In October 1978, McCulloch founded Echo & the Bunnymen with Will Sergeant (guitar), Les Pattinson (bass), and a drum machine (allegedly named Echo), making their live début at Eric's in November that year. In October 1979 the Bunnymen exchanged the drum machine for Pete de Freitas on drums. With their line up solidified, the Bunnymen played in the late 1970s and early 1980s, releasing their critically praised debut album, Crocodiles in 1980, and the heavier, bass driven, Heaven up Here in 1981. They released their third album Porcupine in 1983 with the lead single "The Cutter" finishing in the Top 10 of the UK Charts. Ocean Rain followed in 1984.
In 1988, McCulloch left the group to pursue a solo career under the impression the Bunnymen would be laid to rest, if only temporarily. When the remaining Bunnymen continued using the name with new singer Noel Burke, the split became permanent with McCulloch referring to the band as "Echo & the Bogusmen".
In 1990, McCulloch released the album Candleland which reflected a more mature outlook on the world, owing to the recent deaths of McCulloch's father and his friend Pete de Freitas. The album peaked at number 18 in the UK Charts. It yielded two Modern Rock Tracks hits, "Proud To Fall" (No. 1 for 4 weeks) and "Faith and Healing." His album Mysterio was released in 1992, but the public's interest in the former Bunnyman was waning and it sold less than its predecessor. Shortly after, McCulloch left the public eye to devote more time to his family.
McCulloch rekindled his relationship with Will Sergeant, leading to the formation of Electrafixion in 1994. The band released the album Burned which peaked at number 38 in the UK and included the top-30 hit "Sister Pain." The band soon found themselves performing set lists composed of half Electrafixion songs and half Echo & the Bunnymen songs.
In 1997, Echo & the Bunnymen reformed and released the album Evergreen to positive reviews and chart success. Evergreen made the Top 10 of the UK Albums Chart and the single "Nothing Lasts Forever reached No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart.[12] The reformed Bunnymen have since recorded several further albums, the most recent being Meteorites[/abum] which was released in 2014.
Seasons
Ian McCulloch Lyrics
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It's half past yours and mine
Forgetting more than we remember
Still trying to find things we left behind in Januarys to Decembers.
Here we are running through the seasons
Here we are as day turns into night
Here we are still looking for a reason in the stars and in our lives
How can we be sure what's really mine and yours?
Wooden hearts have turned to splinters
We just go to ground
And as the world turns 'round, Spring to Summer, Fall to Winter
Here we are running through the seasons
Here we are as day turns into night
Here we are still looking for a reason in the stars and in our lives
Waiting up ahead night skies turning red
Too far out to hear the warning
As the day falls black there's no turning back
Sailing half-mast through the morning
Here we are running through the seasons
Here we are as day turns into night
Here we are still looking for a reason in the stars and in our lives
The lyrics of "Seasons" by Ian McCulloch carry a sense of nostalgia, timelessness, and a longing to find meaning in our lives as we journey through time. The opening lines suggest that time is fleeting, and we often forget more than we remember, yet we are still searching for things we left behind in the past. The lyrics "Here we are running through the seasons, as day turns into night," signify how we are constantly moving, progressing, and evolving through time, and as we do so, we continue to search for answers and understanding about our existence.
The lyrics emphasize the theme of uncertainty in relationships, the inability to discern what belongs to us or others. The lines, "How can we be sure what's really mine and yours? Wooden hearts have turned to splinters," suggest a sense of disillusionment, fragility, and emotional turmoil. The metaphor of wooden hearts turning into splinters signifies the breakdown of emotional bonds between two people. The later lyrics, "Waiting up ahead night skies turning red, too far out to hear the warning," suggest the bleakness and emptiness that come with a failed relationship, and the sense of being abandoned in the face of a harsh reality.
Overall, "Seasons" is a poignant contemplation of time, relationships, and the search for meaning in our lives. Its poetic language, emotive medium, and deep themes strike a chord with listeners, making it a memorable song in Ian McCulloch's repertoire.
Line by Line Meaning
Running out of time
Feeling like we're running out of time to find what we're searching for
It's half past yours and mine
Time is moving on, and what we had is no longer just mine or yours
Forgetting more than we remember
As time passes, our memories begin to fade more and more
Still trying to find things we left behind in Januarys to Decembers.
We're searching for things that we left behind in the past, spanning from one January to the next December
How can we be sure what's really mine and yours?
We're uncertain about what belongs to who in our relationship
Wooden hearts have turned to splinters
Our hearts have become frail and fragile
We just go to ground
We retreat and hide from our problems instead of facing them head-on
And as the world turns 'round, Spring to Summer, Fall to Winter
Time moves forward and seasons change, but we're still stuck in the same place
Waiting up ahead night skies turning red
Something ominous is on the horizon, and we can see the warning signs
Too far out to hear the warning
We're too wrapped up in our own problems to heed the warning signs
As the day falls black there's no turning back
Things have reached a point of no return and we can't undo what's been done
Sailing half-mast through the morning
We're moving forward, but with a sense of melancholy and sadness
Here we are running through the seasons
Despite everything, we're still here, moving forward through the passing seasons
Here we are as day turns into night
Watching the world change from day to night, reflecting our own changing emotions
Here we are still looking for a reason in the stars and in our lives
We're searching for purpose and meaning in our lives, both in the stars above and within ourselves
Contributed by Alyssa L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.