Six by Seven are a Nottingham, England based rock band who formed in 1996, … Read Full Bio ↴Six by Seven are a Nottingham, England based rock band who formed in 1996, specialising in a brand of space-rock that fused the drones, propulsiveness and washes of noise of krautrock with the abrasiveness of punk. They have released six albums, along with several compilations of studio offcuts and live performances. Arriving at a time of stagnating but popular Britpop and Britrock, they were unique not only in sound but also in utilising a saxophonist for texture and in Sam Hempton choosing to attack his guitar strings with a drumstick instead of a plectrum.

The band take their name from the research connected with the Hubble telescope. Sam came up with the name, but he's told the story so many times that he's not quite sure if he still remembers the theory correctly! Anyway, it goes something like this... "There was a big debate as to whether the millions of other galaxies in the universe were accelerating away from each other or moving away at a constant rate, or whether they were actually coming back in on themselves. The scientists originally thought that everything would eventually come back in on itself and implode, but what's actually happening is that they are accelerating away at a rate of Six By Seven."

Six by Seven have a spontaneous approach to their songwriting - some of the songs for the new album weren't written until the day that they were recorded; another was written briefly using an acoustic guitar and a drum machine. Chris Olley explains: "I've always maintained that we're a band who try to find themselves musically simply by pursuing our ideas. There are too many people in the band to have this thing where 'it's gonna be like this' or 'it's gonna be like that'. There are different things that we can do and it's just however the mood takes us on the day that we go in that direction. We don't make any rules for ourselves."

Six by Seven were initially feted by the music press, the UK's influential NME describing European Me as 'possibly the greatest début single ever', but have never found the commercial success their heartfelt, powerful music perhaps deserves. 2008 saw them working on what would have been their seventh full album, but the band split before it's completion. Demos from these sessions are available on their official website, www.sixbyseven.co.uk.

The band reformed in 2013 with another line-up change, including the addition of former Placebo drummer Steve Hewitt. The band resumed touring and recorded a new album, Love and Peace and Sympathy.

So Close
Six By Seven Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Last night I thought I heard you
stepping through the door
you and me were so beautiful
It must have been a dream
You know they really screwed you up
before you tumbled down
boy they really screwed you up
before you tumbled down

So close to being anything
so close to being more
than I have ever been
So close to being anything
so close to being more
than I have ever been

I adore your conversation
I adore just who you are
You inspire my imagination
I adore just who you are

So close to being anything
So close to being anything

so close to being more
than I have ever been

Overall Meaning

The song "So Close" by Six By Seven is a longing track that depicts a dreamlike experience of the singer. He thought he heard someone stepping through the door, and it turns out to be the person he adores. In the dream, the singer and the person were beautiful, which signifies perfection in the relationship. However, the dream ends, as the person had been screwed up before. This line implies that the person had gone through some hardships in the past, which is preventing the perfection in a relationship.

The chorus of the song is particularly interesting as it shows that the person in the dream is an essential factor in the singer's life. He is so close to being anything and more than he has ever been, all due to the person's presence in his life. The line "So close to being anything" signifies that the person has the potential to transform the singer's life.

The second verse of the song emphasizes the significance of the person in the singer's life. The singer adores the person's conversation and who they are. The person inspires the singer's imagination, which is a manifestation of the singer's creative side. The last part of the song again emphasizes that the person is so close to being anything and more than the singer has ever been. Overall, the song depicts a dreamlike experience of longing for the presence of someone who has the potential to transform one's life.

Line by Line Meaning

Last night I thought I heard you stepping through the door
I had a dream where I heard you entering my room

you and me were so beautiful
In my dream, we were a perfect couple

It must have been a dream
I realized it wasn't real as soon as I woke up

You know they really screwed you up before you tumbled down
I know you've been hurt before and it affected you deeply

boy they really screwed you up before you tumbled down
You've been through a lot of pain and suffered greatly

So close to being anything
We were so close to achieving anything we wanted together

so close to being more than I have ever been
I could've been the happiest and fullest version of myself with you

I adore your conversation
I love talking to you and hearing your thoughts

I adore just who you are
I appreciate and admire your unique personality

You inspire my imagination
You stimulate my creativity and make me think in new ways

So close to being anything
We were on the verge of achieving greatness together