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
I Know Where the Summer Goes
Belle and Sebastian Lyrics
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When you're having no fun
When you're under the thumb
I know where the summer dwells
When your underarm smells
And your kitchen looks like hell
I know where the summer goes
Put your head down, put your thumbs up girl
With the smell of hot desk
And the glitter of your step
He was right, he was right, he's the guru of the city
No one told the city councilors
I know, you can tell me again
I've got my mobile phone
Full of silicon chips
No one likes a smart arse
But I've seen a pattern emerge
I will race you up the hill
Where the boy who made records out of postcard messages
And flowering cherries rain on kids like you
Look twice at the kid with the crimped
And overheated hair
They ran a book on his look
Odds on was the noble pose and
The denim hard riff of the Irish Troubadour
But the boy came from nowhere to
Steal the hearts from lassies in the lavvies of the club tonight
The lyrics of "I Know Where the Summer Goes" by Belle and Sebastian describe a time when the summer seems to be passing by without any enjoyment or excitement. The singer acknowledges that he knows exactly where the summer goes when someone is not having fun or is being burdened by societal expectations. For example, when someone is under pressure to conform to societal standards of hygiene and aesthetics, like having no underarm odor and a clean kitchen. The lyrics give a sense of empathy towards those who are not enjoying their summer and seem to be stuck in a monotonous routine.
The song speaks of putting your head down and your thumbs up, basically encouraging oneself to embrace the monotony and push through it. The song also mentions the upcoming guru of the city, someone who shines in the midst of the mundane. The singer seems to be looking for a way out of the mundanity, and believes that the answer lies somewhere in being innovative and creative.
Overall, the song beautifully captures the sense of monotony and frustration that someone feels when summer seems to be passing by with no excitement. The lyrics are a reminder that even in the midst of mundanity, creativity and innovation can help one see joy and beauty in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
I know where the summer goes
I understand what happens to the summer season
When you're having no fun
When you are not having a good time
When you're under the thumb
When someone else is controlling you
I know where the summer dwells
I know the location of where summer exists
If your underarm smells
If your underarm has an unpleasant odor
And your kitchen looks like hell
When your kitchen is in a state of disorder or messiness
If you're scraping a pot, and your head is hot
When you are cooking food and feeling stressed or overwhelmed
Put your head down, put your thumbs up girl
Lower your head and raise your thumbs in a sign of perseverance, perhaps intended to motivate a female listener
With the smell of hot desk
The scent of a heated working space
And the glitter of your step
The sparkly sensation in your walk
He was right, he's the upcoming guru of the city
Someone was correct about an individual who will become a notable and knowledgeable figure in their community
No one told the city councillors
Nobody informed the officials responsible for governing the city
I know, you can tell me again
The singer is already aware and wants the other person to repeat their statement
I've got my mobile phone
The singer has their cellular device with them
Full of silicon chips
The phone contains numerous small circuits and semiconductors
No one likes a smart arse
Nobody appreciates a boastful or pretentious person
But I've seen a pattern emerge
The artist has discovered a regularity or trend
I will race you up the hill
The singer is challenging the other person to a foot race uphill
Where the boy who made records out of postcard messages
A place where a male musician created music from mailed correspondence
And flowering cherries rain on kids like you
The blossoming fruit trees are romantically showering children similar to the listener with their falling petals
Look twice at the kid with the crimped
Pay attention to the child with the styled and wavy hair.
And overheated hair
Hair that has been highlighted or dyed to an extreme degree.
They ran a book on his looks
People were placing bets on his appearance
Odds on was the noble pose and
It was deemed to be highly probable that he would strike a distinguished expression
The denim hard riff of the Irish Troubadour
The sound of Irish folk music performed on a guitar with the strumming pattern characterized by a steady, energetic rhythm
But the boy came from nowhere to
The male artist was initially unknown or from an undiscovered background
Steal the hearts of lassies in the lavvies of the club tonight
The singer successfully captivated and enamored young women in the bathrooms of a nightclub during an evening performance.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Christopher Geddes, Isobel Campbell, Michael Cooke, Richard Colburn, Sarah Martin, Stephen Jackson, Stuart Murdoch
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind