1) Leaves is an Icel… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least four artists with this name:
1) Leaves is an Icelandic indie band which came to prominence in 2002.
Icelandic indie band Leaves will release its third album this spring. The album, called We Are Shadows, will be available through download and mail order on May 11th. Four years in the making, the album sees the band develop their sound and songwriting even further.
Formed early in 2001 the band has an interesting story to tell. It all began when Arnar Guðjónsson and Hallur Már Hallsson rented a house in downtown Reykjavík. Arnar had been in a popular band but had songs in stock which didn't fit their style. This happened when computer recording was in its early days, the house was transformed into a studio and demos for songs piled up. Through series of coincindences the demos ended up at the offices of record labels in London and Los Angeles which immediately showed interest. Old friends; Arnar Ólafsson (guitar, vocals), Andri Ásgrímsson (keys) and Bjarni Grímsson (drums) began playing the songs with Arnar and Hallur and soon the band was formed. After some pondering the group settled on Leaves as an apt name. Referring to Five Leaves Left, the first album of English legend Nick Drake.
Leaves practiced mercilessly and played their first gig at a converted art gallery at the Airwaves festival in October 2001. For the summer everyone in the band sensed that something special was happening and the interest from abroad did nothing to dampen that feeling. The bands show garnered instant praise from Iceland’s music press which indicated what was to follow. A critic from The New York Times was impressed with the bands performance and Hallur appeared in an interview in the newspaper having only played one gig.....ever! A recording contract followed with London based B-Unique records. The contract stated that Dreamworks had first option for signing the band in the U.S.. Leaves had the industry buzzing and declined deals from Virgin Records, Island Records og Indiependiente in order to sign to a more indipendent label. In the fall of 2001 the band went on a short tour with The Bluetones before travelling to L.A. playing a showcase at the Viper Room for agents from Dreamworks which instantly spotted the bands charm and signed Leaves.
Early in 2002 the band began recording their first album in Reykjavík. The awayTEAM (Badly Drawn Boy, Athlete) was brought in to handle recordings. In the spring the band played all over the U.K. with bands such as Doves, The Coral, Electric Soft Parade, Athlete to promote the album which was mixed by Steve Osborne (Doves, Suede, Happy Mondays, KT Tunstall, Elbow, Starsailor) in Air Studios. At the homefront the song Breathe gained popularity and
gigs with The Strokes and Travis helped lift the their profile further.
Breathe was released in August 2002. Critics loved the album wich got raving reviews in magazines and newspapers such as Q-magazine (the magazine selected Breathe as one of the 50 best albums of 2002), Uncut and The Fly. The band did the festival route and played tirelessly. In spite of critical acclaim and good response the band did not get the airplay needed to break through in the U.K.
Breathe was released in 2003 in the U.S., the band had recorded an extra song for the U.S. version which was recorded in L.A. late in 2002 and produced by Ron Aniello. The song was a big hit in Iceland after featuring in a creditcard commercial. Leaves then toured the U.S. supporting Welsh rockers Stereophonics to promote the album. The Rolling Stone commented that Breathe was one of the best unnoticed albums of the year. The title song played in the background during an epic lovescene in teenage drama The O.C., still there was no sign of commercial success.
Now it was time to move on to the next album. Bjarni had left the band being replaced by beat virtuoso Nói Steinn Einarsson and Andri permanently joined the band. The pair had been in a post-rock band Náttfari which garnered some praise at the turn of the century when Reykjavik’s music scene was probably as exciting as it has ever been. Leaves had developed their sound considerably, arrangements were now complex and layered while instrumentation had also come a long way. Still songs like Whatever and The Spell showed the bands ability to write accessible tunes. The Angela Test was recorded in the bands studio in Reykjavik in the summer of 2004. Ian Davenport who had also worked on Breathe engineered while Marius de Vries (Björk, Madonna, Rufus Wainwright, U2, PJ Harvey og Elbow) produced. When recordings were finished in the fall the album was mixed by Rich Costey (Muse, The Mars Volta, Foo Fighters, Supergrass and Interpol). The band had now signed to London based Island Records.
In the summer of 2005 the band supported Supergrass and Thirteen Senses on tours also playing some festivals and doing a headline tour in the fall. In Iceland the band played a fantastic sold out show at NASA as well as supporting pop giants Duran Duran. The album got warm reviews in magazines and newspapers although the hype surrounding Breathe was absent. Strangely the album recieved little attention in Iceland, it was distributed by Universal worldwide. That meant it came to Iceland through the same channels as other foreign acts, still The Spell remains one of the bands biggest hits. The Angela Test is by many considered Iceland’s most underrated album to date.
Few Icelandic bands have a similar story to tell as Leaves do, the band has had some considerable success though it has not reached the heights suggested earlier on. Still the band is now 8 years old, an age few bands reach in Iceland and has developed consistantly. Listening to We Are Shadows this fact becomes obvious, the care and thought put in each song speak volumes. The quality of the songwriting along with majestic arrangements and interesting recordings make We Are Shadows worthy of being called the bands best album to date.
The band consists of:
* Arnar Guðjónsson: lead vocals, piano, guitar
* Hallur Hallsson: bass guitar
* Kjartan F. Olafsson piano, keyboards
* Nói Steinn Einarsson: drums
* Andri Asgrimsson: Guitar, keyboards
This article is about the Icelandic alternative rock band. For the 1960s American garage band, see The Leaves.
2) Leaves is also a gothic-rock metal band from Barcelona, with female vocals, in the way of The Gathering
www.myspace.com/leavesbcn
3) Czech drone/ambient artist, has a track on 'out of place artefacts Vol.1' compilation CD.
4) Leaves is also an American, self-producing pop artist from Winchester, VA that began writing and recording in autumn of 2009. Plans for an EP release of his first four recordings have been announced, and it will be available for free download in January 2011.
Hey Joe
Leaves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I said hey Joe where you goin' with that gun in your hand?
I'm going out to find my woman now, she's been runnin' around with some other man
I said I'm going out and find my woman now she's been runnin' around with some other man
Well hey Joe now what are you gonna do?
Well hey Joe tell me what are you gonna do?
Well I guess I'll shoot my woman now, that's what I'll do
Hey Joe tell me where are you gonna go?
Well hey Joe I said where are you gonna go?
Well I guess I'll go down to my place in Mexico
Said I guess I'll go down to where a man can be free
And there ain't gonna be no hangman's ropes put around me
The song "Hey Joe" by Leaves is a cover of a classic American blues tune that tells the story of a man named Joe who discovers his woman is cheating on him and decides to take matters into his own hands. The lyrics address Joe directly and ask where he is going with the gun in his hand. Joe responds by saying that he is going to find his woman, who has been with another man. When asked what he is going to do once he finds her, Joe says that he will shoot her and her lover before he is through. The chorus repeatedly asks Joe where he will go after committing this act, and Joe responds that he will go to his place in Mexico where he can be free and avoid the hangman's noose.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey Joe, where you goin' with that gun in your hand?
Joe, why are you carrying a gun, and where are you going with it?
I said hey Joe where you goin' with that gun in your hand?
I asked Joe where he was going with the gun in his hand.
I'm going out to find my woman now, she's been runnin' around with some other man
Joe is going out to find his unfaithful woman who has been cheating on him.
I said I'm going out and find my woman now she's been runnin' around with some other man
Joe reiterated that he is going out to find his cheating woman.
Well hey Joe now what are you gonna do?
What's your plan now, Joe?
Well hey Joe tell me what are you gonna do?
I asked Joe what his plan was.
Well I guess I'll shoot my woman now, that's what I'll do
Joe's plan is to shoot his cheating woman.
I said I guess I'll shoot them both before I'm through
Joe later decides to kill both his cheating woman and her lover.
Hey Joe tell me where are you gonna go?
Where are you planning to flee, Joe?
Well hey Joe I said where are you gonna go?
I asked Joe where he was planning to flee.
Well I guess I'll go down to my place in Mexico
Joe plans to go to his place in Mexico.
Said I guess I'll go down to where a man can be free
Joe wants to go where he can feel free from his problems and worries.
And there ain't gonna be no hangman's ropes put around me
Joe doesn't want to face any legal consequences and punishments for his crimes.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kilts4u2
For my money, this is still THE best version of this iconic song. Just watching Jim Pons play that Hofner bass is priceless. Ah, those were the days.
@22lyric
I agree!
@howardmarks8647
Spot on!
@ronfisher5259
This was actually the first version of Hey Joe I heard- and YES I love the fast tempo
@laurenholladay
This is my favorite version. I was 10 years old and had the 45 on vinyl.
@danahellerud9259
I don't know if any of the members are alive.....but if they are....Thank you for such great and innovative music. I love and respect the 60's music. The greatest music ever made.
LONG LIVE THE 60'S
@nottavictim5
MW the bass line makes this!!!
@nuwavedave
A guitar hook as groovy as "Satisfaction" and "Day Tripper" - The perfect high-energy Flower Power dance number. If you had a band in 1966-68 and didn't play "Hey Joe" - you just didn't get the gig. That's Jim Pons on lead vocal. Not very long after this show, The Turtles from Inglewood, CA snapped-up Pons for their lineup - and he continued to make Rock 'N' Roll history.
@CosmicXRay
Jim Pons' bass playing is killer....
@BORNdischarged
60’s garage rock really shook the music world up, and I’m glad it did.