Before recording any full length albums, Radiohead found their demo tape and invited them to be part of the US tour for The Bends. After that, they moved from Birmingham, Alabama to Los Angeles, California to record their first album. Several band mates suffered from substance abuse and homelessness after moving from Alabama.
Their first album, self-titled, drew from these experiences and unfortunately received little recognition or sales. The subsequent album Villa Elaine caused them to be praised as "the next big thing". Villa Elaine was recorded when the band was living in an apartment of the same name in Hollywood. Remy Zero's third album The Golden Hum was also received well. A 30 second clip of the song "Save Me" from The Golden Hum was used as the theme song for WB's Smallville. Remy Zero's music has also been on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic radio show. Most recently Remy Zero's song "Fair" from Villa Elaine was used in the film Garden State, and "Prophecy", also from Villa Ellaine was used in The Last Kiss. In 2003 Jeffrey Cain, Cedric Lemoyne, and Gregory Slay formed The Engine Room and wrote the theme song to the television show Nip/Tuck titled "A Perfect Lie" which was nominated for an Emmy Award.
Remy Zero broke up after making The Golden Hum and many of its members have joined new bands. Shelby and Cinjun Tate have created Spartan Fidelity, Jeffrey Cain has formed Isidore with Steve Kilbey of The Church and recorded a solo album under the name Dead Snares,Gregory Slay has recorded multiple albums as Sleepwell, and Cedric Lemoyne has collaborated with Orenda Fink of Azure Ray on an album set for release in early 2009.
In 2006 there was reason to believe, from their MySpace posting, that the group was attempting to reform. However, as of Summer 2007, the Remy Zero MySpace page showed the following statement: "The story so far: We formed in Birmingham, AL in 1989. We took a break in 2003. We thought momentarily that we might start making music again, but now... who knows. We'll keep you posted here on whatever we're doing - together or separately - as much as we can. Stay tuned...". The Remy Zero website now has the following message:
"The five of us thank all of you who have listened, & had faith in us.
These years as Remy Zero have given birth to music and friendships that will hopefully live on past this moment. We will take the inspiration, lessons, and spirits we have encountered as each of us moves forward into new territories. Remy Zero has been put to rest.
thank you again
peace,
cedric, cinjun, jeffrey, gregory, shelby".
On Tuesday May 22, 2007 Jeffrey Cain's solo album Dead Snares Speak the Language was released, featuring performances with fellow Remy Zero members Cedric LeMoyne, Gregory Slay and Leslie Van Trease. A limited edition release on 180 gram vinyl was made available through SoundIsidore Recordings.
Shelter
Remy Zero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'cause i cannot stand the things that people do
so, i kept myself inside this place
the world has said enough i could not face
Chorus:
so i just sent them all away
i just sent them all away
i need shelter
i need shelter....
from you,
keep me outside your eyes
i locked myself up from this pain
'cause you would always let the earth divide
everything we hold inside
i'm never doing this again
i'd give it all tonight
one word, could have my life
Repeat Chorus
The lyrics to Remy Zero's "Shelter" describe a person who has isolated themselves in a room, unable to cope with the actions of other people in the world. The singer expresses a deep-rooted sense of discontent and disillusionment with humanity, and he believes that he cannot face the world anymore. He feels overwhelmed and distressed by the behavior of other individuals, which has led him to cut himself off from the rest of the world.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the singer's desire to be alone and shielded from the world around him. He has sent everyone away and yearns to distance himself from all the negative things that have been happening. He longs for a place of solace, where he can find shelter from the pain and suffering he perceives in the world. The lines "I need shelter from you" and "keep me outside your eyes" underscore his desire to be hidden away from the world's scrutinizing gaze and painful reminders of what he has been through.
Line by Line Meaning
i locked myself inside this room
I isolated myself from the world by locking myself in this room
'cause i cannot stand the things that people do
I took this step because I can no longer tolerate the actions of people
so, i kept myself inside this place
Thus, I confined myself to this place to get away from the world
the world has said enough i could not face
I have reached my limit with the things happening in the world and cannot bear it anymore
i just sent them all away
I avoided all contact with people and sent them away
if i could just, just get away
I wish to escape from everything
i need shelter
I require a protective refuge
from you, keep me outside your eyes
I want to avoid interacting with you and stay off your radar
i locked myself up from this pain
I protected myself from the distress caused by certain people by isolating myself
'cause you would always let the earth divide everything we hold inside
You have been the cause of our differences and have let them destroy everything we held dear
i'm never doing this again
I do not want to repeat this experience
i'd give it all tonight one word, could have my life
I am at a point where just one word of kindness could mean everything to me and perhaps save me from the abyss
i need shelter
I require a protective refuge
i need shelter....
I am in desperate need of protection and safety
from you,
I need to protect myself from you
repeat chorus
the need for a protective refuge resurfaces and pervades throughout the song.
Contributed by Julia N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.