of Oklahoma Warner Records singles Music videos directed by Mark Pellington Music of Oklahoma Songs written by Wayne Coyne Songs written by Michael Ivins Songs written by Steven Drozd 2002 songs Works about philosophy of death