The first Spiritualized release was a space rock-esque cover of Any Way That You Want Me in 1990, a record which heralded the official split of Spacemen 3 following contractual wrangles over the band's name. Of the final Spacemen 3 line up, bassist Will Carruthers, drummer Jonny Mattock and session guitarist Mark Refoy joined Pierce in the first phase of Spiritualized (for the debut LP, Lazer Guided Melodies), alongside his then girlfriend Kate Radley. None of the original line up remains - Carruthers tried for a solo career, Mattock played for a spell in The Breeders (and later Lupine Howl), Refoy formed Slipstream(his replacement was John Coxon) and Radley married Richard Ashcroft of The Verve. A later cohort of Spiritualized backing musicians - Sean Cook, Damon Reece and Michael Mooney - formed Lupine Howl following summary dismissal by Pierce.
Sax player Ray 'Moonshake' Dickaty was added to the lineup in 1997, and Gregg Hale (guitar) also augmented the band in 1997 and 1998.
Retaining only keyboardist Thighpaulsandra (keyboards)a replacement for Kate Radley, Jason Pierce then debuted a new (and current) line up of Spiritualized, introducing classical percussionist Tom Edwards and former Julian Cope string arranger Martin Schellard on bass guitar. Completing the new Spiritualized line-up were guitarist Doggen of Brain Donor and the Julian Cope band, and drummer Kevin 'Kevlar' Bales who is also ex-Julian Cope band. Ray Dickaty departed in 2003, quitting to play in the free-jazz Solar Fire Trio. The remaining line-up finished recording the album Songs In A&E in Nottingham and London.
The musical style of Spiritualized can perhaps be best described as psychedelic rock, especially earlier albums like Lazer Guided Melodies and Pure Phase, which also incorporated elements of the shoegazing style made popular by influential 1991 album Loveless. The landmark Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space showed influences from African-American gospel and blues beginning to creep in, and wall of sound influences from Phil Spector and Brian Wilson began to predominate, which came to a head on Let It Come Down. Amazing Grace favoured a more stripped down sound with the gospel, blues, and soul influences heavier than ever.
For several years (ending in or about 1999), Spiritualized were the only active artist signed to Dedicated Records, a British independent label which had, by then, been acquired by Spiritualized's then-label, Arista Records.
On 15 June 1997, Spiritualized became the last band to play at Factory Records' Manchester nightclub The Haçienda.
After several years of work and Pierce's serious illness in July 2005,the album, Songs in A&E was released on 26 May 2008 in the UK, and on 27 May 2008 in the US. The first single from the 18-track album was "Soul On Fire". The release was backed by an Electric Mainlines UK tour which began in May. Pierce has also scored Harmony Korine's 2008 film Mister Lonely.
In October and December 2009 the band performed 1997's Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space live in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties-curated Don't Look Back series.
After more than two years in the making, while Pierce was undergoing experimental chemotherapy for a liver disease, and including a year long period of mixing, Sweet Heart Sweet Light was released in April 2012, on Double Six Records. The band had already played some of this new material over the past 3 years but not much else was known about the content of the album. The album cover, an octagon surrounding the word "Huh?" on a plain white background, is a reference to the working title of the album. In an interview regarding the new release it was revealed that the album would "embrace" more poppy songs compared to previous albums. In the same interview, Jason Pierce also said that the album was partly inspired by the experiences of performing Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space live in its entirety.
Come Together
Spiritualized Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause first he jumped and then he looked
Those tracks of time those tracks are mine
Little johnny's occupied
Come on, come together
Come on, come together
Little johnny had an ache
Every time that johnny ate
The little sucker fed the ache
Come on, come together
Come on, come together
Little j's a messed up boy
Who doled the pain but killed the joy
And little j he's gotta confess
That when he's offered just says yes
Little j is all messed up
First he jumped and then he looked
The tracks of time those tracks of mine
Little j is occupied
Come on, come together
Come on, come together
The song "Come Together" by Spiritualized tells the story of a young man named Johnny who is struggling with addiction and the consequences that it brings. The opening lines of the song, "Little Johnny's all messed up/Cause first he jumped and then he looked" immediately set the tone for the rest of the song. Johnny is impulsive and acts without thinking, leading him down a dangerous path.
The lyrics go on to describe how Johnny is "occupied" by his addiction and how it has led him to make poor choices that have hurt himself and those around him. The line "Every time that Johnny ate/The little sucker fed the ache" suggests that Johnny is using drugs or alcohol to numb his pain, but it only leads to more suffering.
The repeated refrain of "Come on, come together" could be seen as a plea for help or a call to action. It's as if the singer is urging Johnny to rise above his circumstances and reach out to others for support. Ultimately, the song highlights the destructive nature of addiction and emphasizes the importance of community and connection in overcoming it.
Line by Line Meaning
Little johnny's all messed up
Johnny is struggling with personal issues
'Cause first he jumped and then he looked
He makes quick decisions and doesn't think before acting
Those tracks of time those tracks are mine
Johnny feels like he's running out of time or losing control over his life
Little johnny's occupied
Johnny is preoccupied with his own thoughts and issues
Come on, come together
The chorus is a plea for people to unite and support each other
Little johnny had an ache
Johnny felt physical and emotional pain
That hung around the poor boy's mate
His pain was a burden on his partner
Every time that johnny ate
Eating didn't make him feel better
The little sucker fed the ache
The pain was being fueled by something within Johnny himself
Little j's a messed up boy
Another way of describing Johnny's issues and behavior
Who doled the pain but killed the joy
Johnny's negative outlook and behavior was impacting his own happiness and that of those around him
And little j he's gotta confess
Johnny needs to admit to his faults and face his issues
That when he's offered just says yes
Johnny tends to agree to things without really thinking them through
Little j is all messed up
Repeating the description of Johnny's state of mind and behavior
First he jumped and then he looked
Repeating the idea that Johnny acts impulsively without considering the consequences
The tracks of time those tracks of mine
Repeating the sense that Johnny is losing control over his life and future
Little j is occupied
Repeating the idea that Johnny is preoccupied within himself
Come on, come together
Repeating the chorus and its message of unity and support
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Jason Pierce
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thevoid99
"ted lasso" brought me here as i just went nuts hearing this song from one of my all-time favorite albums.
@deBebbler
I can't get over how amazing the composition of the first long shot is. Kudos to the director of this video.
@RolandWolffRiviera
outstanding clip - my first thought!
@gengraded
There were many a time as a young lad that this album brought me back from the precipice. Love you Jason. Thanks for coming to visit us earthlings.
@timburdsey
Glad you’re back from the edge, mate. Great music has that power. Take care.
@Jenesaispavy
I am beginning to believe there are no such thing as coincidences. I literally was just at the edge and a song from the Vanilla Sky soundtrack started blaring in my mind and luckily I took the time to fall down one more rabbit hole and here I am commenting on your post. Thank you so much.
@gengraded
@@Jenesaispavy I'm glad you found your way here. Stay well.
@Champiness
lol this is a real song by an acclaimed band, why did I get it as an ad
@ebonylightrainvampire6894
because you need to hear it
@pentexsucks43
Because they paid money to show it as an ad. So complex, I know