Guitarist Mike Connell formed the band in 1984, along with his brother David Connell on bass, Doug MacMillan on vocals, and future filmmaker John Schultz on drums. This initial four-person line-up was quickly supplemented by the addition of George Huntley on second guitar, keyboards, and vocals. Around the same time, former Johnny Quest drummer Peele Wimberley replaced Schultz, finalizing the "classic" line-up of the band.
From the beginning of the group, Mike Connell wrote both the music and the lyrics of the majority of the band’s songs, although he was not the band's primary lead singer. Connell’s influences included the 1960's guitar pop of his childhood, including The Byrds and The Beatles; in an early interview, he stated that the first song he wrote as a teenager was titled “Psychedelic Butterfly."
Like Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Johnny Marr of The Smiths, Connell and Huntley played Rickenbacker guitars for the first several years of the band’s career, creating a jangly, folk-rock sound reminiscent of The Byrds and other Southern U.S. and North Carolina bands of the era, such as the dB's and Let's Active.
A re-recorded version of “Darker Days” provided the title track to the band’s debut album, which was produced by fellow North Carolinian Don Dixon and released in 1985 on Elvis Costello's Demon Records in the UK and the band’s own Black Park Records label in the U.S.
After touring heavily behind Darker Days, the Connells re-entered the studio in 1986 with Dixon and R.E.M. producer Mitch Easter to record their second album, Boylan Heights. The decision to work with Easter continued to perpetuate the comparisons to R.E.M.
Although the band shopped Boylan Heights to various labels, the major record companies, including Columbia Records, which expressed some mild interest, passed on it; the record was ultimately released in 1987 on mid-major TVT Records, which had made its name releasing a series of "Tee Vee Toons" television theme song compilation CDs. TVT would prove to be no commercial match for R.E.M.'s own mid-major label, I.R.S. Records, and over the next decade, The Connells would engage in a series of disputes with the label, on at least one occasion suing, unsuccessfully, to break their recording contract.
Despite the problems with TVT, Boylan Heights was a substantial college radio hit, and The Connells continued to tour relentlessly. During this period, both Connell and Huntley began to move away from their twelve-string Rickenbackers towards six-string Fender and Gibson guitars, leading to a heavier, less folky sound on Fun and Games, the 1989 follow-up album.
Fun and Games was quickly followed in 1990 by One Simple Word, which was recorded in Wales with U.K. producer Hugh Jones.
After a three-year recording hiatus, which included more legal jousting with TVT Records, a rejuvenated Connells released Ring in 1993. While European music fans made Ring a platinum record outside the United States, such high level success in America remained elusive. 1996's Weird Food and Devastation failed to build on the momentum established by its predecessor.
In 1998, the band released Still Life, which marked their final album for TVT. The band released Old School Dropouts on the revived Black Park Records label in 2000. The band recorded the record themselves and promoted it sparingly in the American South.
Peele Wimberley and George Huntley have since left the band. Wimberley briefly played with another band called Parklife, and then moved to Los Angeles to pursue interests in Hollywood and in electronic music. He is currently a member of the Los Angeles band, The Lamps.
Huntley is now selling real estate and working part time at the University of North Carolina music department.
Peele Wimberley was replaced on drums by Steve Ritter; after several years Ritter was soon replaced by Chris Stevenson on drums, and Mike Ayers took George's place on lead guitar. The new lineup recorded the album Old School Dropouts.
In 1993, they released "''74-'75" which remains their most popular song. It is based on experiences of the Class of 1975 in a high school in Raleigh, North Carolina. The video juxtaposed original yearbook pictures with the class members as they appeared at the time. And then in 2015, the producers tracked down the original members once again, and produced a remixed video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6l3Lh2cb_g
The last official release of the band was in 2001. They still occasionally perform together, including a reunion concert in 2020.
Bruised
The Connells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And they say you're a friend of mine
That's very moving
But it's not really soothing
Insincere and color blind
Hey, ain't it funny?
Everybody knows how my skin shows
So, they say I'm doing fine
They've got nothing on me but time
Time to talk about it
Yeah, that's where I'm going
Do they really know how fine?
Hey, ain't it funny?
Everybody knows how my skin shows
Black and bruised
Hey, ain't it funny?
Everybody sees how my skin shows but you
The lyrics to The Connells's song Bruised speak of a person who has been hurt emotionally or physically and is being told that they are doing okay. However, the singer feels that the comments are not sincere and that the people saying it are "color blind" or unaware of the pain they are feeling. The opening lines of the song capture this sentiment, with the singer saying that they are being told that they are doing fine but it is not really soothing. The second verse of the song speaks of how people have time to talk about the singer's situation, but they wonder if the people really know how fine they are.
The chorus of the song further emphasizes the feeling of being misunderstood and sidelined when it comes to their pain. The line "everybody knows how my skin shows" serves as a metaphor for the way the singer is perceived - superficially and without any real understanding of what is happening inside. The last line of the chorus, "hey, ain't it funny, everybody sees how my skin shows but you" shows that there is at least one person who understands the depth of the pain the singer is feeling.
The song expresses the universal experience of feeling like people aren't really seeing one's pain or acknowledging the struggle that one is going through. It is a poignant reminder that sometimes, people can be insensitive or unaware of the true impact of difficult situations. The Connells's Bruised is a powerful and emotional song that resonates with many people who have felt unseen or unheard.
Line by Line Meaning
So, they say I'm doing fine
People tell me things are good, but they don't know the truth behind my situation.
And they say you're a friend of mine
They also claim to know you and that we are friends.
That's very moving
Their words are emotional and sympathetic.
But it's not really soothing
Despite the kind words, they don't have a real solution to my pain.
Insincere and color blind
Their words lack authenticity and they fail to see the true extent of my struggles.
Hey, ain't it funny?
A rhetorical question highlighting the irony of the situation.
Everybody knows how my skin shows
People can see the visible signs of my emotional and physical pain.
So, they say I'm doing fine
People continue to make assumptions about my wellbeing.
They've got nothing on me but time
People have no true understanding of my inner turmoil and struggles, and all I have is time to address them.
Time to talk about it
I need time to vocalize my pain and seek help.
Yeah, that's where I'm going
I am moving towards addressing my pain and seeking healing.
Do they really know how fine?
A question to challenge the previous assumption that everything is 'fine'.
Black and bruised
Describing the physical and emotional pain and damage that is visible.
Hey, ain't it funny?
Reiterating the irony of the situation where everyone can see the visible signs of pain except one person.
Everybody sees how my skin shows but you
Highlighting the one person who sees beyond the visible signs and understands my true pain and struggles.
Contributed by Madison S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
B Bloem
on In my Head
I always thought this was being sung to an aborted baby.