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.
Seagulls
Great Big Sea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dressed in her Sunday best
A kind man sat beside her
While she cried her way out West
She moved in with her cousin
Found a job down in the mall
Her friends at home were jealous
Said they'd see her in the fall
You know that she wants to try, never lets you see her cry
You know that she wants to try, she's got seagulls in her eyes
The people here seem really nice
But the winter's way too long
New friends, they don't understand
Her mother wrote "be strong"
She made some decent money
But nothing comes for free
The windy street, just can't compete
With the sky, the rocks and sea
Chorus
Her parents came at Eastertime
They wanted her to stay
But she bought a panel van
Moved home on her birthday
Her friends were pretty cynical
"Couldn't make it on your own..."
Now the sky's a little smaller
And it doesn't seem like home
The lyrics to Great Big Sea's song Seagulls tell the story of a young woman who leaves her hometown of St. John's, Newfoundland for the west coast of Canada. Despite her best efforts to settle into her new surroundings, she finds it difficult to adjust to life away from the sea, the rocky landscape, and everything that made Newfoundland home to her. The woman cries as she leaves St. John's, as if she knows that she is leaving a part of herself behind. This suggests that her move to the west coast is motivated by necessity rather than desire. The reference to seagulls in her eyes suggests that she has brought her memories of Newfoundland with her, and they drive her to keep going even when things get hard.
The woman tries hard to fit in with her new life, but everything just feels different. She left St. John's dressed in her Sunday best, indicating that she was leaving behind the life that she knew and loved. She moves in with her cousin and tries to find a job, but it's clear that she's not comfortable with her new surroundings. The woman's friends back home are jealous of her new life, but she doesn't see anything to be envious of – she's just trying to make the best of a tough situation. Winter in her new home is long and harsh, and her new friends don't understand her the way her old ones did. Despite these challenges, the woman persists, making decent money and trying to put down roots in her new home.
The turning point of the song comes when the woman's parents come to visit her. They try to convince her to stay on the west coast, but she decides to buy a panel van and drive back to St. John's on her birthday. Her old friends are cynical about her ability to make it on her own, but she's determined to return to the place where she truly feels at home. The sky over Newfoundland may be a little smaller than what she's used to, but it's familiar and comforting in a way that she can't find anywhere else.
Line by Line Meaning
She left St.John's one day in May
She departed from her home in St. John's in May.
Dressed in her Sunday best
She was wearing her best clothes as she left.
A kind man sat beside her
There was a compassionate man sitting next to her.
While she cried her way out West
She was sobbing throughout the journey towards the West.
She moved in with her cousin
She started residing with her cousin.
Found a job down in the mall
She got hired at a mall.
Her friends at home were jealous
Her acquaintances at her hometown were envious of her.
Said they'd see her in the fall
They promised to meet her during autumn.
You know that she wants to try, never lets you see her cry
She wants to attempt something new and her tears are concealed.
You know that she wants to try, she's got seagulls in her eyes
She yearns to follow her ambitions, as depicted by the eagerness in her eyes.
The people here seem really nice
The locals appear friendly and welcoming.
But the winter's way too long
However, the winter season feels excessively lengthy.
New friends, they don't understand
Her new friends are unaware of her inner struggles.
Her mother wrote "be strong"
Her mother wrote a message of encouragement, asking her to stay strong.
She made some decent money
She earned a satisfactory income.
But nothing comes for free
Her life was not effortless, she had to work hard to earn money.
The windy street, just can't compete
The alluring streets cannot match the scenic beauty of the sea, rocks, and sky.
With the sky, the rocks and sea
She is enamored by the breathtaking natural surroundings that manifest in the sky, rocks, and sea.
Her parents came at Eastertime
Her parents visited her during Easter.
They wanted her to stay
They persuaded her to stay back.
But she bought a panel van
She decided to purchase a panel van.
Moved home on her birthday
She relocated back to her hometown during her birthday.
Her friends were pretty cynical
Her friends were skeptical about her ability to be independent.
"Couldn't make it on your own..."
They doubted if she could sustain herself without support.
Now the sky's a little smaller
After returning, she feels that the sky appears smaller.
And it doesn't seem like home
Her hometown does not feel like home anymore.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind