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.
Let Jesus Make You Breakfast
BR5-49 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause the Devil slipped a mickey in my bedstand drink
Then Jesus made me breakfast with his fresh white chateau on
Well, I ain't got the money to go to town
The cupboard it was empty before he came around
Then Jesus made me breakfast with his fresh white chateau on
My stomach's full of nothin' but conspiracy
I can't get nobody to tell me the truth
What's a hungry fella to do
Well, you could canonize the Devil, crucify a Saint
But you can't replace your half and half with coffeemate
Let Jesus make you breakfast with his fresh white chateau on
Well, there ain't no sun shinin' down on me
My stomach's full of nothin' but conspiracy
I can't get nobody to tell me the truth
What's a hungry fella to do
Well, you could canonize the Devil, crucify a Saint
But you can't replace your half and half with coffeemate
Let Jesus make you breakfast with his fresh white chateau on
(Let Jesus make you breakfast with his fresh white chateau on)
Let Jesus make you breakfast with his fresh white chateau on
(Let Jesus make you breakfast with his fresh white chateau on)
When you are underfed
He'll be at the foot of your bed
With the fish and some bread
Yeah, let Jesus make you breakfast with his fresh white chateau on
In BR5-49's song "Let Jesus Make You Breakfast," the singer wakes up from a nightmare, unable to speak because the Devil has drugged his drink. However, Jesus comes to his rescue and makes him breakfast, using his fresh white chateau. The singer is grateful for Jesus' help since he doesn't have the money or food to sustain himself. He comments on his state of being-- no sunshine and full of conspiracy theories-- and the lack of truth from those around him. He suggests that rather than crucifying saints or canonizing the Devil, people should let Jesus make them breakfast with his fresh white chateau on.
The lyrics of the song play with the contrast between evil and good, material hardship, and spiritual sustenance. The reference to the Devil slipping a mickey in the singer's drink alludes to the corrupt nature of society and its disregard for morality. By contrast, Jesus' role as a provider of food, and aid at the foot of the bed symbolize his status as a spiritual rock, a "savior." The lines "Let Jesus make you breakfast with his fresh white chateau on" are repeated several times, acting as a kind of refrain or mantra that suggests the importance of relying on spiritual guidance during times of hardship.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I woke up from a nightmare and I couldn't speak
The singer had a nightmare and feels incapable of expressing themselves
'Cause the devil slipped a mickey in my bedstand drink
The singer suspects that their nightmare was caused by something that was put in their drink
Then Jesus made me breakfast with his fresh white chateau on
Despite the negative effects of the suspected drink, Jesus has come to the rescue by cooking the singer breakfast with care
Well, I ain't got the money to go to town
The artist is experiencing financial difficulties
The cupboard it was empty before he came around
Jesus has brought food to the artist's house, and before this act of kindness, they had no food
Well, there ain't no sun shinin' down on me
The singer is feeling quite down and discouraged
My stomach's full of nothin' but conspiracy
The singer feels paranoid and uneasy, leading to a loss of appetite
I can't get nobody to tell me the truth
The artist is struggling to find someone who is honest with them
What's a hungry fella to do
The artist is feeling quite helpless and unsure of how to deal with their situation
Let Jesus make you breakfast with his fresh white chateau on
Despite the artist's struggles, Jesus is there to provide comfort and support, in this case by making breakfast
Well, you could canonize the Devil, crucify a Saint
The singer is contemplating ways of dealing with a difficult situation, including taking drastic measures
But you can't replace your half and half with coffeemate
Some things are irreplaceable, as demonstrated by the preference for half and half in coffee over a substitute
When you are underfed
Being undernourished can lead to negative consequences on one's well-being
He'll be at the foot of your bed
Jesus remains supportive and helpful, staying with the singer during difficult times
With the fish and some bread
Jesus continues to provide sustenance and care to the singer, as he once did with the biblical story of the loaves and fishes
Yeah, let Jesus make you breakfast with his fresh white chateau on
Jesus remains a source of comfort and support, even in uncertain times
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ALAN MURPHY, CHUCK MEAD, SHAW WILSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Baby Rebbel
cool song!
EmiSunshine
Awesome
o sc
goosebumps.
Neal Hudson
As a master of the insignificant, I can tell you the phrase is "with his fresh white shell toes on", which, per the urban dictionary "Adidas shoes with the toe of the shoe that is a large rubber cap that has lines running along it, making it look like a shell". I love the internet.
zoe fronheiser
nice
Kelli Byer
the only time your explanation is applicable, is when a nice attractive lady wears an "Adidas" t-shirt, a skirt, and wears a pair of Nike brand shoes, that actually do have a semi-circular protector visible above the foot, on the 'shoe upper', where the toes could be inside the shoes, if a person had enough history of living to realize where toes belong, in relation to shoes. It is not every day one sees an "all-day-i-dream-about-sex" advertisement without utilizing anything except the verbage.
TikiKrissy
@abrashTX I hear "fresh white chef clothes on" :)