(The) Harvey Danger Database

Private Helicopter

Recorded

Release history

Credits

Alternate versions

Lyrics

I’m on a private helicopter with my favorite ex-girlfriend
Tiny little cabin in the sky
Now we’re alone and we can remember how we felt
before we were angry, we were guilty, and we were bitter
(I must admit, I said a few things…)

I’m still attracted to you
Sorry we’ve been so, so cold
Eight miles high, three hours to landing
Your hair smells really great

I’m on a hovercraft to Paris with my former best friend
We have to get to the cinematheque!
Now we’re alone and no one speaks English, so we’re free
to look into each other’s minds and see what we’re thinking
like we always used to

I miss talking to you
but you never draw me out, so
cast off the ego scars
and let’s go hit the bars

I reserve the right to hold my grudges
friends like you, you know the rest…
but all told, I hold on to my anger far too long
until it’s a joke
the night is cold
the joke is old
and poorly told
I told you once:

I’m on a private helicopter with my favorite ex-girlfriend
no one to keep up appearances for
Now we’re alone and we can remember how we felt at first
The desperate need to be together
must’ve been good for something, sugar

I’m still attracted to you
No one’s around to make us act like we’re supposed to
Lie here in my arms, lie here in my arms
Lie here in my arms

Quotes

AMH: I’d call us optimistic cynics. We try to bring a healthy skepticism to what we do, but we have our lighter moments too. Like “Private Helicopter”… it’s a funny, kind of warped look at someone who’s obsessed with a past relationship.

— The Los Angeles Times,

SCN: Well I remember all four of us listening back to the rough mix of “Private Helicopter” on the cassette deck of Jeff’s Volvo, coming home from John & Stu’s Place, listening again and again and again, probably for an hour, maybe more, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, absolutely stunned at how shockingly awesome it was, how massive sounding, the first experience of hearing ourselves transformed by recording into something bigger than we could have imagined, certain that the song was a work of genius (ah, youth), certain we were going to be discovered as a result of it, which in a way we were; the weirdest part was getting out of the car in the silent suburban neighborhood and seeing smoke rising from the three bags of yard waste awaiting curbside pick-up, like they were on the verge of combustion; we would grow to hate this song on tour; we like it again now.10A

JJL: It’s arguably the most important recording we ever did; you can divide the band eras into pre- and post-“Private Helicopter.” When we got back from the studio we could hardly believe it was us on that recording. Even though we got home from that day in the studio in the wee hours of the morning, I set the cassette player to auto-reverse, put on headphones and stayed up for a couple more hours marvelling at how much like a real band we sounded until I drifted off into sleep. It remains the best $200 we ever spent.10A

ECS: Every time I hear “Private Helicopter” I think two things. One is that I declined a trip to Rome that year because I was so excited about writing that song; the other is that I’ve always counted myself as the “former best friend.” Whenever I hear; I miss talking to you, buh-but you never draw me out, so… it makes me want to grab my own self by the scruff of the neck and shake.10A

SCN: A Canadian A&R representative once described the “narrative” of this song as “confusing.” Fair enough.P&F

SCN: “Private Helicopter” is sort of a response to “Old Hat,” one half-rung up the latter of emotional maturity, confessing that love can do more than just die.MMV

Music video

Directed by John Flansburgh. Filmed October 20–21, 1998 in New York City; released November 29, 1998.