The band consists of Rachel Goswell (vocals/guitar), Neil Halstead (vocals/guitar), Nick Chaplin (bass), Christian Savill (guitar), and Simon Scott (drums, 1990-1994, 2014-present); additionally, Ian McCutcheon replaced Scott from 1994-1995. Goswell and Halstead had known each other since early childhood in Reading, Berkshire.
Initial demos were released as the Slowdive EP in late 1990; the band's sound was influenced by the Cocteau Twins and Creation labelmates My Bloody Valentine, featuring heavy use of guitar effects and muted vocals. Reviews in Melody Maker and the NME were enthusiastic, and two further well-regarded EPs followed in 1991 (Morningrise & Holding Our Breath). Their debut LP Just for a Day was written and recorded in six weeks, and was generally felt to be a disappointment at the time. At the same time, the UK music press had started to pick up on the American grunge scene, and the more introspective sounds of Slowdive, labelmates Ride, Chapterhouse and other "shoegazing" bands had fallen from critical favour. American label SBK pushed back the release of Just for a Day after a disastrous viral marketing campaign (involving vandalism of a public statue). In early 1992, the band toured the USA with Ride, and then returned to the UK to record a second album.
The band's second album, Souvlaki, would later become generally the band's most popular and well-received record. The album broke new ground for the band: two songs featured contributions from Brian Eno; "Souvlaki Space Station" was influenced by dub reggae; tracks such as "Dagger" and "Here She Comes" would become indications of the country-rock direction Halstead and Goswell would take a few years later; and several songs such as "When the Sun Hits" and "Alison" continued the style of the first album, but with improved songwriting. Initial copies of the UK version came with Blue Day, a compilation of most of the early EP tracks originally released as a separate album in Japan and some European countries. Later in the year, the band also released the 5 EP, containing four songs showcasing the influence of ambient techno; the lead track "In Mind" was also remixed by Bandulu and Reload (both then signed to Creation's dance label).
As with the first album, SBK delayed Souvlaki's release, and the band found themselves touring the USA in the summer of 1993 as Catherine Wheel's supporting act with no product to promote. The US version of Souvlaki was eventually released in early 1994, and included "Some Velvet Morning" (originally recorded for the Volume 7 compilation) and three of the tracks from the 5 EP. When Slowdive were finally able to tour America to support the album, SBK withdrew their funding halfway through; two further tours in 1994 were entirely funded by the band.
Simon Scott left amidst creative differences in 1994; he was replaced on drums by Ian McCutcheon. The band had almost become a Halstead solo project by the recording of their final album, 1995's Pygmalion. A critically misunderstood and widely-misinterpreted "ambient" record, Pygmalion took the dreamy guitar sound and warm-yet-solemn tone of earlier Slowdive to a newer, more minimalist extreme, similar to earlier dream pop bands such as A R Kane, or bands such as Labradford.
Slowdive was dropped by Creation in 1995 a week after the release of Pygmalion; Halstead had been warned before the recording of the album that the relationship with the label would end unless he delivered a "pop album". A legend arose that the band was dropped due to the Gallagher brothers refusing to sign Oasis to Creation if Slowdive and their counterparts remained on the label's roster, although Oasis had in fact released their debut single almost a year before Pygmalion.
After being dropped from Creation, Slowdive eventually went on hiatus later in 1995. Neil Halstead, Rachel Goswell and Ian McCutcheon recorded an album of country-influenced songs, and were signed to label 4AD, changing the band name to Mojave 3. Halstead and Goswell have also both released solo albums for 4AD.
Christian Savill went on to form Monster Movie, a dream pop group that continued where Slowdive left off. They have released three albums thus far, Last Night Something Happened, To The Moon, Transistor, and—most recently—All Lost.
Simon Scott formed Televise in 2004, a group which developed the lengthy noise swells and experimental song structures that helped define shoegaze while (also) including a more electronic brand of indie rock.
Eventually, all of Slowdive's albums were reissued in late 2005. Just For a Day included a bonus disc with all tracks from the first three EPs, and the three songs recorded for a John Peel session on 26 March 1991. Souvlaki included a bonus disc with all the remaining EP tracks, as well as "Some Velvet Morning" (originally recorded for a compilation). Pygmalion—which had become a collector's item in the years since its release due to it never being issued in the USA—contained no extra material, however.
On January 28, 2014, following a 12-day countdown and the appearance of an official website and Twitter account for the band, Slowdive announced their reunion with the Just for a Day/Souvlaki-era line-up including Simon Scott as drummer. The band was confirmed the same day to be playing the 2014 Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona, Spain. 2014 saw the band go on a 5 month, 40 date long tour. In January 2017, Slowdive released their first new single in 22 years on the Dead Oceans label. Another single and a self titled fourth album followed in May 2017, preceded by another single, "Sugar for the Pill".
In September 2020, Slowdive announced they had begun work on their fifth studio album. In April 2023, the band confirmed on a podcast that they had finished their new album. The lead single "Kisses" was released on 20 June 2023, and later that month the band played the Glastonbury Festival for the first time. The album's second single "Skin in the Game" was released on 18 July 2023, followed by "The Slab" and "Alife" in August, and the album Everything Is Alive, was released on 1 September 2023.
Celia's Dream
Slowdive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's gone to ride an angel's breath
Gone to taste a dream
And every time I call her
A shadow crawls away
But she takes
She laughs him all [there is]
And everything she owes me
She told me that she loved me
Love, just for a day
And all the time I feel her
I feel her fade away
But she takes
She gives him all the fakes
And everything feels good
And clouds like shadows pass
She's passing like a day
She takes
She gives him all the [shadows]
And everything feels good
And clouds like shadows pass
She's passing like a day
The lyrics in Slowdive's song Celia's Dream paint a vivid picture of a woman who is free-spirited and ethereal. The song talks about how she has flown and gone to taste a dream, all while riding on an angel's breath. The singer of the song is left calling out to her, but each time, he only sees a shadow crawling away. This woman, whom the singer refers to as Celia, seems to live her life without any attachments or responsibilities, giving away everything owed to the singer and taking everything fake.
The lyrics reveal the complicated nature of the relationship between the singer and Celia. She tells him that she loves him, but only for a day. He feels her fading away, passing like a day, as clouds and shadows pass. Despite the fleeting nature of their relationship, he appreciates the good feelings that arise when she gives him all the fake things.
The lyrics in Celia's Dream are open to interpretation, but one common understanding is that they are about a woman who lives her life carefree and without commitment, while the singer struggles to hold on to her. It could also be interpreted as a metaphor for the fleeting nature of dreams and how they seem to slip away as we try to hold on to them.
Line by Line Meaning
She flies
She's free and unbound by physical limitations.
She's gone to ride an angel's breath
She's transcended to a higher state of being.
Gone to taste a dream
She's experiencing her heart's deepest desires.
And every time I call her
Whenever I seek her presence.
A shadow crawls away
A part of her I yearn for disappears and eludes me.
But she takes
She's assertive and self-reliant.
She laughs him all [there is]
She easily dismisses those who try to hold her back.
And everything she owes me
All the ways she's indebted to me.
She gives
She's generous with her love and energy.
She told me that she loved me
She expressed tenderness and affection towards me.
Love, just for a day
Her love for me was fleeting and temporary.
And all the time I feel her
She's constantly on my mind and in my heart.
I feel her fade away
I sense her slipping away from me.
She gives him all the fakes
She pretends everything is okay to please someone else.
And clouds like shadows pass
Time and memories drift by like fleeting shadows.
She's passing like a day
She's just as ephemeral and fleeting as a single day.
She gives him all the [shadows]
She gives someone else all the parts of herself that she keeps hidden.
And everything feels good
Even when she's not fully herself, everyone else is content.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: NEIL HALSTEAD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thegratefulcarpet6962
She flies
She's gone to ride an angel's breath
Gone to taste a dream
And every time I call her
A shadow crawls away
But she takes
She laughs him all [there is]
And everything she owes me
She gives
She told me that she loved me
Love, just for a day
And all the time I feel her
I feel her fade away
But she takes
She gives him all the fakes
And everything feels good
And clouds like shadows pass
She's passing like a day
She takes
She gives him all the [shadows]
And everything feels good
And clouds like shadows pass
She's passing like a day
@grafunknown4572
The fact that this band played this amazing music back in 1991, just to get done dirty by critics, but still returned 30 years later to gain the deserved recognition, shows everyone that you should never give up completely. It's ok to take a break from something if it doesn't work out but don't throw it away completely if you are sure it can work out.
@clvrswine
No idea what TF you are saying here. "Done dirty" is what children might use, so I will assume you are a kid that doesn't know shit about music. "It's ok to take a break from something" - take your own lame advice.
@geekane
I always want to hear this song played at a live concert
@Kinder_witch
My name is Celia and I feel blessed that I share my name with such a beautiful song 🖤
@AtikWithBuckTeeth
Man I love Slowdive
@thegratefulcarpet6962
She flies
She's gone to ride an angel's breath
Gone to taste a dream
And every time I call her
A shadow crawls away
But she takes
She laughs him all [there is]
And everything she owes me
She gives
She told me that she loved me
Love, just for a day
And all the time I feel her
I feel her fade away
But she takes
She gives him all the fakes
And everything feels good
And clouds like shadows pass
She's passing like a day
She takes
She gives him all the [shadows]
And everything feels good
And clouds like shadows pass
She's passing like a day
@lividhopeofficial
Great song and one of my favorite ones, simply beautiful being able to experience it and glad they posted it!
@SmokeandSteam
As soon as I hear this I’m transported back to being a student listening to this album over and over again in my room. Your music has, basically, been the soundtrack to my life - through Slowdive, Mojave 3, Black Hearted Brother, solo albums, collabs and then Slowdive again - and I’m so glad it has been. You make the world seem and feel better and I love you for it
Slowdive forever!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
@nom3662
Is this what heaven sounds like?
@lividhopeofficial
yes