1. Cat's Eyes, a… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least two bands under the name Cat's Eyes:
1. Cat's Eyes, a dream-pop duo that began in the early 2010s.
2. Cats Eyes, a psychedelic rock band active from 1968 to 1970.
1. Cat's Eyes is the dream pop duo of Faris Badwan, frontman for UK indie rockers The Horrors, and the Canadian opera soprano and multi-instrumentalist Rachel Zeffira. The group specializes in a glassy, symphonic take on sixties girl-group pop and playing at unusual locations: their first performance was at the St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, during an afternoon mass "attended by seven high-ranking cardinals".
Their eponymous debut album was released in 2011, followed by the soundtrack for Peter Strickland's film The Duke of Burgundy (2015) and Treasure House (2016).
http://www.catseyesmusic.com/
2. Cats Eyes was a psychedelic rock band active between 1968 to 1970. Emerging from the UK, Evesham specifically, Cats Eyes originally formed under the name "The Suite" in March 1967 with founding members Doug Alcock, on drums and vocals, Roger Banning, on saxophone and flute, Dave Busby, on lead guitar and vocals, and W. "Fil" Filby, on rhythym guitar and lead vocals. Busby also played with "Terry Webb and The Spiders," a band that included a young John Bonham on drums. Roy Banks, bass guitarist and vocalist who later joined "The Suite," was from another local group called "The Sapphires," who had Jim Capaldi, from Traffic, on vocals. Banks also performed with "The Wavelengths" who had Luther Grosvenor, later in Mott the Hoople, on lead guitar.
The Suite were originally signed by the Derek Bruce Agency and managed by Clive Wells. In December 1967, The Suite auditoned for Cliff Brittle, from Stoke-on-Trent, at Domino Recording Studios in Albrighton, Staffordshire. This lead to a record deal with Deram records and management by Brittle. In May 1968, The Suite became Cats Eyes. All of their recordings were done at Domino Recording Studios in Albrighton, with Andy McLachlan being the engineer on these recording sessions. Cats Eyes performed frequently at multiple venues, even appearing on BBC Radio One over 300 whopping times. The majority of the band's BBC recordings were done at multiple locations in Birmingham, which caused them to be associated not with Evesham, but Birmingham instead.
Cats Eyes performed alongside Pink Floyd during their early years, with songs "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play" being in the setlist. Alcock recalls that Pink Floyd were once paid to end their set early due to the pop-oriented audience's dissatisfaction with their progressive music and psychedelic images projecting during their performance. Afterward, Cats Eyes were brought back on the stage to play for the time cut short by Pink Floyd's exit for the evening.
Cats Eyes' debut single, "Smile Girl For Me/In A Fantasy World" was released in May 1968, the first of three with the Deram label. Roger Banning and Fil Filby composed the A side, while Filby composed the B Side. Filby's name was misspelled on the label. In October 1968, Cats Eyes' released their second single, "I Thank You Marianne/Turn Around," both sides of which were composed entirely by Filby. Cats Eyes released their third single, "Where Is She Now/Tom Drum," in April 1969, taking influence from U.S. band Turtles. Soon afterward, on May 17, 1969, Cats Eyes performed on the short-lived BBC 2's "Colour Me Pop" TV Show. Cats Eyes have also appeared on other TV shows such as "Lift Off With Ayshea" and Granada TV's "Discotheque."
In late 1969, the band signed with MCA records who went on to release their fourth single, "The Loser/Circus" in January 1970. Cats Eyes released their fifth single "Come Away Melinda/Cirrus," in April 1970, the A-Side of which was featured in a short film shown at a film festival. During the summer of 1970, Cats Eyes traveled to Germany and performed at Hamburg's Top Ten Club for six weeks. The band's sixth single, "The Wizard/Hey (Open Your Eyes)," was released in October 1970. Alcock states that though this single produces a different sound compared to their previous releases, it still focuses on the band's vocal capabilities.
By 1971, Cats Eyes went under different monikers, but still went by Cats Eyes when performing live. One of these seperate names was "Spode," and during their time as Spode, they re-signed with Decca records. The first single released under the name Spode was "Singalong Song/Cincinatti Woman," released in March 1971. Roger Banning left the group shortly thereafter, in April 1971. Banning released a single, "Breakaway Man/Brotherhood," under the name "Toby Jug," before releasing two Spode singles, "Funny Kind Of Feeling/Catch It While You Can," and "Angelina/Happy This Way."
W. Fil Filby left Spode in February 1972, and was replaced by Keith Ratford. Soon after, Spode went by another name, "Barlaston Down," with their first and only release under this name being was "Always/Mean Woman Mambo," with the A-side being credited as "Barlaston Down Featuring Barry Joe Palmer." The group disbanded in August 1972.
In 1986, Cats Eyes reunited with Doug Alcock, Roy Banks, Dave Busby, and W. Fil Filby and remained active until 2012 when the band retired after years of performing locally. W. Fil Filby passed away from cancer in May 2014.
The Lull
Cat's Eyes Lyrics
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'Cause you're always on my mind
And I feel you by my side
See your face a thousand times
And no matter what I do
All my thoughts return to you
On a balcony overlooking the sea
The sea calls to me
It pulls me in
And I..
And I..
So if you think of me at all
(And I..)
Won't you stay here by my side
And I'll never let you go
You move on and you could know
No matter what you do
I'll always love you
The song "The Lull" by Cat's Eyes is a love ballad that captures the uncontainable emotions of an individual who is in love with someone but feels distant from that person. The song begins with the singer questioning the thoughts of the person they love, if they think of the singer at night as the singer is continuously thinking of them. The singer confesses feeling the presence of their lover by their side and seeing their face in their mind all the time, no matter what they do, their thoughts always return to the one they love.
The second paragraph captures the visual imagery of the song. The singer is standing on a balcony, looking over the sea while on a platform on the coast being called in by the sea waves. The singer then repeats the phrase "And I.." several times, creating a sense of longing and desire, almost as if the sea is taking them in as they long to be taken in by the person they love.
The chorus repeats the plea to the loved one, begging them to stay by the singer's side, never to let go, even if they move on, the singer will always hold onto their love. The song portrays the intense feeling of love that remains unrequited.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you think of me at night
Do I come to your mind when the day is long and the night is dark?
'Cause you're always on my mind
The thought of you never leaves my mind
And I feel you by my side
I sense your presence even though you're not beside me
See your face a thousand times
I visualize you countless times
And no matter what I do
Despite distractions, you are always on my mind
All my thoughts return to you
My mind inevitably directs itself back to you
On a balcony overlooking the sea
I am situated on a platform overlooking the vast sea below
On a platform that lies right on the coast
I stand on a platform that is situated on the coast itself
The sea calls to me
The sea beckons and entreats me
It pulls me in
The sea as a force of nature seems to pull me in
And I..
And I submit to the sea's will
So if you think of me at all
If at all, you remember me
(And I..)
(And I lose myself to the sea)
Won't you stay here by my side
Won't you spend time beside me?
And I'll never let you go
And I'll keep you forever, never letting you go
You move on and you could know
I may not be enough to keep you here
No matter what you do,
Despite the choices you make
I'll always love you
My love for you will never fade
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FARIS BADWAN, FARIS ADAM DERAR BADWAN, RACHEL ZEFFIRA, RACHEL ANNE SANTESSO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind