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.
Fifth Fret
The Connells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He heard it from the back wall
Then he slowly turned his head
back toward set.
He always thought he knew
that they might hit on something.
Then he reached on for the remote
She's got everything but what she wanted
was all of your attention.
She's got everything but what she wanted.
you know he'll try and forget her
but barely out of reach is might have been.
They've got everything but what you need
is a pund of prevention.
They've got everything but what you need...
He's taking everything with a grain.
He's taking just about anything.
She's got everything but what she wanted
was all of your attention.
She got everything but what she wanted.
The first verse of The Connells' song Fifth Fret sets the scene of a man, who has just heard something important, turning his head away from a set towards a back wall. The lyrics, "He heard about those two, he heard it from the back wall" convey a sense of secrecy and gossip. The second verse describes how the man thought he knew that "they" (presumably a couple) might hit on something. However, his attention is diverted as he reaches for the remote and spills his beer, suggesting that he is distracted or perhaps trying to avoid thinking about the situation.
The chorus of the song speaks about a woman who has everything but what she truly wants: the attention and affection of someone close to her. The lyrics, "She's got everything but what she wanted was all of your attention" express the idea that material possessions are not enough to make someone truly happy. The repetition of the line, "She's got everything but what she wanted" emphasizes this point and is almost a lament for the woman's unfulfilled desires. The bridge of the song speaks about another person, presumably the man from the first few verses, trying to forget her but unable to do so because she represents something he might have had.
Overall, the song Fifth Fret explores the idea that material possessions and even relationships are not enough to make us happy. It suggests that we should pay attention to those around us and actively work to nurture connections with others.
Line by Line Meaning
He heard about those two.
He overheard a conversation about two people.
He heard it from the back wall
He eavesdropped on the conversation by listening at a distance.
Then he slowly turned his head back toward set.
He turned his attention back toward whatever he was previously focused on.
He always thought he knew that they might hit on something.
He believed that the two people may have stumbled upon something important.
Then he reached on for the remote and spilled his beer.
He went to grab the remote but accidentally spilled his beer in the process.
She's got everything but what she wanted was all of your attention.
She has all the material possessions she desires, but craves someone's undivided attention.
She's got everything but what she wanted.
Despite having almost everything, there is still something she desires.
You know he'll try and forget her but barely out of reach is might have been.
He will attempt to forget her, but the possibility of what could have been still lingers in his mind.
They've got everything but what you need is a pound of prevention.
While they may have acquired everything they desire, a bit of foresight and caution could prevent future trouble.
They've got everything but what you need...
Despite appearing to have everything, there is still a crucial element missing.
He's taking everything with a grain.
He's not taking things too seriously and is remaining skeptical.
He's taking just about anything.
He's willing to accept almost anything that comes his way.
She got everything but what she wanted.
Despite having almost everything, there is still something she desires.
Contributed by Kennedy D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Spencer Fleury
It's an inconsistent album, but the good tracks are really good.
jjvannorman
"Tony, you love the songs or you love the crowd?" - Linus
cashewsoul
Great. But slightly different from the album version. More oooomph.
Jim O'Leary
Thanks for posting this!
woolhat1
I have noticed that a great deal of their later videos seem to leave out most of the band unlike the music video "Seven".
RingAnimated
Everyone seems to hate this album. I can agree, some of the songs seem like fillers almost, but then there are the awesome ones like this, maybe, and especially let it go!
Eric Duncan
underrated song
Padlakka
Thanks for posting this
thesithempire
Shame about the mixing of this album (and some of the filler songs), which muted the guitars, as "Weird Food & Devastation" should have built on the success of Ring to propel them into the big-time.
wladwlad
reminds me of early radiohead