Simple Minds have achieved 24 top 40 singles on the UK Singles Chart, including eight top 10 and one number one, and 26 albums on the UK Albums Chart, including 22 top 40 albums, 12 top 10 albums and five number one albums: Sparkle in the Rain (1984), Once Upon a Time (1985), Live in the City of Light (1987), Street Fighting Years (1989), and Glittering Prize 81/92 (1992). They have sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, and were the most commercially successful Scottish band of the 1980s. Simple Minds have also achieved considerable chart success in the United States, Australia, Germany, Spain, Italy and New Zealand. Despite various personnel changes, they continue to record and tour.
In 2014, Simple Minds were awarded the Q Inspiration Award for their contribution to the music industry and an Ivor Novello Award in 2016 for Outstanding Song Collection from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors (BASCA). Other notable recognitions include nominations for both the MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction and MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" in 1985, nomination for the Brit Award for British Group in 1986 and for the American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group in 1987. "Belfast Child" was nominated for the Song of the Year at the Brit Awards 1990.
The nucleus of Simple Minds consists of the two remaining original members, Jim Kerr (vocals) and Charlie Burchill (electric and acoustic guitars, occasional keyboards after 1990, saxophone and violin). The other current band members are Ged Grimes (bass guitar), Cherisse Osei (drums), Sarah Brown (backing vocals), Gordy Goudie (additional guitar and keyboards) and Berenice Scott (keyboards). Notable former members include Mick MacNeil (keyboards), Derek Forbes (bass guitar), Brian McGee and Mel Gaynor (drums).
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Minds
Discography
Life in a Day (1979)
Real to Real Cacophony (1979)
Empires and Dance (1980)
Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call (1981)
New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) (1982)
Sparkle in the Rain (1984)
Once Upon a Time (1985)
Street Fighting Years (1989)
Real Life (1991)
Good News from the Next World (1995)
Néapolis (1998)
Our Secrets Are the Same (1999/2004)
Neon Lights (2001)
Cry (2002)
Black & White 050505 (2005)
Graffiti Soul (2009)
Big Music (2014)
Acoustic (2016)
Walk Between Worlds (2018)
Direction of the Heart (2022)
Jeweler to the Stars
Simple Minds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If my eyes were open wide, maybe I could see.
If a burned out future seems like all that's in store.
I'd tumble to the ground like a fading meteor.
Jeweller to the stars.
Jeweller to the stars.
Jeweller to the stars.
Jeweller to the stars.
Ever been out walking where the air gets thin?
Or stranded on a planet losing out on oxygen?
Scream out 'Listen' in a silent place?
While feeling like you're falling, calling into space?
Jeweller to the stars.
Jeweller to the stars.
Jeweller to the stars.
Jeweller to the stars.
That's who you are.
It's a long cold distance through the galaxies.
My eyes were open wide, dazzling me.
If a burned out future is what's in store.
I'd tumble to the ground like a fading meteor.
Jeweller to the stars.
That's who you are.
The song "Jeweller to the Stars" by Simple Minds is rich in metaphorical language as it describes the vastness of space and the feeling of smallness in the face of the universe. The song paints a picture of distance and loneliness as it describes the singer's experience of being lost in space, feeling like a "fading meteor" and calling out into "silent places." The Jeweller to the Stars is the mentioned phrase that symbolizes the unseen force that keeps everything in order in the vastness of galaxies, adding to the metaphorical imagery of precious things in the universe to preserve, just like a jeweler who works to maintain the bright shine of gems and stones.
The song's message is somewhat hopeful and can be interpreted as a tribute to the forces of the universe that maintain order in chaos. It can be seen as a testament to the power of the universe itself and a reminder that we are all tiny and insignificant in comparison. The singer humbly acknowledges their smallness and the limits of their vision and begins to appreciate the beauty of the stars and the order that the universe maintains, with the jeweler representing the stewardship of the universe.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a long cold distance through the galaxies.
Traveling through outer space is a vast, cold journey.
If my eyes were open wide, maybe I could see.
Being more aware might allow me to perceive things that are currently hidden.
If a burned out future seems like all that's in store.
An apocalyptic future could be the only possibility.
I'd tumble to the ground like a fading meteor.
If everything ends, it would be like watching a shooting star losing its fire and falling to earth.
Jeweller to the stars.
You are a highly skilled creator of beautiful things, destined for the biggest and brightest parts of the universe.
That's who you are.
You were born to weave magic through your creations and make them shine throughout the cosmos.
Ever been out walking where the air gets thin?
Walking at high altitudes can make it difficult and dangerous to breathe.
Or stranded on a planet losing out on oxygen?
Being stuck on a planet with no breathable air could be a terrifying and deadly prospect.
Scream out 'Listen' in a silent place?
Yelling may be the only thing one can do in a place so devoid of sound that it could drive you to the brink of insanity.
While feeling like you're falling, calling into space?
You might feel like you are plummeting through the infinite void, with nothing to catch or anchor you.
My eyes were open wide, dazzling me.
Observing the vastness and beauty of the cosmos can be overwhelming and mesmerising.
Contributed by Xavier M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.