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.
He Said She Said
Bell X1 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the message board
On the toilet wall
Telemarket poll
By sign language
By a pigeon carriage
By pressing red
Fastest thumbs in the west
We're waiting
For fun, friendship and maybe more
Fun, friendship and maybe more
I am the man down
I'm gonna lose my leg
so just gimme the whiskey and let's go
Yes I covet my neighbour's wife
And yes I covet my neighbour's goods
Don't get too close I might take a swipe
And friendly fire still burns
He said She said
This is not a good time
How about the New World Wine
Or a set of shiny steak knives
$29.95
I went for a video
I came back with a tan
I came back with a tan
Still they gazed and their wonder grew
In this world of it might just be you
Watch them slip on the hamster wheel
Tears give good TV
He said She said
The lyrics of Bell X1's song "He Said She Said" are a commentary on the absurdity of modern communication and relationships. The first verse lists various methods of communication - from the telephone to a telemarketing poll - highlights the fact that we are constantly waiting for something, be it fun or friendship. The second verse contains a man's lament about losing his leg, and his request for whiskey. The chorus then repeats the phrase "He said She said" over and over, perhaps suggesting that communication is too often a game of telephone, where information is easily misconstrued.
The third verse contains a confession of covetous desire for both the neighbor's wife and goods, while simultaneously warning people not to get too close. The fourth verse is a parody of a consumer culture that offers products for sale that people don't actually need, such as the New World Wine or the set of shiny steak knives. In the final verse, the song notes that people are trapped in a hamster wheel of their own making, and that the tears that result make for good TV.
Line by Line Meaning
On the telephone
Communicating through technology
On the message board
Posting messages online
On the toilet wall
Writing messages on public bathroom walls
Telemarket poll
Participating in marketing surveys over the phone
By sign language
Communicating through hand gestures
By a pigeon carriage
Sending messages through homing pigeons
By pressing red
Sending a message by a button or clicking a link
Fastest thumbs in the west
Faster at texting than anyone else
We're waiting
Expecting something to happen
For fun, friendship and maybe more
Desiring fun, friendship, and possibly romantic relationships
I am the man down
Experiencing a difficult situation
I'm gonna lose my leg
Facing a serious physical injury
so just gimme the whiskey and let's go
Seeking comfort and distraction through alcohol
Yes I covet my neighbour's wife
Feeling envious of someone else's spouse
And yes I covet my neighbour's goods
Feeling envious of someone else's possessions
Don't get too close I might take a swipe
Feeling defensive and potentially aggressive
And friendly fire still burns
Experiencing conflict with those who should be allies
He said She said
Gossip and rumor-mongering
This is not a good time
Not wanting to engage in conversation
How about the New World Wine
Suggesting an alternative topic of conversation
Or a set of shiny steak knives
Suggesting a different product to purchase
$29.95
Giving the price of the suggested item
I went for a video
Renting a movie
I came back with a tan
Returning from a vacation with a suntan
Still they gazed and their wonder grew
Attracting attention and curiosity from others
In this world of it might just be you
Feeling like the center of attention or importance
Watch them slip on the hamster wheel
Observing others stuck in the cycle of routine and monotony
Tears give good TV
Expressing emotions on camera is entertaining for others
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN PATRICK CROSBY, DAVE BRIAN GERAGHTY, PAUL ANTHONY NOONAN, DOMINIC MICHAEL PHILLIPS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind