Chris Cunningham and John Hermanson grew up together in Bozeman, MT, where … Read Full Bio ↴Chris Cunningham and John Hermanson grew up together in Bozeman, MT, where they started performing under the uncreative moniker of Chris & Johnny in 1989. Early on their music with its intricate guitar work and introspective lyrics reflected obvious influences of singer/songwriters like John Denver and Simon and Garfunkel. They both went on to attend school at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, where they continued writing and performing. Their college years saw the release of Shapeshifting and Different Waters, both quiet albums focused on their songwriting and harmonies.

After graduating, they went on to pursue their music careers full-time and were rewarded with a small-but-rabid fan base accumulated through non-stop touring of coffeeshops and other places on the college circuit in the Upper Midwest and West. Live at the Grand, a recording of one of their college-era concerts, was released in 1993 to cater to this audience. In 1994 came Miles and Means, their third studio effort and fourth overall release, a broader and more mature album which garnered an award nomination from the Minnesota Music Academy. Clearing (in 1995) featured an expanded instrumentation, including local mandolin extraordinare Peter Ostroushko.

The duo changed their name to Storyhill in 1996 to reflect their expanding musical outlook and released their fifth studio album, This Side of Lost, a step into new territory with a more produced and more pop-oriented sound. The Collage EP was also released in 1996, a recording that was originally a promotional CD. Storyhill Live, their second live album, followed in 1997.

Storyhill ceased its existence as a full-time touring duo in 1997, allowing Cunningham and Hermanson to pursue solo work and other projects. A recording was made of their final show in Bozeman and was released along with other live tracks as Echoes - The Final Show. Four years later, the pair reunited for a couple of shows in the summer of 2001 to completely sold out audiences. The recording of these show was subsequently released as Reunion. Another reunion the following summer proved to be a forerunner of Storyhill's renewed activity -- a new studio album called Dovetail was released that fall (2002) and the duo toured behind it.

The pair have since maintained a sporadic touring schedule. They released Duotones: A Tribute To Duos Of The 70s in late 2004. In November of 2006, Storyhill signed with Red House Records, who released Storyhill, a new self-titled studio album, in February of 2007. Shade of the Trees followed in 2010.

Official site: www.storyhill.com

Paradise Lost
Storyhill Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Everybody wants
A piece of paradise
A house upon the hill
With a view of heaven
Now everyone's here
So close together
Paradise is lost
And gone forever

When we were young
We used to walk out in those fields
And run forever
In the backyard woods
Now the old trails disappear
In neighborhoods
(???) streets named after
What's gone for good

The hills above town
Used to be the best place
For starry-eyed lovers
And inspiration
Now it's all paved
Every street's a dead end
And empty summer houses
Stand all along there

(Chorus)

Now there's no trespassin'
There's no goin' back again
Only hope, you remember
The way it was when we head back there

(Chorus)

Everybody wants
A piece of paradise

A house upon the hill
With a view of heaven

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Storyhill's song "Paradise Lost" speak about the concept of paradise and how as we try to attain it, we end up losing it. The song begins by highlighting the universal desire everyone has for a piece of paradise, which is symbolised here by a house on a hill with a view of heaven. However, as more and more people flock to this ideal, the space and peacefulness that made it paradise start vanishing. The line "Now everyone's here, So close together" suggests that people's proximity to each other has destroyed the paradise that once existed. Paradise, which once had room to breathe, is now "lost and gone forever" due to our own actions.

Line by Line Meaning

Everybody wants
Everyone desires

A piece of paradise
An ideal version of life

A house upon the hill
A dream home in a perfect location

With a view of heaven
With a picturesque sight

Now everyone's here
Population growth

So close together
People living in close proximity to each other

Paradise is lost
The dream is no longer attainable

And gone forever
Lost completely

When we were young
During our youth

We used to walk out in those fields
We were always outside

And run forever
We felt free and alive