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.
Here Comes My Baby
Great Big Sea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I keep walking alone that lonely mile.
And every time i do,
I keep seeing this picture of you.
Here comes my baby, here she comes now.
And it comes as no surprise to me, she's with another guy.
Here come my baby, here she comes now.
But never to be mine, no matter how i try.
Oh you never walk alone,
And you're forever talking on the phone.
I try to call your name,
But everytime it comes out the same!
Here comes my baby, here she comes now.
And it comes as no surprise to me, she's with another guy.
Here come my baby, here she comes now.
Walking with a love, with a love thats so, so fine
But never to be mine, no matter how i try.
Here comes my baby, here she comes now... (x5)
The lyrics to Great Big Sea's "Here Comes My Baby" tell the story of the singer's ongoing love and obsession with a girl who he simply can't get over. The opening lines are set in the "midnight, moonlight hour" - a classic time for wandering and pondering. The singer is alone and walking down a lonely mile, clearly feeling reflective and emotional. He remarks that every time he walks alone like this, he sees a picture of the girl who he is talking about - suggesting that she is never far from his thoughts.
The chorus is where the singer addresses the girl directly, exclaiming "Here comes my baby, here she comes now". He seems surprised to see her with another guy, despite the fact that his obsession appears to have lasted for some time. The lyrics suggest that he has tried and failed to make a connection with her - stating that her love is "so, so fine" but that he knows it will never be his, no matter how hard he tries. The song ends with a repetition of the opening lines - the singer alone in the midnight hour, still haunted by thoughts of the girl who got away.
Overall, "Here Comes My Baby" presents a familiar narrative of unrequited love and the pain that often accompanies it. The song acknowledges the depth of feeling that many people experience when they fall for someone who is out of reach, and highlights the ongoing impact that such feelings can have on a person's life.
Line by Line Meaning
In the midnight, moonlight hour
Late at night when the moon is up high
I keep walking alone that lonely mile.
I continue to walk the path of loneliness
And every time i do,
Each time I do this
I keep seeing this picture of you.
I can't help but see your face in my mind
Here comes my baby, here she comes now.
My love is approaching, she's coming towards me
And it comes as no surprise to me, she's with another guy.
I am not shocked that she is with someone else
Walking with a love, with a love thats so, so fine
She's walking with someone who is really great
But never to be mine, no matter how i try.
Sadly, no matter what I do, she will never be mine
Oh you never walk alone,
You always have someone with you
And you're forever talking on the phone.
You're constantly on the phone with someone
I try to call your name,
I attempt to get your attention
But everytime it comes out the same!
But every time it's the same outcome
Contributed by Lucas B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Stefanie Roy
OMG thank you for uploading this!