Belle and Sebastian released their first two albums in 1996: Tigermilk, recorded over three days, and If You're Feeling Sinister, recorded in a week, at the peak of the chamber pop movement. At first, some critics in Britain's music weeklies tied the band into the subgenre, yet the group was too pretty, too delicate, to bear that label. Through their first two years of public existence, the band shielded their personalities, submitting publicity photos featuring a girl, who was a friend of the band and reluctantly posing for photo shoots. Furthermore, they performed in odd venues, playing not only the standard coffeehouses and cafes, but also homes, church halls, and libraries.
Prior to the formation of Belle and Sebastian, Murdoch suffered from a protracted battle with chronic fatigue syndrome, which forced him to drop out of school and spend seven years living in his parents' home crippled by his condition.Whilst in his parents home, Murdoch wrote a short story about a boy named Sebastian and a girl named Isabelle based on the names from Madame Cecile Aubery's children's book Belle et Sebastian. On New Year's Day 1996, Stuart attended a party at which he met a young singer and cellist named Isobel Campbell. In a letter to his brother Fraser, Murdoch explained how he was making a single for Stow college at the end of February. Murdoch opted to use the name Belle&Sebastian for the project because it was occupying him at the time. Murdoch took to songwriting as an escapism from the four walls surrounding him in his room and eventually recorded demos with bassist Stuart David whom he met at a government training programme called Beatbox. Murdoch quickly met a series of other musicians through social and musical circles in his hometown Glasgow and they agreed to help with the Stow project. The members he found for this initial lineup were Stevie Jackson (guitar), Mick Cooke (trumpet), Chris Geddes (keyboards), Stuart David (bass), Richard Colburn (drums), and Isobel Campbell (cello). The Stow College record was to be issued by Electric Honey, but it turned into a full album. The course instructor Alan Rankine determined that Murdoch had enough good material to record a full LP and could do so if they could get it all done in three days, studio time allotted for the single. Murdoch and his musicians rose to the challenge and recorded ten tracks putting the songs in order as they would appear on the record and mostly completing them in just a few takes.
In May of 1996, Belle and Sebastian self-released their debut album, Tigermilk, on Electric Honey Records. Only 1,000 copies of the album, which was only pressed on vinyl, were released, but it unexpectedly became a sensation, earning terrific word of mouth throughout the UK. As a result, the band became slightly more than a school project — it became an actual band. If You're Feeling Sinister, released on the independent Jeepster label, followed in November of 1996. By the time the album was released in America on the EMI subsidiary The Enclave, it had earned considerable critical acclaim in the U.K. — not only from music weeklies, but from newspapers like The Sunday Times and magazines like The Face — and a large cult following; by some accounts, Tigermilk was being sold for as much as 75 pounds. Over the course of 1997, word of mouth continued to grow in America, even as the band pulled out of an American tour because The Enclave went bankrupt and closed.
As the band cult continued to build in 1997, Belle and Sebastian released three EPs — Dog on Wheels (May), Lazy Line Painter Jane (July), and 3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light (October). Each subsequent EP placed higher on the indie charts and received great critical acclaim. Later in the year, violinist Sarah Martin became a member of the band. By the end of the year, the group finalized an American deal with Matador Records, issuing The Boy With the Arab Strap in September 1998. The following year saw the eagerly anticipated wide re-release of Tigermilk, the album that started it all. It was the biggest selling album but is unpopular with the group themselves. Following completion of 2000's Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant, Stuart David left Belle and Sebastian to focus full-time on his solo project, Looper, being replaced by Bobby Kildea of V-Twin. In 2001, the group released two EPs — Jonathan David and I'm Waking Up to Us — and recorded the soundtrack for Todd Solondz's film Storytelling. Just before the soundtrack's release in spring 2002, Belle and Sebastian embarked on a comprehensive tour of the United States and Canada before returning to Europe for the summer festival season. Midway through the tour, Isobel Campbell left the band, citing the usual differences.
Another major change that soon took place was the band leaving Jeepster and Matador to sign with Rough Trade, with their next record, late 2003's Dear Catastrophe Waitress, produced by the inimitable Trevor Horn (who also produced Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Yes, and scores of others). The record spawned the brilliant "Step into My Office, Baby" and "I'm a Cuckoo" singles, the latter of which was the group's biggest U.K. hit, reaching number 14 in early 2004. After a long worldwide tour that found Belle and Sebastian reaching new levels of success, they retired to Scotland and began preparing for the recording of their seventh full length album, The Life Pursuit, released in 2006.
In 2010, they released their eighth full length album, Write About Love.
Official website: www.belleandsebastian.com
FOR THE PRICE OF A CUP OF TEA
Belle and Sebastian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'd get a line of coke
For the price of a night with me
You'd be the village joke
For the price of a pint of milk
I'll tell you all I know
About the state of the world today
Sit down, enjoy the show
She had several hours to find a place to stay
Try the coffee shop, but somewhere on the way
She heard about a place, somewhere she could go
Walked a couple of blocks to her destination
For the price of a cup of tea
You'd get a seven inches
Soul black vinyl to stop your tears
You can use my stereo
You might be the village joke but
Don't listen to the gossip of the other folk
She just wants to be accepted in this place
There's something in her face
She will always seem exotic and aloof
If you want to know the truth
Her friend the stars dripping from the jewelled sky
When she was passing by
Would keep her calm
There was people that she knew, at least she thought she did
Be easy on the kid!
She took her winter coat from her plastic wrapper
Pushed back her fringe, see her birthmark
She can finally be the person she wanted to be
The first verse of Belle and Sebastian's song "For the Price of a Cup of Tea" narrates a series of deals that the singer could make with someone for various prices. He lists some of the dark components of the modern world along with some of the things people might trade for, like a cup of tea, a night, or a pint of milk. The singer is conveying the idea that different moments in life are incredibly valuable and others can do with them as they like. The use of the enticement of a line of coke demonstrates that people can take the risk of bad things for the smallest things, while others can be used by others to achieve personal goals. The suggestion that people would joke at someone else's expense is a sobering reminder that even the simplest exchanges have social ramifications. The first verse serves as a reflection on the balance of power in relationships and how sometimes even small things can turn that balance.
The second verse of the song focuses on an unknown woman who is trying to find a place to stay. It is not clear why she has nowhere to go, but she's looking for a place to fit in. The verse uses a lot of descriptive language to give us clues about the woman and the people around her. She walks a couple of blocks to her destination, pushing back her fringe and finally feeling like the person she's long wanted to be. Belle and Sebastian make use of the people and places around the woman to create context and a sense of the larger world around her. This verse is about the desire for belonging and acceptance and the power of personal transformation.
Line by Line Meaning
For the price of a cup of tea
If you pay a small amount, you can get something valuable.
You'd get a line of coke
You can easily buy drugs for cheap.
For the price of a night with me
Having a relationship with me is not valuable, and might even hurt your reputation.
You'd be the village joke
People in the community would ridicule you if you associate with me.
For the price of a pint of milk
You can learn about the state of the world from me for very little cost.
I'll tell you all I know
I have knowledge that I am willing to share with you.
About the state of the world today
I can educate you about the current state of global affairs.
Sit down, enjoy the show
Relax and learn from me.
You'd get a seven inches
You can buy a 7 inch vinyl record for the price of a cup of tea.
Soul black vinyl to stop your tears
The music on the record can help you forget your troubles.
You can use my stereo
I am willing to share my music with you.
You might be the village joke but
People might make fun of you for listening to certain types of music.
Don't listen to the gossip of the other folk
Ignore what other people say and pursue what you love.
She had several hours to find a place to stay
She had limited time to secure housing.
Try the coffee shop, but somewhere on the way
She attempted to find lodging but was distracted on her journey.
She heard about a place, somewhere she could go
She learned of a potential location for shelter.
Walked a couple of blocks to her destination
She walked a short distance to find her potential housing.
She just wants to be accepted in this place
She desires to be welcomed in her new environment.
There's something in her face
She has a distinct appearance that sets her apart.
She will always seem exotic and aloof
Due to her unique looks and personality, she may seem distant from others.
If you want to know the truth
If you want to learn about her, ask her directly.
Her friend the stars dripping from the jewelled sky
The stars in the sky were a comfort to her.
When she was passing by
When she was walking through the area.
Would keep her calm
The starry night sky had a soothing effect on her.
There was people that she knew, at least she thought she did
She had some acquaintances in the area, or at least thought she did.
Be easy on the kid!
Don't be too hard on her, she's going through a tough time.
She took her winter coat from her plastic wrapper
She retrieved her winter coat from its protective covering.
Pushed back her fringe, see her birthmark
She adjusted her hair to reveal her unique birthmark.
She can finally be the person she wanted to be
She is now able to express herself as she desires.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB KILDEA, CHRISTOPHER GEDDES, MICHAEL COOKE, RICHARD COLBURN, SARAH MARTIN, STEPHEN JACKSON, STUART MURDOCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind