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.
Doin' You
The Connells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wouldn't bet the whale that I'd ever see
The juvenile in your eyes like the one I see.
No I wouldn't climb the highs thinking that I'd find
A reason for honesty without even tryin'.
Doin' you and being new upon it.
Seeing your fog and drive on through it.
Being you with your creature comfort.
I wouldn't buy you time if it was for sale.
Might sic my dog on your if you brought the mail.
Don't you dream of happiness when you're feeling blue?
Never see modesty from the likes of you.
The lyrics of The Connells' song "Doin' You" seem to convey a sense of disillusionment and disappointment with someone who the singer had placed some expectation on, but who has failed to live up to those expectations. The opening line of the song, "I wouldn't bet the whale that I'd ever see the juvenile in your eyes like the one I see," suggests that the singer has lost faith in this person's ability to be honest and genuine. He acknowledges that he had hoped to find a "reason for honesty" in this person, but has come up empty.
The chorus, "Doin' you and being new upon it, seeing your fog and drive on through it, being you with your creature comfort, doin' you is like doin' time," seems to suggest that the singer feels trapped by this person, unable to break away from the disappointment and disillusionment they have caused. The phrase "being new upon it" suggests that the singer is still struggling to understand and accept this person's true nature, while "seeing your fog and drive on through it" evokes a sense of perseverance or determination in the face of difficulty.
The final verse, with its talk of refusing to buy time and possibly siccing a dog on someone, underscores the singer's frustration and anger with this person. He accuses them of lacking modesty and even dreams of happiness when they are feeling low.
Overall, "Doin' You" is a song that seems to capture the feelings of disappointment and frustration that can arise when we place too much expectation on someone and they fail to live up to it.
Line by Line Meaning
I wouldn't bet the whale that I'd ever see
I wouldn't make a big bet that I'll witness
The juvenile in your eyes like the one I see.
The innocence I see in your eyes reminds me of a child
No I wouldn't climb the highs thinking that I'd find
I wouldn't expect to find
A reason for honesty without even tryin'.
A justification for being truthful without any effort
Doin' you and being new upon it.
Being with you is a new experience for me
Seeing your fog and drive on through it.
I move forward through the confusion you create
Being you with your creature comfort.
Being you is easy because you are content with what you have
Doin' you is like doin' time.
Being with you feels like being in a prison
I wouldn't buy you time if it was for sale.
I wouldn't waste my resources on you
Might sic my dog on your if you brought the mail.
I don't trust you enough to receive anything from you
Don't you dream of happiness when you're feeling blue?
Do you ever imagine being happy when you're sad?
Never see modesty from the likes of you.
You never demonstrate humility or modesty
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: GEORGE HUNTLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
B Bloem
on In my Head
I always thought this was being sung to an aborted baby.