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!
She
Live Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got to humble myself so I don't get the big head
Shawty hit my phone like wassup big head
Leave her on delivered cap to her like my shit dead
Don't believe the he say she say
Cuz that's how shit spread
They can say whatever they want to they know i get bread
I feel like I'm misunderstood
Alot of y'all niggas get y'all flow from me
I don't get creds
Nigga pillow talking for some pussy
Ain't what your bitch said
My vibe one of a kind
She fell in love with my persona
You can keep the bitch
My standards high
No I don't want her
Everyday I'm outside
I'm not worried about corona
Got to turn my life around
I can't be standing on the corner
Cuz that shit get old
Imma keep rapping about rollies until my wrist froze
I got things I need to accomplish
Yea I got big goals
Too lit to perform at the club
Ready for the big shows
I'm with the same niggas from the beginning
We used to switch clothes
All of my drip got to be fitted
Can't wear no big clothes
Keep that shi solid everytime
I stand on 10 toes
They stepped on my heart everytime
That's why my shit cold
Got alot of shit on my mind
Got to get it off my chest
I know that nobody is perfect
I'm trying to be the best
I know what my worth is
And I can't settle for nothing less
I just got to put that work in
And let god do the rest
I know what my worth is and I can't settle for nothing less
I just got to put that work in and let god do the rest
Got alot of shit on my mind got to get it off my chest
I know that nobody is perfect I'm trying to be the best
They say closed mouth's don't get fed
I got to humble myself so I don't get the big head
Shawty hit my phone like wassup big head
Leave her on delivered cap to her like my shit dead
Don't believe the he say she say
Cuz that's how shit spread
They say closed mouth's don't get fed
I got to humble myself so I don't get the big head
Shawty hit my phone like wassup big head
Don't believe the he say she say
Cuz that's how shit spread
The song "She" by Live is a rap track that speaks about the importance of humility and hard work in achieving one's goals. The first verse suggests that the singer has to remain humble and not let success get to their head in order to continue to grow as an artist. The second verse touches on how rumors can be spread easily and advises the listener to ignore them and focus on their own path. The last verse touches on the importance of personal growth and striving for success, while also not settling for less than what one is worth.
Through these lyrics, Live encourages his audience to remain humble and work diligently towards their goals, while also not getting caught up in petty rumors or distractions. He emphasizes the importance of staying true to oneself and not allowing others to dictate one's path. Overall, "She" is a motivational track that inspires listeners to strive for greatness without losing sight of their values and identity.
Line by Line Meaning
They say closed mouth's don't get fed
It's important to speak up and ask for what you want.
I got to humble myself so I don't get the big head
I need to stay grounded and not let success get to my head.
Shawty hit my phone like wassup big head
Someone is trying to get my attention or use me for their own gain.
Leave her on delivered cap to her like my shit dead
I'm purposely ignoring her messages because I'm not interested or just don't want to deal with it.
Don't believe the he say she say
cuz that's how shit spread
Gossip and rumors are often untrue and can cause problems for everyone involved.
They can say whatever they want to they know I get bread
People may talk, but they can't deny my success and financial stability.
I feel like I'm misunderstood
They say I'm misled
I don't think people truly understand me, and they have misconceptions about who I am.
Alot of y'all niggas get y'all flow from me
I don't get creds
Other artists copy my style, but I don't always get the recognition or credit for it.
Nigga pillow talking for some pussy
Ain't what your bitch said
Someone is talking behind my back, and their partner is telling me about it.
My vibe one of a kind
She fell in love with my persona
You can keep the bitch
My standards high
No I don't want her
I'm confident in myself and know that I deserve someone who truly appreciates me. I won't compromise my standards.
Everyday I'm outside
I'm not worried about corona
Got to turn my life around
I can't be standing on the corner
Cuz that shit get old
I'm focused on making positive changes in my life, and I won't let something like a pandemic hold me back. I need to stay productive and avoid getting stuck in the same situation.
Imma keep rapping about rollies until my wrist froze
I got things I need to accomplish
Yeah I got big goals
Too lit to perform at the club
Ready for the big shows
I have a lot of ambition and want to accomplish big things in my career. I don't want to settle for small opportunities but instead aim for the biggest stages.
I'm with the same niggas from the beginning
We used to switch clothes
All of my drip got to be fitted
Can't wear no big clothes
Keep that shit solid everytime I stand on 10 toes
I'm loyal to the people who have been by my side from the start, and we've come a long way together. I have a distinct fashion style that reflects my personality and professionalism.
They stepped on my heart everytime
That's why my shit cold
I've been hurt in the past and it's made me emotionally closed off and guarded.
Got alot of shit on my mind
got to get it off my chest
I know that nobody is perfect
I'm trying to be the best
I know what my worth is
And I can't settle for nothing less
I just got to put that work in
And let god do the rest
I have a lot weighing on me, and I need to express myself in order to move forward. I have high aspirations for myself, but I'm aware of my limitations and am constantly working to improve myself. I trust in a higher power to guide me and help me achieve my goals.
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Darius Knox
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind