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)
happiness
Hooverphonic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Passing fields, my mind is wondering of,
They don't mean much to me
Happy is a silly word if you
Think about all the joy we had
There's so much left to see
Is happiness a word without meaning?
But in the end, we keep on moving
Reverse is not, it's not part of our style
Forward is the only way
Is happiness a word without meaning
Heaven a place in utopia?
We cannot shout silently
We shouldn't run away so slowly
There's so much left for us to do
We got to figure out
If happiness has no meaning
If heaven is part of utopia
If happiness has no meaning
If heaven is part of utopia,
Utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia
The song "Happiness" by Hooverphonic is a reflective piece on the topic of happiness and whether it is truly attainable. The singer is on a train, passing fields and pondering the concept of happiness, noting that it seems like a silly word when considering all the joy that has already been experienced in life. Despite this, there is still so much left in the world to explore and discover. The lyrics question whether happiness is even a tangible concept, and whether heaven can only exist in a utopian world. The song encourages listeners to keep moving forward, as reversing is not a part of the singer's style.
Line by Line Meaning
We're on our way to next train station
We are moving forward to a new destination.
Passing fields, my mind is wondering of,
As I travel, I let my mind wander and think.
They don't mean much to me
The fields do not hold much significance to me.
Happy is a silly word if you
The word happy may seem trivial if you
Think about all the joy we had
Reflect on all the happiness we experienced.
There's so much left to see
There is still much to explore and discover.
Is happiness a word without meaning?
Does happiness have any true significance?
Heaven a place in utopia?
Is heaven an unattainable dream?
But in the end, we keep on moving
Regardless, we keep progressing forward.
Reverse is not, it's not part of our style
Reversing our progress is not something we do.
Forward is the only way
We must continue moving forward.
We cannot shout silently
We cannot stay silent and expect to be heard.
We shouldn't run away so slowly
We should not slowly back away from situations.
There's so much left for us to do
There is still much for us to accomplish.
We got to figure out
We need to determine
If happiness has no meaning
If happiness truly has no significance
If heaven is part of utopia
If heaven is an unattainable dream.
Utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia
Repeated reference to utopia as an unattainable dream.
Contributed by Maya O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
bassel abufadel
We're on our way to next train station
Passing fields, my mind is wondering of,
They don't mean much to me
Happy is a silly word if you
Think about all the joy we had
There's so much left to see
Is happiness a word without meaning?
Heaven a place in utopia?
But in the end, we keep on moving
Reverse is not, it's not part of our style
Forward is the only way
Is happiness a word without meaning
Heaven a place in utopia?
We cannot shout silently
We shouldn't run away so slowly
There's so much left for us to do
We got to figure out
If happiness has no meaning
If heaven is part of utopia
If happiness has no meaning
If heaven is part of utopia,
Utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia
bassel abufadel
We're on our way to next train station
Passing fields, my mind is wondering of,
They don't mean much to me
Happy is a silly word if you
Think about all the joy we had
There's so much left to see
Is happiness a word without meaning?
Heaven a place in utopia?
But in the end, we keep on moving
Reverse is not, it's not part of our style
Forward is the only way
Is happiness a word without meaning
Heaven a place in utopia?
We cannot shout silently
We shouldn't run away so slowly
There's so much left for us to do
We got to figure out
If happiness has no meaning
If heaven is part of utopia
If happiness has no meaning
If heaven is part of utopia,
Utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia
Rory Brimacombe
@Aaron Hahn sometimes it’s hard to tell exactly what’s being said and I like reading the lyrics while listening so I’m grateful for this
Aaron Hahn
Did you write this song?..... So why patronise others. Our ears work just fine.
johnpopo2
my mind is wondering of -> my mind is wandering off
Dedgeroo
Absolute perfection, what an amazing rendition!
Emmanuel Seumois
One more Hooverphonic's wonderful song, and one more Great performance by Noemie Wolfs! Love, Love, Love ;)
Prudence Pineapple
Indeed!
Luban
This is so great! At the beginning of the song it really feels like being on some journey - lyrics and melody go so well together. And the singer - she is marvelous.
Mohammed Lazraq
this is what music is, this is the magic
Giorgiarte by Gió
i'm going crazy, what a music what a voice!!