Beginnings
Originally from the small town of Saltwood,[4] just north of Hythe, Kent, the Godfrey brothers—DJ/producer Paul Godfrey and multi-instrumentalist Ross Godfrey—moved to London when they were in their late teens.[5][6][7][8] Sometime in the mid 1990s, at a party in Greenwich, the brothers met Skye Edwards, who was singing backup in a funk band, and also played guitar; before too long the three began recording songs together, and formed the trio Morcheeba.[4][9] At first they produced tracks at their home studio,[4] together with engineer Pete Norris.[8][10]
They were eventually signed to China Records[4] by Angus Blair (A&R) and the band released their debut Trigger Hippie EP,[11] in October 1995. At the same time, Paul Ablett came on board as manager.[10] The band's debut album, Who Can You Trust?, was released in April 1996 and fitted into the trip hop genre through a combination of Paul Godfrey's hip hop roots, Ross Godfrey's psychedelic rock influences and Edwards' soul-styled vocals. A second single, "Tape Loop", appeared in July 1996. The band began to play live around Europe and North America,[12] with a live band that included five additional members.[13] At this point, the band had outgrown the home recording set-up and the brothers purchased their own studio.[14] In 1997, they contributed to the David Byrne album Feelings, participating in the recording and production of the release.[8][15][16]
Mainstream success
With a more professional recording set-up, the brothers began developing their ideas for a second album. Much of the material had already been written, and, with Norris involved again, the band moved towards a more mainstream sound.[14] At the same time, Edwards appeared on the BBC charity single "Perfect Day". The follow-up, 1998's Big Calm, moved away from trip hop towards a more pop-oriented, song-based sound. This was exemplified by the band's reworking of "Moog Island" (from their debut) into the pop-song "The Music That We Hear".[17] One of the album's singles, "The Sea", became a radio favourite. The album proved to be a big seller and ensured Morcheeba's success as a breakthrough act.[18] In 1998, Morcheeba collaborated with Hubert Laws to record the classic song "Summer Time" for the Red Hot Organization's compilation album Red Hot + Rhapsody, a tribute to George Gershwin, which raised money for various charities devoted to increasing AIDS awareness and fighting the disease.
In 2000, Morcheeba released their third album, Fragments of Freedom. This repeated the sales success of Big Calm but received a less positive critical response. The band's fourth album, Charango, was released in 2002 and saw a diminished role for Edwards. The singles "Otherwise" and "Way Beyond" followed. The lyrics for "Undress Me Now" were written with Lambchop's Kurt Wagner, while other collaborators on the album were with rappers Pace Won and Slick Rick. In January 2003, the band undertook their first significant tour of the US since 1998.[19] In 2001, the Godfrey brothers contributed three songs to the Jim White album No Such Place.[20]
Split
By the end of 2003, the Godfrey brothers split with Edwards, citing creative and personal differences.[21] Edwards received "a phone call from our manager saying that it was over. It was a relief to think we didn't have to continue".[22] She was under the impression that the band had ceased to operate. A greatest hits compilation, Parts of the Process, helped to retain interest in the band and featured two new tracks: "What's Your Name" (featuring a rhyming cameo from Big Daddy Kane) and "Can't Stand It". At around the same time, they released the live DVD Morcheeba: From Brixton to Beijing. A decade later, Ross Godfrey reflected on this period, saying: "We just felt like we couldn't breathe, I'd been in the band and on the road since I was 18, so to have any kind of break from that was just amazing".[23]
The two brothers reunited the year after, leaving Paul to explain that "Ross and I realised that Morcheeba was kind of our family company, and that we wanted very much to keep it going, hence the change".[24] In 2005, Morcheeba released their fifth studio (and first post-Edwards) album, The Antidote. Daisy Martey (formerly of the band Noonday Underground) was recruited to replace Edwards as the album vocalist. However, Martey's period with the band was brief and she was sacked in the middle of the promotional tour, to be replaced by Jody Sternberg. Martey subsequently sued the band for breach of contract and defamation.[25] Sternberg's own tenure with the band was similarly brief, and she only appeared to have been part of the band to fulfil tour dates. According to Ross, the entire episode "was difficult to say the least. It left us in near-ruin".[26]
After a break of several years, Morcheeba released their sixth studio album, Dive Deep, in February 2008. On this album, the Godfrey brothers fell back into their role as producers, selecting five vocalists to perform their songs. The folk-rock singer Judie Tzuke, Norwegian born Thomas Dybdahl and blues singer/guitarist Bradley Burgess appeared as lead vocalists together with the Korean-American rapper Cool Calm Pete and French singer Manda (Amanda Zamolo).[27] Both Manda and Burgess toured with Morcheeba as lead singers on their 2008 tour.
Reunion
As a solo artist, Edwards remained with the same management company as Morcheeba—Chris Morrison the CM of CMO Management represented both artists—which led to a chance meeting in their London offices sometime in 2009. Edwards and the Godfrey brothers met again to discuss her possible involvement in a new project. Initially the singer was hesitant and pointed out that she "really enjoyed doing my solo stuff and writing my own lyrics".[28] Eventually, Edwards rejoined the band and the trio began work on a new album,[21] with Edwards still on tour promoting her solo album, Ross Godfrey living in California and Paul Godfrey in France.[29] On 12 February 2010, NME revealed that Edwards was once again back with the band, which was confirmed by Paul Godfrey the day after on the band's Myspace blog. Edwards made her live return with the band at the Caprices Festival, Switzerland on 9 April 2010.[30] Edwards' role in the band changed, as she had "become more confident" in her "ability as a singer and a songwriter", and found that during the recording process they were "more honest with each other", and thus they produced "a more honest record".[22]
Morcheeba released their seventh album, Blood Like Lemonade, on PIAS in June 2010, preceded by the single "Even Though". It was produced by Paul Godfrey, who described the album as "a warm, fuzzy blanket of psychedelia", while Edwards described the lyrics as "having dark themes".[22] She also remarked on how the brothers had made her part of the creative process again.[28] An eighteen-month tour followed that saw the band play around the Americas and Europe.[31]
Their eighth album, Head Up High, was released on 14 October 2013, again on PIAS.[32] In 2014, the band toured Australia,[33] with a line-up consisting of Skye Edwards (vocals), Ross Godfrey (guitars), Steve Gordon (bass), Richard Milner (keyboards), Martin Carling (drums) and James Anthony (decks).
Departure of Paul Godfrey
In 2014, Paul Godfrey left the band.[34][35] Ross Godfrey later explained that: "Paul and I had not been getting on musically, or personally for a long time, and after the Head Up High album in 2013, Paul told us he was leaving the band, and he wanted Skye and I to buy him out of his share of the name. We disagreed on how much it was worth so no deal was struck. Skye and I thought it best to just release the record we had made under our own names. There will be no more Morcheeba albums".[2] Paul Godfrey has since established a recording studio, Sacrosync Sound, in Hastings and recorded a new album "Cool Your Soul" with Rachel Cuming under the moniker Morcheeba Productions.[36][37]
Ross Godfrey and Skye Edwards announced a new project in 2016 named Skye & Ross.[38] They have toured, and released an eponymous album on 2 September 2016.[39] The band started as an acoustic duo but soon included Edward's son Jaega (drums), her husband Steve Gordon (bass) and Godfrey’s wife Amanda Zamolo (backing vocals).[40][41] Edwards took responsibility for the lyrics while Ross Godfrey noted that the recording process was "a very organic experience".[42]
Crimson
Morcheeba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With my head in my hands
Wish I'd never got your message
Felt too late to change our plans
There's a smell of good years burning
And it won't fade away
Windscreen broken, you're bleeding
Hell bound, hopeless for you
Nothing left to hold onto
Hell bound helpless, it's true
This crimson crystal view
There's wild berries in the hedgerow
All I need is a drink
Got to soothe my shattered senses
Please forgive me, time to think
Down the dusty trails of treason
Lies a dangerous game, there's a danger
Sunshine suicide survivor
Wasted angel numb the pain, so wasted
Hell bound, hopeless for you
Nothing left to hold onto
Hell bound helpless, it's true
This crimson crystal view
Hell bound, hopeless for you
Hell bound, hopeless for you
Hell bound, hopeless for you
Hell bound, hopeless for you
The lyrics of Morcheeba's song "Crimson" describe a scene of desperation and regret. The singer is on the roadside, after a car crash that has left the car wrecked and the person bleeding. The singer feels that it is too late to change plans that have led to this moment. There is a sense of burning and destruction, as if the past is something that cannot be undone. The title of the song refers to a "crimson crystal view," which can be interpreted as a distorted perception caused by desperation or drug use.
The second verse of "Crimson" adds more detail to the situation. The singer is looking for a drink to "soothe" their "shattered senses." They are in a state of confusion and guilt, asking for forgiveness and time to think. The lines "Down the dusty trails of treason" and "Sunshine suicide survivor" suggest that the situation is the result of risky behavior or a self-destructive mindset. The chorus repeats the phrase "hell bound hopeless for you," emphasizing the feeling of being trapped in a hopeless situation.
In summary, "Crimson" is a song about the aftermath of a car crash, reflecting on the consequences of past actions and the feeling of being stuck in a hopeless situation. It conveys a sense of regret, desperation, and confusion, with a hint of drug use and self-destructiveness.
Line by Line Meaning
On the roadside by the wreckage
I am standing beside the remains of a destroyed object on the side of the road
With my head in my hands
I am feeling deeply upset and helpless, hence covering my face with my hands
Wish I'd never got your message
I regret receiving a particular message from someone, probably something unexpected or heartbreaking
Felt too late to change our plans
By the time I received the message, it seemed impossible to alter our plans, which probably led to the wreckage
There's a smell of good years burning
The air is filled with a sweet aroma, reminiscent of better times that have now passed
And it won't fade away
That smell is not dissipating and will linger for some time
Windscreen broken, you're bleeding
The glass windscreen is shattered, and you are injured, bleeding
Rolling action replay
A repeated visual memory of the incident keeps playing in my head
Hell bound, hopeless for you
I feel like nothing can save you now, and you are doomed to a miserable fate
Nothing left to hold onto
I feel like there is nothing left for me to grasp onto in this situation; it is hopeless
Hell bound helpless, it's true
I am powerless in this situation, and the only option is to make peace with it
This crimson crystal view
The view of the scene is vivid with every detail etched in my memory for a long time to come
There's wild berries in the hedgerow
There are fruits growing wild in the bushes by the edge of the road
All I need is a drink
I need alcohol to numb the emotional and physical pain of the situation
Got to soothe my shattered senses
I need to calm myself and get a grip on my shattered emotions
Please forgive me, time to think
I need time alone to clear my head and contemplate the situation before us
Down the dusty trails of treason
The path ahead is treacherous, and someone or something is planning to betray us
Lies a dangerous game, there's a danger
There is an element of risk and uncertainty in the events leading to this wreckage
Sunshine suicide survivor
Someone who should have died a long time ago is still surviving under the sun's rays, despite the odds against them
Wasted angel numb the pain, so wasted
A beautiful soul has been mangled, wounded and plagued by addiction to the extent of being numb to the physical pain and reality of life
Contributed by Harper N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.