The band was formed in 1990 by Greg Mckenna and Kay Hanley, from ashes of their former band, Rebbecca Lula. After numerous member changes, the classic Letters to Cleo line-up was solidified. They included Hanley and Mckenna, Mike Eisenstein on guitar, Stacy Jones on drums and Scott Riebling on bass. After years of playing the Boston club circuit, including TT The Bears Place and The Rathskellar, Letters released their first full length record, Aurora Gory Alice on CherryDisc in 1993.
The album received extensive airplay around the region and after a much hyped show at South by Southwest in Austin, Letters to Cleo signed a major label record deal with Giant Records and Aurora Gory Alice was re-released worldwide.
They had their first big hit single with "Here & Now" and the song would later appear on the Melrose Place soundtrack, where it got most of its exposure. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Modern Rock Singles chart. Appearances on Conan O'Brien and Jon Stewart followed.
In 1995, Wholesale Meats and Fish was released and followed by extensive tours with Our Lady Peace, Sponge, Ned's Atomic Dustbin and others. The single "Awake" was released and achieved moderate rotation on alternative radio. The band also recorded a cover of The Cars song "The Dangerous Type" for the major motion picture, The Craft.
In 1997, Stacy Jones left the band to join Veruca Salt and was replaced by Tom Polce. That same year, LTC's third album "Go" was released. After a short tour, Polce left the band and was replaced by drummer Jason Sutter. In late 1997, Letters to Cleo parted ways with their record label Giant/Revolution.
1998 saw the release of some early demos and B-sides in the form of the "Sister" EP on Wicked Disc.
Letters to Cleo appeared in the film 10 Things I Hate about You in 1999 (one of the characters considers them a favorite band). They contributed three songs to the soundtrack for the film, including one original track, "Come On", a Cheap Trick cover ("I Want You to Want Me") and a Nick Lowe cover ("Cruel to Be Kind"). Whereas the covers appeared on the film's sountrack, "Come On" did not. It was released as an MP3 downloadable from the Band's website. During that same year, LTC opened for Cheap Trick at The Paradise club in Boston.
The band played its last show on May 4, 2000, a benefit for their friend and longtime local supporter, Mikey D. They announced their disbandment in the Boston Globe the following month. Most of the band members are now involved in solo careers. Most notable is Kay Hanley's career, which produced the album "Cherry Marmalade in 2002 and the EP The Babydoll EP in 2004. Hanley also provided the singing voice for the Josie character in the 2001 motion picture Josie and the Pussycats.
Former drummer Stacy Jones went on to form American Hi-Fi with fellow Boston musicians Drew Parsons, Jamie Arentzen and Brian Nolan.
Scott Riebling went into the production side of music and is now a highly sought after producer and engineer.
Co-founding member Greg McKenna is currently finishing work on his solo project, Murder Capitol of the World. The debut album is due in 2007.
Happy ever after
Letters to Cleo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can think about things when
I'm calming down
And once my thoughts were crystal clear
Now I can't think at all and I fear
Somethings wrong
'Cause I read a story about her
And I wondered if she made your life
I wish I was gravity
And I wish you'd never given me
What I'm coming down with
It's something bad
So I'll have three Old Fashions then
I can figure things out when
I'm calming down
And I want so much for myself
But I'm too down to think about it now
I'm such an odd disaster
I'm too down to think about it now
Happy ever after
Tell me what I did and tell me what you wanted
Because I only did what I thought you wanted
And I want so much for myself
But I'm too down to think about that now
I'm such an odd disaster
I'm too down to think about it now Happy ever after
In the song "Happy Ever After" by Letters to Cleo, the singer's thoughts are in disarray after reading a story about someone who may have had a happier life with her lover. She turns to alcohol to clear her head, hoping that the Old Fashions she drinks will help her think better. However, as she drinks more, she realizes that something is wrong and she is "coming down with something bad." Despite wishing that she could be the force that keeps the object of her affection tied to her, she cannot help but blame herself for not being enough. She asks that her partner tell her what they wanted from her, while also acknowledging that she only tried to do what she thought they wanted.
The song speaks to the complicated nature of love and relationships, where one can feel both intense passion and paralyzing insecurity at the same time. The singer's longing for a happy ever after is something that many can relate to, as it is a common theme in love stories across cultures. However, the song adds layers of complexity by showing how the singer's thoughts turn on themselves, leading to a sense of hopelessness and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
We'll have three Old Fashions then
Let's have a few drinks to calm down and think about things.
I can think about things when I'm calming down
I need to be in a relaxed state of mind to think clearly.
And once my thoughts were crystal clear, now I can't think at all and I fear somethings wrong
I used to be able to think clearly, but now I can't and it worries me.
'Cause I read a story about her, and I wondered if she made your life a happy ever after, happy ever after
I read something about her and I'm wondering if she's the reason you're happy.
I wish I was gravity, and I wish you'd never given me what I'm coming down with, it's something bad
I wish I had more control over my emotions, and I wish you never gave me this feeling of despair.
So I'll have three Old Fashions then, I can figure things out when I'm calming down
I'll have a few more drinks to clear my head and think things through.
And I want so much for myself, but I'm too down to think about it now, I'm such an odd disaster
I have goals and dreams, but I'm feeling too low to focus on them right now. I feel like a mess.
Tell me what I did and tell me what you wanted, because I only did what I thought you wanted
Explain to me what I did wrong because I was only doing what I thought you wanted me to do.
And I want so much for myself, but I'm too down to think about that now, I'm such an odd disaster
I have aspirations, but my current state of mind is preventing me from pursuing them. I feel like a strange failure.
Happy ever after
I hope everything works out in the end - a happily ever after.
Contributed by Chase A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.