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.
Yankee Sailor
Great Big Sea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I was satisfied
And I thought that you were, too
You were pure
And I was terrified
I wasn't good enough for you
Into the harbour
I could see it in your eyes
I knew
That you were dreaming
Of leaving me behind
You say "America is beautiful"
And I sure hope you're right
If I could see you across the water
I'd say "America is beautiful tonight"
I'd say "America is beautiful tonight"
When I met
That Yankee sailor
He stood tall and shook my hand
He took pleasure
In the moment
In the measure of a man
Then he turned
And left me standing
And he asked you out to dance
But when you met
That Yankee sailor
I knew I didn't stand a chance
You say "America is beautiful"
And I sure hope you're right
If I could see you across the water
I'd say "America is beautiful tonight"
I'd say "America is beautiful tonight"
Beautiful tonight
We were poor
But I was satisfied
And I thought that you were, too
You were pure
And I was terrified
I wasn't good enough for you
You say "America is beautiful"
And I sure hope you're right
If I could see you across the water
I'd say "America is beautiful tonight"
I'd say "America is beautiful tonight"
I'd say "America is beautiful tonight"
The lyrics to Great Big Sea's "Yankee Sailor" tell the story of a man who is reflecting on his past relationship with a woman who left him for an American sailor. The man reminisces about their time together when they were poor, but he was satisfied with their life while the woman was purer than he was and had higher aspirations. When a group of American sailors sailed into the harbour, the man knew that the woman was dreaming of leaving him behind and going to America.
The man meets a Yankee sailor who takes pleasure in the moment and the measure of a man, but the sailor eventually asks the woman to dance. The man realizes that he doesn't stand a chance against the Yankee sailor, and he's left to reflect on his poor but satisfying life with the woman who left him behind.
This song is a poignant reflection on lost love, regret, and the lure of the American dream. It's a relatable story that speaks to the heart and soul of anyone who has loved and lost or who has dreamed of something more.
Line by Line Meaning
We were poor
Despite our financial situation, I felt content and fulfilled.
But I was satisfied
I found joy within our poverty.
And I thought that you were, too
I believed you shared the same contentment with our situation.
You were pure
You were virtuous and innocent.
And I was terrified
I was scared of losing you because I didn't feel deserving of your goodness.
I wasn't good enough for you
I believed I couldn't measure up to your purity and worthiness.
When they sailed
As the Yankee sailors arrived.
Into the harbour
They entered the port town.
I could see it in your eyes
I noticed the desire in your gaze.
I knew
I was aware of the situation.
That you were dreaming
You were yearning and fantasizing.
Of leaving me behind
You were considering the possibility of leaving me for the adventure of America.
You say "America is beautiful"
You expressed admiration and awe for the new land.
And I sure hope you're right
I hoped your impression of America was accurate.
If I could see you across the water
If only we were separated by a body of water, and not by our differences.
I'd say "America is beautiful tonight"
I would agree with your admiration for America if it meant I could be with you.
When I met
The moment I encountered.
That Yankee sailor
The American seaman.
He stood tall and shook my hand
He presented himself confidently and greeted me in a friendly manner.
He took pleasure
He experienced joy and satisfaction.
In the moment
He enjoyed the present moment.
In the measure of a man
He valued the qualities and traits that define manhood.
Then he turned
He shifted his attention.
And left me standing
He abandoned me in that moment.
And he asked you out to dance
He invited you to enjoy a dance with him.
But when you met
However, when you encountered.
That Yankee sailor
The American seaman.
I knew I didn't stand a chance
I realized that I was no match, and that you would choose him over me.
Beautiful tonight
The beauty and wonder of the current night.
Contributed by Katherine N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.