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.
Something to It
Great Big Sea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I really hope that you understand
I'm a million miles away
Looking for a place to land
My father phoned me yesterday
Your time has come, well done my son
Tried to think of what to say
[Chorus]
I don't know how I got here
There must be something to it
I think I need some time alone
To work my way through it
The moon is in the sky tonight
Not very warm but it sheds some light
Ask me now and I just might
Let the morning come and tell me if its right
[Chorus]
Soon initial bliss will pass
This precious time might be your last
Like dew upon the morning grass,
Good intentions can vanish with the sun
I'm sorry if I ruined your day
I really hope that you understand
I'm a million miles away
Looking for a place to land
I'm a million miles away
Looking for a place to land
The lyrics to Great Big Sea's song "Something to It" seem to convey a sense of regret and introspection. The singer is apologizing for potentially ruining someone's day and seems to be seeking forgiveness or understanding. The lines "I'm a million miles away / Looking for a place to land" could be interpreted in a few ways. It could refer to a physical distance, where the singer is far away from home and searching for a place to settle down. It could also refer to a mental or emotional distance, where the singer is feeling disconnected from those around them and is searching for a sense of belonging.
The second half of the song shifts to a more contemplative tone, with the singer reflecting on their mortality and the fleeting nature of time. The line "Like dew upon the morning grass, / Good intentions can vanish with the sun" suggests that the singer is aware of the transience of life and the importance of making the most of each moment. The repetition of the final lines "I'm a million miles away / Looking for a place to land" emphasizes the singer's sense of displacement and their need to find a sense of purpose or direction.
Overall, the lyrics to "Something to It" could be interpreted as a meditation on the human experience and the search for meaning and connection in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm sorry if I ruined your day
Apologizing for possibly having a negative impact on the person's happiness
I really hope that you understand
Hoping for forgiveness and comprehension from the person
I'm a million miles away
Feeling distant and detached from reality
Looking for a place to land
Searching for a sense of belonging and stability
My father phoned me yesterday
Recalling a recent conversation with his father
Your time has come, well done my son
Fatherly praise for accomplishing something significant
Tried to think of what to say
Attempting to find the right words to express himself
When words can heed already gone
Feeling like the moment has passed and it's too late to say what needs to be said
I don't know how I got here
Confused about the current state of his life
There must be something to it
Believing that there is a reason for his current situation
I think I need some time alone
Realizing a need for solitude to sort out his thoughts and emotions
To work my way through it
To find a solution to his problems by analyzing them deeply
The moon is in the sky tonight
Noticing the current atmospheric conditions
Not very warm but it sheds some light
Acknowledging that the moon serves a purpose despite not having a strong visual impact
Ask me now and I just might
Feeling open to possibilities and change
Let the morning come and tell me if it's right
Waiting for a new day to arrive to assess the validity of his actions
Soon initial bliss will pass
Anticipating the fleeting nature of happy moments
This precious time might be your last
Awareness that time is precious and limited
Like dew upon the morning grass
Acknowledging the inherent transience of life
Good intentions can vanish with the sun
Intentions and goals can quickly fade away
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: SEAN MCCANN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind