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
If You Find Yourself Caught in Love
Belle and Sebastian Lyrics
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Say a prayer to the man above
Thank him for everything you know
You should thank him for every breath you blow
If you find yourself caught in love
Say a prayer to the man above
You should thank him for every day you pass
If you're single, but looking out
You must raise your prayer to a shout
Another partner must be found
Someone to take your life beyond
Another TV "I Love 1999"
Just one more box of cheapo wine
If you find yourself caught in love
You should say a prayer to the man above
If you don't listen to the voices then my friend
You'll soon run out of choices
What a pity it would be
You talk of freedom don't you see
The only freedom that you'll ever really know
Is written in books from long ago
Give up your will to Him that loves you
Things will change, I'm not saying overnight
But something has to give
You're too good looking not to live
If you find yourself out of love
Shed a tear for the one you love
Tell your boss that you've gone away
Down your tools for a holiday
If you're going off to war then I wish you well
But don't be sore
If I cheer the other team
Killing people's not my scene
I prefer to give the inhabitants a say
Before you blow their town away
I like to watch them play
I like to marvel at the random beauty of a simple village girl
Why should she be the one who's killed? If you find yourself caught in love
In these lyrics, Belle and Sebastian urge us to be grateful for love and the experiences surrounding it, and to approach life with humility towards the divine. The opening lines encourage listeners to pray to a higher power when caught in love, thanking Him for every aspect of life, even the breaths we take. The second verse advises single people to look out for another partner, suggesting that they pray fervently for that special someone to come into their lives.
The third verse addresses the importance of listening to one’s inner voice and taking action to create the life we desire. Belle and Sebastian warn that without listening to our internal voices, we will ultimately limit ourselves and our potential. They further suggest that true freedom comes from embracing the ancient wisdom within religious books, and believing in a higher power to guide our lives. In the final verse, the band encourages listeners to mourn lost love, take a break from work or their usual routine, and accept the natural beauty of the world without violence or destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
If you find yourself caught in love
When you find yourself in love with someone
Say a prayer to the man above
Ask for guidance from a higher power
Thank him for everything you know
Be grateful for everything you have learned
You should thank him for every breath you blow
Be grateful for every moment of life
If you're single, but looking out
If you are not in love but looking for someone to love
You must raise your prayer to a shout
You need to pray louder and more passionately
Another partner must be found
You need to find another person to love
Someone to take your life beyond
Someone to share your life and future with
Another TV "I Love 1999"
Another shallow distraction from reality (like TV shows about the past)
Just one more box of cheapo wine
Another meaningless and unhealthy escape from reality
If you don't listen to the voices then my friend
If you ignore the advice of others or your conscience
You'll soon run out of choices
You will find yourself with limited options
What a pity it would be
It would be regrettable
You talk of freedom don't you see
You say you want freedom
The only freedom that you'll ever really know
The only true freedom you will experience
Is written in books from long ago
Can be found in the wisdom of the past
Give up your will to Him that loves you
Surrender to a higher power that cares about you
Things will change, I'm not saying overnight
Your situation will improve, but not immediately
But something has to give
Change must happen
You're too good looking not to live
You are too valuable to waste your life
If you find yourself out of love
If you no longer love someone
Shed a tear for the one you love
Feel sad and mourn the loss of love
Tell your boss that you've gone away
Take time off and prioritize self-care
Down your tools for a holiday
Take a break from your usual routine
If you're going off to war then I wish you well
If you are going to face a difficult situation
But don't be sore
Don't hold a grudge
If I cheer the other team
If I root for the opposite side
Killing people's not my scene
I am against violence and war
I prefer to give the inhabitants a say
I believe in democracy and self-determination
Before you blow their town away
Before you destroy their homes and lives
I like to watch them play
I enjoy observing their way of life
I like to marvel at the random beauty of a simple village girl
I appreciate the beauty of everyday people and things
Why should she be the one who's killed?
Why should innocent people suffer in war?
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