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)
Copper
Hooverphonic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You change every time
Our chemical formula
Doesn't seem right
You polish things slowly
But after a while
Shiny's too shiny
You're copper baby
You'll turn into green
If I don't take care
The glow will disappear
You're a bittersweet taste
In the back of my mouth
A vicious reaction
That's burning my mind
You're copper baby
You'll turn into green
If I don't take care
The glow will disappear
You're copper baby
You'll turn into green
If I don't take care
The glow will disappear
The lyrics of Hooverphonic's "Copper" are essentially describing a relationship that is slowly deteriorating over time. The first two lines "You oxidate slowly, You change every time" suggest that the person being addressed is changing and becoming different from the way they were before. The "chemical formula" between the two individuals "doesn't seem right," indicating that something in their relationship is not balanced or is off-kilter.
The next two lines "You polish things slowly, But after a while, Shiny's too shiny, And bright is too bright" suggest that the person being addressed is trying to make things better in their relationship, but it's not working out. They are overcompensating, trying too hard to make things work, resulting in the relationship being "too shiny" and "too bright," meaning it's becoming a facade or a fake representation of what used to be "real."
The chorus "You're copper baby, You'll turn into green, If I don't take care, The glow will disappear" suggests that the person being addressed is like copper, which turns green when it's not taken care of. The "glow" of the relationship is slowly disappearing, and if they don't take care of it, the relationship will tarnish or turn into something unrecognizable.
The second verse "You're a bittersweet taste, In the back of my mouth, A vicious reaction, That's burning my mind" suggests that the relationship is now more sour than sweet. The person being addressed is like a "bittersweet taste" that lingers in the mouth and leaves an aftertaste. The "vicious reaction" that's burning the mind could mean that this relationship is leaving a negative impact on the person singing the song.
Overall, the song is a metaphorical representation of a toxic relationship that's slowly deteriorating over time. The copper is used as a symbol for the relationship, and the green is used to represent the negative change that occurs when it's not taken care of.
Line by Line Meaning
You oxidate slowly
Your love is deteriorating over time
You change every time
You keep transforming, making it difficult for me to understand who you truly are
Our chemical formula / Doesn't seem right
Our relationship doesn't feel like a good match, like something is off
You polish things slowly / But after a while / Shiny's too shiny / And bright is too bright
You try to fix our problems, but often it becomes too much and feels artificial
You're copper baby / You'll turn into green / If I don't take care / The glow will disappear
You're valuable, but if I don't handle you with care, you could become a negative force in my life
You're a bittersweet taste / In the back of my mouth / A vicious reaction / That's burning my mind
Your presence in my life is intense and overwhelming, causing both pleasure and pain
You're copper baby / You'll turn into green / If I don't take care / The glow will disappear
Once again, emphasizing the importance of treating our relationship with care before it turns toxic
You're copper baby / You'll turn into green / If I don't take care / The glow will disappear
A final reminder to cherish and nurture the love we have before it fades away
Contributed by Penelope Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.