The band comprised of Andrew Sherriff (guitar/vocals), Stephen Patman (guitar/vocals), Simon Rowe (guitar), Jon Curtis (bass) and Ashley Bates (drums).
Chapterhouse took the unusual step of rehearsing and gigging for well over a year before recording even a demo tape. They were initially lumped in with the British acid rock scene, a mistake hardly rectified by the band's early performances supporting the rather laid-back Spacemen 3. Chapterhouse eventually escaped from that genre only to find themselves thrust amongst the shoegaze groups of 1991 (with the likes of Lush, Ride, Moose and Slowdive), so called because of the bands' static live shows and insular music.
Bassist Jon Curtis left early on to study, being replaced by Russell Barrett, who also fronted his own garage band, the Bikinis. Chapterhouse eventually signed to the newly formed Dedicated label, releasing a series of lavishly acclaimed singles, including Pearl, which reached the UK Top 75, and which revelled in distorted melodies and attracted a healthy following.
Their first LP Whirlpool, released in 1991, has been cited as one of the genre's high points, but failed to capture a wider market. In the same year, Chapterhouse also appeared to muted reaction at Reading Festival immediately following Nirvana's UK debut, an event which was seen to sound the death knell for shoegazing.
Blood Music, stylistically different, was released in 1993. Two singles from this album, She's a Vision and We Are the Beautiful, were relatively successful, but the album was withdrawn due to a sample-related lawsuit. Global Communication reworked Blood Music for their album Pentamerous Metamorphosis. Spooky remixed We Are Beautiful: We Are the Beautiful (Spooky's Ugly as Sin mix) / We Are the Beautiful (Spooky's Extravaganja dub mix).
The band split in 1994 and released no further new material other than a double CD in 1996 called Rownderbout, compiling their singles, various B-sides, rarities and unreleased demos. Sherriff went on to form Bio.com, Bates formed Cuba and Rowe went on to play guitar for Mojave 3.
The music of Chapterhouse was mostly out of print on CD until March 2006, when Cherry Red Records reissued the album Whirlpool with bonus tracks, and for the first time, lyrics.
The band played a version of Love Forever with Ulrich Schnauss on the Barn Stage at the 2008 edition of Truck Festival. In response to requests over the years, Chapterhouse played live at Club AC30's Reverence show at the ICA on 26 November 2009 along with Ulrich Schnauss and Kirsty Hawkshaw.
This was preceded on 23 November by a warm up show at the Luminaire in Kilburn. The band also played at The Scala in London on 18 March 2010, and undertook short tours of Japan in April 2010 and North America in May 2010. The North American tour had to be postponed due to the Icelandic ash cloud cancelling flights, stranding Patman in Japan. Chapterhouse rescheduled the North American tour for September and October 2010.
The band has yet to continue touring beyond 2010.
Sixteen Years
Chapterhouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She knows that he don't even care
Please help her find a way to a better place
Hurt is the way he makes her feel
Pain doesn't seem to be for real
Caroline your time is near
Caroline must wait in here
Lies alone inside her room
Now she knows that she's the fool
Please let her find a way to a better place
Chose to live with too much pain
Sixteen years of life go straight away
The lyrics to Chapterhouse's song Sixteen Years are a poignant take on the experiences of Caroline, a young girl who is repeatedly hurt by the man she loves. The opening lines of the song paint a clear picture of the situation: 'Why tie a ribbon in her hair? She knows that he don't even care.' Despite this knowledge, Caroline continues to hold on to her hope that things will change, a hope that is reflected in the plea of the second line, 'Please help her find a way to a better place'.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that Caroline's pain is very real. The line 'Hurt is the way he makes her feel' underscoring the sense of powerlessness that she experiences in the face of her lover's disregard. Despite this, Caroline continues to wait, as the line 'Caroline must wait in here' suggests. Even though she knows that her situation is untenable, she feels trapped and unable to escape.
The third stanza of the song takes a darker turn, as we learn that Caroline has been lying alone in her room, unable to cope with the pain that she is experiencing. She is aware of the reality of her situation, captured in the line 'Now she knows that she's the fool'. Despite this realization, Caroline still hopes for a better future, as the line 'Please let her find a way to a better place' demonstrates. The final line of the song is a gut-wrenching statement of the toll that the years of pain have taken on her: 'Sixteen years of life go straight away', suggesting that her youth and potential have been wasted.
Line by Line Meaning
Why tie a ribbon in her hair?
Questioning the point of making an effort to look good when the person she's doing it for doesn't appreciate it.
She knows that he don't even care
Acknowledging that the person she desires doesn't reciprocate her feelings.
Please help her find a way to a better place
Pleading for assistance in escaping her current situation.
Hurt is the way he makes her feel
Recognizing the emotional pain inflicted upon her by the person she desires.
Pain doesn't seem to be for real
Trying to convince herself that it's not as bad as it seems.
Caroline your time is near
Implying that her time has come to move on from her current situation.
Caroline must wait in here
Acknowledging that she's currently stuck in her current circumstances and can't leave yet.
Lies alone inside her room
Feeling isolated and alone in her thoughts.
Now she knows that she's the fool
Realizing that she made a mistake in pursuing the person who doesn't appreciate her.
Please let her find a way to a better place
Continuing to plead for assistance with finding a way out of her current situation.
Chose to live with too much pain
Acknowledging that she's made the choice to continue living in a painful situation.
Sixteen years of life go straight away
Reflecting on the passage of time and how much of it has been spent in a negative situation.
Contributed by Noah W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ginger C
Simply Divine!!
João Rodrigues
amazing !
trubies
A Perfect song
xcide13
I hear the similarity with Rhinoceros but not all too close...love the cacophony!
Layla Vladi
dreamy
Nicktronic
What album is this from?
londonguy73
@s a v a g e the original release of whirpool didnt have this on it. Only the release of a deluxe version had it
s a v a g e
There's an EP called Freefall with this and 3 other songs, and after that Chapterhouse released an album including this EP and bunch of other stuff called Whirlpool