The album was produced by jazz percussionist/producer Gary McFarland. At the time, McFarland was part owner of the Skye label, along with Latin percussionist Cal Tjader (who was Wendy and Bonnie's godfather) and jazz guitarist Gábor Szabó.
Wendy and Bonnie grew up in Millbrae, California, in the San Francisco Bay suburbs. Their parents, Art and Jeane Flower, were professional musicians. In 1967, Wendy played and recorded with an early San Francisco psychedelic band called Crystal Fountain; Bonnie later joined the band as drummer. The following year, Tjader heard some of the Flower sisters' acoustic home demos and arranged a recording session with Skye. The sisters, who were teens at the time the album was recorded, composed all the songs. McFarland served as arranger on the sessions, crafting a post-psychedelic soft rock sound with Brazilian overtones. Musicians who performed on the album included guitarist Larry Carlton, drummer Jim Keltner, and keyboardist Mike Melvoin.
The Skye label went bankrupt shortly after the album's release. In 1971, while planning for additional recording with the Flower sisters, McFarland was mysteriously murdered in a New York bar.
In the early 1970s, Wendy and Bonnie provided background vocals on two Cal Tjader albums for Fantasy Records. Thereafter, the sisters pursued separate careers in music and entertainment, but did not record together again.
Genesis was reissued on CD in 2001 by the Sundazed Records label. In 2008, it was reissued in expanded format, including demos, alternate mixes, and vintage live recordings, on 2-CD and 3-LP vinyl sets.
Their recording "By the Sea" was sampled by the Welsh space rock band Super Furry Animals on the single Hello Sunshine, which is also the opening track on the band's 2003 album Phantom Power.
In 2010, French singer Laetitia Sadier of UK group Stereolab recorded "By the Sea" for release on her album, The Trip.
After singing guest harmony with Super Furry Animals at San Francisco's The Fillmore, New York's The Tonic and London's ICA, Wendy Flower performed (backed by Jane Weaver and The High Llamas) as one of the Lost Ladies of Folk at the 2007, Jarvis Cocker-curated Meltdown Festival. She sang on Weaver's Fallen By Watchbird album and, in 2013, released her own indie-pop album, New.
Bonnie Flower died at the age of 63 on November 15, 2017.
I Realized You
Wendy & Bonnie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
言葉じゃ割り切れない
you and I 背中合わせ
君に僕を預けよう
泣いてなんかない ここんとこ
ほっとかれた涙腺
度胸で鍛えた時代
生き抜いた魂で台頭
けど心に描いた未来
叶えたいよ 誰かと
愛してない・愛してるって
言葉じゃ割り切れない
you and I 背中合わせ
君に僕を預けよう
信じない・信じてるって
言葉じゃ割り切れない
you and I リズム合わせ
君を僕に預けて
焦ってなんかない いまんとこ
人より気まぐれな性分
時に叱ってちょうだい
開かずの間をこじ開けて ねぇ
錆びてクールな機械
でも本当は孤独さ
愛してない・愛してるって
言葉じゃ割り切れない
you and I 背中合わせ
君に僕を預けよう
信じない・信じてるって
言葉じゃ割り切れない
you and I リズム合わせ
君を僕に預けて
(whoo)ホコリまみれ
(whoo)振り向きはしない
(whoo)泣く代わりに笑い
(whoo)涙は大事な日に取っておくよ
I'll be alright
愛してない・愛してるって
言葉じゃ割り切れない
you and I 背中合わせ
君に僕を預けよう
信じない・信じてるって
言葉じゃ割り切れない
you and I リズム合わせ
君を僕に預けて
The lyrics to Wendy & Bonnie's song "I Realized You" depict a person who is struggling to communicate their feelings to the person they love. The first verse talks about how being with this person feels like dancing in the rain and how they wish that distance did not come between them. They admit that they count down the days until they see this person again, but they would never tell them because they don't "roll like that." They continue to explain that every morning, they can't stop thinking about this person, but they choose not to share those feelings with them.
The second verse deepens the understanding that the singer is grappling with some complexities around love. They explain how love is hard for them to do and how they become angry when the person they love asks them why. They admit that they would fly across the world to be with this person, but again express that they would never actually say that out loud. They hope that the person they love can just read their mind and understand how they feel, despite their inability to verbalize it. They repeat the chorus with little variation, expressing their love but admitting that they would never share it with the person they love.
Overall, the song speaks to the fear and insecurities that can come with expressing our love to others. It is about the struggle to communicate something that is so important to us but feels so vulnerable to share.
Line by Line Meaning
You make me feel like I am dancing in the rain
You fill me with happiness and joy like how dancing in the rain does
You make me wish that LA wasn’t so far away
Being away from you always makes me feel like something is missing and LA seems so far away from where I am
I told you that I didn’t want anything, but
I said I didn't want love, but deep down, I really do
I count the days until I’ll see you again
I eagerly wait for the day when we'll be together again
Because I love you
My feelings for you are that of love
But I would never tell you that, no no
Even though I love you, I can't bring myself to tell you
I’m sorry
I apologize for not being able to reveal my feelings to you
But I just do not roll like that, no no
It's just not in me to express my feelings the way you want me to
And every morning when I wake
Every day I wake up and you're still on my mind
I just can’t get you out my brain, no
I can't stop thinking about you
You ask me why I always get so mad at you
You wonder why I get upset with you so often
Truth is that love is something that’s hard for me to do
I find it difficult to express my love for you
I’d fly across the world to get to you
I'm willing to go to great lengths to be with you
But I would never tell you that, no
Even with my willingness to go any distance, I still can't say 'I love you'
So I hope that you’ll just read my mind instead
I hope you can pick up on my feelings without me saying anything
But I know that you can’t see what’s going on inside my head
I understand that it's impossible for you to know what I'm thinking
Just understand these things take me time
It takes me time to process my emotions and express them
Oh, and trust me
Please have faith in me and my emotions
No, No, No
I'm reluctant to reveal my feelings
No, no, no
I'm adamant about not saying 'I love you'
No, no, no
I can't bring myself to express my love
I would never tell you, no, no, no
I'll never reveal my true feelings, no matter how much I love you
No no no no, I could never tell you no no
It's just not in me to express my emotions in that way
No no no
I'm just not comfortable saying 'I love you'
No I could never tell you no no.
No matter how much I want to, I just can't say the words 'I love you'
No no i love you
I love you, even though I can't bring myself to say it
But i would never tell you no
But I can't bring myself to say the words 'I love you'
I love you
Despite my inability to express it, my feelings for you are love
Lyrics © TUNECORE INC, TuneCore Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: PINK BONNIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind