Originally formed in 1988 as Sub Sub, a dance act who coincided with the rise of the Hacienda and the rave scene from Manchester expanding outwards, they enjoyed moderate success for seven years including the hit single "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" (#3 UK), before suffering the disaster of their studio burning down in 1996, taking all their current recordings with them. The experience, tragedy and pressure of that would inspire their name-change, in 1998, to Doves, and ultimately their first full-length album, Lost Souls released in April 2000. "Lost Souls" was a dark, atmospheric effort, full of brooding keyboards and claustrophobic light grooves, yet charted at number 13, mainly due to the top 40 singles, "The Cedar Room", "Catch The Sun" and "The Man Who Told Everything".
Two years later, Doves enjoyed their commercial and critical peak with their second album, The Last Broadcast, which charted at number 1 in the UK charts, spawning a hit single, "There Goes The Fear", which reached number 3 in the chart. "The Last Broadcast" was characterised by huge, spacious recordings, and an overall feeling of euphoria and relief. Two more singles, "Pounding" and "Caught By The River" both charted inside the top 40, and in the summer of 2003, Doves headlined the Other Stage on the last night of the Glastonbury Festival.
Recording problems and writers' block delayed the emergence of their third album, Some Cities, until Spring 2005. This was a return to the more claustrophobic sounds of their debut, though still featured the top 10 single "Black & White Town". "Some Cities" sold well, debuting at #1 on the UK chart, and received some of the band's strongest reviews to date.
Jimi Goodwin and Jez Williams both contributed to other bands in the late 90's, Goodwin played bass for Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr's band Electronic on their 1999 album Twisted Tenderness and Williams played guitar on Saint Etienne's albums, 1998's Good Humor, 2000's Sound of Water and finally 2002's Finisterre.
2009 saw the release of 'Kingdom of Rust' and a tour to support, soon followed by 'The Places Between', a greatest hits album - also released as a double album with DVD compilation of singles, non-single releases and remixes.
The band is on a break from recording, according to an interview with The Daily Record. Jimi Goodwin stated: "It's nice just to have a bit of breathing space... We just wanted to get off that whole album-tour-album-tour treadmill. None of us are ready to face going into the studio for another two years. This is wiping the slate clean, we have nothing else in the vaults now. That is it. Whatever we do from now on will be a new start."
On 2 October 2012, EMI International released a Doves anthology titled 5 Album Set featuring all four studio albums from Lost Souls to Kingdom of Rust and the 2003 re-issue of Lost Sides.
It has been announced that Jimi Goodwin will support British band Elbow on their Spring 2014 tour of the United Kingdom.
Shadows Of Salford
Doves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You will walk again
The shadows of lovers
All will be quiet then
The roads that your mothers
They would follow down
In shadows of Salford
The love that you left there
Spoke without a sound
A love was so haunting
Lost and never found
The roads that your mother
They would follow down
For in shadows of Salford
You will walk again
The lyrics to Doves' song Shadows Of Salford convey a sense of nostalgia and longing for a lost love. The references to the "shadows of lovers" and the "love that you left there" suggest that the singer is revisiting a place where they once shared a deep and meaningful connection with someone who is no longer present. The mention of "roads that your mothers would follow down" further emphasizes the idea of returning to a familiar place from one's past.
The repetition of the line "you will walk again" in the chorus adds to the overall feeling of sadness and loss, as if the singer is trying to convince themselves that they can recapture what once was. The use of the word "haunting" to describe the love that was lost also adds to the melancholic tone of the song.
Overall, Shadows Of Salford is a poignant reflection on the pain of losing a love and the desire to rekindle what once was. The lyrics capture the sadness and nostalgia of returning to a place where memories of a lost relationship still linger.
Line by Line Meaning
In the dark alleys of Salford
The place where the singer will soon find himself in is an area in Salford, Manchester that is not well-lit or publically used.
You will get a chance to walk again
The singer is getting some hope to move on from his past traumas, and that someday he will be able to walk again
Where lovers hide in the shadows
The place is usually known as an area where people meet for unity, get together and hide from the rest.
Everything will be silent then
Once in the shadows, the place would become very quiet, creating an environment similar to a secret yet empty area.
The paths your mothers traversed
The roads that the artist's ancestors chose to reach the same destination being taken by the artist as well. It could also mean the past experiences that one's family had, and the artist is bound to follow those same choices.
In the shadows of Salford, let me be the one to lead.
The singer is asking for a chance to lead the way through these shadows, to help them to walk again.
The love that has been left unsaid
The love that the singer had long time ago, went unnoticed by someone, however, it has left a deep impact in the singer's heart.
The love that once ruled here
The artist thinks that the past love had an immense effect on this place and had power over the place itself
Erased yet never to be found
The love that once existed is no more visible or present, but still left a mark on this place. However, it is impossible to get that time and person back.
The paths your mothers traversed
The artist is repeating the same line, as it holds significant importance of the area and how it connects the artist to their heritage
In the shadows of Salford I will find the path
The singer believes that the path to that lost love can still be found in the shadows of Salford, where love once thrived.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDY WILLIAMS, JEZ WILLIAMS, JIMI GOODWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind