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.
Last Night
His Name Is Alive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The object of my desire
My heart is turned on
If you didn't already see
You hold my happiness in your hand
When you get down you stay down
I wonder how much you can hold
When you I see you again
Will you be alone
You hold my happiness in your hand
Last night left me wiped out
It was so late when you left
Could you stay forever
Till the sun came up
You hold my happiness in your hand
For the taste of honey
I follow the bees
For the taste of honey
I don't mind the stings
Last night left me wiped out
It was so late when you left
We could fuck forever
Until the sun came up again
The song "Last Night" by His Name Is Alive is an ode to the intense desire and pleasure that two lovers share. It speaks of the overwhelming feeling of being swept away by love and the longing to hold onto that feeling forever. The first two lines, "The pleasure of your company, The object of my desire," set the tone for the rest of the song. It's about wanting to be with someone so completely that they become the center of your universe - the source of all joy and happiness in your life.
The next line, "My heart is turned on, If you didn't already see," speaks to the physical and emotional arousal that the lover feels around their partner. Their attraction is so intense that others can see it on their face. The lines "You hold my happiness in your hand, What would it take to keep me off you" further emphasize how much the lover depends on their partner for their happiness and how they can't bear to be apart from them.
The final lines, "For the taste of honey, I follow the bees, For the taste of honey, I don't mind the stings," are an interesting metaphor that speaks to the lengths that the lover is willing to go to be with their partner. The sweet taste of their love is so alluring that the lover will follow any path to get back to it, even if it means enduring pain and hardship.
Overall, "Last Night" is a beautiful and poignant song that captures the deep and passionate nature of love.
Line by Line Meaning
The pleasure of your company
I enjoy being with you
The object of my desire
I am attracted to you
My heart is turned on
I am feeling excited and passionate
If you didn't already see
Maybe you haven't noticed it yet
You hold my happiness in your hand
You have the power to make me happy
What would it take to keep me off you
I can't resist you, what could make me stay away?
When you get down you stay down
You seem to be sad and unmotivated for a long time
I wonder how much you can hold
I am curious about your emotional strength
When you I see you again
When we meet again
Will you be alone
Will you have someone with you?
Last night left me wiped out
Yesterday was exhausting for me
It was so late when you left
I missed you when you went away
Could you stay forever
I never want you to leave
Till the sun came up
Until the dawn
For the taste of honey
I really want something sweet and nice
I follow the bees
I will go after what I want
I don't mind the stings
I am willing to face some difficulties to achieve my goals
We could fuck forever
We could make love all night long
Until the sun came up again
Until the next morning
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group, TEMPORAL SONGS LTD
Written by: JAMIE O'NEAL, TOMMY LEE JAMES, ELIZABETH MALA HENGBER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind