The band achieved international recognition through the inclusion of the track 2Wicky (from A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular) on the soundtrack to Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1996 film Stealing Beauty (Io Ballo da Sola).
The original members of the group were vocalist Liesje Sadonius, keyboardist Frank Duchêne, bass guitarist and programmer Alex Callier, and guitarist Raymond Geerts. Sadonius left Hooverphonic on amicable terms shortly after the release of A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular and was replaced by Geike Arnaert in early 1998. Duchêne left the band after Blue Wonder Power Milk. Arnaert left the band in 2008 and was succeeded by Noémie Wolfs. On March 26, 2015 the band announced that that Noémie Wolfs would be leaving the band "in mutual agreement."
Hooverphonic released their fifth studio album No More Sweet Music in November 2005, featuring four singles: Wake Up, You Hurt Me, Dirty Lenses and We All Float. One year later they released a Best Of album called Singles 96-06. This was their last release under the Sony label.
Hooverphonic released their sixth studio album The President of the LSD Golf Club on 8th October 2007 in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium and Holland, which includes the single Expedition Impossible. European Release January 2008 (although available via mail-order). This was an independent release, recorded at the Willie Nelson studios in the USA.
On October 10, 2008 the management announced that Geike Arnaert would be leaving the band.
After Geike Arnaert and the band parted ways, it took them two years to find a worthy successor to Arnaert. In November 2010 Noémie Wolfs was announced as the new leading lady. A brand new album called The Night Before followed soon after. The new singer was introduced on Belgian television in State Broadcaster VRT's late night show "De Laatste Show" on Thursday November 4th. The title track of the album is their biggest singles' chart success to date. Also, the album soon equaled the success of A Magnificent Tree.
On March 26, 2015 it was announced that Noémie Wolfs would be leaving the band.
Hooverphonic released In Wonderland on March 18, 2016. This release features a number of vocalists including: Emilie Satt, Janie Price (AKA Bird), Felix Howard, Litlo Tinz, Christa Jérôme, and Tjeerd Bomhof.
They were supposed to represent Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam with their song "Release Me". The event was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hooverphonic was the only Eurovision entrant for 2020 who refused to take part in the "Love Shine a Light" performance, where entrants each contributed sections of the song, although a photograph of Luka Cruysberghs was included with the other participants making a hand heart at the end.
On 9th November 2020, Luka Cruysberghs left the band and, on the same day, Geike Arnaert announced her return. Also on the same day, they released a new version of Mad About You for the song's 20th anniversary.
Discography
• A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular (1996)
• Blue Wonder Power Milk (1998)
• The Magnificent Tree (2000)
• Hooverphonic Presents Jackie Cane (2002)
• Sit Down And Listen To... (2003)
• No More Sweet Music (2005/6)
• Singles 96/06 (2006)
• The President of the LSD Golf Club (2007/2008)
• The Night Before (2010)
• With Orchestra (2012)
• Reflection (2013)
• In Wonderland (2016)
Billie
Hooverphonic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But too can be beautiful
The much gets too much
Then too much means the end
Her love goes too strong
But too can be beautiful
When strong gets too weak
Still too much love, love, love
To give up now
To give up now
Her life gets too hard
But too can be beautiful
When hard gets too hard
Then too hard means the end
Her tears taste too salt
But too can be beautiful
When salt gets too salt
Then too salt means the end
Still too much love, love, love
To give up now
To give up now
To give up now
The song "Billie" by Hooverphonic is a melodramatic ballad that centers around the character of Billie who seems to be struggling to hold on to her love and life in the face of overwhelming challenges. The opening lines "Billie tries too hard, but too can be beautiful" is a statement that asserts the contradictory nature of life itself as too much of anything can have both positive and negative effects. In Billie's case, she loves too strongly and her tears taste too salt, but these emotions can also be beautiful. However, there is a sense of desperation in the lyrics as the repeated phrase "to give up now" conveys an urgency to hold onto love despite the difficulties.
The second verse of the song continues this exploration of contrasts as it describes how Billie's love is so strong, yet it can also become weak and signify the end of the relationship. Similarly, her life can be beautiful even when it's hard, but ultimately, there might come a time when it becomes too hard and means the end of everything. The song ultimately tackles the theme of perseverance - that love, life, and pain are all transitory experiences, but there is hope in holding onto love despite the challenges that will arise.
Line by Line Meaning
Billie tries too hard
Billie puts in a lot of effort
But too can be beautiful
But sometimes when someone does things to an excessive degree, it can be impressive and admirable
The much gets too much
However, when someone does things to an excessive degree for too long, it becomes overwhelming
Then too much means the end
And eventually, this excessive behavior leads to failure or negativity
Her love goes too strong
Billie loves deeply
When strong gets too weak
But sometimes, even the deepest love can become weak
Then too weak means the end
And this weakened love ultimately fails
Still too much love, love, love
Billie's love remains despite difficulties
To give up now
She refuses to give up
Her life gets too hard
Billie faces many struggles in life
When hard gets too hard
But sometimes, life's struggles become too much to bear
Then too hard means the end
And these struggles can lead to a breaking point
Her tears taste too salt
Billie cries a lot
When salt gets too salt
But sometimes her tears become too frequent
Then too salt means the end
And this excessive crying can have a negative impact
Still too much love, love, love
Despite everything, Billie's love persists
To give up now
She won't let the difficulties defeat her.
To give up now
She won't let the difficulties defeat her.
To give up now
She won't let the difficulties defeat her.
Contributed by Jordyn S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.