Originally, Gregorian was conceived as a more pop-oriented group in the vein of Enigma. Under this concept, they recorded the 1991 album Sadisfaction, with lead vocals provided by The Sisters of Oz: Susana Espelleta (Peterson's wife at the time) and Birgit Freud. However, this was the only album in that style.
In 1998, Peterson and his team Jan-Eric Kohrs, Michael Soltau and Carsten Heusmann re-invented the project to perform popular songs in the Gregorian style. The criteria for song selection were strict; in order to be considered, a song needed to be translatable into the 7-tone scale. For each album, songs were carefully chosen in addition to original songs written by Jan-Eric Kohrs, Amelia Brightman and Carsten Heussman. Twelve vocalists - previously acclaimed session and choir singers - were then hired to record the tracks.
Each Gregorian album is initially digitally tracked at Nemo Studios, Peterson's Hamburg studio. The vocalists then record their parts in a church atmosphere with dimmed lights and candles, in order to escape what Peterson referred to in a 2001 interview as the "cold and technical" studio atmosphere.
The concept proved to be successful, and the group proceeded to record several more Masters of Chant albums in the same style. Their 2004 album, The Dark Side, was a slight departure from the others, featuring a darker repertoire consistent with the title.
In 2005, The Masterpieces, a compilation album with a live DVD, was released. A fifth Masters of Chant album was released on 31 March 2006. In 2006, a festive album was also released, titled Christmas Chants. A sixth Masters of Chant album was released on 28 September 2007. In 2009 a seventh Masters of Chant album followed.
Gregorian in 2009
On 8 September 2010 the next album, titled The Dark Side of Chant, was announced to be published on 15 October 2010.
The members of the Gregorian choir group are Richard Naxton (Naxos), Johnny Clucas (Johnny), Chris Tickner (Chris T.), Richard Collier (Rich), Gerry O'Beirne (Gerry), Lawrence White (Lorro) and Rob Fardell (Rob F.).
Others who contribute to the vocals or sound of Gregorian are Sarah Brightman (under the pseudonyms Hepsibah or Sarah Hellmann), Amelia Brightman (Sarah Brightman's younger sister), Frank Peterson, and staff of Nemo Studio among others.
Missing
Gregorian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I′m walking down the street again
And past your door
But you don't live there anymore
It′s years since you've been there
Now you've disappeared somewhere
Like outer space
You′ve found some better place
And I miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain
And I miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain
Could you be dead?
You always were two steps ahead
Of everyone
We′d walk behind while you would run
I look up at your house
And I can almost hear you shout
Down to me
Where I always used to be
And I miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain
And I miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain
Back on the train
I ask why did I come again?
Can I confess
I've been hanging round your old address?
And the years have proved
To offer nothing since you moved
You′re long gone
But I can't move on
And I miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain
And I miss you
Like the desert miss the rain
I step off the train
I′m walking down your street again
And past your door
But you don't live there anymore
It′s years since you've been there
And now you've disappeared somewhere
Like outer space
You′ve found some better place
And I miss you
Ooohh
And I miss you
You′ve found some better place
And I miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain
And I miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain
And I miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain
And I miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain
Deserts miss the rain
Like the desers miss the rain
Deserts miss the rain
Like the deserts miss the rain
And I miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain
And I miss you
Like the desert miss the rain
"Missing" by Gregorian is a melancholic song about a person missing someone they used to know, who has now disappeared. The lyrics reflect the person's feelings of nostalgia and yearning towards someone who has moved on to a better place. The song opens with the singer stepping off the train and walking down the street past a door that once used to belong to someone they knew. They reflect on how long it has been since that person has disappeared, and how they must have found a better place to be. The chorus of the song encapsulates the overarching sentiment of the lyrics - the singer misses the person they used to know, in the same way that the deserts miss the rain.
Throughout the song, the singer expresses a sense of grief and longing towards the person they once knew. They question whether the person may have passed away, wonder whether they were always ahead of their time, and reflect on how they are unable to move on in life without the closure of reconnecting with the person they miss. The song ends with the singer again walking down the same street, acknowledging the fact that the person they miss is long gone and has found a better place. The lyrics demonstrate that even though time has passed, the sense of loss and longing remains as strong as ever.
Overall, "Missing" by Gregorian is a poignant song that speaks to the human experience of missing someone important, and the sense of helplessness that accompanies these feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
I step off the train
I am arriving in a familiar place
I'm walking down the street again
I am retracing my old paths
And past your door
And seeing the place where you lived
But you don't live there anymore
But you're not there anymore
It's years since you've been there
It's been a long time since I last saw you in that place
Now you've disappeared somewhere
Now you seem to be gone completely
Like outer space
Just like something that's out of reach
You've found some better place
You've left this old place and found a better one to be in
And I miss you
And I feel the emptiness of your absence
Like the deserts miss the rain
Like a dry place misses the life and vitality that only rain can bring
Could you be dead?
I can't help but wonder if you might have passed away
You always were two steps ahead
You always had an edge over everyone else
Of everyone
Of everyone else around us
We'd walk behind while you would run
We'd have to follow your lead because you were always moving faster than us
I look up at your house
I can't help but look at the place you used to live
And I can almost hear you shout down to me
I can almost hear your voice calling out to me from where you once were
Where I always used to be
In the place where we used to meet and spend time together
Back on the train
As I make my way back home
I ask why did I come again?
I question why I keep coming back to this place without you
Can I confess
Can I admit to myself and others
I've been hanging round your old address?
That I've been lingering around where you used to live?
And the years have proved
And the time that's passed since you left has shown me
To offer nothing since you moved
That there's nothing for me here now that you're gone
You're long gone
You've been away for a long time
But I can't move on
But I can't seem to let go of you and the memories we shared
Deserts miss the rain
Just like how a dry place longs for the nourishing power of water
Like the deserts miss the rain
Just like how I miss the comfort of your presence
And I miss you
And I still miss you
Ooohh
You've found some better place
I'm glad that you've found a new, happier place
Like the deserts miss the rain
But I can't escape the feeling of longing for you
Deserts miss the rain
Just like how I can't help but miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain
Just like how I always will miss you
And I miss you
And I still miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain
Just like how dry places long for revitalization
And I miss you
And I still miss you
Like the desert miss the rain
Just like how I still yearn for your presence
Writer(s): Ben Watt, Tracey Thorn
Contributed by Lillian W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.