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.
Love
Great Big Sea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When we're together why does something always start
Are we both better off when we are apart
Someday's you hate me I can see it in your eyes
It seems like lately you can't wait to criticize me
[Chorus]
No, it's alright (repeat)
Everyday I can hear the rockets fly
Over the graves of too many who have died
Fighting for land, or some ancient holy shrine
I bet your blood runs red, just the same as mine, yeah
[Chorus]
Bridge
Love lalalala Love
How many more of our children have to fall
Just how high do we have to build these walls
In fighting there's no dignity
It's such a waste of time
Take my hand,
I don't think God will mind.
[Chorus]
Love
in the song "Love" by Great Big Sea explores the complexities and challenges of love. The lyrics speak to the ups and downs of a relationship, questioning whether staying together or being apart is better. The line "Someday's you hate me I can see it in your eyes" speaks to the difficulties of communication and trust in a relationship. The chorus repeats the sentiment that it's alright, and they don't have to fight tonight, suggesting that despite their struggles, they can find peace and love in the present moment.
The song then transitions into a commentary on the larger societal issue of war and violence. The image of rockets flying over the graves of the fallen is powerful, and the lyrics question the point of fighting and the consequences of war on innocent lives. The bridge then brings the two themes together, suggesting that love and peace should be priorities over violence and conflict. The line "take my hand, I don't think God will mind" suggests that love and connection are values that even a higher power would prioritize over war and fighting.
Overall, "Love" is a powerful song that explores the complexity of relationships and the larger societal issues that impact them. It speaks to the importance of love and peace, even in the face of challenges and conflict.
Line by Line Meaning
When we're together why does something always start
There's always an unresolved conflict between us when we're together.
Are we both better off when we are apart
Maybe it's best for us to be separated from each other.
Someday's you hate me I can see it in your eyes
There are days when you can't stand me, and it shows in your eyes.
It seems like lately you can't wait to criticize me
Lately, you've been looking for reasons to find fault in me.
It's alright, we don't have to fight tonight
It's okay, we can let this go and avoid a fight.
Everyday I can hear the rockets fly
Every day, I can hear the sounds of war and destruction.
Over the graves of too many who have died
Too many people have died because of war and conflict.
Fighting for land, or some ancient holy shrine
People fight over territory or religious symbols.
I bet your blood runs red, just the same as mine, yeah
Regardless of our differences, we're both human beings with the same blood running through our veins.
How many more of our children have to fall
How many more innocent lives have to be lost before we realize the true cost of war?
Just how high do we have to build these walls
How much more will we separate ourselves from each other before we realize the futility of it all?
In fighting there's no dignity
Fighting only leads to shame and loss of respect for each other.
It's such a waste of time
Engaging in conflict over trivial matters is not worth our time and energy.
Take my hand,
Let's try to come together despite our differences.
I don't think God will mind.
God wants us to love each other and live in peace.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: SEAN (CAN) MCCANN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind