1991 - 2000
Brian, Paul, Dom and Damien Rice form Juniper, having met in school. They go to college, play some weddings, 21st's and Bar Mitzvahs... and for a while have a Sunday night residency in the Kildrought Lounge and Bar, Celbridge. They meet Dave, who weans them off the Neil Diamond and Roxette covers. Band move into house in country, release EP, Manna, and two singles in Ireland. Damien leaves band, the others read about Chuck Yeager and his Right Stuff. They call the new band Bell X1. Bell X1 support Elliott Smith and Bon Jovi in the same 1 week period, leading to severe identity crisis, making small music with big hair. They make their first album, Neither Am I, in the summer/autumn of 1999 with Nick Seymour of Crowded House and release it in Ireland a year later, after much touring and a couple of old singles.
2001
Band take some time to indulge musical differences. Paul records and tours as drummer with Tipperary siren Gemma Hayes, Brian's away with Offaly hearthrob Mundy, and Dave and Dom join Richie Mullen of Lino Richie Carpets, Finglas, in touring cabaret show. Bell X1 regroup in late summer and write songs for what would become Music in Mouth in a house by the sea in Wexford.
2002
Second album recording starts in Ridge Farm studios in Surrey, with producer Jamie Cullum. After 4 weeks they move to the Fallout Shelter, London. The studio has no teapot!! Some moaning. The band take turns to make dinner. Some of it is shit. The world Cup happens. Mixing finishes in July and everyone goes away for a while. Come back and mix it all again. Borrow a friend's house in Kilkenny, record some more songs, play hurling, are laughed at by locals. Music in Mouth finally finished in December, a few days after the birth of Jamie's daughter Ellie, who was both conceived and born during the making of the record.
2003, 2004
The album Music in Mouth is released on July 21st 2003, to tremendous applause, and the band play with all sorts to try to flog it. Tom McRae, Keane, Starsailor, Aqualung and Snow Patrol show them the highways and byways of the UK and continental Europe. Songs from the record appear in many TV series, from Teachers to The OC, and at home the album goes double platinum, with four top 40 singles. In July 2004, the band gather in yet another house in Wexford to write a new record.
2005
Flock is recorded in Dublin and mixed in London, with Roger Becherian producing and Phil Hayes knob twiddling. A shrine to Daniel O' Donnell (Irish singing deity, ref Cliff Richard without ever having had a brush with cool) is created in the green room, Dave creates Pistachio Nut Shell Installation and mustaches are grown. The band take a break from recording and sell out a mini tour in the USA, where they record a live session for Nic Harcourt’s essential show on KCRW in L.A.
Flock is released in Ireland and hits the heights of #1 in the album charts. The band leaves Island Records and sets up its own record label called BellyUp records. A live album called Tour De Flock is released - it is a 2-disc compilation featuring 16 tracks from their sold-out gig at The Point Theatre, Dublin on December 1, 2006.
In 2008, Flock is released in the USA and the band appears on the St. Patrick's Day edition of the Late Show with David Letterman.
On 2nd October, Brian Crosby quits saying "It's been an extraordinary privilege to be in a band with your mates for more than 15 years. I'm really grateful for everything I got to do with Bell X1, for all the adventures we had and for the great support of our fans. It's been particularly wonderful to have connected with so many people and to have got to meet people all over the world doing what I love. I look forward to continue making those connections. At the same time I'll be applauding the boys continued success."
As well as promoting Flock in the USA, the band gets busy recording a new album Blue Lights On The Runway. It finally sees the light of day in 2009, with lead single The Great Defector becoming their biggest hit to date (no. 3 in the Irish charts).
2011
The band will release its newest album Bloodless Coup in stores and online on April 1 in Ireland, April 4 in the UK, April 8 in Germany and Benelux, April 12 in the USA and Canada, and April 26 in France. The album's lead single is “Velcro,” which the band performed on The Rachael Ray Show on St. Patrick's Day.
Beautiful Madness
Bell X1 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cos I don't have one
I'll agree with you if you're right
I always know where you're coming from
But I've never been there
I have to steal from you when you write
Your beautiful madness
Your dreams are my torture
Your dreams my relief
I'll give you an opinion
'Cos I just found one
You won't agree with me out of spite
I lay siege to your fortress
But you'll never give in
No, you'll just change your mind
Your beautiful madness
My beautiful grief
Your dreams are my torture
Your dreams my relief
You're mad to burn mad to fly mad to be saved
I stumble through the darkness looking for the day
Fabulous yellow roman candles explodes like spiders across the sky
And in the sparkling of the day we all go...
Mad to burn, mad to cry, mad to run and mad to fly, your mad to burn and mad to die, mad to stay away, your mad to run and mad to die, your mad to run away, ya your mad to fake and mad to cry get the fuck away, from meeeeee...
In "Beautiful Madness," Bell X1 lead singer Paul Noonan sings about the complexity of relationships and the struggle to understand one another. The lyrics suggest a dynamic in which one person is more confident and sure of their opinions while the other is more hesitant and reliant on the opinions of others. The singer admits to "stealing" ideas from the other person, but also recognizes their differing perspectives and the way they view the world. Despite this tension, they are drawn to each other's "beautiful madness" and see each other's dreams as a source of both pain and comfort.
The repeated phrase "mad to" implies a sense of risk and reckless abandon in pursuing one's desires or ideals. The singer recognizes this in the other person and in themselves, but also sees it as a potential obstacle to a lasting relationship. The line "I stumble through the darkness looking for the day" speaks to the uncertainty and confusion that can arise in trying to navigate a relationship with different personalities, opinions, and desires.
Overall, "Beautiful Madness" is a poignant exploration of the beauty and pain of human connection, and the ways in which we can both hurt and heal each other.
Line by Line Meaning
Give me an opinion
Please share your opinion with me
'Cos I don't have one
Because I don't currently hold an opinion on the matter
I'll agree with you if you're right
If your opinion is correct, I will concur with it.
I always know where you're coming from
I understand the perspective you have on the topic
But I've never been there
However, I have never personally experienced the same thing
I have to steal from you when you write
When you write, I feel inspired by your ideas and may use them as my own
Your beautiful madness
Your unique style of thinking and behavior that is both beautiful and chaotic
My beautiful grief
The pain and sadness that I experience as a result of my own inner turmoil
Your dreams are my torture
The things you desire may cause me pain and discomfort
Your dreams my relief
At the same time, your dreams may give me hope and provide me with a sense of relief
I'll give you an opinion
This time, I will offer up my own opinion
'Cos I just found one
Because I have just formed an opinion on the matter
You won't agree with me out of spite
You may not accept my opinion simply because you want to be contrary
I lay siege to your fortress
I am persistent in trying to change your mind
But you'll never give in
You will not change your opinion no matter how hard I try
No, you'll just change your mind
You might, however, change your opinion on your own without any influence from me
You're mad to burn mad to fly mad to be saved
You have an intense desire to take risks and pursue your dreams, regardless of the consequences
I stumble through the darkness looking for the day
I am lost and searching for clarity or guidance
Fabulous yellow roman candles explodes like spiders across the sky
The beauty of the world around me can make me feel inspired and hopeful
And in the sparkling of the day we all go...
In the end, we must all face death and the uncertainty of what lies ahead
Mad to burn, mad to cry, mad to run and mad to fly, your mad to burn and mad to die, mad to stay away, your mad to run and mad to die, your mad to run away, ya your mad to fake and mad to cry get the fuck away, from meeeeee...
We all have our unique perspectives and desires that shape us as individuals, but they can also create tension and conflict in our relationships with others
Contributed by Jayden G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.