The band produced a stream of reggae hits with some of the NZ's top talent. Between 1986 and 1987, Slice of Heaven with Dave Dobbyn reached number one on both the New Zealand and Australian charts. In 1989, Tim Finn joined them for Parihaka and in 1992, Annie Crummer fronted the huge hit See What Love Can Do.
In the 1980s, and the first half of the 90s, the Herbs had ten Top 20 singles hits.
Though upbeat, the band's music is clear in its messages. Their 1980 hit French Letter, which spent 11 weeks on the charts, came to express New Zealand's anti-nuclear stance. Fourteen years later, it was re-recorded to garner support for the prevention of nuclear testing at Mururoa. Similarly, No Nukes, Nuclear Waste and Light Of The Pacific expressed much the same sentiment.
Herbs is considered pioneers of the pacific reggae sound, having paved the way for later New Zealand reggae groups such as Fat Freddy's Drop, Katchafire and Trinity Roots.
The band was the 11th inductee into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.
Although their last album of new material was released in 1990, Herbs still perform in New Zealand and Australia.
Up All Night
Herbs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For I'm always so alone
Till the day draws to an end.
But when the sun goes down
And the moon comes through,
To the monotone of the evening's drone
I'm all alone with you.
I delight in your love,
All through the night, you're so close to me.
All through the night, from a height far above,
You and your love brings me ecstasy.
When dawn comes to waken me
You're never there at all.
I know you've forsaken me,
Till the shadows fall.
But then once again
I can dream,
I've the right
To be close to you
All through the night.
The lyrics to this song are very poignant and they tell of a deep longing for human connection. The singer expresses that during the day, they feel like their enemy because they are always alone. However, when night falls and the moon comes out, they feel like they are not alone because they are with their loved one. The evening is monotonous, but being with their loved one makes it all worthwhile. The singer is overwhelmed with the love they feel and it brings them great joy.
The chorus of the song is very powerful as it repeats the phrase “All through the night”. This chorus emphasizes how the singer feels about their loved one and how their love brings them ecstasy. The lyrics also reveal a sense of loss and sadness as the singer describes how they feel abandoned when dawn breaks and their loved one is no longer there. But they hold on to the hope that they will be reunited at night and they will be able to dream again.
Overall, this song is a beautiful tribute to the power of love and how it can help people overcome feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Line by Line Meaning
The day is my enemy, the night my friend,
I find it hard to make it through the day, but at night I feel comfortable and at peace.
For I'm always so alone
I feel lonely and isolated, especially during the day.
Till the day draws to an end.
I count down the hours until nighttime, when I can finally find some solace.
But when the sun goes down
As soon as night falls,
And the moon comes through,
And the moon is visible in the night sky,
To the monotone of the evening's drone
As the sounds of night time become a dull hum,
I'm all alone with you.
I feel a connection to you as I am surrounded by the peaceful sounds of the night.
All through the night,
I spend my entire night,
I delight in your love,
Enjoying the love and comfort you bring.
All through the night, you're so close to me.
I feel your presence near me, even when we are physically apart.
All through the night, from a height far above,
From a spiritual or emotional perspective,
You and your love brings me ecstasy.
Your love brings me a feeling of intense happiness and contentment.
When dawn comes to waken me
As morning approaches and I wake up,
You're never there at all.
I am reminded that you are not physically with me.
I know you've forsaken me,
I feel abandoned or neglected by you at times.
Till the shadows fall.
Until nighttime falls again.
But then once again
However, once night returns,
I can dream,
I am allowed to imagine and hope for our future together.
I've the right
I believe that I deserve,
To be close to you
To be emotionally and physically close to you,
All through the night.
Throughout the entirety of the night.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hugh Lynn
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