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.
Willow's Song
Doves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
[Incomprehensible]
Please come, say how do
The things that I can't show to you
A stroke as gentle as a feather
Hey, ooh, who is me?
Am I not young and fair?
The things that I can't give to you
Would you have a wondrous sight?
The moon light, the midday sun
At midnight
[Incomprehensible]
The song "Willow's Song" by Doves is a hauntingly beautiful piece that is open to interpretation. The song begins with the singer calling out to an unknown person or presence, inviting them to come closer. There is a sense of urgency in the plea to connect with someone - to reveal or share the things that the singer is unable to show or give to others. The second verse suggests that the singer is questioning their own identity, wondering why they are not viewed as young and fair. Perhaps this is a commentary on societal expectations and beauty standards. The enigmatic last line of the verse hints at the possibility of a fantastical world beyond our own, where fascinating sights are waiting to be discovered.
The chorus is repeated twice and features a rather obscure lyric that leaves the listener to ponder its meaning. The imagery of moonlight and midday sun at midnight creates a sense of disorientation, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. The song's title, "Willow's Song," is potentially a nod to the 1973 horror film "The Wicker Man," in which a character named Willow sings a seductive and disorienting tune that lures a man to his doom. There is a similar sense of unease and ambiguity in Doves' version of "Willow's Song," making it a haunting and memorable addition to their discography.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, ooh, who is there?
Asking who is present and listening to the singer
[Incomprehensible]
Uninterpretable lyrics
Please come, say how do
Asking the listener to introduce themselves
The things that I can't show to you
Referring to something intangible that cannot be physically displayed
A stroke as gentle as a feather
Describing a gentle touch or caress
Hey, ooh, who is me?
Pondering one's own identity
Am I not young and fair?
Questioning if one is still youthful and attractive
The things that I can't give to you
Referring to something intangible that cannot be physically given
Would you have a wondrous sight?
Asking if the listener would like to witness something amazing
The moon light, the midday sun
Referring to natural phenomena that are beautiful to behold
At midnight
Specifying a time of day when something occurs
[Incomprehensible]
Uninterpretable lyrics
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDY WILLIAMS, JEZ WILLIAMS, JIMI GOODWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Craig Browning
Hey, You, who is there?
Am I not young in Fair.
Please come, say how do
The things that I can show to you.
A stroke as gentle as a feather.
Hey, You, who is me?
Am I not young and fair?
Please come, say how do
The things that I can give to you
Would you have a wondrous time?
The moon light, the midday sun
At midnight.
Corn Rigs and Barley.... (Repeat 5X)
Craig Browning
Paul Giovanni W/M
Heigh ho! Who is there?
No one but me, my dear.
Please come say, How do?
The things I'll give to you.
By stroke as gentle as a feather
I'll catch a rainbow from the sky
And tie the ends together.
Heigh ho! I am here
Am I not young and fair?
Please come say, How do?
The things I'll show to you.
Would you have a wond'rous sight
The midday sun at midnight?
Fair maid, white and red
Comb you smooth and stroke your head
How a maid can milk a bull!
And every stroke a bucketful
scott49140
for some reason when my depression makes me feel like literally giving up,this soothes me
Mia L
scott49140 Don’t give up buddy, you’re a valued member of this human race, and you are loved.
Chelsea Acid Casual
Great band, great song, great cover.
Dclangers
What a nice version of this beautiful song. The man has a wonderful voice seems to make the song more endearing with a male vocal.
AtomicSpike
In Silent Hill: Downpour, if you turn on the radio in the Cave of Tears, this song will play. I liked it so much that I just stood there and listened to the whole thing.
MrCarocci
This song make me feel like I'm near to death
Lenny Leonard
Thank you Silent Hill for scaring the shit out of me and then giving me some nice peaceful music to calm down to!
ThePaganSun
Silent Hill? This is originally from the Wicker Man (1974). This version is a cover though.
Ian Edmonds
Amazing cover.
ThePaganSun
Dear people..."Silent Hill: Downpour" might've brought you here, but this song is originally from The Wicker Man (1974)! So just keep that in mind.