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.
Words
Leaves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It hurts so bad, cause when I see you, I start crying,
I've tried everything to stop, but there's no denying,
That falling in love with you, girl, is just like dying.
Oh, don't walk away,
How, how can I make you stay?
Don't turn away,
Just spoken to help nobody but you,
Words with lies inside,
But, small enough to hide till your playing was through.
Girl, don't you know we could work it out with talking?
You won't look around or slow down your walking,
I've given you everything with kiss to seal it,
You had to get your kicks out of trying to steal it.
Now, I'm standing here,
Strange, strange voices in my ears,
I feel the tears,
But, all I can hear are those words that never were true,
Just spoken to help nobody but you,
Words with lies inside,
But, small enough to hide till your playing was through, ahh.
Now, I'm standing here,
Strange, strange voices in my ears,
I feel the tears,
But, all I can hear are those words that never were true,
Just spoken to help nobody but you,
Words with lies inside,
But, small enough to hide till your playing was through.
Words that never were true,
Just spoken to help nobody but you,
Words with lies inside,
But, small enough to hide till your playing was through.
Words that never were true,
Just spoken to help nobody but you,
Words with lies inside,
But, small enough to hide till your playing was through.
The lyrics to Leaves's song Words speak about the pain and heartbreak experienced by the singer due to an unfaithful and dishonest lover. The opening lines make it clear that the singer still loves her, but every time he sees her smiling, it hurts him because he knows that she is not what she seems. He has tried to stop loving her, but he cannot help it. Falling in love with her is like dying. The chorus appeals to her not to walk away and asks how he can make her stay. This is followed by a bitter reference to the lies she has told him.
The second verse speaks about the possibility of the two of them working it out through talking, but she is not interested. Despite having given her everything and sealing it with a kiss, she still took pleasure in trying to steal it. The singer is now standing there, listening to strange voices in his ears and feeling the tears. All he can hear are the words that she spoke that were never true. The lines "Words with lies inside, But, small enough to hide till your playing was through" encapsulate the idea that she had told him lies when it suited her, but the lies were small enough to hide till she was done playing games.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl, don't you know every time I see you smiling,
The sight of your smile hurts me deeply because I know that I will end up crying after seeing you. Despite my attempts to stop it, I cannot deny that falling in love with you is a painful experience that makes me feel like I am dying.
Oh, don't walk away,
Please don't leave me yet, I still need to talk to you.
How, how can I make you stay?
I am desperately searching for a way to convince you to stay with me.
Don't turn away,
Please don't ignore me and walk away while I'm talking to you.
I can still hear you saying those words that never were true,
I can still recall the hurtful things you said to me in the past that were all lies, spoken only to serve your own interests.
Just spoken to help nobody but you,
You said those words only for your own benefit, without considering how they would affect me.
Words with lies inside,
Your words were filled with deceit and falsehood.
But, small enough to hide till your playing was through.
Your lies were subtle and cunning enough that you only revealed them once you had gotten what you wanted from me.
Girl, don't you know we could work it out with talking?
I believe that we can resolve our issues if we talk openly and honestly.
You won't look around or slow down your walking,
You refuse to even acknowledge me or stop to listen to what I have to say.
I've given you everything with kiss to seal it,
I have expressed my love for you through physical intimacy, hoping it would bring us closer together.
You had to get your kicks out of trying to steal it.
But you used my affections for your own selfish pleasure, taking advantage of my love for you.
Now, I'm standing here,
I am left alone, standing here alone with my pain and sadness.
Strange, strange voices in my ears,
I am overwhelmed by the noise of my thoughts and emotions battling within me.
I feel the tears,
The pain is so intense it draws tears from my eyes.
But, all I can hear are those words that never were true,
Despite the agony I feel, memories of your deceitful words haunt me endlessly.
Words that never were true,
Your words were never genuine and were only meant to benefit yourself and manipulate me.
Just spoken to help nobody but you,
Your words were solely for your personal gain and not intended to benefit anyone else.
Words with lies inside,
Your words hid the deceit and betrayal that lay beneath them.
But, small enough to hide till your playing was through.
Your lies were camouflaged just enough to fool me initially, but only until you had gotten what you wanted from me and were ready to move on.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hamilton59840
The Leaves recorded this one in 1966,
and later covered by The Monkees in 1967.
This is the first time I've heard The Leaves' version.
In The Monkees' 1967 cover, Mickey Dolenz
and the late Peter Tork performed leads...
(with Peter and the late Davy Jones on backing vocals in the chorus)
Davy Jones played drums in The Monkees' 1967 cover.
Both of these versions are definitely
on the psychedelic side.
@93KHJBOSSRADIO
The Leaves will always be my # 1 FAVE group!
@snoodman67
this is great to see om the net ,,, this is my dads band
@jimhappening
we need more Leaves stuff on the net!
@robgo5869
Christian, I met your dad twice. Once at the Fraternity house where the Leaves started and the second time was in front of the Whiskey. By this time the Leaves had broken up. He mentioned that to make in music was difficult and you needed undeniable talent like a Hendrix. He was fun to talk to and I viewed him as a rock star both times.
@nicktolkien20
Hey Christian, the leaves are amazing! did your Dad ever tell you any stories of working with Judee Sill in the late 60s? That must've been an experience.
@michaelshirley441
Christian, did your dad and the guys play all their own instruments on this? I'm guessing they did, that's why I prefer it to the Monkee's version(no criticism of The Wrecking Crew intended).
@howie9751
@Michael Shirley The Wrecking Crew didn't play on the Monkees version.
@belisarioguerra1279
Original: The Leaves ( U.S. ) - Words ( Bobby Hart - Tommmy Boyce ) ( 7/1966 ). Covers: The Regents ( U.S. ) - Words ( 8/1966 ). The Monkees ( U.S. ) - Words ( recorded: 10 and 11/6/1967, released: 10/7/1966 ). New Joys ( Finland ) - Luotin valhesiin ( 1967 ). The Boston Tea Party ( U.S. ) - Words ( 1967 ). Los Strangers ( México ) - Palabras ( 196? ).
@thomassullivan9692
The Boston Tea Party also released a version on Challenge Records.
@belisarioguerra1279
@Thomas Sullivan Thank you very much for the information !