Playing With Fire (1989) expanded on the psychedelic and drone themes of the earlier albums; its second single, "Revolution" reached #1 on the UK indie charts. But soon after, a combination of personnel changes, drug problems and intra-band tension (especially between Kember and Pierce) began to break the band apart. Recurring, released in 1991, was their last proper album, though its recording reflected the split between Pierce and Kember as each recorded their own side of the album in different studios, with a cover of Mudhoney's 'When Tomorrow Hits' to separate them (Mudhoney would later return the favour with a cover of Spacemen 3's 'Revolution'). It was their most popular record, but by its release Kember and Pierce had already formed new bands, Spectrum,were self described "noise experimentation" and Spiritualized, respectively. The final conflict that contributed to the split was Pierce's decision to release a cover of The Troggs' 'Any Way That You Want Me', as the first Spiritualized single, which Kember had been wanting to cover for years.
From the outset Spacemen 3 had a very defined set of aesthetic principles. They based almost their entire sound on their own concept of minimalism—droning guitars, feedback, as few chords as possible, pounding drums—with their motto “Taking drugs to make music to take drugs to”. Their minimalism bled into their stage show as well. Sitting down to play their guitars and covered in the spinning colours of a cheap psychedelic light show, their stage “act” was very anti-performance. Another striking aspect of Spacemen 3 was their willingness to cover and share their influences. Song titles, lyrics and interviews were peppered with references to bands and artists they believed shared their “minimal is maximal” aesthetic. The Velvet Underground, the Rolling Stones, The Stooges, MC5, early Captain Beefheart, out-there jazz legend Sun Ra, Silver Apples, garage punk of the 1960s such as the 13th Floor Elevators, Red Krayola, and the Electric Prunes; the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean and other surf bands; ’80s rockabilly groups The Cramps, the Gun Club, Tav Falco; blues and gospel acts like Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, the Staple Singers and John Lee Hooker; and the production techniques of Joe Meek, Brian Wilson and Delia Derbyshire were just some of the names mentioned by the band.
Since the break-up there have been a stream of semi-legitimate albums, early demos and live recordings, many of which have been issued by the Kember-affiliated Space Age Recordings. Highlights include Dreamweapon: An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music, a 45 minute drone piece performed in front of a live audience, Forged Prescriptions, a collection of Perfect Prescription demos and alternate versions (Kember claims in the liner notes that the alternate versions reproduce the layers of guitars they recorded but later removed because they felt they'd never be able to reproduce them live), and the band's singles compilation, which is perhaps the best introduction to the breadth of their work.
In 1998, a tribute album was released on Rocket Girl, which included tracks by Mogwai and Low. Kember’s Spectrum has toured under the banner “Songs the Spacemen Taught Us”, while Pierce routinely includes their songs in his Spiritualized set. In 2004, US journalist Erik Morse published his account of the band’s life and work, Dreamweapon: Spacemen 3 and the Birth of Spiritualized.
Members of the band went on to form Spiritualized, the Darkside and Spectrum (AKA Sonic Boom). Spiritualized carry on, to critical acclaim, though they have largely discarded the dark psychedelic edge. Sonic has also been on the road, playing gigs in London and occasional tours in the US as E.A.R. (Experimental Audio Research), which features synthesizers heavily. The Darkside split, while Rosco (AKA Sterling Roswell) went on to form the Sterling Roswell Blues Band and now is currently in The Gimps.
Feel So Sad
Spacemen 3 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hate this lonely life so
Lord, I know
It goes so slow
I feel so alone, sweet Lord
Sweet Lord, it’s a sin
To live this life sufferin’
I long for a change
But it still remains, sweet Lord
Sweet Lord, is this my fate?
To live my life in this state
Lord, I know
Time goes slow
I feel so alone, sweet Lord
Sweet Lord, I pray
Take this bitterness away
I feel so sad
Feel so sad
Feel so sad
I feel so sad, sweet Lord
In Spacemen 3's song "Feel So Sad," the singer is expressing their deep loneliness and sadness, which they attribute to the lack of change in their life. They reach out to a higher power, referred to as "sweet Lord," asking for relief from the pain they feel. The lyrics convey a sense of desperation as the singer questions if this is their fate, to live a life of suffering and sadness.
The repetition of "sweet Lord" emphasizes the singer's reliance on a higher power to lift them out of their loneliness. The line "it goes so slow" reflects the feeling of time dragging when one is experiencing deep sadness. The singer recognizes that their way of life is a sin, indicating that they are aware of the negative impact their feelings are having on their well-being.
In the final verse, the singer's plea to the sweet Lord becomes more urgent as they ask for the bitterness they feel to be taken away. The repetition of "feel so sad" emphasizes the depth of their sadness and loneliness.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweet Lord, I know
Acknowledging the higher power's presence and wisdom.
I hate this lonely life so
Expressing a distaste for the isolation and solitude in life.
Lord, I know
Continuing to seek guidance and understanding from the higher power.
It goes so slow
Feeling the passage of time as being slow and uneventful.
I feel so alone, sweet Lord
Reiterating the loneliness being experienced and asking for the higher power's presence to relieve it.
Sweet Lord, it’s a sin
Feeling that the pain and suffering being endured is against faith and spirituality.
To live this life sufferin’
Expressing the difficulty and pain of the current state of being.
Lord, I pray
Continuing to seek assistance and relief from the higher power.
I long for a change
Desiring a significant shift or improvement in the current situation.
But it still remains, sweet Lord
Acknowledging that the current state remains despite the prayers and wishes for change.
Sweet Lord, is this my fate?
Questioning whether the current situation is predetermined and unchangeable.
To live my life in this state
Feeling trapped in the current condition and unable to change it.
Time goes slow
Feeling like time is dragging on and not progressing at a normal rate.
I feel so alone, sweet Lord
Reiterating the ongoing isolation and asking for the higher power's intervention.
Sweet Lord, I pray
Continuing to request aid from the higher power.
Take this bitterness away
Asking for the removal of the emotional pain and difficulty being experienced.
I feel so sad
Expressing a deep emotional sadness and despair.
Feel so sad
Repeating the feeling of sadness being experienced.
Feel so sad
Repeating the feeling of sadness being experienced.
I feel so sad, sweet Lord
Final plea for the higher power to alleviate the intense emotional sadness being felt.
Contributed by Riley O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gabriel Otniel
Sweet Lord, I pray
Take this bitterness away
I feel so sad
Feel so sad
Feel so sad
I feel so sad, sweet Lord
Plaintiff's Ex
Just so simply pretty. Like a momentary cloud in front of blue.
Odrek Gonne
This music is pure bliss