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]
São Paulo
Morcheeba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I slot in so systematically
I want to smash it to pieces
Release this hatred inside of me
You know you fill me with passion
But I just act apologetically
I'm gonna miss you in fashion
Sao Paulo
Why am I bringing me down?
Sao Paulo
If I drink any more I will drown
Sao Paulo
Why can't I fight truth decay?
Sao Paulo
My life is just one big cliche
Another stain on my passport
I want to travel so futuristically
I just wish I could beam up, team up
And soon be on my way
You told me we'd go to Rio
And you said it so charismatically
I know it's me that's the nightmare
So fight fair or have some decency
Sao Paulo
Why am I bringing me down?
Sao Paulo
If I drink any more I will drown
Sao Paulo
Why can't I fight truth decay?
Sao Paulo
My life is just one big cliche
Sao Paulo
Why am I bringing me down
Sao Paulo
If I drink any more I will drown
Sao Paulo
Why can't I fight truth decay?
Sao Paulo
My life is just one big cliche
You sure put a spin on my day
Why am I heading your way
Everything is coming up grey
I'm just a humble DJ
The song "Sao Paulo" by Morcheeba is a reflection on the internal turmoil and self-destructive behavior that the singer experiences while waiting in the club lounge of the titular Brazilian city. The opening lines express a desire to release pent-up anger, with the singer confessing to wanting to "smash it to pieces" as a form of emotional release. This sense of frustration is directed both inwardly and outwardly, as the singer also recognizes the passion that their partner inspires in them, but struggles to express it without being apologetic.
The chorus of the song repeats the refrain "Sao Paulo, why am I bringing me down?", which serves as a lament for the self-sabotaging tendencies that the singer is grappling with. They recognize that their excessive drinking and inability to fight "truth decay" - perhaps a reference to the ways in which they see themselves perpetuating cliched and unfulfilling patterns of behavior - are contributing to their feelings of emptiness and despair. The second verse of the song reveals that the singer has a desire to travel far beyond where they are, wishing they could teleport to Rio de Janeiro with their partner instead of remaining trapped in Sao Paulo.
Overall, "Sao Paulo" is a deeply introspective track that explores themes of self-destruction, frustration, and emotional paralysis. The song's narrator grapples with feelings of inadequacy and a sense of being stuck in a cycle of unhealthy behaviors, but also recognizes their own responsibility for their situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Waiting in the club lounge
Standing around idly, occupying oneself in the club lounge
I slot in so systematically
Moving around in a methodical, organized manner
I want to smash it to pieces
Feeling a strong desire to break something into fragments
Release this hatred inside of me
Letting out pent-up anger that has been building up
You know you fill me with passion
Acknowledgment of the love and enthusiasm the other person brings to the relationship
But I just act apologetically
Behavior characterized by contrition and regret, without making any real changes
I'm gonna miss you in fashion
Making a deliberate effort to put on airs and behave stylishly before the expected separation
All ashen faced with my deceit
Feeling remorseful and ashamed about not being honest
Sao Paulo
A city in Brazil that serves as a backdrop for the song's emotions
Why am I bringing me down?
Rhetorical question questioning self-destructive behavior
If I drink any more I will drown
Suggesting that the individual has been drinking excessively to cope and it's becoming self-destructive
Why can't I fight truth decay?
Searching for a reason why it's difficult to be honest
My life is just one big cliche
Feeling like life is entirely unoriginal and predictable
Another stain on my passport
Another failed attempt at a journey
I want to travel so futuristically
Wishing for a highly advanced mode of travel
I just wish I could beam up, team up
Expressing a wish to teleport and join forces with someone
And soon be on my way
Desiring to get moving, on to the next thing
You told me we'd go to Rio
Recalling a promise made by someone else
And you said it so charismatically
Describing the way the other person made the promise with charm and magnetism
I know it's me that's the nightmare
Realizing that the problem is coming from within
So fight fair or have some decency
Asking the person who made the promise to either be honest and make an effort to change, or simply show more respect
You sure put a spin on my day
Describing the way the person has a powerful effect on the artist
Why am I heading your way
Questioning the wisdom of putting oneself in a destructive situation
Everything is coming up grey
Feeling hopeless and negative about the future
I'm just a humble DJ
Describing oneself as an unimportant, low status individual
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: EDWARDS, LEHMAN, RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind