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.
Music For Mopeds
Bell X1 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sugar fountain to the sky
I'm on top of a sweetness
I'm in need I do not know
Up here breezes blow so blue
A kisses breath calmly soothes
For brief moments I can fly
To be wary of the snow
Now I lie in temple quakes
I'm sealed inside with my fate
In my joy exploring plains
Hills and dip ships remains
Fall upon a sweet scent
I'm in need I did not know
Floating astronaut drop by
Confusing views in his sky
Shooting stars from my smile
I'm in need I did not know
To be wary of the snow
Now I lie in temple quakes
I'm sealed inside with my face
Realisation hits the mind/demise
Senses snap behind my eyes
Follow too far with the flow
I'm in need I did not know
The song "Music For Mopeds" by Bell X1 describes the feeling of immense happiness and euphoria - a feeling that the singer did not know they needed until they experienced it. The lyrics "Can't deny this feels good" and "Sugar fountain to the sky" portray a sense of overwhelming joy and pleasure. The singer is in a state of emotional bliss, as they explore nature and its beautiful sights. They feel as if they can fly, and the "breezes blow so blue" and "kisses breath calmly soothes" them.
The singer also encounters a "floating astronaut", who appears to confuse their views. However, this does not take away from their happiness, as they continue to experience shooting stars and pleasant scents. However, towards the end of the song, there is a shift in tone. The lyrics "Realisation hits the mind/demise/Senses snap behind my eyes/Follow too far with the flow/I'm in need I did not know" suggest that the singer has followed their euphoria too far and are faced with consequences that they did not anticipate. The realization hits them hard, and they are left to deal with the aftermath of their actions.
Overall, the song conveys the message that while it is great to experience happiness and euphoria, one must be careful not to lose themselves in it and be prepared for any potential negative consequences along the way.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't deny this feels good
I can't help but acknowledge how good this feels
Sugar fountain to the sky
The feeling is so sweet and intense that it's like a fountain of sugar shooting towards the sky
I'm on top of a sweetness
I feel like I'm on top of the world, basking in the sweetness of the moment
I'm in need I do not know
I'm yearning for something, but I'm not sure what it is
Up here breezes blow so blue
The air up here is so fresh and pure, and it's a beautiful shade of blue
A kisses breath calmly soothes
The gentle, soothing breeze feels like a kiss on the skin
For brief moments I can fly
In these fleeting moments, I feel like I'm soaring high, weightless and free
To be wary of the snow
I need to be cautious of the potential dangers that lie ahead
Now I lie in temple quakes
I'm experiencing an internal upheaval, like an earthquake inside me
I'm sealed inside with my fate
I feel trapped and confined by my own destiny
In my joy exploring plains
As I revel in my happiness, I explore the vast plains of my mind
Hills and dip ships remains
I see remnants of my past experiences scattered throughout my mind, like hills and shipwrecks in the distance
Fall upon a sweet scent
I stumble upon something sweet and alluring
Floating astronaut drop by
An unexpected presence floats by, like an astronaut drifting in space
Confusing views in his sky
The astronaut's perspective is confusing and disorienting, like a jumbled assortment of views
Shooting stars from my smile
My happiness is so explosive and radiant that it's like shooting stars emanating from my smile
Realisation hits the mind/demise
I have a sudden realization or understanding, but it comes at the cost of something else
Senses snap behind my eyes
My senses are overwhelmed and overloaded, and it feels like my brain is short-circuiting
Follow too far with the flow
I've gone too far and lost myself in the current, losing sight of what I truly need
I'm in need I did not know
Once again, I'm longing for something that I wasn't even aware of before
Contributed by Gianna S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Wose bahboy
This is freakin' awesome. Thank you so much for putting this on youtube!!!!
Chetna Rana
Thanks for this.