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]
Shoulder Holster
Morcheeba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am the new
For reasons I can never explain
I speak the truth
I put an end to all your pain
I want guilt, I want to drag you right through your past
I'm on a role
And I'm moving way to fast
(Alright)
Aren't we always looking over our shoulders
Aren't we always drawing guns from our holsters
I'm at the start to check every hour of the day
I stand well above
And mold you with my clay
Out of the depth, every soul can pay a fee
Those who are kept
I'm gonna set you free
(Alright)
Aren't we always looking over our shoulders
Aren't we always drawing guns from our holsters
I'll shed light
Tear apart all you believe
One of us
Grateful for all you receive
Make it up, do you find it hard to contain
Pray in God, can you hold it all inside your brain
(Alright)
Aren't you always getting scared of the future
Aren't you always thinking someone will shoot you
Aren't we always looking over our shoulders
Aren't we always drawing guns from our holsters
The lyrics of Morcheeba's "Shoulder Holster" are full of intriguing imagery and metaphors. The song seems to be about someone who is brand new to a situation, but has a keen awareness of the past and the pain that has been experienced by those around them. The singer is on a mission to uncover the truth, to bring the past to light, and to set those who have been kept captive free. The tone of the song is confrontational, but also empathetic, as the singer seems to truly understand the struggles of those around them.
The chorus of the song ("Aren't we always looking over our shoulders / Aren't we always drawing guns from our holsters") seems to be a nod to a sense of constant vigilance, as if the characters in the song are always on edge, always ready to defend themselves against potential danger. The phrase "drawing guns from our holsters" can also be read more metaphorically, as if the characters are constantly reaching for the tools they need to navigate through difficult emotional situations.
Overall, "Shoulder Holster" is a powerful examination of the human condition, full of dark imagery, gritty realism, and a sense of longing for something more.
Line by Line Meaning
I am the new
I am a different person now than from before.
For reasons I can never explain
I cannot give a reason why I have changed.
I speak the truth
I am truthful in all that I say.
I put an end to all your pain
I can stop any discomfort you are experiencing.
I want guilt, I want to drag you right through your past
I desire you to feel remorse and acknowledge your past wrongdoings.
I'm on a role
I am on a path of success.
And I'm moving way to fast
I am progressing too quickly that it's hard to keep up.
Aren't we always looking over our shoulders
Don't we continuously feel like someone might be following us?
Aren't we always drawing guns from our holsters
Don't we feel the need to protect ourselves at all times?
I'm at the start to check every hour of the day
I am starting to monitor every moment of each day.
I stand well above
I am stronger and better than most people.
And mold you with my clay
I can shape and control people the way I want to.
Out of the depth, every soul can pay a fee
Everyone must pay a price for their actions.
Those who are kept
People who are trapped in difficult situations.
I'm gonna set you free
I will free you from whatever is holding you back.
I'll shed light
I will reveal the truth.
Tear apart all you believe
I will challenge and disprove everything you believe in.
One of us
I am one of the people, the same as you.
Grateful for all you receive
Appreciative for everything that you have.
Make it up, do you find it hard to contain
Are you having trouble keeping things together?
Pray in God, can you hold it all inside your brain
Can you keep all your thoughts and emotions to yourself and just trust in God?
Aren't you always getting scared of the future
Don't you feel frightened about what is yet to come?
Aren't you always thinking someone will shoot you
Do you always imagine someone is out to harm you in some way?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: PAUL GODFREY, ROSS GODFREY, SKYE EDWARDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@EllaBoadu
This album scratches my head ❤
@xxondiesel
One of my all time favorite albums.
@thinkingclearly2864
One of the 90's true classics. Encapsulates so may emotions and truisms. In a strange way the 90's will go down as one of the great optimistic decades, only matched by the 60's for the whole of that intense century. For a while there it felt like things were getting better and good things were done. We're in a slump right now - let's gear up for a good 2020's
@thehummingbird8790
To be honest, when I listen to this song, I get nostalgic over John Cusack--the 1990s version. His movies were so good. I especially loved Grosse Pointe Blank and Hi Fidelity. The sad thing is now he's doing shitty straight to DVD movies and shitty independent films. I long for so many things in the nineties.
@TheDodoshwedo
Thinking Clearly Two still optimistic? ;)
@momadaddy123
Lol
@LuminousAnima
Too bad everything went downhill after the late 90s
@user-gf6xm9hy2s
Seems like no good 2020s for us
@jonathanspratling5469
Such a cool song. Heard it for the first time a couple months ago on Spotify. I have been missing out.
@MrSaturnmoon
No Spam: One of the best albums ever made! Skye Edwards has an amazing voice!