Originally from Nottingham in the UK, this band of virtuoso musicians under the leadership of Alvin Lee conquered the UK scene and then spread their wings to the USA. Their blend of jazz, blues and rock was initially slightly awkward but their first album provided an opening for them. In October, their 1967 self-titled debut album was released.
In 1968, after touring Scandinavia and the United States, Ten Years After released their second album, live Undead, which brought their first classic, "I'm Going Home." This was followed in February 1969 by studio issue, Stonedhenge, a British hit, that included another classic, "Hear Me Calling" (it was released also as a single, and covered in 1972 by British glam rock rising stars, Slade). In July 1969 they appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival, in the first event to which rock bands were invited. In August, the band performed a breakthrough American appearance at Woodstock; their furious-to-soft-to-furious rendition of "I'm Going Home" featuring Alvin Lee as the lead singer was featured in both the subsequent film and soundtrack album and catapulted them to star status.
During 1970, Ten Years After released "Love Like a Man", their only hit in the UK Singles Chart. This song was on their fifth album, Cricklewood Green. The name of the album comes from a friend of the group who lived in Cricklewood, London. He grew a sort of plant which was said to have hallucinogenic effects. The band did not know the name of this plant, so they called their album Cricklewood Green. It was the first record to be issued with a different playing speed on each side – one a three-minute edit at 45rpm, the other, a nine-minute live version at 33rpm. In August, Ten Years After played the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 to an audience of 600,000.
In 1971, the band released the album A Space in Time which marked a move toward more commercial material. It featured their biggest hit, "I'd Love To Change The World". But a few albums later, the band broke up after the 1974 album Positive Vibrations. They re-united in 1983 to play the Reading Festival and this performance was later released on CD as The Friday Rock Show Sessions - Live At Reading '83. In 1988, they re-united for a few concerts and recorded the album About Time (1989). Finally, in 1994, they participated in the Eurowoodstock festival in Budapest.
Alvin Lee has since then mostly played and recorded under his own name. In 2003, the other band members replaced him with Joe Gooch and recorded the album Now. Material from the following tour was used for the 2005 double album Roadworks.
Lee died on March 6, 2013. According to his website, he died from "unforeseen complications following a routine surgical procedure."[2][3][4] He was 68. His former bandmates lamented his death, Leo Lyons called him "the closest thing I had to a brother", while Ric Lee (no relation) said "I don't think its even sunk in yet as to the reality of his passing." Billboard Magazine wrote of his passing, highlighting such landmark performances as "I'm Going Home" from the Woodstock festival and his 1974 hit single "I'd Love to Change the World."[5]
Band members:
Alvin Lee – guitar, vocals
Leo Lyons – bass
Chick Churchill – keyboards
Ric Lee – drums
Joe Gooch – guitar, vocals (joined in 2003)
You can also see Alvin Lee and / or Alvin Lee & Ten Years After and / or Alvin Lee & Co and / or The Alvin Lee Band on Last.fm.
Let the Sky Fall
Ten Years After Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let the sea sink
Let the earth shake
Let the sun blink
Let the universe
Go spinning free
If my darling
Ever leaves me
Let the air freeze
Let the moon cry
Let the stars go out
Let the world die
Let the eyes go blind
Let the grass turn blue
If I ever
Think of leaving you
Let our love be
With our minds free
Let our hearts beat
Let our eyes see
Let the universe
Share our love
Let me be
What you're thinking of
The lyrics to Ten Years After's song "Let the Sky Fall" express the depth of love and commitment of the singer to his beloved. He affirms the intensity of his feelings by stating that he is willing to endure extreme circumstances such as the sky falling, the sea sinking, the earth shaking or the universe spinning free if his love were to leave him. He is convinced that his love is strong enough to withstand and transcend any physical manifestation of destruction.
On the other hand, the singer agrees to celebrate and cherish his love by letting it be poignant, genuine, and free from external pressures. He calls for the minds to be free, the hearts to beat strongly and the eyes to see what is real. He wants his love to be shared with the universe, in its entirety, to be what his lover is thinking of.
In summary, the lyrics assert the strength, importance and durability of real love, and how it can overcome all challenges and transcend beyond the physical realm.
Line by Line Meaning
Let the sky fall
If my darling ever leaves me, let the world collapse around me
Let the sea sink
If my darling ever leaves me, let the oceans dry up
Let the earth shake
If my darling ever leaves me, let the ground tremble beneath my feet
Let the sun blink
If my darling ever leaves me, let the very source of light dim
Let the universe
Go spinning free
If my darling ever leaves me, let the cosmos unravel
If my darling
Ever leaves me
The singer cannot stand the idea of their beloved leaving them
Let the air freeze
If I ever contemplate leaving my love, let the atmosphere turn to ice
Let the moon cry
If I ever think of leaving my love, let even the celestial body weep
Let the stars go out
If I ever think of leaving my love, let the light in the heavens fade
Let the world die
If I ever think of leaving my love, let life itself wither away
Let the eyes go blind
If I ever think of leaving my love, let me be unable to see
Let the grass turn blue
If I ever think of leaving my love, let the very nature around me reflect my sorrow
If I ever
Think of leaving you
The singer vows never to leave their beloved
Let our love be
With our minds free
The singer wants their love to be free and unencumbered by societal norms or expectations
Let our hearts beat
The singer wants their love to be passionate and true
Let our eyes see
The artist wants their love to be clear and honest
Let the universe
Share our love
The artist wants their love to be all-encompassing and to impact the world around them
Let me be
What you're thinking of
The singer wants to be everything their beloved desires and needs
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALVIN LEE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind