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
We Are the Sleepyheads
Belle and Sebastian Lyrics
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Looking for the pleasure that he knew was so far gone
So far gone
I took a turn to myself
And I was surprised, cause I saw everyone who ever I had loved
I felt a whole lot better after that
People look at us and they think were doing fine
All the time
But they never take to us
We've been in this town so long we may as well be dead
So long as people turn their heads
And cross the street whenever we walk on by
Someone told the truth when it really mattered most
The beauty of the moment is the beauty sadly lost
Sadly lost
So I went around to your house
Over tea and gin we talked about the things we read
In Luke and John the things he said
And now it's morning we are the sleepyheads
In the first verse of Belle and Sebastian's “We Are the Sleepyheads,” the singer compares himself to a beggar who is looking for something that he knows he won't find. The tone of the song is melancholic, as the singer seems to be struggling with feelings of isolation and disconnection. However, he finds solace in the fact that he is not truly alone: when he turns inward and reflects on his life, he sees all of the people who he has ever loved, and this realization makes him feel better.
The second verse of the song deals with the way that others perceive the singer and his life. Although people assume that he is doing fine, the reality is that he feels disconnected from the world around him, and people rarely take the time to connect with him. The singer suggests that he has been in this town for a very long time, and that he has become almost invisible to those around him.
The final verse of the song finds the singer seeking out a friend to talk to. Over tea and gin, they discuss the books of Luke and John in the Bible, and the beauty of the moment is lost as they both become sleepyheaded. While this might seem like a mundane moment, it is a rare instance of connection for the singer, and it brings him some measure of comfort.
Line by Line Meaning
Tired like the beggar with the cold inside his bones
Feeling exhausted and drained, similar to a homeless person who is struggling to keep themselves warm and fed.
Looking for the pleasure that he knew was so far gone
Searching for satisfaction and joy that has been lost for some time and feels out of reach.
I took a turn to myself
I decided to reflect on my own thoughts and feelings.
And I was surprised, cause I saw everyone who ever I had loved
During this introspective moment, I discovered that I had fond memories of all the people I had ever loved.
I felt a whole lot better after that
Realizing that I had loved and been loved made me feel more content and at peace.
People look at us and they think were doing fine
Others may assume that we are doing well based on appearances alone.
People look at us cause they see us all the time
People are accustomed to seeing us around and may take us for granted.
But they never take to us
Despite being familiar with us, people don't make an effort to connect with us.
We've been in this town so long we may as well be dead
Having lived in this place for a long time without much change or excitement makes life feel dull and monotonous.
So long as people turn their heads
People tend to ignore us or avoid us altogether.
And cross the street whenever we walk on by
People go out of their way to avoid interacting with us.
Someone told the truth when it really mattered most
Someone spoke honestly about a significant matter at the appropriate time.
The beauty of the moment is the beauty sadly lost
Although there was something beautiful or meaningful about that moment, it has since been lost or forgotten.
So I went around to your house
I went over to your place for a visit.
Over tea and gin we talked about the things we read
We enjoyed a casual conversation over drinks and discussed what we had been reading lately.
In Luke and John the things he said
We specifically talked about passages from the biblical books of Luke and John.
And now it's morning we are the sleepyheads
It is now morning and we are feeling a bit drowsy from staying up late talking.
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