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.
Snowden
Doves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bring back to love,
Bring me back to life,
Oh why should I care.
I said how, could you keep me out,
Without a wish to share,
So without a doubt,
We have been warned,
Its a classic sign,
Its a wicked mind,
With an axe to grind,
Oh when is it our, our time,
Oh so why should we care,
Again,again,again.
Again,we have been warned, this a classic sign.
Why should we care.
If this is all, that summer,
Oh why should we care,
Woah if this would be our, summer
Then why should we care.
The lyrics to Doves' song Snowden are open to interpretation as they touch on themes of love, life, and emotion. The song talks about asking for someone to bring back love and life to the singer, suggesting that they may have been feeling disconnected from others around them. There's a sense of resignation in the lyrics despite the words 'Oh why should I care' being repeated, almost as if the singer has given up on trying to find affection or meaning.
The song then goes on to talk about a warning sign that could imply a wicked mind with an axe to grind, and questions why one should even care. It's almost as if the singer is suggesting that the world is full of negativity, and why bother fighting it. This pessimistic tone is countered by the chorus which highlights the summer season, suggesting that if this is all there is to live for, there's no point in worrying too much about the problems of the world. Overall, Snowden is a contemplative song that touches on themes of disillusionment and resignation in the face of an unpredictable world.
Line by Line Meaning
I say man, can you help me out,
I am asking for assistance or support from someone.
Bring back to love,
Help me feel love again.
Bring me back to life,
Help me feel alive again.
Oh why should I care.
Questioning the importance of caring or having feelings.
I said how, could you keep me out,
I am questioning how someone could exclude me or shut me out.
Without a wish to share,
Without any desire or willingness to include or communicate.
So without a doubt,
This is definitely the case.
Oh why should I care.
Questioning the importance of caring or having feelings.
We have been warned,
We have received a cautionary message.
Its a classic sign,
This is a familiar indication.
Its a wicked mind,
This is a malevolent or dangerous thought process.
With an axe to grind,
With a personal vendetta or motivation.
Oh when is it our, our time,
When will we receive what is due to us?
Oh so why should we care,
Questioning the importance of caring or having feelings.
Again, again, again.
Repetition of the same experience or warning.
Again,we have been warned, this a classic sign.
We have received a cautionary message that is familiar or typical.
Why should we care.
Questioning the importance of caring or having feelings.
If this is all, that summer,
If this is all we have to look forward to during this season,
Oh why should we care,
Questioning the importance of caring or having feelings.
Woah if this would be our, summer
Expressing a hope that this season will be fulfilling.
Then why should we care.
If things go well, maybe we won't need to care so much.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JIMI GOODWIN, ANDY WILLIAMS, JEZ WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thebunker1618
Some Cities is among my favorite albums of all time.
The entire album just evokes such a strong sense of nostalgia.
@KevinKaffy
Totally..for me anyway this song brings back in time
@mgmaniscalco79
I got that feeling too with Lost Souls... I guess the nostalgia in the first album was a bit darker, but both albums were underrated and they still are, cause both were and are masterpieces
@chriswiens9706
This song still hits me 16 years later. Reminds me of an old friend who I miss dearly.
@adderon7476
Smiles to frowns and back again
@amarilysmejia1240
i´m from a small cuntry in latin america and somehow your music get to me, for that i´m graceful
@moran98
Igual por aca... esperando que estos maestros vuelvan a los escenarios para verlos
@jjkerwin4677
A friend turned me into this CD back late 05/early 06, when I was dealing with divorce and it really helped me reflect and move on. Snowden is one of my favorite tracks. Just brilliant.
@markpaul120
Amazing!!! It still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. There is something in their sound that is either regressive for me or reminds me of something. I love the band and always will. Thanks doves
@adderon7476
Nods in the chrous to Race for the Prize by The Flaming Lips