After recording a 7-track demo in 1995, the band signed to Murmur Records, a subsidiary of Sony. In 1996, they released the 7-track EP The Answer to Both Your Questions, recorded and mixed by Greg Atkinson of Sydney band Big Heavy Stuff.
In November of 1996, the 3-track single "Dean Martin" was released. Early in 1997, the band released a 5-track EP titled Intermission as they recorded their first album, Elsewhere for Eight Minutes, in New Zealand and mixed and mastered it in New York with U.S. producer Brian Paulson. (Brian had previously produced albums for Wilco, Archers of Loaf, Superchunk and Slint, amongst others.) Something for Kate's first full-length album was released in July of 1997. Bass player Julian Carroll was then replaced by Toby Ralph, who toured with the band for the release of the album.
Four singles were released from Elsewhere for Eight Minutes: "Captain (Million miles an hour)", "Prick", "Working Against Me" and "Roll Credit". Bass player Toby Ralph was replaced by Stephanie Ashworth (of Melbourne outfit Sandpit) in March 1998. The band then wrote their second album, Beautiful Sharks, which was released in April of 1999. Beautiful Sharks was recorded in Melbourne, once again by producer Brian Paulson.
Four singles were released from Beautiful Sharks: "Electricity", "Hallways", "Whatever You Want" and "The Astronaut". When the band went on the road with this album they took on an extra touring musician, Wally Gunn, to play the incidental guitar and keyboard parts.
In 2000, as the band were writing for their third album, Murmur released Q & A With Dean Martin, a re-release of the sold-out first EP and single. Also released in 2000 was Big Screen Television, a video collection of 12 of the band's music videos along with some bonus footage.
In June of 2001, the third album, Echolalia, was released. Produced by the band and Trina Shoemaker (whose other recording credits include Queens of the Stone Age, REM, Whiskeytown and Sheryl Crow), Echolalia was recorded at INXS bass-player Garry Gary Beers' Mangrove studio in the Central Coast of NSW.
Four singles were released from Echolalia: "Monsters", "Three Dimensions", "Twenty Years" and "Say Something". When touring this album, the band took on two touring musicians, Pip Branson (ex Sydney band Sidewinder) and Simon Bourke, again, to play the increasing amount of keyboards and extra guitar parts featured on the album.
In 2002 the band released their first DVD, A Diversion, which is a document of the writing, recording and touring of the Echolalia album.
In 2003 the band recorded and released their fourth album, The Official Fiction. Produced once again by the band and Trina Shoemaker at Mangrove studios, it spawned the singles "Deja Vu", "Song for a Sleepwalker", "Best Weapon" and "Moving Right Along".
After supporting David Bowie on the Australian leg of his Reality Tour, the band toured Europe in 2004, taking in Germany, France, Denmark, Scotland, Ireland and the UK, before returned to Australia to release Phantom Limbs, a double album of the band members' and their fans' favourite b-side tracks from over the years.
On the 30th of June 2006, Something for Kate released their fifth album, Desert Lights. Since then, Something for Kate has released 2 singles, Cigarettes and Suitcases which was released on the 5th of May 2006, just under 2 months before the second EP, Oh Kamikaze which was released on the 1st of September 2006.
Captain
Something for Kate Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was just like the real ones that I saw when I was younger
But it was too small for me
To crawl inside the cockpit and fly away
At a million miles an hour (x4)
And it took me years
Underneath the house we lived in
I threw my head and my heart in the cockpit
The voices from upstairs I only heard my crew
Preparing me for take off (x4)
Preparing me (x2)
And it's just a model
Built with plastic and with glue
But every day I go down to the airport
And I fly away from
I fly away from you (x2)
The lyrics to Something for Kate's song "Captain" describe a person who has built a model airplane and uses it as an escape from reality. The airplane is a symbol of the person's childhood dreams and aspirations to fly away from their problems. However, the reality of adulthood and the limitations of the small model plane prevent them from achieving those dreams. The verse "But it was too small for me to crawl inside the cockpit and fly away at a million miles an hour" represents this idea of being held back by limitations.
The second verse describes the process of building the airplane, and how the person puts all their heart and soul into it. The sounds of the engines and the voices from upstairs add to the sense of adventure and excitement. Even though it is just a model made of plastic and glue, it represents something much bigger to the person. They use the airplane as a way to escape from their problems and "fly away" from reality. The repetition of "preparing me for takeoff" emphasizes the idea that this is their escape route, their way of leaving everything behind.
In conclusion, "Captain" is a song about the struggle between childhood dreams and the limitations of adulthood. The model airplane is a symbol of the person's hopes and aspirations of flying away from their problems, but the reality of life prevents them from achieving those dreams. The airplane becomes a way of escape, a place where they can imagine flying away to a better place.
Line by Line Meaning
I built an aeroplane
I constructed a replica aircraft of my childhood dreams.
It was just like the real ones that I saw when I was younger
I created a craft that resembled the ones I fantasized about as a child.
But it was too small for me
The device was too diminutive for me to fit inside properly.
To crawl inside the cockpit and fly away
I desired to enter the pod and soar into the skies.
At a million miles an hour (x4)
I wanted to travel at an unthinkably rapid pace, much swifter than the typical speed of flight.
And it took me years
It took a large amount of time to assemble and fine-tune the craft.
Underneath the house we lived in
I constructed the airplane beneath my dwelling.
I threw my head and my heart in the cockpit
I invested my ideas and passions into the design and operation of my creation.
The sounds of the engines
The cutting-edge noise generators in the machine enthralled me.
The voices from upstairs I only heard my crew
I imagined individuals guiding and assisting me from a distance, as if they were talking via a radio connection.
Preparing me for take off (x4)
They primed me for lift-off, trying to make sure I was prepared.
Preparing me (x2)
They readied me mentally and physically for flight.
And it's just a model
The airplane is just a scaled-down version, not a genuine aircraft.
Built with plastic and with glue
The structure is a product of plastic and adhesive materials.
But every day I go down to the airport
Every day I visit the airport in order to fulfill my flight aspirations.
And I fly away from
I take off and depart from
I fly away from you (x2)
I leave behind something or someone in pursuit of my soaring ambitions.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CLINT WESLEY HYNDMAN, JULIAN MATTHEW CARROLL, PAUL ANTHONY DEMPSEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tegan Boundy
Paul's voice is one of the greatest things on this planet <3
Shayne Stebbing
Its a good song hey 😉
Jasmine Envy
I remember hearing these guys on JJJ for the first time. It was like the best kick in the ass music-wise I ever got. The young SFK sound was so raw but so beautifully crafted and was heightened more by Paul Dempsey's alluring Lyrics.
Aiken
This was my childhood I’d make plastic models and do this, it made me tear up at work when you first released it. I’m in tears now at 53yrs old I’ve found this song again, Thankyou from the bottom of my heart
Craig Cooper
Love Paul’s voice in this song! Great song.
Ben Johnson
Damn Dempsey lyrics are so bloody profound!
Roberts Dane
Grew up listening too this on rage ,saw them live, sounded great, im here as the other one was deleted .
captainpoobah
Remember seeing them play this at Bar on the Hill in Newi to about 12 people. It fucking rocked. They came back 9 months later after Echolalia dropped and you couldn't get inside the place was so full...
Jasmine Envy
Need more bands like this in 2021 desperately.
Gustavo Trajano de Moura
I had never watched something that 90's and nostalgic before. I love it!