The band was formed in Nashville by co-leads Gary Bennett and Chuck Mead. Their music, referred to as alternative country or neotraditional, contains elements of western swing and rockabilly. They eschew modern Top 40 pop-country for a more raw, honky-tonk sound, with songs about 50s pin-up/dominatrix Bettie Page and The Ramones. They took their name from a telephone number regularly used in a Junior Samples sketch on the television show Hee Haw.
BR549 toured with Bob Dylan, the Mavericks, Junior Brown, the Black Crowes, and Brian Setzer. Whike on hiatus, multi-Instrumentalist Don Herron is touring with Bob Dylan, and lead vocalist Chuck Mead is performing with the honky-tonk country supergroup The Hillbilly All-Stars, along with Robert Reynolds and Paul Deakin of the Mavericks and solo recording artist/actor Mark Collie. Former co-lead vocalist, and co-founder, Gary Bennett released his solo debut, Human Condition, in February of 2006, and former bassist Geoff Firebaugh is a member of the Nashville based rockabilly outfit Hillbilly Casino. Despite shows in Europe in 2007 it's unclear if the band will return to its capacity as a full-time touring band.
The group disbanded, and Chuck, Shaw and Donnie returned to Lower Broadway to play weekly gigs with musical collective The Hillbilly All-Stars. The three were soon revitalized to again play music within an unpredictable scene, leading them to reform BR549 in 2004 with bassist Geoff Firebaugh and singer/guitarist Chris Scruggs for their Dualtone debut Tangled In The Pines. But following victorious tours of the U.S. and Europe (marred only by two separate thefts of their instruments and gear), BR549 was faced with their ultimate challenge when Donnie Herron was invited by Bob Dylan to become the new fiddle and steel guitar player in his band.
“It was a real test of our abilities as a family,” admits Mead. “Donnie went on the road with Dylan. Shaw moved to Arizona. I’d moved on to other projects. But for us, BR549 had always been something that needs to be respected and nothing we could ever take lightly.” Following months of heart-to-heart phone calls, plate-spinning scheduling and the addition of new bassist Mark Miller, the band finally convened in Athens to record in a way they never had before. “In the past, we’d always made a record coming off the road, with songs we’d been played for weeks and sometimes months on tour,” Chuck remembers “But this time, we were all coming in fresh, making the record then and there. It’s an album that’s truly in the moment.”
BR549 released six albums and two EPs, including three albums on Arista Nashville and two on Dualtone Records. The band's self-titled debut album produced three singles on the Billboard country charts in 1996. The band was nominated three times for the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
After The Hurricane
BR5-49 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When we lost everything, after the hurricane
It was not the driving rain
That let our love go down the drain
It was not the howlin' wind
That blew away the hopes I planned
After the hurricane, after the wind and rain
When we lost everything, after the hurricane
We were sheltered from the storm
In what we thought was safe and warm
We survived the risin' tide
But there's no place that we can hide
After the hurricane, after the wind and rain
When we lost everything, after the hurricane
Things were scattered, things got tossed
But that's not what we had lost
It's a way of marking time
To fit the reason to the rhyme
After the hurricane, after the wind and rain
When we lost everything, after the hurricane
After the hurricane, after the wind and rain
When we lost everything, after the hurricane
The lyrics of "After The Hurricane" by BR5-49 describe the aftermath of a storm, using its destructive force as a metaphor for the breakdown of a relationship. The singer sings from a place of reflection following the events, acknowledging that it wasn't the physical damage caused by the hurricane that caused the end of the relationship, but rather the emotional turmoil and conflict that it brought to light. The opening lines suggest a sense of loss and devastation, with the repetition of "after the hurricane" emphasizing the weight of the event. The second verse suggests that the couple felt a false sense of security and stability in their relationship prior to the storm, but that the experience of weathering it together ultimately revealed the cracks beneath the surface. Despite the chaos around them, the couple "survived the rising tide," but couldn't withstand the impact of the disaster on their relationship.
The final verse is particularly poignant, as the singer acknowledges that while physical possessions were lost or scattered, it's the intangible loss of love and connection that really matters. The line "it's a way of marking time, to fit the reason to the rhyme" suggests that the experience of the hurricane created a sense of time passing and a need for closure or understanding, even as the singer's emotions remain raw.
Overall, "After The Hurricane" is a powerful song that uses the devastation of a natural disaster to explore the aftermath of a failed relationship. The lyrics are thoughtful and moving, with a sense of emotional honesty that resonates with listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
After the hurricane, after the wind and rain
Reflecting on the aftermath of the hurricane and the destruction it caused
When we lost everything, after the hurricane
Acknowledging the devastating loss that occurred after the hurricane had passed
It was not the driving rain
Realizing that the rain wasn't the cause of the damage but rather something else
That let our love go down the drain
Feeling the weight of the relationship falling apart and accepting that it wasn't caused by the elements
It was not the howlin' wind
Understanding that the wind wasn't the root cause of the problems that arose
That blew away the hopes I planned
Feeling the disappointment and loss of plans that were destroyed by the hurricane
We were sheltered from the storm
Feeling protected and secure before the true extent of the hurricane's destruction was revealed
In what we thought was safe and warm
Feeling comfortable and content in a situation that ultimately proved to not be safe or secure enough
We survived the risin' tide
Acknowledging that they made it through the worst of the hurricane, but still with significant loss
But there's no place that we can hide
Accepting that the damage of the hurricane cannot be avoided or ignored
Things were scattered, things got tossed
Noticing the chaotic aftermath of the hurricane's destruction
But that's not what we had lost
Feeling a deeper loss than just physical possessions
It's a way of marking time
Utilizing the hurricane as a way of measuring the passage of time and significant events
To fit the reason to the rhyme
Making sense of the events that happened and trying to understand why they occurred
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Mikkel Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Jazmine Sullivan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind