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
The Fox In The Snow
Belle and Sebastian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To find something you could eat?
Cause the word out on the street is you are starving
Don't let yourself grow hungry now
Don't let yourself grow cold
Fox in the snow
Girl in the snow, where do you go
To tell someone all the truth before it kills you
They listen to your crazy laugh
Before you hang a right
And disappear from sight
What do they know anyway?
You'll read it in a book
What do they know anyway?
You'll read it in a book tonight
Boy on the bike, what are you like
As you cycle round the town?
You're going up, you're going down
You're going nowhere
It's not as if they're paying you
It's not as if it's fun
At least not anymore
When your legs are black and blue
It's time to take a break
When your legs are black and blue
It's time to take a holiday
Kid in the snow, way to go
It only happens once a year
It only happens once a lifetime
Make the most of it
Second just to being born
Second to dying too
What else would you do?
What else would you do?
What else would you do?
What else would you do?
Fox in the snow (When your legs lookin' black and blue)
Fox in the snow (It's not as if they're paying you)
Fox in the snow (When your legs lookin' black and blue)
Fox in the snow (It's not as if they're paying you)
Fox in the snow
Fox in the snow
Belle and Sebastian's "The Fox in the Snow" is a song that offers a compassionate observation of the struggles that different individuals face. The song starts with a fox in the snow who is starving and searching for food. This imagery of a fox fighting for survival in a winter wonderland is symbolic of how hard it can be to maintain oneself in difficult times. The lyrics then move onto a girl in the snow who is desperate to share her feelings with someone. She fears that if she does not speak her truth, it will consume her. The lyrics reflect how sometimes sharing one's vulnerability can be liberating.
The song then introduces us to a boy on a bike who appears to be aimlessly cycling around town. This character is emblematic of how life can sometimes seem like a never-ending and painful cycle. The boy's repetitive behavior is contrasted with a kid in the snow, who is celebrating the rarity of life. The notion that life is unique and precious is juxtaposed with the other characters' struggles, suggesting the importance of cherishing every moment.
The song's gentle guitar riff and Stuart Murdoch's breathy vocals add to the melancholic yet beautiful tone of the song, and the subtle escalation of emotions reflects how life's hardships can slowly wear away one's spirit. Through the lyrics, Belle and Sebastian offer a reminder to take a break and appreciate life's simplicity, all while trying to survive it.
Line by Line Meaning
Fox in the snow, where do you go
As a fox in the snow, where do you search for food?
To find something you could eat?
What do you hope to find to nourish yourself?
Cause the word out on the street is you are starving
Rumors suggest that you're struggling to survive.
Don't let yourself grow hungry now
Don't allow yourself to starve any further.
Don't let yourself grow cold
Protect yourself from the harsh elements that could lead to your demise.
Girl in the snow, where do you go
As someone stranded in the snow, where do you venture?
To find someone that will do?
Seeking someone to confide in, who will understand.
To tell someone all the truth before it kills you
To share everything with them, holding nothing back, before it becomes unbearable.
They listen to your crazy laugh
Even when you laugh inappropriately or uncontrollably, they don't judge you.
Before you hang a right
Just before you turn down a side street.
And disappear from sight
And vanish from the public eye.
What do they know anyway?
Those who judge or criticize don't know the real story behind your actions and emotions.
You'll read it in a book
Instead, you'll find solace in reading about characters with similar experiences to your own.
Boy on the bike, what are you like
As someone cycling throughout town, who are you?
As you cycle round the town?
What motivates your aimless bike rides throughout the town?
You're going up, you're going down
You encounter ups and downs along the way.
You're going nowhere
Despite your travels, you aren't making any meaningful progress.
It's not as if they're paying you
No one is compensating you for your trips around town.
It's not as if it's fun
It's not even enjoyable for you anymore.
When your legs are black and blue
When your legs are sore or injured from your bike rides.
It's time to take a break
It's time to prioritize resting and healing.
Kid in the snow, way to go
As a child playing in the snow, good for you!
It only happens once a year
Snow only falls once a year for many people.
It only happens once a lifetime
Some may never experience snow at all in their life.
Make the most of it
Enjoy your time in the snow to the fullest extent.
Second just to being born
It's one of the most memorable experiences of life, second only to being born.
Second to dying too
It's also a very important moment often associated with nature and our eventual passing.
What else would you do?
There's nothing else to do but enjoy the snow while it lasts.
Fox in the snow
Once again, referring to the fox's struggle to survive in difficult conditions.
(When your legs lookin’ black and blue)
A reminder of the pain that can arise as a result of persistent physical activity.
(It’s not as if they’re paying you)
It's not worth hurting yourself over something that offers no compensation.
(When your legs lookin’ black and blue)
Once again, stressing the importance of knowing when to take a break and allow yourself to heal.
(It’s not as if they’re paying you)
Reiterating that there's no use in injuring yourself for something that isn't worth it in the end.
Fox in the snow
The song ends on the same initial subject matter, a reminder of the fox's struggle to survive through difficult conditions.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Sarah Martin, Stuart Murdoch, Richard Colburn, Michael Cooke, Christopher Geddes, Stephen Jackson, Isobel Campbell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nickblinko5677
Fox in the snow, where do you go
To find something you could eat?
Cause the word out on the street is you are starving
Don't let yourself grow hungry now
Don't let yourself grow cold
Fox in the snow
Girl in the snow, where do you go
To find someone that will do?
To tell someone all the truth before it kills you
They listen to your crazy laugh
Before you hang a right
And disappear from sight
What do they know anyway?
You'll read it in a book
What do they know anyway?
You'll read it in a book tonight
Boy on the bike, what are you like
As you cycle round the town?
You're going up, you're going down
You're going nowhere
It's not as if they're paying you
It's not as if it's fun
At least not anymore
When your legs are black and blue
It's time to take a break
When your legs are black and blue
It's time to take a holiday
Kid in the snow, way to go
It only happens once a year
It only happens once a lifetime
Make the most of it
Second just to being born
Second to dying too
What else would you do?
What else would you do?
What else would you do?
What else would you do?
Fox in the snow (When your legs lookin' black and blue)
Fox in the snow (It's not as if they're paying you)
Fox in the snow (When your legs lookin' black and blue)
Fox in the snow (It's not as if they're paying you)
Fox in the snow
Fox in the snow
@williemcgee7291
This whole album is just stunning. I honestly think it's one of the top 10 albums of recorded music. I generally like a more powerful rock sound, to say the least. But for this coy fey stuff, this album is just perfect. And this is the best song on that epic album.
@heideggerdowson
Totally agree have always thought that too but stated well. Get Me Away I'm Dying equal gold for me
@Stoptrackingmeyoutub
It is a perfect album.
@Shivayani77
I first listened to this album in 2002. This song has a special place in my heart ❤
@aaronjohnson6629
Thank you @williemccgee for clarifying the difference between music and recorded music.
Totally agree. Work of art
@ryandooner1440
It's good but c'mon top 10 albums ever???!! That's a stretch.
@tylerjosephraywoods
This song literally got me through some of
the toughest time ever.
@joereddam2729
l know that it's easy to give up but keep going. it will pay off in the long run and don't let anyone tell you who you are.
@--..__
Same
@NatalieT27
tyler woods me too. I got clean in 2002. This reminds me of being strung out :(