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.
Circlin
The Connells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
will you stick with it man
what I can't understand is
Why have you started circlin'
and did you feel like giving in
or will you stop at nothing?
If I could just make it through tonight
looks like your stuck with it man
what I can't understand is
Why have you started circlin'
and did you feel like giving in
or will you stop at nothing?
everybody, everybody's wrong but us
let's hope that stuff is strong enough
Why have you started circlin'
and did you feel like giving in
or will you stop at nothing?
Why have you started circlin'
and did you feel like giving in
or will you stop at nothing?
Why have you started circlin'
and did you feel like giving in
or will you stop at nothing?
The Connells's song "Circlin" is a reflection on the struggles of a person who is going through a tough time and trying to find their way out. The lyrics open with an expression of hope that the person will "shed that skin," meaning they will be able to let go of their troubles and move forward. However, the singer questions whether the person will be able to "stick with it" and overcome their obstacles, as they appear to be stuck in a pattern of circling around their problems.
The chorus of the song repeats the questions of why the person is circling and if they will give in or stop at nothing to overcome their challenges. The lyrics also touch on the idea that many people around them may be negative or critical of their struggles, but the singer and the person going through the tough time are the only ones who truly understand their experience.
Overall, "Circlin" is a song that explores the complexity of trying to overcome personal struggles and the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Say you going to shed that skin, oh yeah
Are you actually committed to change?
will you stick with it man
Will you follow through with your decision?
what I can't understand is
I don't comprehend your current behavior.
Why have you started circlin'
Why are you repeating the same mistakes?
and did you feel like giving in
Did you consider quitting or giving up?
or will you stop at nothing?
Will you persevere no matter what?
If I could just make it through tonight
I hope to endure this difficult period.
looks like your stuck with it man
Seems like you have committed to the change.
everybody, everybody's wrong but us
We believe we are doing the right thing, even if others don't.
let's hope that stuff is strong enough
We hope our decision will withstand challenges.
Why have you started circlin'
Repeating the same mistakes will not bring progress.
and did you feel like giving in
Giving up is not an option when striving for change.
or will you stop at nothing?
Tenacity is required for success.
Why have you started circlin'
Repeating the same mistakes will not bring progress.
and did you feel like giving in
Giving up is not an option when striving for change.
or will you stop at nothing?
Tenacity is required for success.
Why have you started circlin'
Repeating the same mistakes will not bring progress.
and did you feel like giving in
Giving up is not an option when striving for change.
or will you stop at nothing?
Tenacity is required for success.
Contributed by London L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
B Bloem
on In my Head
I always thought this was being sung to an aborted baby.