The founding members were Shirley Lee (lead vocals, guitar), Simon Calnan (vocals, keyboards), Martin Talbot (bass) and Ronan Larvor (drums). Talbot left soon afterward, to be replaced by James Parsons. Richard 'Dickon' Edwards later ended up joining as second guitarist, though leaving in 2000 to form Fosca. Parsons then took over second guitar duties, with Andy Lewis joining on bass.
Spearmint have released eight albums and many singles, all on their own label, hitBack, having a minor success with 1997's Sweeping The Nation and A Trip Into Space, both of which grazed the UK Top 75. We're Going Out received some airplay on BBC Radio 1 and was remixed by long-time Pet Shop Boys prodcuer Stephen Hague.
Their most recent studio album, Paris In A Bottle, was released in the summer of 2006.
During the initial few months of gigs around the homes of the band members in south-east London, Spearmint put out a run of 500 white label 7" singles featuring "Somebody" and an early version of "I Can't Sleep" on their own hitBack label. The song featured an unauthorised The Beatles sample, which should have made them infamous at the very least. It was not to be, but it was fiery enough to get a manager on board.
The original bass player left later that year, so the band advertised in Melody Maker for a new bass player and met James. He'd just parted ways with previous band Supersaurus and was really looking to play guitar, but they persuaded him to play bass with promises of records, glamour and riches, and he joined. As a double bonus he turned out to be a genius graphic artist, and would design all the band's record sleeves from then on.
"Goldmine" was recorded in January 1996. A producer, JB, had been recommended and he agreed to mix the track - and he has worked with the band ever since. Vital unexpectedly agreed to distribute the record, which was a massive boost, as the band probably hadn't even played in North London by this point.
By that summer the band started playing every back room in North London, and picking up fans left right and centre. By the end of spring '97 an unnamed indie record company had decided to put out the next single A Week Away, but weeks of dithering meant momentum was being lost. The band scraped together the cash and put it out by themselves once again. It sounded as if Spearmint had the sweetest horn section in pop, but it was Simon with a scratched The Four Tops record providing the driving sample behind the song.
After the big gap between 'Goldmine' and 'A Week Away', they got straight down to business with the next record, 'I Can't Sleep'. A reworked and remixed version of an old recording. It was backed with a 4-track cassette recording of Shirley's done the previous year called Songs For The Colour Yellow. It came out hot on the heels of 'A Week Away', and ever-increasing sales led to the record being released on CD as well.
The third single of 1997 was Sweeping The Nation. Based around a loop taken from the sublime Northern Soul classic "Out On The Floor" by Dobie Gray, it was released in November just as London's new alternative station XFM was taking shape. They couldn't get enough of it, and put it on their main playlist for 6 weeks. Along with several plays on daytime Radio 1, it meant that the song was impossible to ignore.
Over Christmas the band were mentioned in several papers - including The Times! - as one to watch in 1998, and immediately the band started work on another single A Trip Into Space. A totally re-written version of a song Shirley had composed in pre-Spearmint days. Again, XFM loved it to bits and it seemed to become a permanent fixture on the radio throughout March and April.
The band embarked on their first UK tour, with their Leeds show being recommended as gig of the week in the NME. The band also finally received full page interviews in both Melody Maker and NME, as well as dozens of fanzine articles from as far and wide as Berlin and Tokyo. And to crown it all, the band received their first national chart placing - number 82 with a bullet!
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Discography
Songs For The Colour Yellow (1998)
A Week Away (1999)
Oklahoma (2000)
A Different Lifetime (2001)
My Missing Days (2003)
A Leopard And Other Stories (2004)
The Boy And The Girl That Got Away (2005)
Paris In A Bottle (2006)
Start Again
Spearmint Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
You will feel better
You will feel better
Start again
Make yourself go cold
Regain control
Lose a little weight
Feel better about yourself
Or at least punish yourself
Oh, you hate yourself
So much
I only wish you could see yourself
Just the once, through my eyes
But you don't really think
This song is about you
Start again
Denial, anger
Resolution
You start to think
He never cared at all
But I think he did
I think he meant it
I will not move on
Until I have an explanation
I cannot move on
Until I understand how you treated me this way
When I'm with people
Everything seems fine
When I'm on my own
It feels like I'm losing my mind
But you don't really think
This song is about you
You start to think
That he
Never, ever
Really meant a word at all
And what happens now is all these good things
And all these memories
They will turn bad
Just because of the way it's going to end
Start again
You will feel better
I promise you will feel better
And it seems
As though all the time was wasted
But everything must end
And nothing is wasted
Start again
On your own
Denial, anger
Resolution
And I'm sorry
To be so blunt
But that boy
Is a
****
Spearmint's song Start Again is a powerful anthem about self-improvement and overcoming heartbreak. The lyrics tell the story of someone who has been hurt by a past relationship, and who is struggling to move on. The song encourages the listener to start over, to take control of their life, and to make positive changes that will lead to a brighter future.
The first verse outlines some of the ways in which the listener can start again. They are encouraged to "make yourself go cold" and "regain control", to "get in shape" and "lose a little weight", and to "feel better about yourself" or "punish yourself". These suggestions may seem harsh, but they are meant to be empowering - the idea being that by taking control of their body and their life, the listener can overcome their pain and move forward.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Start again, you will feel better" like a mantra. It is a message of hope and encouragement, designed to help the listener believe in themselves and their ability to heal. The second verse turns to the subject of the past relationship, and the conflicting feelings that the listener is experiencing. They wonder if their ex-partner ever really loved them, and they struggle to come to terms with the end of the relationship.
The bridge of the song is a powerful statement of determination. The listener refuses to move on until they have an explanation for what went wrong. They cannot move forward until they understand what happened and why they were treated the way they were. The song ends with a triumphant restatement of the chorus, reminding the listener that they have the power to start again and that nothing is ever truly wasted.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rahulmakwana8529
It pains me we live in a world where nobody's heard of Spearmint
@danjacruz9333
It pains me that we live in a world where nobody's heard of Spearmint. - Tom Hansen (500 days of summer)
@rajatverma9664
Here after watching 500 days of Summer.
@leatherzeppelin_krystalserpent
Excatly
@Trebelhornc
Unfortunately that moment is where I first heard of Spearmint. Thank you Joseph Gordon-Levitt Cheers
@konfolut
I am just watching (500) Days of Summer and I stopped the movie and looked for Spearmint on YT. The first song I got was this one. I am really in such a dark place right now. Can't figure out what is right and what is wrong. I can't understand why he is treating me this way.
@aokigahara5151
same here (>_<)
@konfolut
Savio Dias
And still here nothing changed.
@MrLuisroot
konfolut 'this too shall pass'
@jay-ji2zd
Lol