Its members were multi-instrumentalists Joachim Toelke (primarily electric guitar), Graeme Fleming (primarily drums/percussion), and Phil Stewart-Bowes (primarily bass guitar). The trio formed in 1997, began playing live in 1998, and went on to release two recordings on the Turnbuckle label. (The label was also home to noise rockers Bailter Space). Their self-titled 1998 EP/mini album (also known as 33) was supposedly recorded in a ski chalet. Southpacific soon relocated to the more musically-fertile community of Toronto. Full-length album Constance was recorded in early to mid 1999, and made it to stores in early 2000.
Southpacific's guitar-oriented music was generally psychedelic in nature and filled with reverb, yet at times contained sheets of noise and heavy drumming. Their music was highly recording studio-intensive, using many layers of guitar tracks and subtle samples to create a dense overall sound. This drew the band comparisons to Sonic Youth, early Verve, Slowdive, Mogwai, and My Bloody Valentine. However, only one of the band's songs ("Built To Last") had vocals, making the band favorites of post-rock and ambient music aficionados. The band never released any singles.
Finale
South Pacific Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dites-moi
Pourquoi
La vie est belle,
Dies-moi
Pourquoi--
Emile:
Dites-moi
Pourquoi,
Chere Mad'moiselle,
Est-ce que
Parce que
Vous m'aimez?
Nellie:
Born on the opposite sides of the sea,
We are as diff'rent as people can be.
Emile:
It's true
Nellie:
And yet you want to marry me.
Emile:
I do!
Nellie:
I've known you a few short weeks and yet
Somehow you made my heart forget
All other men I have ever met but you, but you
Emile:
Some enchanted evening
When you find your true love,
When you feel her call you
Across a crowded room,
Then fly to her side,
And make her your own
Or all through your life...
Nellie:
Once you have found her,
Never let her go.
Emile:
Once you have found her,
Never let her go!
The lyrics of South Pacific’s Finale encompass the theme of love and the acceptance of diversity. The song starts with Nellie, a young American nurse stationed in the Pacific during World War II, and the Polynesian children singing in French. Nellie starts by asking why life is beautiful, while Emile de Becque, a French plantation owner, answers that life is gay. He then asks Nellie if it’s because she loves him. The couple, born on opposite sides of the sea and with different cultural backgrounds, reflects on the challenges they have faced with their relationship, yet their love prevails. Nellie expresses how Emile has made her forget all other men she has met, and Emile sings about the enchantment of finding true love and never letting it go. Overall, the song symbolizes that love knows no boundaries and promotes cultural acceptance.
Line by Line Meaning
Dites-moi
Tell me
Pourquoi
Why
La vie est belle
Life is beautiful
Dies-moi
Tell me
Pourquoi--
Why--
La vie est gai,
Life is gay
Dites-moi
Tell me
Pourquoi,
Why,
Chere Mad'moiselle,
Dear Mademoiselle,
Est-ce que
Is it because
Parce que
Because
Vous m'aimez?
You love me?
Born on the opposite sides of the sea,
We were born in different places
We are as diff'rent as people can be.
We are completely different
It's true
That's true
And yet you want to marry me.
But you still want to marry me
I've known you a few short weeks and yet
I've only known you for a few weeks and yet
Somehow you made my heart forget
Somehow you made me forget about everyone else
All other men I have ever met but you, but you
I've met other men but you're the only one
Some enchanted evening
On a magical evening
When you find your true love,
When you find your real love,
When you feel her call you
When you feel her draw you
Across a crowded room,
From across a room full of people,
Then fly to her side,
Then go to her
And make her your own
And make her yours
Or all through your life...
Or your whole life...
Once you have found her,
Once you've found her,
Never let her go.
Don't ever lose her
Once you have found her,
Once you've found her,
Never let her go!
Never lose her!
Contributed by Nathaniel A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.