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.
Mary
Spiritualized Lyrics
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You're searching in vain
Mary take your big red heart and turn around
They'll make you insane
You know you're getting beat in the morning
Spend the night on the tiles
You know you're only searching for glory
Mary, take your healing hands and turn around
There's nothing to save
Mary, take you words of love and tear them out
They're starting to fade
You know you're gonna hurt in the morning
Spend the night all alone
You know you're only searching for glory
But now you gotta face it alone
You know you're getting beat in the morning
Spend the night on the tiles
You know you're only searching for glory
But now you've gone and missed it by miles
Mary, you know this life's so sweet
And filled with stuff that ain't yet dead
Mary, you know we both had dreams
But you're the one who got to live them instead
The lyrics to the song Mary by Spiritualized are about a woman named Mary who is constantly searching for something, but never seems to find it. The song starts with the singer telling Mary to look away because she is searching in vain. The lyrics suggest that she is searching for something to fulfill her, possibly fame or success, but it is making her crazy. She is getting beat in the morning and spends the night out on the tiles, living a fast-paced and wild lifestyle in pursuit of her dreams. However, the lyrics tell us that Mary is missing the mark and chasing the wrong things.
The second verse of the song seems to be a plea for Mary to stop her search. The singer suggests that there is nothing left for her to save, and that her words of love are starting to fade. The chorus repeats the theme of Mary searching for glory but missing it by miles. The lyrics suggest that she will be hurt and alone in the morning because she is chasing after the wrong things.
Line by Line Meaning
Mary, take your big brown eyes and look away
Stop searching and move on
You're searching in vain
Your search is pointless and futile
Mary take your big red heart and turn around
Stop waiting for something that is not going to happen
They'll make you insane
It will only drive you crazy
You know you're getting beat in the morning
You know you will suffer the consequences of your actions the next day
Spend the night on the tiles
Stay up all night making poor decisions
You know you're only searching for glory
You are only searching for attention and validation
But now you've gone and missed it by miles
You missed your chance and it's too late now
Mary, take your healing hands and turn around
Give up on trying to fix something that cannot be fixed
There's nothing to save
It's beyond saving
Mary, take your words of love and tear them out
Your words are empty and meaningless
They're starting to fade
They are losing their impact and influence
You know you're gonna hurt in the morning
You know you will regret your actions the next day
Spend the night all alone
Face your problems and insecurities on your own
But now you gotta face it alone
You are left to deal with the aftermath of your actions on your own
Mary, you know this life's so sweet
Life can be great and full of opportunities
And filled with stuff that ain't yet dead
There are still things worth pursuing and fighting for
Mary, you know we both had dreams
We both had aspirations and goals
But you're the one who got to live them instead
You made the right choices and enjoyed the success that came with them
Contributed by Claire A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
n0rwegianwo0d
Mary, take your red heart and turn around
They'll make you insane
You know you're getting beat in the morning
Spend the night on the tiles
Mary, take your healing hands and turn around
There's nothing to say
Mary, take your words of love and tear 'em out
They're starting to fade
Emma Stanford
The humanity of this track kills me
Zenit Saphyr
Fucking sad!