Keane achieved mainstream, international success with the release of their debut album Hopes and Fears in 2004. Topping the UK charts, the album won the 2005 Brit Award for Best British Album and was the second best-selling British album of 2004. It is one of the best-selling albums in UK chart history. Their second album, Under the Iron Sea, released in 2006, topped the UK album charts and debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200. Their third album Perfect Symmetry was released in October 2008.
In May 2008, both Hopes and Fears (number 13) and Under the Iron Sea (number 8) were voted by readers of Q magazine as among the best British albums ever, with Keane, The Beatles, Oasis and Radiohead the only artists having two albums in the top 20. In 2009, Hopes and Fears was listed as the ninth best-selling album of the 2000s decade in the UK. Their EP Night Train was released in May 2010. Their fourth studio album Strangeland was released in May 2012 and peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart.
Keane are known for using keyboards as the lead instrument instead of guitar, differentiating them from most other rock bands. The inclusion of a distorted piano effect in 2006 and various synthesisers were a common feature in their music which developed on the second and third albums. Keane have sold over 13 million records worldwide.
After the release of their compilation album The Best of Keane in 2013, the band took a hiatus, lasting nearly 5 years.
The band returned after the hiatus with new music, announcing their fifth studio album titled Cause and Effect on 6 June 2019 and releasing the lead single from the album "The Way I Feel". A collection of the songs were written by Tim Rice-Oxley during his divorce, and after discussions with Tom who had visited Tim the previous year, decided to proceed with recording the songs for the album. Cause and Effect was released on 20 September 2019. After the release of the album, the band embarked on the Cause and Effect Tour, visiting Europe and Latin America, before the remainder of the tour was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keane_(band)
Studio albums
Hopes and Fears (2004)
Under the Iron Sea (2006)
Perfect Symmetry (2008)
Strangeland (2012)
Cause and Effect (2019)
Black Rain
Keane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I swim as the breeze blows down the coast
Down on my luck, breathing my last
Dirty old hands carry me home
Red sky turning round
Black rain falling down
If you've got love
Sandstorm cuts your skin
Black clouds circling
If you've got love
You better hope that that's enough
You came from the south
To Lebanon shores
Folding our clothes,
Dived in too deep
The blackest of seas glittering red
Lit by the fire over our heads
Red sky turning round
Black rain falling down
If you've got love
You better hope that that's enough
Sandstorm cuts your skin
Songbirds circling
If you've got love
You'd better hope that that's enough
You'd better hope that that's enough
The opening lines of the song set the scene for a reflective and contemplative mood. The singer is taking in his surroundings, noting the purity and beauty of the world around him while he himself is in a state of despair. He is forced to confront the fact that he is down on his luck and perhaps experiencing a low point in his life. The second verse shifts to a conversation between two individuals who have ventured into the depths of the Lebanese coast. As they plunge deeper into the sea, the haunting image of black water shimmering red as if lit by fire unfolds. The song is steeped in ominous imagery of red skies and black rain, underscoring the idea that the world is a difficult place to navigate and hope can be fleeting. Perhaps love is the one thing that can sustain us when all else fails, but even that is not a guarantee.
The chorus repeats the line “If you’ve got love, you better hope that that’s enough” for a reason. Life is uncertain, and we don’t always know what the future holds. Even though we may have love in our lives, there is no guarantee that it will be enough to protect us from the trials and tribulations of life. The imagery of a sandstorm cutting skin and songbirds circling further adds to the sense of danger and uncertainty that permeates the song. The message is ultimately that we should cherish the love that we have and hold on to it tightly, as it may be the only thing that we can rely on in a turbulent world.
Line by Line Meaning
I open my eyes, everything shines
The singer wakes up and everything around them appears bright and hopeful.
I swim as the breeze blows down the coast
The singer is moving along with the wind and water, letting it take them where it may.
Down on my luck, breathing my last
The singer is experiencing a low point in their life, and feels like they are barely hanging on.
Dirty old hands carry me home
Despite feeling worn down, the artist is still able to find their way back home.
Red sky turning round
The sky is slowly changing color, which could signify coming danger or a shift in emotions.
Black rain falling down
The weather is turning dark and foreboding, which could reflect the singer's feelings.
If you've got love
You better hope that that's enough
The singer implies that love may not always be enough to overcome difficulties in life.
Sandstorm cuts your skin
The artist is now experiencing physical as well as emotional hardships, with the sand representing the harshness of reality.
Black clouds circling
The bad weather continues and the artist feels trapped by the darkness.
If you've got love
You better hope that that's enough
Reiterating the earlier message that love might not be enough to weather the storm.
You came from the south
To Lebanon shores
The singer could be talking to someone specific who traveled a long way to be with them.
Folding our clothes,
Dived in too deep
The artist and their companion have felt comfortable enough to take their relationship to a deeper level.
The blackest of seas glittering red
Lit by the fire over our heads
The water is a dangerous place to be, but the singer and their companion feel a spark of warmth in spite of that.
Songbirds circling
The tone of the song shifts slightly here, as the songbirds could represent a glimmer of hope or a brighter future.
If you've got love
You'd better hope that that's enough
The chorus repeats one last time, emphasizing the importance of having more than just love to sustain oneself in difficult times.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JESSE QUIN, RICHARD DAVID HUGHES, TIMOTHY JAMES RICE-OXLEY, TOM CHAPLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@8500Mike
Lyrics:
I open my eyes, everything shines
I swim as the breeze blows down the coast
Down on my luck, breathing my last
Dirty old hands carry me home
Red sky turning round
Black rain falling down
If you've got love
You better hope that that's enough
Sandstorm cuts your skin
Black clouds circling
If you've got love
You better hope that that's enough
You came from the south
To Lebanon shores
Folding our clothes,
Dived in too deep
The blackest of seas glittering red
Lit by the fire over our heads
Red sky turning round
Black rain falling down
If you've got love
You better hope that that's enough
Sandstorm cuts your skin
Songbirds circling
If you've got love
You'd better hope that that's enough
You'd better hope that that's enough
@Ladyofdarkstories
It was a great pleasure to be the Costume Designer for this fantastic music video directed by Andy Marsh.
@misselizaweasley
Wow! That's amazing!
@Ladyofdarkstories
thank you
@jake940311
fantastic !
@prabhatshukla9740
wow that's cool.. :) you'hv done a great job..
@moisesromo
Nice job! I was noticing that admiring the art of the look created
@RedceLL1978
Man, his voice is still as clean and powerful as ever. Really ambient and dark song, i like this alot. Keane remains relevant as always.
@BethMacDur
This is the jewel from Strangeland.
@bernlin2000
It was such a stunning work of art, like their swan song before they went dark...but I'm glad they're back now <3
@missterri4116
One of their best songs