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.
On Fire
Spiritualized Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before the sun melts the wax in our wings.
Lets see how fast we can go
Before our eyes can't follow the road
I'm on fire
There's no water for the flames
And I'm alive
And I'm proud
That I've never fallen down
And I have learned
All the truth is tragedy now
Lets see how fast we can live
Until our times start slowing us down
Just how much further we go
Before we get our place in the ground
I'm on fire
There's no water for the flames
And I'm alive
With no one but myself to blame
And I'm free
To do what I want to do
And I burn
All the faith has had me denied
Come on my love
Come on my child
Let heaven flow
Into your soul
Let it come on down
Ease away pain
You won't feel
That way again
Come on my love
Come on my child
Let heaven flow
Into your soul
Let it come on down
Let it come on down
Let it come on down
Let it come on down
Into your soul
Into your soul
Into your soul
Into your soul (repeated until fade out)
The lyrics to Spiritualized's "On Fire" are open to interpretation, but the overall theme seems to be about pushing oneself to the limits and taking risks in life. The opening lines, "This is how high we can fly, Before the sun melts the wax in our wings," reference the myth of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and fell to his death when the wax holding his wings together melted. The lyricist seems to be saying that we should take risks and see how far we can go before we crash and burn.
The chorus, "I'm on fire, There's no water for the flames, And I'm alive, With no one but myself to blame," is about personal accountability and taking responsibility for one's own actions. The singer is proud of never having fallen down, but is also aware that truth can be tragic.
The second verse continues the theme of living life to the fullest, "Lets see how fast we can live, Until our times start slowing us down, Just how much further we go, Before we get our place in the ground." The lyrics are about seizing the moment and making the most of life while we still can.
The final verse, "Come on my love, Come on my child, Let heaven flow, Into your soul, Let it come on down," could be interpreted as a call to embrace passion and live life to the fullest. The repetition of the phrase "into your soul" emphasizes the personal and emotional nature of this message.
Line by Line Meaning
This is how high we can fly,
Let's push ourselves until we reach our limits, before we fall to earth, like Icarus before us.
Before the sun melts the wax in our wings.
Before self-destruction becomes our downfall.
Lets see how fast we can go
Challenge ourselves to reach our full potential.
Before our eyes can't follow the road
Push ourselves before we lose sight of our goals and ambitions.
I'm on fire
Burning with passion and intensity.
There's no water for the flames
No way to extinguish or control that intense passion.
And I'm alive
Feeling every moment with fervor and vitality.
With no one but myself to blame
Taking ownership of my actions and choices.
And I'm proud
Feeling accomplished and content with my current state of being.
That I've never fallen down
Proud of never giving up or succumbing to personal obstacles or doubt.
And I have learned
Gaining insights and wisdom from my experiences and hardships.
All the truth is tragedy now
Realizing that every truth I discover comes with sadness and pain.
Lets see how fast we can live
Continuing to push ourselves and live life to the fullest.
Until our times start slowing us down
Until the eventual physical limitations of aging begin to affect our abilities.
Just how much further we go
Continuing to assess our progress and see how much more we can achieve.
Before we get our place in the ground
Pushing ourselves until the end of our lives, until we're buried in the ground.
And I'm free
Feeling unbound to anything and everything, able to pursue my own desires.
To do what I want to do
Having the freedom to pursue my own goals and dreams.
And I burn
The passion and intensity within me never fade or diminish.
All the faith has had me denied
Rejecting the belief systems that once held me back from pursuing my true passions and desires.
Come on my love
An invitation to another person to join in this pursuit of living a full and passionate life.
Come on my child
Inviting someone to join in this journey of self-discovery and fulfillment.
Let heaven flow
Allowing the joys of life, and all its experiences, to come into our lives without resistance.
Into your soul
Into the deepest parts of our being, bringing happiness, and fulfillment.
Let it come on down
Inviting life's beauty, pleasures, and experiences to enter our lives.
Ease away pain
Allowing the goodness of life to lessen or completely wipe away any hurt or pain in our lives.
You won't feel
The goodness of life will overcome any feelings of negativity and despair.
That way again
Reaching a level of happiness and contentment that will overpower any past negative experiences.
Into your soul (repeated until fade out)
Reinforcing the idea that the goodness and joy of life can enter into our lives and bring satisfaction, happiness, and peace.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: J. SPACEMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind