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.
Judy
Pernice Brothers Lyrics
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So soft, so low
She feels a scream, we'll be an emerald green
So close you sleep
And I don't always mind
The quiet that it brings
So let's pretend our lives will never end
And I won't always mind
The certainty it leaves in doubt
The quiet danger, strange to stranger
Tell her that you saw me
Tell her that you saw me
Would you please, would you please, would you please?
There's somewhere in her song
You hardly move at all like both of you are gone
You hardly move at all like both of you are gone
Tell her that you saw me
Tell her that you saw me
Tell her that you saw me
Tell her that you saw me
The Pernice Brothers' song "Judy" is a slow, melancholic ballad that speaks of longing and uncertainty in a relationship. The opening lines of the song set the tone for a very contemplative mood, with the singer observing the quietness of his surroundings while watching television. The lyric "She feels a scream, we'll be an emerald green" suggests a pent-up frustration that he and his partner share, and they are both holding onto hope for a brighter future, hence the reference to the color green.
The verse "And I won't always mind, the certainty it leaves in doubt, the quiet danger, strange to stranger" portrays the push and pull situation in the relationship, where they find comfort and security in each other's presence despite their doubts and uncertainties. The repetition of "Tell her that you saw me" at the end of the song adds a feeling of desperation, as if the singer is pleading for a message to be passed on to his partner and hoping for a chance to reconnect.
Overall, "Judy" is a poignant and thoughtful work of art that captures the fears and doubts that come with relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Tonight is long, the television's on
The night is dragging on, the only source of noise is the TV
So soft, so low
The volume of the TV is set to a low level
She feels a scream, we'll be an emerald green
She has a feeling of wanting to scream, but instead they will be quiet and still like the color green
So close you sleep
They are physically close enough to sleep near each other
And I don't always mind
The artist isn't always bothered
The quiet that it brings
By the silence the TV brings
So let's pretend our lives will never end
Suggesting to imagine a life that never ends
Somehow, some way
In whatever way we can
And I won't always mind
The artist is okay with something else as well
The certainty it leaves in doubt
Even though it provides peace and certainty, it's still doubtful
The quiet danger, strange to stranger
They're acknowledging the potential danger of the quietness that strangers might feel
Tell her that you saw me
Would you please, would you please, would you please?
Asking for a favor - to tell someone they've been seen
There's somewhere in her song
She mentions a place in her song
You hardly move at all like both of you are gone
The two are so quiet, they don't move and seem like they are not even there
Tell her that you saw me
Repeated request to tell someone they were seen
Tell her that you saw me
Another request to tell someone they were seen
Contributed by Declan A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.