In Spring of 1989, they signed to U2's independent Mother Records label to release their eponymous debut CD. "Grey Matter" was a mild local hit, but it was followed by "Celebrate", which hit the top 10 of the Ireland charts. College radio stations began to pick up the song. It received significant airplay, and eventually reached the top 5 of the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. Atlantic Records signed the band, and re-released "Grey Matter" in the US, where it became a lesser college rock hit. Atlantic released their debut album internationally, where it received generally poor reviews but sold well in Ireland.
After a tour to support the debut album, An Emotional Fish returned to the studio to record Junk Puppets. The songs were recorded over eight months, and four of the songs were produced by David A. Stewart. In 1993, the album was released, and An Emotional Fish opened for U2 on the Zoo TV Tour. However, the album sold few copies outside of Ireland. In 1994, the band released Sloper, but only secured a distribution deal in the UK. The album was released in the US two years later.
In 2002, Gerard Whelan began performing again as Jerry Fish, including two albums with Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club. The other former members of An Emotional Fish all made appearances as Mudbug Club musicians.
air
An Emotional Fish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of all I possessed did I realised
How far I had to fall
Empty my pockets of this doggy dog logic
And book me a tune with the stars
All I need
All I need
My heart
My home
My friends
My eyes
My ears
The soul of my tears
My smile
My hands
My bed and
My jeans
The air that I breathe
The air that I breathe
Whistling in the wind
I know it won`t change a thing
If the only change I can make
Is the change in me
I've wasted enough time
Waiting in line to fill in holes
For fools that dig to deep
All I need
All I need
Is my arms
My legs
My mouth
My grin
My nose
My teeth
The sun on my skin
My love
My life
My family
The air that I breathe
The air that I breathe
All I need
All I need
Is my head
My heart
My home
My friends
My eyes
My ears
The soul of my tears
My smile
My hands
My bed and
My jeans
The air that I breathe
The air that I breathe
My arms
My legs
My mouth
My grin
My nose
My teeth
The sun on my skin
My love
My life
My family
The air that I breathe
The air that I breathe
Not until I stood out on the edge
Of all I possessed did I realised
How far I had to fall
The air that I breathe
The lyrics to An Emotional Fish's song "Air" convey a message of reflection and gratitude for what one possesses in life. The song begins with the singer standing on the edge of all they possess, a moment that leads them to realize the potential for falling. The first verse evokes a sense of emptiness, as the singer wishes to rid themselves of the "doggy dog logic" that they carry in their pockets. This sets the tone of the song, wherein the singer expresses a need to let go of toxic influences to embrace what is truly important to them.
The following two verses are a list of what the singer considers to be essential in life, such as love, family, and the air that they breathe. The relatively simple addition of "the air that I breathe" at the end of each verse acts as a reminder of the most basic yet vital element that enables all other pieces of life to exist. This is reinforced in the final lines of the song, where the singer returns to the opening sentiment that standing on the edge of what one has can be a sobering experience. The repeated refrain, "the air that I breathe," reinforces the importance of appreciation for the simple necessities of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Not until I stood out on the edge
Only after I got close to the edge of my possessions did I notice
Of all I possessed did I realised
The extent of my holdings became clear to me
How far I had to fall
The great distance I could tumble down dawned on me
Empty my pockets of this doggy dog logic
Get rid of the competitive, cutthroat mindset
And book me a tune with the stars
Find a connection with the universe
All I need
The only things I require are
Is my head
My intellect
My heart
My emotions
My home
The place where I live
My friends
The people I care about
My eyes
My sight
My ears
My hearing
The soul of my tears
The essence of my sorrow
My smile
My happiness
My hands
My ability to create
My bed and
Where I rest
My jeans
What I wear
The air that I breathe
The oxygen that sustains me
Whistling in the wind
Trying to influence things beyond my control
I know it won't change a thing
It's futile to believe it will make a difference
If the only change I can make
If the only thing I can modify
Is the change in me
Is the transformation within myself
I've wasted enough time
I've spent too much of my life
Waiting in line to fill in holes
Endlessly filling gaps
For fools that dig too deep
For unintelligent people who delve too far
Is my arms
My physical strength
My legs
My mobility
My mouth
My ability to communicate
My grin
My joy
My nose
My sense of smell
My teeth
My ability to bite down
The sun on my skin
The warmth of sunshine on my body
My love
The people I care about
My life
The time I have
My family
The people who are close to me
The air that I breathe
The oxygen that sustains me
Contributed by Skyler C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sean Kirby
Damn..This really takes me back.I love this song..Reminds me of Galway ragweek..Superb song and they truly are an awesome live band..The energy they send out to their fans is incredible..Ireland had some amazing bands in the 80's and 90's..Their material/songs are still be much better than a lot of rubbish released today.
richard fagan
one of the best Irish singles of all time me thinks x
1Lev
There are rock songs...and there are rock songs... But "Celebrate" by An Emotional Fish.. hooks me every time!!!
Antonio Lo Medico
Me too!
loftusboy9
definetely 1 of the greatest irish bands ever...saw Jerry Fish recently at a small gig here in Mayo,,,what a showman,,fu*king brillaint..best night i had in yonks and there was'nt any booze available at the gig,but he had everybody up rockin after the first two songs...i guess genius lasts a lifetime..celebrate...
MrPADDYOT
First time living away from home, going to college, standing in a bar with this song blaring, surrounded by friends, happy days, great song.
sdwe93e23
Pure class - from the lyrics to the medley
Zyggy32 Channel
One of the Best Irish Songs of the 90's I had this on Vinyl !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Garth Gilmour
Brilliant. Still sounds as good as it ever did...
bgrrrlie
Was gonna say the same! There's a lot of memories of this band, especially this track! I'm glad I found this with great sound!