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.
We Belong
Sheppard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Heartache was something I could do without
But it started changing when you came around
And now I never want it to fade
Now that we've lit this fire
(Get na-na-na-na-na)
We've got to fan the flame
To keep it burning higher
(Get na-na-na-na-na)
To die another day
To die another day
(Hoo, ha)
We belong together
(Hoo, ha)
The diamond's under pressure, baby
(Hoo, ha)
Through whatever weather
(Hoo, ha)
We belong together, baby
We can chase the summer 'til the sun burns out
Not even gravity can hold us down
Yes I'm holding on to every minute now
No I don't ever want it to fade
Now that we've lit this fire
(Get na-na-na-na-na)
We've got to fan the flame
(Get na-na-na-na-na)
To keep it burning higher
(Get na-na-na-na-na)
To die another day
To die another day
(Hoo, ha)
We belong together
(Hoo, ha)
The diamond's under pressure, baby
(Hoo, ha)
Through whatever weather
(Hoo, ha)
We belong together, baby
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
There's something I love about
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
There's something I love about
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
The woman that's all you are
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
There's something I love
We belong together
The diamond's under pressure, baby
Through whatever weather
We belong together, baby (Oh yeah)
(Hoo, ha)
We belong together
(Hoo, ha)
The diamond's under pressure, baby
(Hoo, ha)
Through whatever weather
(Hoo, ha)
We belong together, baby
Oh, oh, get na-na-na-na-na
Oh, oh, get na-na-na-na-na
(We belong together)
Oh, oh, get na-na-na-na-na
Oh, oh, get na-na-na-na-na
(We belong together, baby)
Oh, oh, get na-na-na-na-na
Oh, oh
(We belong together, baby)
"We Belong" by Sheppard is a song about the transformative power of love and the strong connection between two people. The singer in the song begins with a skeptical view of love, having experienced heartache in the past. However, when the other person enters their life, everything starts changing. The love they share is portrayed as a fire that has been ignited, and they are determined to keep it burning higher. They never want their love to fade away.
The chorus emphasizes the sense of belonging and unity between the two individuals. They are meant to be together, like two diamonds under pressure. They can weather any storm or challenge that comes their way. This love is depicted as something powerful and unbreakable. The repetition of the line "We belong together" reinforces the unyielding bond they share.
Line by Line Meaning
I had heard of love but had my doubts
I was aware of the concept of love, but I was unsure about its authenticity and reliability.
Heartache was something I could do without
I didn't want to experience the pain and sadness that comes with heartbreak.
But it started changing when you came around
However, everything began to shift when you entered my life.
And now I never want it to fade
Now, I never want this love to diminish or disappear.
Now that we've lit this fire
Since we have ignited this passionate flame between us,
(Get na-na-na-na-na)
We've got to fan the flame
We must keep nurturing and intensifying this love.
(Get na-na-na-na-na)
To keep it burning higher
To ensure that our love continues to grow stronger and more intense.
(Get na-na-na-na-na)
To die another day
To withstand any challenges that might come our way and continue our love journey.
We belong together
We are meant to be together, our connection is undeniable.
The diamond's under pressure, baby
Our love is under pressure, like a diamond being tested, but it remains strong and valuable.
Through whatever weather
No matter what difficulties or obstacles we face, our love will endure.
We belong together, baby
We are destined to be together, my love.
We can chase the summer 'til the sun burns out
We can pursue happiness endlessly, until the end of time.
Not even gravity can hold us down
Nothing, not even the forces that weigh us down, can prevent our love from soaring.
Yes I'm holding on to every minute now
I am cherishing and valuing every moment we spend together.
No I don't ever want it to fade
I never want our love to lose its vibrancy or diminish.
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
There's something I love about
There is something captivating and inspiring about
The woman that's all you are
The person you are as a woman, with all your unique qualities and characteristics.
Oh, oh, get na-na-na-na-na
(We belong together)
Oh, oh, get na-na-na-na-na
(We belong together, baby)
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Jason Bovino, Amy Louise Sheppard, Andrew Dawson, George Josef Sheppard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rose Ybañez
Why these guys are so UNDERRATED!? I love their songs!
Iya VH
They should be world wide famous and their positive vibes songs should be the ones being played on the radio for everyone to hear instead of the negative ones. I love their upbeat dance tempos!
Hx7ryShorts
Their other song has 46M views
Eduardo Balbo
Love you, guys! Your music is so fresh, simple but original and it has something new: fun and happiness!
Much love from Italy, waiting for another album!
Steven Ward
This feels like a mix of Daft Punk and Sunday Morning Gospel.......Funky, yet with soul.....I like it!!!!!!!!!
Lofrine Layam
Your music have always had the power to lift me up when I'm down and help me pull through. Thank you and please don't ever stop putting your songs out to this cold world. Love you guys. <3
missmagic707
Absolutely adoring this! So happy and summery, it is on constant repeat!
Jenna Berry
Amazing! Can't wait for the new album. Every song they create makes me want to dance.
Rory Geoghegan
Sheppard, I think ur my favourite band in the world ever. Good luck forever. So pumped for the next album :)
From Rory in Sydney :)
Raymond Zacchaeus Arias
"The diamond is pumping, so as my heart. My heart is a diamond, or even stronger and durable that a diamond, but not as hard as it." That's in my mind when I saw that pumping diamond.