Massachusetts-born Pernice had begun his recording career in the country-rock Scud Mountain Boys. He left the band, and most of its country music trappings, to pursue pure pop.
The Pernice Brothers also included Joe's brother Bob Pernice on guitar (hence the name), Peyton Pinkerton (guitar), Mike Deming (piano), bassist Thom Monahan, and Aaron Sperske on drums.
The band's first release was 1998's Overcome By Happiness. They have since recorded four more studio albums: The World Won't End (2001); Yours, Mine & Ours (2003), Discover A Lovelier You (2005), and Live A Little (2006). They released a live album, Nobody's Watching/Nobody's Listening in 2004. Pernice has also made two solo outings, one under the name Chappaquiddick Skyline.
Their music is distinguished by Pernice's silky, breathy vocals, reminiscent of Colin Blunstone or Nick Drake. He cites many musical influences: Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr, as well as Jimmy Webb, The Carpenters, and The Bee Gees. The deceptive simplicity, seductive melodies and soaring choruses of his songs also attract comparisons with the Beach Boys, Big Star, The Hollies and The Zombies. Yet the band can as easily sound like The Cure or New Order.
Pernice is also a fine lyricist (he has a master's degree in creative writing). His songwords show that Pernice can not only tackle difficult and offbeat subjects, but that he has a Morrissey-esque dark sense of humour too.
Amazing Glow
Pernice Brothers Lyrics
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No room was spared No mood shown her mercy
I was a tireless fool I thought I could do better
I left in flames: a paper shade hanging from a light
And when it came to the wrecking ball:
She swung it effortlessly like it had no weight at all
And when it came to her victories:
Amazing glow
I changed my master plan I changed my friends and city
I go to sleep I still wake up screaming
A dream so full and real, you'd think I would know better
I try to stave off a new day from rising.
And when it came to the wrecking ball: she swung it effortlessly like it had no weight at all
And when it came to her victories: the genus names of all the flowers that were feeding off her
Amazing glow.
The lyrics of "Amazing Glow" by Pernice Brothers convey a sense of awe and envy towards a woman with a rare and wicked skill to change the light or weather. The singer describes how this woman spares no room or mood, showing no mercy even to tireless fools like him who thought they could do better. The image of a paper shade hanging from a light suggests the fragility and transience of his own aspirations compared to her powerful ability to shape the world around her.
Despite the destructive force of the woman's wielding of the wrecking ball, the singer is still impressed by her effortless grace and mastery. He notes how even the flowers seem to feed off her amazing glow, and how she seems to effortlessly sweep to victory in all aspects of life. The repeated refrain of "amazing glow" reinforces the sense of admiration and wonder he feels towards her.
Ultimately, the singer is forced to change his own master plan and even his friends and city in order to try to escape the haunting power of this woman's influence on his life. He struggles to stave off the arrival of a new day, still trapped in the grip of a dream so full and real that he can't shake it off. The song thus captures the sense of fascination and even obsession that can arise in response to someone with an incredible, almost supernatural ability to shape the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
A rare and wicked skill to change the light or weather
She has an extraordinary and sinister ability to manipulate both the mood and atmosphere.
No room was spared No mood shown her mercy
She left no place untouched, and spared no emotion its wrath.
I was a tireless fool I thought I could do better
He naively believed he could compete with her, despite his own limitations.
I left in flames: a paper shade hanging from a light
He departed in a blaze of failure, reduced to nothing more than an insignificant decoration.
And when it came to the wrecking ball: She swung it effortlessly like it had no weight at all
She destroyed everything and everyone with ease, as if it posed no challenge.
And when it came to her victories: The genus names of all the flowers that were feeding off her
She was so spectacular that even the flowers flourished in her presence, with their scientific names a testament to her greatness.
Amazing glow
An awe-inspiring aura surrounds her, like a radiant force that defies explanation.
I changed my master plan I changed my friends and city
He altered his entire life's course in a futile attempt to escape her powerful influence.
I go to sleep I still wake up screaming
Even in his sleep, he cannot escape the nightmares brought on by her unyielding dominance.
A dream so full and real, you'd think I would know better
A vivid illusion that he knows cannot be true, but still haunts him with its palpable presence.
I try to stave off a new day from rising.
He dreads the arrival of each new day, knowing it will only bring more misery in her sustained glow.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOE PERNICE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind