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.
Goin' Up
Great Big Sea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There is something you should know
There's no place quite like this place
If we get it on the go
So, pile your boots up in the corner
Hang your jacket from the door
There's thirty people in the kitchen
[Chorus]
Oh-oh-oh, come on now
Let's lock the world outside
Oh-oh-oh, come on I tell you now
She's goin' up tonight
Well there'll be music all around you
You should see the way it feels
Come on off we go now
Heel and toe now
To the jigs and reels
Cause somebody's got a fiddle
And someone else bought a guitar
And we got Bobby on the squeezebox
Grab a chair and mason jar
[Chorus]
Well there'll be smilin', there'll be laughin'
Well that's good enough for me
There'll be dancing all around you
This is where you want to be
So pile your boots up in the corner
Hang your jacket from the door
There's thirty people in the kitchen
And there's always room, yes there's always room
Great Big Sea’s hit song “Goin Up” is a celebration of life and a call to have fun. The lyrics invite listeners to gather around and take part in the festivities. The song is a testament to the band’s ability to bring people together and create a sense of community.
The first verse sets the stage for the party by inviting everyone to come and be a part of something special. The lyrics invoke a sense of camaraderie that is essential to the atmosphere of the song. The chorus further emphasizes this feeling by encouraging listeners to forget about the world outside and let the music take over.
The second verse of the song talks about the music and how it brings everyone together. The fiddle, guitar, and squeezebox all play a part in the music and in the community created by the lyrics. The final verse reinforces the idea that the party is a place where people should be happy and have fun. The lyrics also focus on the sense of inclusiveness that is created by the music and the people who share it.
Overall, the song emphasizes the importance of community and music in bringing people together. The lyrics invite listeners to join in the celebration and be a part of something special.
Line by Line Meaning
Well come gather all around me
Come join me, everyone
There is something you should know
I have something important to tell you
There's no place quite like this place
There is nowhere like where we are right now
If we get it on the go
If we start the party
So, pile your boots up in the corner
Take off your shoes and put them away
Hang your jacket from the door
Put your coat on the hook
There's thirty people in the kitchen
We have a lot of people here
And there's always room for more
But there is always room for more
Oh-oh-oh, come on now
Let's go now
Let's lock the world outside
Let's forget about the world and focus on having fun
Oh-oh-oh, come on I tell you now
I urge you to come along
She's goin' up tonight
We are going to have a great time tonight
Well there'll be music all around you
There will be music everywhere
You should see the way it feels
You should experience the atmosphere
Come on off we go now
Let's go now
Heel and toe now
Dance along
To the jigs and reels
To the lively dance tunes
Cause somebody's got a fiddle
Someone is playing the fiddle
And someone else bought a guitar
Someone else brought a guitar
And we got Bobby on the squeezebox
We have Bobby on the accordion
Grab a chair and mason jar
Sit down and enjoy a drink
Well there'll be smilin', there'll be laughin'
We will be happy and laughing
Well that's good enough for me
That's all I need to have a good time
There'll be dancing all around you
Everyone will be dancing
This is where you want to be
This is the place to be
So pile your boots up in the corner
Take off your shoes and put them away
Hang your jacket from the door
Put your coat on the hook
There's thirty people in the kitchen
We have a lot of people here
And there's always room, yes there's always room
But there is always room for more
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ALAN DOYLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Felix Cain
I grew up on Great big sea, their music rings the chord of childhood, and a lovely home long gone. Every single song sings a tale of adventure, weekend trips to the coast and childish joy that words can not describe. I am fortunate enough to own a poster signed by all three of the guys on their final (20th anniversary) tour and it will go down as one of my most cherished possessions.
Wilhelm Quod Solitarius
These tunes will never go out of style. It's who we are
Alan Magic
This song never fails to brighten my mood
BinTtown
Great Big Sea...one of the greatest ever. Just wish they'd tour the United States as a whole. They are great!
Tom Snider
Sadly not likely, they officially retired about 3 years ago sadly.
BinTtown
I know. It made me sad. I like their individual stuff from McCann and what not...but I miss the band.
William Hardway
But if they did that, theyd have to spend time around Americans. That doesnt sound like a good time for most of the rest of the world.
Amber Anderson
It feels like forever since I have seen them in concert lol Love em so much.
canadianbacon0
Found these guys on pandora on my Celtic station. I get that here in the states Canadian music isn't as popular but 200K views and only 500 likes? These guys are under rated. This is one of my favorites...
KevCF
For some reason we've just pushed all of this amazing Canadiana out of the public consciousness. It's sad, but thankfully their music will always be around in some way.