The band released their first album on vinyl, Self Non Self in July 1989. The intensity of that album garnered very good reviews and caught the attention of John Peel, who picked up on the album right away, with the group recording a session for him in the album's first week of release. Shortly afterwards they signed to the label Dedicated (which also became home to Spiritualized and Beth Orton) and went on to record their EP "Espero" in 1990, with the album "Wings of Joy" following a year later. The release of "Wings of Joy" caught the attention of Robert Smith of The Cure who picked the Cranes to open for them on their world tour in 1992. They then went on to record the albums "Forever" (1993), "Loved" (1994), "La Tragedie d'Oreste et Electre" (1995), and "Population Four" (1997).
After a 4 year break, Cranes re-emerged on their own independent label Dadaphonic to release "Future Songs" (2001) and "Particles & Waves" (2004), which saw the band heading in a more electronic direction while retaining the trademark sound of previous releases. In January 2007 the band released a download only album, "Live at Amsterdam Paradiso," originally recorded in 1991. The show captures the darker, heavier days of the early Cranes and is available only via www.dadaphonic.co.uk.
In 2008 Cranes albums "Wings of Joy', 'Forever' and 'Loved' were re-issued by Cherry Red Records, www.cherryred.co.uk as part of their series of 'influential artists' re-releases.
In October 2008 Cranes released their self titled album 'Cranes', to which they did a supporting tour. After that there was the odd performance here and there up until 2012 after which Cranes fell silent again.
In 2022 they re-emerged with several newly opened social media accounts to which the purpose soon became clear: Cranes have reformed in their original nineties line-up to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the "Forever" album with some gigs in the UK (see events) and they are currently rehearsing.
In June 2023 they also released a 'new' album: their previously unreleased "Peel Sessions 1989-1990" which you can get on their Bandcamp site (see Linktree below) both digitally and on CD/Vinyl.
Current members
Alison Shaw – vocals, bass guitar, acoustic guitar (1985–1997, 2000–present)
Jim Shaw – guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums (1985–1997, 2000–present)
Mark Francombe – guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, spanner (1989–1997, 2022-present)
Matt Cope – guitar (1989–1997, 2022-present)
Former members:
Kevin Dunford – lead guitar (1988–1989)
Paul Smith – guitar, keyboards (1995–1997, 2000–2012)
Manu Ross – drums (1996–1997)
Ben Baxter – bass guitar (2000–2012)
Jon Callender – drums (2000–2007)
Jon Mattock – drums (2008–2012)
Cranes official Linktree: https://linktr.ee/cranesofficial
Come This Far
Cranes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Life can be so beautiful
These days you send
Wish they would never end
We've come this far
How beautiful you are...
Look back this far
How beautiful you are...
Sometimes I don't know where to go
Just pictures, looking, dreams you know
Sometimes I look out at the sky
And I don't feel the need to try
These days are full
Life can be so beautiful
We've come this far
How beautiful you are...
We've come this far
How beautiful you are...
Look back this far
How beautiful you are...
The main theme of the song "Come This Far" by Cranes centers around the beauty of life, with the lyrics highlighting moments of joy and gratitude for the good times. The song begins with the acknowledgement that life can be beautiful, but it is fleeting. The singer wishes that the moments they are experiencing would never end because they appreciate and value them so much. The repetition of "how beautiful you are" reinforces the idea of finding beauty and being grateful for it in one's life.
The second verse seems to describe moments of uncertainty and doubt in life. The singer is unsure of where to go, but does not feel pressured to try too hard or force things to happen. Instead, they gaze at the sky and simply appreciate the beauty of the moment. The overall message of the song seems to be one of choosing to focus on and appreciate the good in life, even in uncertain or challenging times. The repeated refrain of "We've come this far" emphasizes the idea that no matter what difficulties have been faced or may still be ahead, the singer has made it to this point and can still find beauty in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes it's true
At times, life can be genuinely beautiful
Life can be so beautiful
The gift of life is precious and wonderful
These days you send
The present is a gift sent to us
Wish they would never end
We want these beautiful moments to last forever
We've come this far
We've made it so far
How beautiful you are...
You are a beautiful person inside and out
Look back this far
Reflecting on how far we've come
Sometimes I don't know where to go
At times, we feel lost without direction
Just pictures, looking, dreams you know
Our aspirations and imagination guide us
Sometimes I look out at the sky
Observing the beauty of nature can be inspiring
And I don't feel the need to try
At times, we can be content just appreciating life's beauty without striving for more
These days are full
The present is abundant and rich in beauty
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
God_of_Rawr
Sometimes it's true
Life can be so beautiful
These days you send
Wish they would never end
We've come this far
How beautiful you are...
Look back this far
How beautiful you are...
Sometimes I don't know where to go
Just pictures, looking, dreams you know
Sometimes I look out at the sky
And I don't feel the need to try
These days are full
Life can be so beautiful
We've come this far
How beautiful you are...
We've come this far
How beautiful you are...
Look back this far
How beautiful you are...
Flavio Martignoni
This song is like a warm embrace, with an incredible mix of spirituality and sensuality. Absolutely perfection. Shoegaze is a music given by heaven.
Gabe Hill-Harriss
Dark beauty...timeless music in a virus world..
God_of_Rawr
Sometimes it's true
Life can be so beautiful
These days you send
Wish they would never end
We've come this far
How beautiful you are...
Look back this far
How beautiful you are...
Sometimes I don't know where to go
Just pictures, looking, dreams you know
Sometimes I look out at the sky
And I don't feel the need to try
These days are full
Life can be so beautiful
We've come this far
How beautiful you are...
We've come this far
How beautiful you are...
Look back this far
How beautiful you are...
Tolga
How i love this song!
H Graham
This is good music I adore this
David McGough
Love the band and her
Tom Przybylinski
excellent sunrise music
Kate 93
Love it
Josue Uribe
Las grullas excelente música !!!
Lu11abi
6 people since 2012 are in a war against all Beauty and Love itself.
They will never win against the Cranes.