Collaboration with Josh Haden: Tough Guys Don't Dance (2000-2005)
After a series of successful EP releases in 2000–2002, in 2003 they recorded their first studio album Tough Guys Don't Dance. The vocalist and co-author of three of the nine songs was Josh Haden - bassist and vocalist for Spain. The release was not successful either commercially or critically. After the release of the EP "Closer" in 2004, the musicians were engaged in mixing tracks for other artists.
Collaboration with Mark Lanegan: It's Not How Far You Fall, It's the Way You Land and Broken (2006-2009)
See also: It's Not How Far You Fall, It's the Way You Land and Broken (Soulsavers album)
In 2006, collaboration begins with American singer, musician and songwriter - Mark Lanegan. On It's Not How Far You Fall, It's the Way You Land album, his vocals are featured in eight of the eleven songs, and he is also featured as co-author of five songs. In addition, the album has a remake of Lanegan's song "Kingdoms of Rain", originally released on his 1994 album, Whiskey for the Holy Ghost. Soulsavers recorded an album in England and Lanegan completed his vocals in Los Angeles.
On the next Broken album, released in 2009, Lanegan's vocals are featured in nine out of thirteen songs, and he co-authored eight songs. Broken, was released on 17 August 2009. Other prominent musicians such as Mike Patton (of Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk and other projects), Jason Pierce (of Spiritualized and Spacemen 3), Richard Hawley, and Gibby Haynes (of Butthole Surfers) also feature on the album. The non-album single "Sunrise," a song written by Lanegan and sung by Will Oldham, preceded the album release on 3 August 2009. The B-side is a cover of Palace Brothers' "You Will Miss Me When I Burn," a song written by Oldham and sung by Lanegan, that is also featured on the Broken album.
The pair have also worked as film score composers, such as on BattleGround: 21 Days on the Empire's Edge produced by the Guerrilla News Network.
Their song "Revival" was featured on the 22 November 2007 episode of Grey's Anatomy, titled "Crash into Me" part 1. The song was also featured on 10 December episode of Friday Night Lights, titled "Giving Tree". It is also featured in the snowboarding movie That's It, That's All. Revival also featured in the trailer of the 2011 film Machine Gun Preacher. "Kingdoms of Rain" featured in the Lie to Me episode "Truth or Consequences," which aired on 5 October 2009. They supported Depeche Mode during the European leg of their Tour of the Universe in late 2009.
Collaboration with Dave Gahan: The Light the Dead See, Angels & Ghosts and Imposter (2010-present)
In October to December 2009, Soulsavers supported Depeche Mode during a tour in support of their album Sounds of the Universe. The idea of collaboration between band members and Depeche Mode vocalist Dave Gahan was embodied in the 2012 album The Light the Dead See, consisting of ten songs and two instrumental tracks. Dave wrote lyrics to all the songs on the album and performed lead vocals for them.
In May 2013 Soulsavers started to work on material for their up-and-coming fifth studio album in collaboration with Dave Gahan. The album was released in October 2015 under the name Angels & Ghosts and in its support two singles were released - "All this and nothing" and "Shine". In addition, a mini-tour was organized in support of the new album (for the first time with Gahan), in which songs from the current album, The Light the Dead See were performed as well as some Depeche Mode's and the vocalist's solo songs in encore.
Shortly after a series of concerts in support of the album Angels & Ghosts, the Machin and Glover had released the album Kubrick consisting of completely instrumental eight tracks (for the first time in the project's history). After that the collective suspended its activities.
On 12 November 2021, Soulsavers released new album, Imposter.
Ghosts Of You And Me
Soulsavers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sweet mother mine
Grayest sky
Gun metal eyes
Beneath the needle tree
The ghost of you and me
They sing the saddest song
Some say this highway seven
Is a long and lonesome road
Don't ask me little Rosa
What direction I am going
I used to love
And take the southern special
When the summer rise and fall
Now I ride the national
If I had a black cat bone
Then I would not be alone
Do it darling, dig my grave
This cemetery is my own
Goodbye Mary
(Goodbye Mary)
Sweet mother mine
(Sweet mother mine)
Grayest sky
Gun metal eyes
Under the needle tree
The ghost of you and me
They, they sing the saddest song
Just one last breath and gone
I used to love
And take the southern special
When the summer rise and fall
Now I take the national
Some say this highway seven
Is a long and lonesome road
Don't ask me little Rosa
What direction, I don't know
If I had a black cat bone
Then I would not be alone
If I had a black cat bone
I would not be alone
The lyrics of Soulsavers's song Ghosts Of You And Me appear to be about a person's struggle with loss and loneliness. The song begins with a farewell to Mary, most likely the singer's mother, and mentions a gray sky and gunmetal eyes, which could represent melancholy and sorrow. The lyrics then mention a needle tree and the ghost of the singer and someone else. The needle tree could be a symbol of death or mourning, and the ghost represents the singer's longing to be reunited with the person they have lost.
The lyrics continue with a mention of Highway Seven, which is described as long and lonesome. The singer talks to Little Rosa and admits that they don't know which direction to go, suggesting confusion and aimlessness. The singer then mentions a Southern special, most likely a train, and how they used to take it in the past. However, now they ride the national train, suggesting a change in lifestyle or circumstances.
The song ends with a repetition of the phrase "If I had a black cat bone, then I would not be alone," which could represent a desire for a magic charm or a companion to help the singer cope with their loneliness and grief. Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of a person struggling to come to terms with loss and isolation, searching for companionship and meaning in a world that feels empty and lonely.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodbye Mary
Farewell to Mary, whoever she is
Sweet mother mine
Addressing his mother affectionately
Grayest sky
The cloudy and melancholic sky reflects his mood
Gun metal eyes
His eyes are cold and lifeless, as if reflecting the hardness of his life
Beneath the needle tree
He finds himself under a tree with thorns, a symbol of pain and difficulty
The ghost of you and me
He and someone else, who is now gone, still haunt his memories
They sing the saddest song
The memories keep haunting him and causing him sadness
Just one last breath and gone
It feels like the memories will disappear soon and be forgotten forever
Some say this highway seven
There's a famous road (probably a metaphor for life) that's long and lonely
Is a long and lonesome road
He agrees with the saying
Don't ask me little Rosa
He doesn't know where he's heading and doesn't want to be asked
What direction I am going
He doesn't have a clear direction and doesn't want to talk about it
I used to love
In the past, he used to have love in his heart
And take the southern special
He used to go for a special kind of experience in the southern states
When the summer rise and fall
He used to do it during the seasonal changes of summer
Now I ride the national
Now he's doing something more common, more mainstream
If I had a black cat bone
He wishes he had something that would protect him from evil and loneliness
Then I would not be alone
If he had that, he would feel better
Do it darling, dig my grave
He's feeling so down that he's asking someone to bury him
This cemetery is my own
This whole place feels like a graveyard to him and it's all his
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: IAN GLOVER, MARK LANEGAN, RICHARD BLAISE MACHIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind