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 Edโs younger brother, Adam Kowalczyk as a rhythm guitarist, and, previously, British keyboardist Michael โRailoโ 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 โOperation spirit (the tyranny of tradition)โ went to #9 on the Modern Rock chart, and paved the way for the bandโs Harrison-produced, full-length debut, 1991โs 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 โ94 and Peter Gabrielโs WOMAD tour) and a string of hit singles (โI Aloneโ, โAll Over Youโ and the #1 Modern Rock hits โSelling the dramaโ and โLightning crashesโ), 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 โI Aloneโ and โSelling the Dramaโ 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 1997โs 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 predecessorโs success, with sales topping off at 2 million. The band performed โlakiniโs juiceโ and โHeropsychodreamerโ from this album on NBCโs Saturday Night Live.
Harrison came back on board as coproducer for 1999โs The Distance to Here, which debuted at #4 and featured the minor US hit single โThe Dolphinโs Cry.โ
In September 2001, the more experimental V (originally scheduled to be titled โEcstatic Fanaticโ) was issued to mixed reviews, preceded by โSimple creedโ as the first single. However, with the events of 9/11โwhich occurred a week before V โs releaseโthe melancholic โOvercomeโ began receiving significant airplay, superseding โSimple Creedโ and becoming Vโs selling point. Unfortunately, Liveโs commercial stockโcompounded by their petering radio airplayโhad 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 โHeavenโ, Liveโs first US Hot 100-placing since โThe Dolphinโs Cry.โ 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 โWe deal in dreamsโ, a previously unreleased song from the Throwing Copper sessions, and a cover of Johnny Cashโs โI Walk The Lineโ, as well as Birds of Prayโs โRun Awayโ, re-imagined with Shelby Lynne on co-lead vocals.
In 2005, Live signed with Sony BMG Music Entertainmentโs Epic label, and released a new album entitled Songs From Black Mountain in June 2006, preceded by โThe riverโ as lead single. Thus far, while the album has achieved international success, it has proven Liveโs 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 โHolland is the center of the Live universeโ [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 bandโs 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 Liveโs rendition of Johnny Cashโs โI Walk the Lineโ 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 โMysteryโ on the season finale of American Idol, and on June 7, a new version of โMysteryโ 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!
I Alone
Live Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And measure these things by your brains
I sank into Eden with you
Alone in the church by and by
I'll read to you here, save your eyes
You'll need them, your boat is at sea
Your anchor is up, you've been swept away
And the greatest of teachers won't hesitate
To leave you there, by yourself, chained to fate, yeah
I alone love you
I alone tempt you
I alone love you
Fear is not the end of this
I alone love you
I alone tempt you
I alone love you
It's easier not to be great
And measure these things by your eyes
We long to be here by his resolve
Alone in the church by and by
To cradle the baby in space
And leave you there by yourself chained to fate, yeah
I alone love you
I alone tempt you
I alone love you
Fear is not the end of this
I alone love you
I alone tempt you
I alone love you
I alone love you
I alone tempt you
I alone love you, yeah
Oh, now we took it back too far
Only love can save us now
All these riddles that you burn
All come runnin' back to you
All these rhythms that you hide
Only love can save us now
All these riddles that you burn yeah, yeah, yeah
I alone love you
I alone tempt you
I alone love you
Fear is not the end of this
I alone love you
I alone tempt you
I alone love you
I alone love you
I alone tempt you
I alone love you
I alone love you
I alone tempt you
I alone love you
The lyrics of "I Alone" by Live capture the emotions of a person who is in love with someone but is unable to express their feelings. The first lines of the song seem to suggest that it is easier to ignore one's emotions and not engage with the complexity of love. In the next few lines, the singer sings about sinking into Eden with the person they love and being alone in the church with them. The lyrics suggest a deep connection between the singer and the person they love, but the person has been swept away, and the singer is left alone, chained to fate.
The chorus repeats the lines, "I alone love you, I alone tempt you." These lines seem to suggest that the singer is making an ultimatum to their lover, saying that only they can love and tempt them. The lines "fear is not the end of this" suggest that the singer is not afraid of the outcome of expressing their love and is willing to face the consequences.
The final verse of the song uses the metaphor of riddles that the person burns and rhythms that they hide, suggesting that there are secrets and hidden meanings behind the person's actions. The singer asserts that only love can save them, indicating that they believe that their love is powerful enough to overcome any obstacle.
Overall, "I Alone" is a powerful song about unrequited love and the complexity of emotions. The lyrics are open to interpretation and have resonated with many people over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
It's easier not to be wise
It's easier to ignore wisdom and rely on instincts or intuition.
And measure these things by your brains
To use logical thinking and analysis to evaluate things.
I sank into Eden with you
I fell deeply in love with you and lost myself in our relationship.
Alone in the church by and by
In solace, I contemplate and seek spiritual guidance.
I'll read to you here, save your eyes
I will share my knowledge with you, so you don't have to work it out yourself and strain your eyes.
You'll need them, your boat is at sea
You will require your eyesight to navigate through the uncertain journey that lies ahead of you.
Your anchor is up, you've been swept away
You've relinquished all control of your fate and are being carried away by the forces of life.
And the greatest of teachers won't hesitate
Even the most exceptional teachers will not hold back from letting their students face their own struggles and find their own answers.
To leave you there, by yourself, chained to fate, yeah
They will permit you to face your destiny, without any assistance, in order to learn and grow by yourself.
I alone love you
Despite all the challenges and uncertainties, I am the only one who loves you sincerely and unwaveringly.
I alone tempt you
I am the only one who can tempt and arouse your deepest desires.
Fear is not the end of this
Even though you may be fearful, don't surrender to despair, because there is still hope.
It's easier not to be great
It's simpler to be average rather than trying to achieve greatness.
And measure these things by your eyes
To evaluate things based on your subjective perception and personal preferences rather than logic.
We long to be here by his resolve
We crave guidance and determination in order to find a sense of purpose and direction in life.
To cradle the baby in space
To protect and cherish the innocence and purity of the inner child, who is vulnerable and precious.
Oh, now we took it back too far
We went too far backwards, and it's difficult to find a way forward again.
Only love can save us now
Love is the only thing that can heal us and provide us with solace.
All these riddles that you burn
All the challenges and mysteries of life that one must confront and resolve at some point.
All come runnin' back to you
All problems and questions will eventually be resolved, and their solutions will be revealed to you.
All these rhythms that you hide
All the emotions and feelings that are kept hidden and buried deep inside.
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Chad Alan Gracey, Chad David Taylor, Edward Joel Kowalczyk, Patrick Dahlheimer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Objectified
Though I'm black, one of the things I love about music like this and from this era is that the artists look like people just doing music they love. Popular artists for the last decade and a half look the same, sound the same, move the same, sing about the same themes in the same way, and look exactly like the product of a marketing machine designed to produce specimens who look like 22-year-old stereotypes of whatever it is they are -- and keep them looking and sounding that way forever.
That's not to say that great music doesn't exist today. It ABSOLUTELY does. Great music and great artists. But you have to go looking for it. You have to find it in the scene transition music in shows like Insecure. It's not what inundates you. It's not what usually headlines the festivals and award shows and makes guest appearances on television.
And the weird thing is, some of these artists do collaborations with those lesser-known artists and groups, and when they do it can be a whole other thing. They sing different. Sound different. They look different if they appear in a video for it. And it's great.
Too much money. Too few producers. Too many "small" labels that are actually just part of a giant conglomerate (just like web sites).
@prnd_pretend
Throwing Copper was one of my first rock albums. Being a black kid, I remember playing this for some friends and they thought I had lost it, but I didn't care either way. I still rock to LIVE and dug that entire album. Still do!!!
@DREDOG1967
Being a light skinned Black Kid growning up in Bed-Sty Brooklyn the mid 80's (both my parents are Black..Think Stephen Curry) I used to get laughed at,beat up,spit on all because I played Rock on my JVC boom box. Pyromania was my first that I bought with my money but my neighbor introduced me too Hendrix,Cream,Black Sabbath, KISS, when I was 9
@SoulReaperSlayer19
Anthony lmao
@rakistangpinoy4745
good for you bro. love this album. one of the best in the 90s. I also dig Lenny Kravitz. I'm a big fan of Slash.
@stabblooder6148
Sucks how people try and make music a race thing. The best thing about music is how its colorless, genderless, whatever... it's just art
@thee4thdoctor
Throwing Copper is one of the very best albums of the 90's. All these years later I Still LOVE that album.
@billymac9330
Still digging this song in 2023, never gets old!
@slowjamcdub
Facts!!!๐ซถ๐๐
@hsugrad2010
Just came back to it. Loved it when it came out, and love it today.
@cesarvillalobos8632
Totally agree dude ๐ค๐