Hailing from York, Pennsylvania, the group is comprised of Ed Kowalczyk (lead vocals & guitar), Chad Taylor (lead guitar), Patrick Dahlheimer (bass) and Chad Gracey (drums). Since approximately 1999, Live has toured with Ed’s younger brother, Adam Kowalczyk as a rhythm guitarist, and, previously, British keyboardist Michael “Railo” Railton.
Kowalczyk, Taylor, Dahlheimer, and Gracey first came together for a middle-school talent show in the Pennsylvania blue-collar town of York. The group remained together throughout high school, going through a handful of band names and new-wave covers before settling on the moniker Public Affection and recording a self-released cassette of originals, The Death of a Dictionary, in 1989. Frequent trips into New York to play at CBGB helped net the band a deal with Radioactive Records in 1991. With the new name Live, the band entered the studio with former Talking Heads keyboardist Jerry Harrison that year and began recording the EP Four Songs. The single “Operation spirit (the tyranny of tradition)” went to #9 on the Modern Rock chart, and paved the way for the band’s Harrison-produced, full-length debut, 1991’s Mental Jewelry (#73). The album lyrics, penned by Kowalczyk, were heavily inspired by Indian guru Jiddu Krishnamurti.
Fueled by heavy touring (including billing at Woodstock ‘94 and Peter Gabriel’s WOMAD tour) and a string of hit singles (“I Alone”, “All Over You” and the #1 Modern Rock hits “Selling the drama” and “Lightning crashes”), their next album, Throwing Copper, went to #1 in 1994. It is their best-selling, and often most highly regarded by fans and critics, album to date. The band was even asked to perform on Saturday Night Live where they performed their hits “I Alone” and “Selling the Drama” and to this day, they are the only band to receive a standing ovation at the party after the broadcast.[citation needed]
The momentum continued long enough to help 1997’s Secret Samadhi (coproduced by the band and Jay Healey) debut at #1. Deriving its name from a state of Hindu meditation, the album spawned four Modern Rock hit singles, but failed to match its predecessor’s success, with sales topping off at 2 million. The band performed “lakini’s juice” and “Heropsychodreamer” from this album on NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
Harrison came back on board as coproducer for 1999’s The Distance to Here, which debuted at #4 and featured the minor US hit single “The Dolphin’s Cry.”
In September 2001, the more experimental V (originally scheduled to be titled “Ecstatic Fanatic”) was issued to mixed reviews, preceded by “Simple creed” as the first single. However, with the events of 9/11—which occurred a week before V ‘s release—the melancholic “Overcome” began receiving significant airplay, superseding “Simple Creed” and becoming V’s selling point. Unfortunately, Live’s commercial stock—compounded by their petering radio airplay—had fallen further since The Distance to Here, with V merely reaching #22 at home, failing to reach gold status.
Birds of Pray appeared in May 2003, bolstered by the unexpected success of “Heaven”, Live’s first US Hot 100-placing since “The Dolphin’s Cry.” Reaching #28, Birds of Pray ultimately outsold V, although it too received mixed reviews and failed to reach gold status.
In November 2004, Live released Awake: The Best of Live, a career-spanning compilation that included “We deal in dreams”, a previously unreleased song from the Throwing Copper sessions, and a cover of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk The Line”, as well as Birds of Pray’s “Run Away”, re-imagined with Shelby Lynne on co-lead vocals.
In 2005, Live signed with Sony BMG Music Entertainment’s Epic label, and released a new album entitled Songs From Black Mountain in June 2006, preceded by “The river” as lead single. Thus far, while the album has achieved international success, it has proven Live’s lowest-seller yet domestically, only reaching #52 in the US before quickly disappearing from the charts.
While Live remain only moderately popular in terms of record sales in the United States, much of their current sales come from places in Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Ed Kowalczyk has said that “Holland is the center of the Live universe” [citation needed].
The group made news in January 2006 as three band members (Chad Taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer and touring rhythm guitar Adam Kowalczyk) and two members of the band’s road crew were on a United Airlines flight when smoke filled the cabin, requiring the pilot to make an emergency landing.
On season 5 of American Idol, finalist Chris Daughtry was accused of performing Live’s rendition of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line” and calling it his own. This angered some Live fans, but one week later Daughtry acknowledged it was not his own rendition, even saying Live was one of his favorite bands. In May 2006, Live appeared on The Howard Stern Show and addressed this issue.
On May 24, 2006, the band and Chris Daughtry performed “Mystery” on the season finale of American Idol, and on June 7, a new version of “Mystery” was released on the Friends of Live website featuring Chris Daughtry on guest vocals.
The members of Live announced in June 2009 that the band would be taking a two-year hiatus as they work on other projects. On November 30, 2009, guitarist Chad Taylor confirmed that the hiatus of the band was most likely a permanent rift. See the Wikipedia page for more. During the first European tour of the new band of Taylor, Gracey and Dahlheimer (The Gracious Few), Taylor commented both on stage and in post-show discussions that he believes Live may still come back together, though he also stated that the chances of Kowalczyk joining them in this effort may be very small. In an exclusive blogpost[1] on website The Comet, Taylor confirmed that the remaining members of the band would be working on new material for Live in Nashville early July 2011.
The band returned from their nearly three-year hiatus on March 12, 2012, with Chris Shinn, formerly of Unified Theory, as their new lead singer. The new line-up performed before an invited audience at the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center in York. The band performed as a six-piece with The Gracious Few's Sean Hennesy on guitar and Alexander Lefever on keyboards
[1]: http://thecomet.com/posts/exclusive_blog_chad_taylor_talks_the_gracious_few_and_live
There's another band with the same name:
2. Live was a 70s-era Progressive Rock group from Germany. Formed in 1971, the outfit appeared to be a strangely named band indeed.
In October 1972 their guitarist Martin Knaden went to Curly Curve. Throughout their history only one member has remained, the multi-talented keyboards and flute player Norbert Aufmhof. Although in existence for a decade Live never got to record a proper studio album, or gain a contract, which surely they should have. Maybe the band name was a bit of a jinx?!
Their earlier history was originally just documented by a single. Only more recently did an LP surface collecting 1974 recordings. Quite obviously a collection of rehearsal session tapes, the LP reveals a band with promise albeit rather grottily recorded with often barely understandable muffled lyrics in English. Musically, there are nods to early Satin Whale and Jane, but with lots of classical touches, notably Grieg and Bach, and a penchant to meander rather nicely during the instrumentals.
Based on the ROCK OFFERS track "Sea Fever", they had blossomed and changed focus somewhat, as a much more sophisticated symphonic progressive of the Pancake and Jane type, typical of the mid/late-1970's.
In all, during their history, three different versions of Live existed, but eventually the band split in 1976. A full history of the band is included in the GEVELSBERG CD, which documents other oddments, sessions, and a live recording!
Dolphin's Cry
Live Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Reminds me of that night
God laid me down into your rose garden of trust
And I was swept away
With nothin' left to say
Some helpless fool
Yeah I was lost in a swoon of peace
You're all I need to find
Come to me sweetly, come to me
Come to me
Love will lead us, alright
Love will lead us, she will lead us
Can you hear the dolphin's cry?
See the road rise up to meet us
It's in the air we breathe tonight
Love will lead us, she will lead us
Oh yeah, we meet again
It's like we never left
Time in between was just a dream
Did we leave this place?
This crazy fog surrounds me
You wrap your legs around me
All I can do to try and breathe
Let me breathe so that I
So we can go together!
Love will lead us, alright
Love will lead us, she will lead us
Can you hear the dolphin's cry?
See the road rise up to meet us
It's in the air we breathe tonight
Love will lead us, she will lead us
Life is like a shooting star
It don't matter who you are
If you only run for cover, it's just a waste of time
We are lost 'til we are found
This phoenix rises up from the ground
And all these wars are over
Over
Over
Singin' la da da, da da da
Over
Come to me
Yeah la da da da, da da da
Come to me
Love will lead us, alright
Love will lead us, she will lead us
Can you hear the dolphin's cry?
See the road rise up to meet us
It's in the air we breathe tonight
Love will lead us, she will lead us
Life is like a shooting star
It don't matter who you are
If you only run for cover, it's just a waste of time
We are lost 'til we are found
This phoenix rises up from the ground
And all these wars are over
Love will lead us, alright
Love will lead us, she will lead us
Can you hear the dolphin's cry?
See the road rise up to meet us
It's in the air we breathe tonight
Love will lead us, she will lead us (love will lead us alright)
The lyrics to Live's song The Dolphin's Cry are a poetic tribute to the power of love and especially speak to the idea that the one you love is your guiding light. The opening lines create vivid imagery through the use of light, comparing the person the singer loves to a bright light. The next lines express the feeling of being overwhelmed and entranced when thrown into this person's company, using a rose garden as a metaphor for a place of trust where they feel safe with their lover.
The chorus continues the idea of the power of love, with the repeated phrase "love will lead us" being a mantra for the couple. The use of the dolphin's cry and the metaphor of the road rising up to meet them speak to the idea that the universe is conspiring to bring the couple together and guide them on their journey. The line "we are lost till we are found" underscores the idea that without love, life is aimless and empty, but once found, it gives a sense of direction and purpose.
The final verse is a call to action, encouraging people to stop running and seek out love, as it is the only thing that truly matters. The song's expressive lyrics, combined with its uplifting melody, make it a powerful tribute to the transformative power of love.
Line by Line Meaning
The way you're bathed in light
The way you are illuminated reminds me of a special night
Reminds me of that night
Brings to mind a particular night that was unforgettable
God laid me down into your rose garden of trust
I felt God‘s hand leading me into your place of safety and love
And I was swept away
I was completely captivated and taken away by you
With nothin' left to say
I was so enthralled that I had nothing else to express verbally
Some helpless fool
I was a fool who couldn't resist your captivating charm
Yeah I was lost in a swoon of peace
I was lost in a peaceful, dreamlike state
You're all I need to find
You are all that I need to feel complete and satisfied
So when the time is right
When the right circumstance arises
Come to me sweetly, come to me
Come to me fondly and gently
Love will lead us, alright
Love will guide us, it's okay
Love will lead us, she will lead us
Love, personified as 'she', will guide us
Can you hear the dolphin's cry?
Do you hear the dolphin's call? (symbolizing love, mystery, and communication)
See the road rise up to meet us
Observe the path before us elevate to greet and challenge us
It's in the air we breathe tonight
There's something in the atmosphere or energy around us that's palpable
Oh yeah, we meet again
Ah, we reunite once more
It's like we never left
It feels as if no time has passed
Time in between was just a dream
The time spent without each other was a distant memory or just a figment of the imagination
Did we leave this place?
Was this place ever left or did we remain here all along?
This crazy fog surrounds me
I feel like I'm lost in a bewildering mist
You wrap your legs around me
You embrace me tightly and securely
All I can do to try and breathe
All I can do is try to catch my breath
Let me breathe so that I
Allow me to exhale so that I
So we can go together!
So that we can embark on our journey together!
Life is like a shooting star
Life is like a fleeting and quick moving meteor
It don't matter who you are
It is inconsequential who you are
If you only run for cover, it's just a waste of time
If you only seek shelter instead of living life fully, you're wasting precious time
We are lost 'til we are found
We are aimless and uncertain until we find clarity and purpose
This phoenix rises up from the ground
This mystical creature representing rebirth and renewal arises from the ashes
And all these wars are over
All conflicts and battles will come to an end
Singin' la da da, da da da
Singing words with no discernible meaning or simply 'la' sounds
Love will lead us, alright
Love will guide us, it's okay
Love will lead us, she will lead us
Love, personified as 'she', will guide us
Can you hear the dolphin's cry?
Do you hear the dolphin's call? (symbolizing love, mystery, and communication)
See the road rise up to meet us
Observe the path before us elevate to greet and challenge us
It's in the air we breathe tonight
There's something in the atmosphere or energy around us that's palpable
Love will lead us, she will lead us
Love, personified as 'she', will guide us
(love will lead us alright)
(love will guide us, it's okay)
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHAD ALAN GRACEY, CHAD DAVID TAYLOR, EDWARD JOEL KOWALCZYK, PATRICK DAHLHEIMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@suzys937
Bring back he 90’s in every sense, I miss everything about it
@colincable6127
Me too. Now its 2024
@DirtyDog22
I have the same thought once a week
@kathleenhenry5830
One of the most underrated voices in music. This man pierces your soul. The drummer is magic.
@Nickbragg97129
One of the greatest songs ever written and recorded. I listened to Live in the 90s and I still listen to them in 2024. Great music never dies!
@marialehew5268
These kind of songs need to come back. Please PLEASE 90s come back. With everything coming back this music needs to
@smokeydaze4331
It's 2020, and I still believe this is one of the best, most underrated rock bands in history!!
@MRSorroySaRMMRSorroySaRM
😀😭
@georgehatzi-michael9036
And CREED Also !
@dickpful
one of my favorites