While it has been confirmed that the band has officially retired, former members Alan Doyle and Séan McCann have continued performing in their own solo careers typically including music from Great Big Sea in their setlists.
The band played its first official concert on March 11, 1993, opening for The Irish Descendants at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's, Newfoundland. The founding band members included Alan Doyle (vocals, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin), Séan McCann (vocals, bodhrán, guitar, tin whistle), Darrell Power (vocals, bass, guitar, bones), and Bob Hallett (vocals, fiddle, accordion, mandolin, concertina, bouzouki, whistles, bagpipes).
Power, McCann and Hallett had already been playing together in another band. In the winter of 1989, the band, a six-piece with guitar, bass, fiddle, accordion and mandolin played its first show at the Memorial University's winter carnival talent show under the name "Newfoundland Republican Army" or NRA, and won first prize. The band's only other appearance as NRA was later that winter at the university "Grad House". The band then dropped the fiddler, accordion player and the name.
The band found its new name as original bassist Jeff Scott rented an apartment on Rankin Street, St. John's, where the members first met and discussed the formation of the band. As a four-piece, the band first appeared as "Rankin Street" at a little pub in downtown St. John's called "The Rose and Thistle", playing for $100 and beer. They played through Sean McCann's stereo system, as renting a PA would have cost more than the night's earnings. Susan Hickey (guitar and vocals) left the band months later to attend school in Halifax and was replaced by Darrell Power. The band gained much popularity playing such local pubs as Bridget's and Greensleeves. In 1991 Jeff Scott was replaced by Jackie St. Croix on bass. The band released one recording on cassette titled "Rankin Street".
In 1997, the band reached the top ten of the Canadian RPM pop chart with "When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down)", a cover of a song by the British folk group Oysterband. They performed at the 1999 Stardust Picnic festival at Historic Fort York, Toronto.
The band won the Entertainer of the Year award at the East Coast Music Awards for every year between 1996 and 2000. In 2001, they decided not to submit their name for nomination in order to allow other bands to compete. They have also been nominated for several Juno Awards, including Group of the Year in 1998, 2005, 2009, and 2011.
Darrell Power retired from Great Big Sea in 2003 to spend more time with his family and friends. Supporting members of the band include Canadian freelance drummer Kris MacFarlane (2002) (drums, accordion, guitar, backing vocals) and Murray Foster (2003, formerly of the band Moxy Früvous) (bass, backing vocals).
In late 2005, the band released its long-awaited "traditional" album, The Hard and the Easy, on which they recorded their favourite Newfoundland party songs. The title of the album comes from a line of the song "Tickle Cove Pond", one of two songs on the album about a horse falling through ice.
On June 13, 2007, the band announced they would return to the studio with producer Hawksley Workman. On March 14, 2008, the band announced that the title of the new album would be Fortune's Favour, borrowing a phrase from one of the songs on the album, "England". The album was officially released on June 24, 2008 across all of North America.
On February 23, 2010, band member Séan McCann released his debut solo album Lullabies for Bloodshot Eyes to pleasing critical success.
On July 13, 2010, Great Big Sea released their new album Safe Upon the Shore in North America. Alan's "From the Road" blog on the band's website, originally confirmed its production in an April posting, speaking also of the album's subsequent release in July. "Nothing But A Song" was the first single off the bands' ninth studio recording, with a subsequent tour kicking off at the end of the summer 2010.
Great Big Sea announced a 'greatest hits' album titled "XX" in October 2012, accompanied by a 20th anniversary tour with 32 dates in 28 cities across the US and Canada which kicked off on March 5, 2013 in Los Angeles and finished in St. John's on April 23, 2013.
In 2013, McCann announced that he would be leaving the band at the end of the XX tour, much to the dismay of his bandmates. Struggling to maintain his new sobriety, he told his bandmates in January of 2013 that XX would be his last tour with the band, but the rest of the band and its management refused to announce this publicly. Finally, in November 2013 with XX almost over, McCann announced his departure himself in a tweet, feeling that the fans needed to know. While largely vilified by Great Big Sea fans with little said by the band or management to counter this view, McCann claims he was devastated by how Great Big Sea ended and wishes it could have gone differently.
Following McCann's departure, the remaining band members spent a year or so trying to find an amicable way that they could continue without him. Eventually coming to the realization that they didn’t want to go on like that, and happily retiring the band.
Consequence Free
Great Big Sea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If no one ever got offended
Wouldn't it be great
To say what's really on your mind
I've always said
That all the rules are made for bending
And if I let my hair down
Would that be such a crime
[Chorus]
I want to be
Consequence free
I want to be
Where nothing needs to matter
I want to be
Consequence free
Just sing
Nananananananana
Oh, nananananananana
I could really use
To lose my Catholic conscience
Cause I'm getting sick
Of feeling guilty all the time
I won't abuse it
Yeah, I've got the best intentions
For a little bit of anarchy
But not the hurting kind
[Chorus]
I couldn't sleep at all last night
Cause I had so much on my mind
I'd like to leave it all behind
But you know it's not that easy
Oh, for just one night
Wouldn't it be great
If the band just never ended
We could stay out late
And we would never hear last call
We wouldn't need to worry
About approval or permission
We could slip off the edge
And never worry about the fall
[Chorus]
Great Big Sea's "Consequence Free" is a commentary on the pressures of society and the desire for freedom from constraints. The song's opening lines express a desire for a world without offense, where individuals can speak their minds without fear of negativity. The idea of bending rules is present, as the singer suggests that constraints are only as limiting as one allows them to be. These lines suggest the desire for a world with less judgment, less self-censorship, and less guilt.
The chorus's repetition of "I want to be consequence-free" reflects the desire for a life where actions do not have ramifications. The desire is to live free from the responsibilities and burdens of everyday life. The lyrics suggest that it would be amazing to exist in a world where nothing matters, where individuals can act according to their wants and needs without consequence. The idea of living without rules and living life on one's own terms is the main theme of the song, and the chorus's lyrics reinforce it.
As the song progresses, the lyrics mention the struggle of being constrained by typical societal norms. The lyrics suggest that this repression emerges from the intense emphasis on moral values, such as the religious guilt and judgment that the singer feels. While the lyrics suggest a longing for consequence-free living, there is still an acknowledgment that it is not an easy task. Nonetheless, the song ends on a hopeful note, with the idea that there is always one night where individuals can let go of everything and enjoy life's freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
Wouldn't it be great
Expressing a desire for things to be different
If no one ever got offended
The desire for people to never feel hurt or insulted
Wouldn't it be great
Reiterating a desire for a different reality
To say what's really on your mind
The desire to be honest and open with one's thoughts and feelings
I've always said
Continuation of a personal belief or value
That all the rules are made for bending
The belief that rules are not fixed and can be challenged or broken
And if I let my hair down
The willingness to let one's guard down and be more relaxed
Would that be such a crime
Rhetorical question to challenge societal norms
I want to be
Expressing a personal desire
Consequence free
Without facing any negative repercussions
Where nothing needs to matter
The desire to disengage from societal pressures and expectations
Just sing
Encouraging a simple, carefree approach to life
Nananananananana
Nonsensical phrase, possibly used to express joy or excitement
Oh, nananananananana
Continuation of the nonsensical phrase
I could really use
Acknowledging a personal need or desire
To lose my Catholic conscience
The desire to disassociate from religious guilt and shame
Cause I'm getting sick
Acknowledging an emotional state
Of feeling guilty all the time
The negative effects of constant guilt and shame
I won't abuse it
Clarifying a personal stance on a sensitive issue
Yeah, I've got the best intentions
Expressing positive motives or intentions
For a little bit of anarchy
The willingness to challenge societal norms and expectations
But not the hurting kind
The personal belief in non-violent action
I couldn't sleep at all last night
Expressing emotional distress or insomnia caused by personal thoughts and feelings
Cause I had so much on my mind
Clarifying the cause of personal distress
I'd like to leave it all behind
Expressing a desire to escape from personal problems
But you know it's not that easy
Acknowledging the difficulty in resolving personal issues
Oh, for just one night
Expressing a desire for a temporary break or escape from personal problems
If the band just never ended
Imagining an ideal scenario where enjoyable experiences never end
We could stay out late
Desire to continue enjoyable experiences without limitations
And we would never hear last call
The desire to avoid disappointing endings
We wouldn't need to worry
The desire to live without stress or concern
About approval or permission
The desire to be free from societal expectations or limitations
We could slip off the edge
The desire to take risks and explore new experiences
And never worry about the fall
The desire to live without fear of negative outcomes or consequences
Lyrics © Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), LEAN GROUND MUSIC LTD., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ALAN DOYLE, SEAN MCCANN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Single Ton
Wouldn't it be great
If no one ever got offended
Wouldn't it be great
To say what's really on your mind
I've always said
That all the rules are made for bending
And if I let my hair down
Would that be such a crime
I want to be
Consequence free
I want to be
Where nothing needs to matter
I want to be
Consequence free
Just sing
Nananananananana
Oh, nananananananana
I could really use
To lose my Catholic conscience
Cause I'm getting sick
Of feeling guilty all the time
I won't abuse it
Yeah, I've got the best intentions
For a little bit of anarchy
But not the hurting kind
I want to be
Consequence free
I want to be
Where nothing needs to matter
I want to be
Consequence free
Just sing
Nananananananana
Oh, nananananananana
I couldn't sleep at all last night
Cause I had so much on my mind
I'd like to leave it all behind
But you know it's not that easy
Oh, for just one night
Wouldn't it be great
If the band just never ended
We could stay out late
And we would never hear last call
We wouldn't need to worry
About approval or permission
We could slip off the edge
And never worry about the fall
I want to be
Consequence free
I want to be
Where nothing needs to matter
I want to be
Consequence free
Just sing
Nananananananana
Oh, nananananananana
Darius
Na na na na na nay ah na
Oh, na na na na na nay ah na
Wouldn't it be great if no one ever got offended?
And wouldn't it be great to say what's really on your mind?
I've always said all the rules are made for bending
And if I let my hair down, would that be such a crime?
I wanna be consequence-free
I wanna be where nothing needs to matter
I wanna be consequence-free
Just say na na na na na nay ah na
Sing na na na na na nay ah na
I could really use to lose my Catholic conscience
'Cause I'm getting sick of feeling guilty all the time
And I won't abuse it, yeah, I've got the best intentions
For a little bit of anarchy, but not the hurting kind
I wanna be consequence-free
I wanna be where nothing needs to matter
I wanna be consequence-free
Just say na na na na na nay ah na
Oh, na na na na na nay ah na
I couldn't sleep at all last night
'Cause I had so much on my mind
And I'd like to leave it all behind
But you know it's not that easy
Oh, but for just one night
Wouldn't it be great if the band just never ended?
We could stay out late, and we would never hear last call
We wouldn't need to worry about approval or permission
We could slip off the edge, and never worry 'bout the fall
(Worry 'bout the fall)
I wanna be consequence-free
I wanna be where nothing needs to matter
I wanna be consequence-free
Just say na na na na na nay ah na
Oh, na na na na na nay ah na na
Oh, na na na na na nay ah na
Data Two
Wow, wouldn't it be great if we could all be three years old again and not have to worry about being adults - ever!?!
Wouldn't it be great if we could just do as we wish and pretend that no one else matters and it's all about being soooo free to do as we want, say what we want, devil be damns!?!
Wouldn't it be great to not have to deal with the consequences of all our bad decisions, but reap all the rewards for all the good ones, na na na na na!?!
Wouldn't it be great to just be children, amongst men and let the world go to hell!?!
Oh to be free, to be free, to be free!!!
Free from of thinking of others!!!!
Oh to be free to be free to be free!!!
To do as we please, say what we please, and please please please ourselves,!?!
Damn, I remember a time when music, especially folk and folk/rock asked more of us than to behave like the children of the corn. As if people getting offended is the real problem. . .
Stammer6
I really had this song on my mind today. I had a lot of people saying stupid (often hypocritical) things, but any time I'd try to point it out they'd get super offended so I just stopped talking altogether and it felt awful. Great Big Sea have such positivity in their music, it really lifts the spirits. <3
twitch5000
whenever i hear this song, it reminds me to just relax and take life as it comes and to not worry about the little things. to live life consequence free.
ThIs_Is_IrOnIc
six years later and still very relevant
BillyBobBeauBenson
This song always makes me smile because you can hear how genuinely happy the band is when playing.
Stephen D
Absolutely why I love their music.
SUSAN CZAJKOWSKYJ
I met the genuine Alan Doyle
William Hardway
I'm a true Canadian. I remember mum playing this stuff when I was just a lad. Now I'm right into it. Music pass3d down through a generation
Something Creative
same
Tristan Redfern
Good man
StupidSmartDogs
I have seen them in concert 4 times! <3 Great Big Sea.