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.
Running Mary
The Connells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was running Mary.
And the days were growing long.
And I was minding mine,
I was doing nothing wrong.
And the news you sent me.
And the bar's upon the door.
And this one caught me blind --
Tell me how much do I forgive
'Cause you laid one in on me, but I'm all right.
Tell me how much -- this goes on and on.
I was running barely
And it's hard to face me more.
And I was minding mine,
And doing nothing more.
The Connells's song "Running Mary" tells the story of a protagonist named Mary who is on the run from her past. The song's opening line "I was running Mary" sets up the idea that the singer is the one who is following Mary, but as the song progresses, it becomes clear that Mary is running from something or someone. This could represent a physical or emotional escape from a traumatic or difficult experience. The days growing long could reflect the sense of time passing by as Mary continues to run, possibly becoming more tired and hopeless as she tries to outrun her past.
As the song shifts to the singer's perspective, we learn that they themselves have also experienced a difficult event that they are trying to move beyond. The news that Mary has sent is ambiguous, but the line "bar's upon the door" suggests a sense of imprisonment or being trapped. The line "this one caught me blind" implies that the event was unexpected or caught the singer off guard, leading to a sense of powerlessness. The repetition of the line "Tell me how much do I forgive" suggests that the singer is struggling with feelings of anger and betrayal, but is also trying to move past them. Ultimately, the song seems to suggest that while running may be a temporary solution, true healing comes from confronting and processing the past.
Line by Line Meaning
I was running Mary.
I was trying to escape or avoid Mary, perhaps due to a previous conflict or issue between us.
And the days were growing long.
Time seemed to move slowly, and I may have been struggling with a difficult situation for an extended period of time.
And I was minding mine,
I was focused on my own business and not causing any trouble or harm.
I was doing nothing wrong.
I am confident in my actions and believe I did not deserve any negative consequences or punishment.
And the news you sent me.
Someone, likely a third party, delivered information or news to me.
And the bar's upon the door.
The situation has become more restrictive or enclosed, perhaps beyond my control or choice.
And this one caught me blind --
Something unexpected or surprising happened without warning, leaving me unprepared.
Couldn't stop me anymore.
I am now beyond a point of return or stopping, potentially due to the consequences of my actions or outside circumstances.
Tell me how much do I forgive
I am struggling to decide how much forgiveness or grace to extend to someone who has wronged me.
'Cause you laid one in on me, but I'm all right.
Someone hurt or harmed me, but I am able to recover and continue on despite their actions.
Tell me how much -- this goes on and on.
I am tired of enduring a difficult situation for an extended period, and I am unsure how much longer I can handle it.
I was running barely
I was only able to make it through the situation with minimal effort or strength.
And it's hard to face me more.
The situation has become increasingly challenging or difficult to handle, potentially affecting my attitude or confidence.
And I was minding mine,
I am still focused on my own business and not causing trouble or harm.
And doing nothing more.
I am not taking any excessive or unnecessary actions that could worsen the situation.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: DAVID CONNELL, DOUGLAS MACMILLAN, GEORGE HUNTLEY, MICHAEL CONNELL, STEPHEN POTAK, TIMOTHY HARPER, WILLIAM WIMBERLEY JR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
B Bloem
on In my Head
I always thought this was being sung to an aborted baby.