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.
One Stringed Harp
Bell X1 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A reason to stand
Some guns to stick to
Rational demands
Come on now ladies
They won't fertilise themselves
Get into the ball game
That's what I read in that Sunday magazine
The anvil is falling, falling on your head
You're just picking your knickers from your arse
Like you're playing a one stringed harp
Like you're playing a one stringed harp
Like Wily Coyote
As if the fall wasn't enough
Those bastards from Acme
They got more nasty stuff
Salt in my wounds
Sticking in the boot
We're all bulimic
But keep forgetting to puke
That's what I read in that Sunday magazine
The anvil is falling, falling on your head
You're just picking your knickers from your arse
Like you're playing a one stringed harp
Like you're playing a one stringed harp
Chalk it up, and write it down
The hand of history
is clawing at my back
The Iron Fist of she
cuping at my sack
Grip is tightening
My voice is heightening
This orange alert
is beginning to crack
That's what I read in that Sunday magazine
The anvil is falling, falling on your head
You're just picking your knickers from your arse
Like you're playing a one stringed harp
Like you're playing a one stringed harp
Chalk it up, and write it down
The lyrics to Bell X1's "One Stringed Harp" contain images of struggle and pressure. The opening lines suggest the need for security and a sense of rationality to buoy someone through tough times. However, the scene then shifts dramatically to a more provocative and even surreal scenario. The line "Come on now ladies, they won't fertilize themselves" is a bit jarring, suggesting a level of objectification and gendered pressure that is now becoming overt. The singer is suggesting that women need to step up and contribute to a game of some kind, while also making reference to grocery store shelves that need clearing.
The song's chorus is where the full impact of the title comes through. The metaphor of a 'one stringed harp' seems to describe the singer's state of being. They are so overwhelmed by the world around them that they can only play the one note they have available. In other words, they are doing what they can with the limited resources they have. The final verse introduces some even darker elements, with imagery of history's weight bearing down and physical violence. And yet, the chorus repeats: "You're just picking your knickers from your arse/ like you're playing a one stringed harp." Perhaps there is a glimmer of hope in that line, suggesting that even when everything seems hopeless or absurd, there is still something within our control - like the ability to laugh at ourselves.
Overall, the song seems to be a commentary on modern life and its various forms of pressure. The references to media and commercials (the Sunday magazine), gender roles, and the corporate world (Acme) all add up to a rather biting critique. At the same time, the chorus provides a kind of release or coping mechanism, encouraging listeners to find their own way through the chaos.
Line by Line Meaning
A safe pair of hands
Someone reliable to trust and depend on
A reason to stand
A motivation to keep going and not give up
Some guns to stick to
Certain beliefs or principles to hold onto firmly
Rational demands
Reasonable expectations or requirements
Come on now ladies
An invitation or encouragement for women to join in
They won't fertilise themselves
Urging women to take action and participate
Get into the ball game
Engage in the competition or activity
Let's clear those shelves
Outcompete others and succeed
That's what I read in that Sunday magazine
Something the artist learned from a publication
The anvil is falling, falling on your head
A feeling of impending disaster or danger
You're just picking your knickers from your arse
An expression of someone being distracted or unaware
Like you're playing a one stringed harp
Something that appears difficult or awkward to do
Like Wily Coyote
In a situation like a cartoon character facing repeated failure
As if the fall wasn't enough
Experiencing additional setbacks or failures
Those bastards from Acme
A reference to a cartoon company known for supplying faulty products
Salt in my wounds
Adding to an already painful or difficult situation
Sticking in the boot
Something that is constantly bothersome or irritating
We're all bulimic
Everyone has similar problems or flaws
But keep forgetting to puke
Not doing anything to address or solve the problems
The hand of history
The influence and impact of the past on the present
is clawing at my back
An oppressive or burdensome feeling from the past
The Iron Fist of she
A reference to a powerful and controlling woman or institution
cuping at my sack
An uncomfortable or threatening situation
Grip is tightening
A sense of increasing pressure or tension
My voice is heightening
A sense of urgency or desperation in the singer's words
This orange alert
A warning of danger or crisis
is beginning to crack
The situation becoming increasingly unstable or dangerous
Chalk it up, and write it down
Make note of and remember the situation
Contributed by Kaelyn K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.