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 Power Of Three
Belle and Sebastian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sherlock Holmes found the sign of four
I don't listen to that number theory
I'm always looking for a trio, them and me
One for all and we're all for one
Musketeers have got to have the power of three
Every time I read a horoscope, I read three
Nobody can tell what's down the road for us
You could be Holmes, I'll be Watson
Every hero, yes even me
Everybody has their Moriarty
Keep your friends close
Your enemies at your side
Always keep your green eyes open wide
Depth perception, a change of direction
And all signs point to a bumpy ride
Then I saw the fourth dimension, another line
We move in space, and we can move in time
Everything existed right from the start
It's the blink of an eye
It's the beat of a heart
We've got enemies and nemeses
There's a world of possibility
In everything you leave a clue
A little trace, a sign of you
The Power of Three by Belle and Sebastian might seem like a simple song about friendship, but it’s much deeper than that. The lyrics talk about looking for a trio, being a part of a three-person group, and how powerful it can be. The opening lines, “Some people say two is company, Sherlock Holmes found the sign of four” explain how some people believe that two is enough, while others need four. However, the singer doesn’t listen to this number theory and prefers to be part of a trio. This is because a trio can be more effective than a partnership or a larger group, especially when everyone knows their role and works towards a common goal.
The chorus, “One for all and we're all for one, Musketeers have got to have the power of three” is a reference to Alexandre Dumas’ famous novel, “The Three Musketeers”. The musketeers were inseparable friends who relied on each other for support and protection. They worked together to overcome obstacles and accomplish their goals. The musketeers also believed in the power of three, which is why they invoked this mantra. The singer similarly believes that a group of friends can be like musketeers and accomplish great things by working together.
The lyrics also touch on the idea that life is unpredictable, and we should always be ready for what’s to come. The horoscope references show that while some people look to the stars for direction, others believe that it’s impossible to know what’s ahead. The line “Everybody has their Moriarty” refers to the famous villain from the Sherlock Holmes stories. It implies that we all have our own challenges and enemies to face, but with the support of friends, we can overcome them.
Line by Line Meaning
Some people say two is company
Some people believe that two people is enough for companionship
Sherlock Holmes found the sign of four
Sherlock Holmes discovered the importance of having a group of four people
I don't listen to that number theory
I do not agree with the idea that certain specific numbers are better than others
I'm always looking for a trio, them and me
I prefer to be part of a group of three people
One for all and we're all for one
We are a united group and every member will support the others
Musketeers have got to have the power of three
The musketeers are most effective when there are three of them
Every time I read a horoscope, I read three
Each time I consult a horoscope, I pay attention to three signs
Virgo Pisces Aquarius
These are the three zodiac signs that the artist is interested in
Nobody can tell what's down the road for us
No one knows what the future holds
You could be Holmes, I'll be Watson
We could be like the famous detective duo of Holmes and Watson
Every hero, yes even me
Everyone has a heroic side, including myself
Everybody has their Moriarty
Everyone has an adversary or enemy
Keep your friends close
It is important to maintain a close relationship with your friends
Your enemies at your side
It is also important to keep your enemies near, in order to be aware of their actions
Always keep your green eyes open wide
Always be observant and alert
Depth perception, a change of direction
One must be able to perceive depth and adjust their direction accordingly
And all signs point to a bumpy ride
The situation will not be easy
Then I saw the fourth dimension, another line
The singer gained a deeper understanding of the complexity of reality
We move in space, and we can move in time
Humans can move and travel both in physical space and across time
Everything existed right from the start
Everything has existed since the beginning of time
It's the blink of an eye
Time flies quickly
It's the beat of a heart
Life is fleeting, like the rhythm of a heartbeat
We've got enemies and nemeses
We have opponents and rivals
There's a world of possibility
There are many opportunities and options available to us
In everything you leave a clue
Every action or situation leaves behind a hint or piece of evidence
A little trace, a sign of you
Even a small action or detail can reveal something about who you are
Contributed by Makayla T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Philliben1991
Don't like the album overall but this is a great song and Sarah's vocals are more beautiful than ever.
Martin M Yuill
Beautiful. Sarah's voice is stunning.
Griever
Love this song!!!!!!!!
Jean Francois VIGIER
Songs from Sarah Martin of Belle and Sebastian are always perfect
BilisNegra
Vocals resemble so much those on latest Tame Impala's last record to this date , despite vocalist gender, it makes one reflect on the importance of producer guidelines. Scarily alike. Check out any single from that album and you'll see what I mean.
Андрей Крюков
Это охуенно!!!!
Edu Plasencia
buen recuerdo cuando estuvieron en Perú
anibal lopez
Que suerte,tamare me los perdí,grupazo.
Ed Gamer
for me , its deeper, even deeper, than a menage a trois. I see it as a grown woman that is the Lover, and is dating with a married man, and know his wife, she says "every hero yes even me, everybody has their morialty", so she dont think what she is doing is wrong, even though it may sound immoral,and when she says "in everything you leave a clue, a little trace, a sign of you." For me , she is manipulative and wants to be caught by his wife, to put fire on everything. when she says keep your friends close your enemies at your side, always keep your green eyes open wide, I think she's saying she makes wrong things with others often, so she has some enemies from previous love triangles xD
MC Escher
Reminds me of Agnete from the classic ABBA