The group recorded its first release for the label, Livonia, in Defever's home studio. The album features Oliver's shivery vocals along with tape loops, samples, and guitar blasts, for a noise-damaged, ethereal collection of songs about ghosts, reincarnation, and dreams. By 1992's Home Is in Your Head, the band's lineup and scope expanded. New singers Denise James, Karen Neal, Melissa Elliott, and guitarist Jymn Auge added depth and breadth to the band's original lineup. An epic 23 songs long, Home Is in Your Head ranges from folky ballads to electrifying guitar maelstroms and tape collages. That year also saw the release of The Dirt Eaters EP, named for Defever's other, more rock-oriented group, of which Elliot was also a member. In 1993, His Name Is Alive released two albums: King of Sweet, a limited-edition release that mixed tape effects, samples, demos, and unreleased songs, and Mouth by Mouth, which added more pop structure into the group's inherently experimental and dreamy sound, resulting in its most accessible and diverse album to that date. A new drummer, Trey Many, took over Lang's duties.
As Defever's reputation as an innovative producer spread, he lent his skills to bands like Grenadine, a side project of Tsunami's Jenny Toomey and Unrest's Mark Robinson, other 4AD acts like Liquorice (which featured Toomey, Dan Littleton from Ida, and His Name Is Alive's Many) and Tarnation, and other Detroit-area bands like Godzuki and Outrageous Cherry. Defever also worked on other projects, including the folky ESP Summer (with former Pale Saint Ian Masters) and the electronic Robot World and Control Panel, and founded the Time Stereo art collective with a childhood friend, artist/musician Davin Brainard. Some of Time Stereo's projects included films, coloring books, and cassette-only releases from bands like Princess Dragon Mom, the Crash, Godzuki, New Grape, and Noise Camp.
Defever's diverse interests influenced His Name Is Alive's next release, 1996's Stars on ESP. Very little of the group's original ethereal sound remained, augmented instead with touches of dub, folk, gospel, and early- to mid-'60s pop like the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. At the time of the album's release, Defever claimed that he was so fascinated by the group's "Good Vibrations" that he listened to it for months at a time. The following year's Nice Day EP reached to garage rock and '60s R&B for its inspiration, and featured some of the gospel singers from Stars on ESP, including Lovetta Pippen, whose singing also gave His Name Is Alive's 1998 LP, Fort Lake, an earthy sensuality. Fort Lake also marked the first time the band worked with another producer, recording engineer Steve King. King, another Livonia native, had also worked with Funkadelic and Aretha Franklin, and his touch meshes nicely with the funk, soul, and classic rock allusions His Name Is Alive makes on the album. In preparation for recording Fort Lake -- named after a waterlogged Civil War fort in Michigan -- the group played monthly shows at the Gold Dollar, a tiny Detroit club. At this time, Pippen, bassist Chad Gilchrist, and additional drummer Scott Goldstein debuted as part of the new lineup.
In 1999, His Name Is Alive released a U.S. compilation of tracks from their first five albums called Always Stay Sweet; at the time, those albums were only available as British imports. Like the rest of the band's work, the compilation highlights their mercurial, unique nature. Someday My Blues Will Cover the Earth appeared two years later. Released in 2002, the darkly soulful Last Night ended up being the group's final album for 4AD, but His Name Is Alive found other outlets for their music, and were actually busier than ever. Time Stereo released several CDs, such as 2004's ten-disc Cloud Box set, Leaf Club, Brown Rice, and The Detroit River, as well as many MP3-only works, including the Summer Bird and Something_Nothing EPs and a remastered version of King of Sweet. UFO Catcher was released in 2005 on CD by the German label En/Of and on vinyl by Time Stereo, while Ypsilanti Records issued the full-length Summer Bird that spring. Late in 2005, His Name Is Alive released the Raindrops Rainbow EP via iTunes as a teaser for Detrola, their debut for Reincarnate, also the home of fellow former 4AD artist Lisa Germano and Sing-Sing, the project of former Lush member Emma Anderson.
In Every Ford
His Name Is Alive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Someone's got to put these people in the ground
Push me down and claim to be me
My body's borrowed have you seen it
Be grinning half breed grinning
A stove for your family
A wool head in every ford
I have lost my bearings
The lyrics in His Name Is Alive's song In Every Ford are haunting and intense, touching on themes of racism, violence, and identity. The opening line "Keep your black hands out of my mouth" sets the stage for a tense and uncomfortable confrontation, with the singer expressing a desire to distance themselves from people of color. The next line, "Someone's got to put these people in the ground," reveals a disturbing and violent mindset, with the singer advocating for the murder of minorities.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more enigmatic and surreal, with lines like "My body's borrowed have you seen it" and "Be grinning half breed grinning" hinting at themes of disconnection and confusion. The line "A wool head in every Ford" is particularly intriguing, suggesting a bizarre and unsettling image of something like a sheep's head being installed in every car of a certain make and model. Overall, the song is a powerful exploration of racial tension and personal identity, with its eerie lyrics and discordant music creating a sense of unease and discomfort.
Line by Line Meaning
Keep your black hands out of my mouth
I am racist and do not want any physical interaction from African Americans
Someone's got to put these people in the ground
I believe that certain groups of people should be eliminated and buried
Push me down and claim to be me
Others try to copy me and take credit for my work
My body's borrowed have you seen it
My body is not truly mine and may not be recognized by others
Be grinning half breed grinning
Use of a racial slur to describe someone who is biracial and perceived as happy
A stove for your family
Providing warmth and comfort for loved ones
A wool head in every ford
Metaphor for a person with a woolly head in every Ford motor vehicle to symbolize diversity
I have lost my bearings
I feel disoriented and lost in my current situation
Instead to find these missing earrings
I am preoccupied with a trivial matter, while ignoring more important issues
Lyrics © WARREN M. DEFEVER D/B/A PERFORATE MY HEART MUSIC
Written by: HIS NAME IS ALIVE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind