Sheppard's international hit single Geronimo was the Brisbane band's battle-cry, a super-sophisticated stadium pop anthem shot through with all the mixed emotions of being young. With this, the six-piece, formed around siblings George, Amy and Emma Sheppard, launched their debut album Bombs Away.
The Sheppard story starts two and half thousand miles from Brisbane in the tropical Pacific paradise of Papua New Guinea, where the family moved with their lawyer father. Music was in the air from day one: while dad blasted Cat Stevens in the house to get them out of bed in the mornings, mum sent them for lessons in piano and music theory. But their biggest influence was a music teacher at their Port Moresby school, Baruka Tau-Matagu, keyboard player of the legendary Aboriginal group Yothu Yindu and top session man for the likes of Janet Jackson and Madonna. From Tau the Sheppards picked up their love of harmony.
Sheppard came about by accident, back in Australia, in fact, when middle child Amy was studying for a music diploma and felt that one of her songs (working title *Cheese on Toast*) lacked a certain something. Brother George, then a drama student in Sydney, helped out on harmonies, and the pair realised they could write together. They added young composer and producer Jay Bovino, fresh from Sydney band Vienna Circus, and in the space of two months the trio Bovino / Sheppard / Sheppard had written 30 tracks. Brisbane musicians Michael Butler and Dean Gordon joined them on guitar and drums, with younger sister Emma on bass guitar. After trying out various producers, they finally hit upon one - Stuart Stuart of Analogue Heart Records - who let them be themselves. "With Geronimo," says Amy, "we kind of knew it was a hit. We wrote it in about two hours - there were so many hooks, and so many more hooks we could have added and didn’t.”
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2013, Sheppard were nominated for Best Independent Release for "Let Me Down Easy". At the 2014 ceremony, they were nominated for Album of the Year, Best Group, Best Independent Release, Best Pop Release, Song of the Year, Producer of the Year, and Best Video.
On 1 November 2016, "We Belong" was released.
Symphony
Sheppard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Second guessing, no way that I could have played
I was fearing, blank stares and empty chairs (ah, ah, ah)
Then you found me, and pushed me into the light
All around me, the crowd was coming alive
I got lost in your bright technicoloured dream
So I'm never gonna waste my love
Now I'm awake, my love
You've broken the spell
Your heart sings to me
A melody that sets me free
Your love is like a symphony
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
And what a way to set me free
Your love is like a symphony
Well I, had no rhythm, two syncopated left feet
Now I'm dancing 'cause your heart is driving the beat
Hold me close and I won't ever drift off key (ah, ah)
The highest of highs and the lowest of lows
You're makin' me sing out and hit all the notes
And with you around me it's just so easy to be in love
So I'm never gonna waste my love
On anyone else
Now I'm awake, my love
You've broken the spell
Your heart sings to me
A melody that sets me free
Your love is like a symphony
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
And what a way to set me free
Your love is like a symphony
The song starts and ends with you
The song starts and ends with you
The sun sets and rises just for you
The song starts and ends
The song starts and ends with you
The song starts and ends with you
The sun sets and rises just for you
So I'm never gonna waste my love
On anyone else
Now I'm awake, my love
You've broken the spell
Your heart sings to me
A melody that sets me free
Your love is like a symphony
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh (your love is like a symphony)
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
And what a way to set me free
Your love is like a symphony
The song Symphony by Sheppard tells a story about being lifted up by love and finding true happiness. The opening lines signify hesitation and shyness before finding love, and the feeling of being lost and alone. However, when the singer finds someone who pushes them into the light and helps them to discover their potential, their world transforms. The metaphor of a symphony represents love and the transformative effect it has on the singer’s life. Love is described as a melody that sets the singer free, and rhythm that guides them to syncopation. In the end, the song becomes an ode to the transformative effect of love on the singer and how it has given them a sense of direction and purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
Curtains open, scared to get up on the stage
At the start of the journey towards love, Sheppard is hesitant and scared of the limelight
Second guessing, no way that I could have played
Sheppard fears she's not good enough for love, and is doubting her capability to experience love
I was fearing, blank stares and empty chairs (ah, ah, ah)
Sheppard is anxious that she'll get no love, and that there will be no one to love her back
Then you found me, and pushed me into the light
Love found her, and gave her the courage to come out of the shadows and be seen in the light of love
All around me, the crowd was coming alive
In finding love, Sheppard's surroundings start to change and come alive as she comes alive with love
I got lost in your bright technicoloured dream
Sheppard's love for the person who found her is so strong and vibrant that it takes her away to a world of pure happiness
So I'm never gonna waste my love
On anyone else
Now I'm awake, my love
You've broken the spell
Your heart sings to me
A melody that sets me free
Your love is like a symphony
Sheppard realizes that the love she has found is enough and that she does not need to search for love anywhere else. She reiterates that her newfound love has set her free and feels like the perfect symphony
Well I, had no rhythm, two syncopated left feet
Now I'm dancing 'cause your heart is driving the beat
Hold me close and I won't ever drift off key (ah, ah)
Before finding love, Sheppard was not in tune with herself or the world around her. But now, in the company of the person she loves, she has found her rhythm and feels in tune with the world. She is sure that with this love, she will never lose her way
The highest of highs and the lowest of lows
You're makin' me sing out and hit all the notes
And with you around me it's just so easy to be in love
With the highs and lows that come with love, Sheppard's love is strong enough to withstand it all. She confidently proclaims that love makes her feel comfortable and at ease
The song starts and ends with you
The song starts and ends with you
The sun sets and rises just for you
The song starts and ends
The song starts and ends with you
The song starts and ends with you
The sun sets and rises just for you
Sheppard wants to remind the person she loves that everything she does is for them. The love she feels starts and ends with them and the world revolves around them
And what a way to set me free
Your love is like a symphony
Sheppard concludes by expressing gratitude for the love she has found, reiterating that this love is what has set her free and comparing it to the perfect symphony.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: Alex Niceforo, Amy Sheppard, George Sheppard, Jason Bovino, Keith Sorrells
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rosescarlet1866
They really are so underrated. Thier songs are such feel good party vibes. I wish more people would support them. Great job guys!❤🧡💛💚💙💜
@sheppard
Thanks Rose xx
@rosescarlet1866
@wearesheppard OMG! I can't believe you replied!😳 Thank you so much!🌹 Sending all my love from South Africa🇿🇦❤
@kaibaing4288
@wearesheppard it's music like this,which keeps me going after a terrible day
Ty for making this song,helps me believe in a better tomorrow.
@licoricegallery
You're right, they are underrated. Good band.
@craig9grillett303
😎🤣😂🥰😗
@JayHaurat
Wonderful seeing Brisbane as the backdrop! 💗
@billybobnibs
Bringing back some “Say Geronimo” vibes
@j4ytee_
its honestly so surreal seeing a city I grew up in as the main focus of the video, i could tell you exactly where all those streets are
@jamesreinhardt4015
It looks so beautiful there. May I hopefully get the chance to go there someday.