Hewerdine (born Mark Hewerdine) moved to Cambridge as a child, but returned to London in his late teens, and worked in a record shop. Suffering from agoraphobia, it was not a happy time of his life, and he was fired from his job after being wrongly accused of theft. Returning to Cambridge, he teamed up with a friend with similar experiences and started to write songs. They formed the short-lived Placebo Thing, later renamed The Great Divide. They were heard by Mike Scott of The Waterboys, who recommended them to Ensign Records, where they cut two commercially unsuccessful singles. In 1985 Hewerdine, working once again in a record shop in Cambridge, formed The Bible, recruiting jazz drummer Tony Shepherd. They released an album of songs through the independent Norwich label Backs Records called Walking The Ghost Back Home.
The Bible became a fairly successful independent band, with a cult following spread mostly through word of mouth and live performances. Two tracks from the first album, Graceland and Mahalia were released as singles, but did not achieve very significant sales. The album however was very well received by music pundits, and this brought the band to the attention of Chrysalis Records. Signing to Chrysalis, Graceland and another track, Honey Be Good were (re)released as singles, and reached the lower end of the UK singles chart. A new album, Eureka followed, but failed commercially. In 1988, Hewerdine decided to leave the group and pursue solo projects. Calum MacColl and Neill MacColl from the group went on to form Liberty Horses.
At around this time Hewerdine met US "new country" singer Darden Smith, and this set him off in a new direction. Working together, he and Smith released a collaborative album, Evidence. Hewerdine also worked simultaneously on new solo songs, largely based on his earlier traumatic experiences in London. Eventually these were distilled down to produce the Ignorance album, released in 1992. Invited by Tori Amos to play support promoting these songs, Hewerdine managed to find a new audience and Ignorance and a single from the album, History, did relatively well commercially.
As Hewerdine's star rose, he started to write for other artists, among them Eddi Reader, Clive Gregson and Christine Collister. The Bible reformed for a tour in 1994. Further solo album releases followed, such as 1996's Baptist Hospital and 1999's Thanksgiving. Meanwhile Hewerdine was asked by long-time friend Nick Hornby to contribute music to the soundtrack for the movie version of his book High Fidelity, whose subject (working in a record shop) was also very close to Hewerdine's experiences.
Hewerdine continues to write and perform his own songs. Harmonograph, released on MVine/Red Grape Records in February 2006, is a collection of his songs written for other artists such as Eddi Reader and Hepburn, recorded by Hewerdine for the first time. 2008 saw two mini CD releases - Toy Box 1 and Toy Box 2 with art work by Hewerdine's grandmother. Hewerdine continues to tour regularly, playing a set featuring songs from through out his career from The Bible to Toy Box.
Wings On My Heels
Boo Hewerdine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Somewhere I'd step out of line
But I knew that I had
Wings on my heels
When they played in three-quarter time The pride of the north-end would swagger
The blades from the south-side would shine
But I swear those boys
Would hold on for dear life
They pulled down those mirrored halls
One by one
The winters came forgetting names I never learned how to sweet talk
Those are the words I can't find
But I had a tongue of pure silver
When they played in three-quarter time One by one
They pulled down those mirrored halls
One by one
The winters came forgetting names Now money might slip through my fingers
And there won't be much to call mine
But I'll know that I had
Wings on my heels
When they played in three-quarter time
The song "Wings on My Heels" by Boo Hewerdine is a nostalgic tribute to the joys of dancing, particularly to the waltz, a dance in three-quarter time. The singer reminisces about his younger days when he was never too skilled at dancing and would often step out of line. However, he takes comfort in the fact that he had his own unique flair, symbolized by the "wings on his heels" that he felt whenever the music played. He observes how the different regions of the city had their own distinct styles of dancing, but when the waltz came on, everyone would hold on for dear life and let the music take over.
The second verse of the song provides a bittersweet reflection on the passage of time and the inevitability of aging. The singer notes how, one by one, the dance halls that he used to frequent have been taken down, and the winters have come, forgetting the names of those who used to dance there. He acknowledges that he was never quite skilled at sweet-talking, but he had a tongue of pure silver when it came to dancing in three-quarter time. Finally, he concludes that he may not have much to show for his life, but he will always remember the feeling of having wings on his heels when the music played.
Overall, the song "Wings on My Heels" is a nostalgic and wistful meditation on the joy of dancing, the passage of time, and the unique ways in which we find our own sense of rhythm and connection through music.
Line by Line Meaning
never was too good at dancing
I lacked skill in dancing
Somewhere I'd step out of line
I would make mistakes occasionally
But I knew that I had Wings on my heels
I had the ability to soar and shine
When they played in three-quarter time
During a particular music tempo or rhythm
The pride of the north-end would swagger
People from the north-side had confidence
The blades from the south-side would shine
People from the south-side were impressive
But I swear those boys Would hold on for dear life
People would cling to hope and life
One by one They pulled down those mirrored halls
People disappeared or faced harsh reality
The winters came forgetting names
Time passed and memories faded
I never learned how to sweet talk
I was not good at charming or persuasion
Those are the words I can't find
I am struggling to express myself eloquently
But I had a tongue of pure silver When they played in three-quarter time
I was able to communicate effectively during a certain music tempo
Now money might slip through my fingers
I might not be wealthy
And there won't be much to call mine
I may not possess numerous possessions
But I'll know that I had Wings on my heels
Despite the lack of material things, I had potential and ability
When they played in three-quarter time
During a particular music tempo or rhythm
Contributed by Carter E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.