1. The Call were a San… Read Full Bio ↴There are three bands with the name The Call.
1. The Call were a San Francisco Bay Area-based rock band originally formed in Santa Cruz in 1980 by vocalist/guitarist Michael Been, Scott Musick, and Tom Ferrier. Despite support from such luminaries as Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, and Jim Kerr, the band never achieved the success they deserved.
The eponymous premiere album was recorded in England, and Michael Been later recalled that the band was in an exploratory phase at this point. Been noted in a 1988 interview, "The Call was a compassionate album, but it probably came out as anger." Peter Gabriel liked the band so much that he asked them to open for him during his 1982 "Shock the Monkey" tour.
The next album, Modern Romans, was notable for its political content. Been later stated, "There was a great deal happening politically - Grenada, Lebanon, or the government saying the Russians are evil and the Russian government probably saying the same about us. That kind of thinking inspired me to write the last lines of 'Walls Came Down'."
This was followed by Scene Beyond Dreams. Been has referred to it as The Call's "metaphysical" album. With a strong poetic sense to the lyrics and a change in instrumentation, the change in sound is notable. Garth Hudson of The Band played keyboards on these first three records.
Reconciled was recorded during the summer of 1985. At this point, the band had not had a recording contract for two years, due to what Been describes as "legal bickering" between The Call's former record label and their management company. However, once the deal was signed with Elektra Records, the band resumed playing and produced their most commercially successful album to date. Peter Gabriel, Simple Minds's Jim Kerr, and Hudson and former Band mate Robbie Robertson all guested the album which was released in 1986. Several tracks from the album became hits on the Mainstream Rock Chart, and one of these tracks, "I Still Believe" was re-recorded by Tim Capello and appears on the soundtracks of the 1986 Movie The Whoopee Boys and the 1987 movie The Lost Boys.
Next came the band's 1987 release Into The Woods, which Been has referred to as his favorite album.
In 1989 they released Let the Day Begin, whose title track reached #1 on the US Mainstream Rock chart. Red Moon, which included background vocals by U2's Bono, was released in 1990.
During the next few years, Been branched out creatively. He participated in composing and performing the music to Paul Schrader's 1992 film Light Sleeper. The film also features two of his songs, To Feel This Way and World On Fire. In 1994, he recorded a solo album, On the Verge of a Nervous Breakthrough
In 1996, Warner Bros. Records. released The Best of The Call, which featured a selection of old favorites and few new songs. Two of the songs, Us and To Feel This Way, were different versions of tracks later to be seen on Been’s solo album, and in the case of "To Feel This Way", the "Light Sleeper" soundtrack as well.
In 1997 To Heaven and Back, was released by Fingerprint Records. This was followed by a live album, Live Under the Red Moon, in 2000.
The band is not currently touring. The band had a fan club called "Notified" and the information contained in their newsletters is in the file section of the Yahoo! groups list.
Al Gore used "Let The Day Begin" as his campaign song in the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election and Tom Vilsack used it as his song during his brief 2008 U.S. Presidential Election campaign.
Michael Been has appeared as a sideman in bands fronted by actor Harry Dean Stanton; Stanton having played harmonica on "Let The Day Begin" track "For Love". He played the apostle John in Martin Scorsese's 1988 feature film The Last Temptation of Christ and has some film credits.
Been's son, Robert Levon Been, is the frontman for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Michael Been is heavily involved in BRMC, as their sound engineer, and can be found on tour with them.
Michael Been died on August 19th 2010 on a Belgian festival (Pukkelpop) during his work for BRMC.
2. The Call are a black metal band from France.
3. The Call are band from Ripon, North Yorkshire, UK
4. The Call was a Lo-fi project from Czech Republic, visit http://bandzone.cz/thecall
Doubt
The Call Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You doubt if there's a hell
You doubt if you'll remember
All the stories they would tell
Living and dealing with doubt
You've doubted your existence
You doubt if there's a truth
Your plan starts to crumble
But you cannot stand to lose
You're back where you started from
covering yourself in doubt
You doubted your mother
And you doubted your dad
You doubted your sisters
And any brothers you had
It's a bad situation
Living and loving with doubt
Well, you doubted the beginning
And I'm sure you doubt the end
You doubted your teachers
You doubt all your friends
It's an overwhelming sensation
Confrontation with doubt
I don't know why I started
I don't know if I'll finish
I wonder why I try at all
Sometimes I wonder why I try at all
Doubt can make a strong man
Weaken under stress
And doubt can make a weak man
totally worthless
God, it's a pity
Doubt
You stage your finale
With meticulous care
your view is consistent
And then out of nowhere
Your vision is clouded
You face competition with doubt
The Call's song Doubt speaks to the overwhelming feeling of uncertainty or doubt that many of us experience at some point in our lives. The lyrics describe doubting everything from the existence of heaven and hell to the truth and even one's own existence. It can be a terrible feeling, the uncertainty about what is real and what is not. Doubt can cause our plans to crumble and leave us spiraling, as we cover ourselves in doubt, doubting our parents, siblings, friends, and everyone around us.
The overwhelming sensation of living and loving with doubt is conveyed through the lyrics, and the lines "I don't know why I started, I don't know if I'll finish, I wonder why I try at all" suggest a feeling of hopelessness and despair that can emerge with persistent doubt. Doubt can make a strong person crumble under the pressure, or cause a weaker person to feel entirely worthless. Throughout the song, there is a sense of desperation and frustration toward the elusive nature of doubt, as the lyrics describe the way it clouds one's vision and disrupts their efforts.
Overall, The Call's Doubt is a powerful reflection on the way doubt can infiltrate our lives and impact our sense of self and relationships with others. It is a relatable feeling that speaks to the human condition and the need for certainty and understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
You doubt if there's a heaven
You're unsure about the existence of heaven
You doubt if there's a hell
You're unsure about the existence of hell
You doubt if you'll remember
You're uncertain if you'll remember stories they tell
All the stories they would tell
The doubt extends to stories shared by others
It's a terrible feeling
The feeling of doubt is unpleasant
Living and dealing with doubt
You are constantly faced with doubt
You've doubted your existence
You've even questioned your own existence
You doubt if there's a truth
You're uncertain if there's a universal truth
Your plan starts to crumble
Your plans start to fall apart
But you cannot stand to lose
You are afraid of losing control
You're back where you started from
Doubt has brought you back to square one
covering yourself in doubt
Doubt has completely consumed you
You doubted your mother
You doubt even your closest relationships
And you doubted your dad
You even doubt your own parents
You doubted your sisters
You doubt your siblings
And any brothers you had
You doubt any other family members
It's a bad situation
Living and loving with doubt is not ideal
Well, you doubted the beginning
You doubt the very start of things
And I'm sure you doubt the end
You probably doubt the outcome as well
You doubted your teachers
You doubt even those who have taught you
You doubt all your friends
Your doubt extends to your friends as well
It's an overwhelming sensation
Doubt can be overpowering
Confrontation with doubt
You are forced to face doubt head-on
I don't know why I started
You're not sure how you even got here
I don't know if I'll finish
You're unsure if you will ever find answers
I wonder why I try at all
Doubt has made you question why you bother trying
Sometimes I wonder why I try at all
You frequently question why you should try
Doubt can make a strong man
Even the strongest people can be affected by doubt
Weaken under stress
Doubt can weaken a person under pressure
And doubt can make a weak man
Even those who are weak can be consumed by doubt
totally worthless
Doubt can make you feel completely useless
God, it's a pity
It's unfortunate
Doubt
Doubt is pervasive throughout life
You stage your finale
You plan your exit
With meticulous care
You pay close attention to details
your view is consistent
Your viewpoint remains unchanged
And then out of nowhere
Suddenly, unexpectedly
Your vision is clouded
Doubt clouds your judgment
You face competition with doubt
Doubt competes with your desire for success
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gage
Thanks Brian. One of the greatest and most overlooked bands of all time.
Dtm Jax
Gage I started listening to them in the mid 80’s. It was music nirvana. Perfect for my ears. Then marriage, kids, work, house...and sadly they slid away. I’m back and the music never left. They were the best ever that never filled massive venues. Awesome stuff.
Jimmy Stewart
Probably the most underrated band of the 80’s…great stuff!!