Their signature style is dreamy slow songs, with beautiful melodies.
The original band, including Mike Bitts (bass), and Steve Brown (drums), was formed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the early 80s when the members met during a Catholic school production of Godspell. Although all members of the band have contributed musically, Karen Peris does most of the group's writing.
Their eponymous debut album, released in 1989 (A&M Records), was produced by Larry Klein, then-husband of Joni Mitchell, and recorded in the couple’s basement recording studio. The album peaked on the Billboard charts at #167 in 1990, and the album’s second track, "Black Sheep Wall", released as a single in 1989, peaked at #22 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks. The album’s fifth track, "Clear to You", was used on the soundtrack of the pilot episode of Beverly Hills 90210. Klein also produced their 1991 follow up, Umbrella.
Their third and final A&M album, Glow, released in 1995 (A&M Records), Was produced by Dennis Herring, who had previously produced two records for Camper Van Beethoven. This album is a departure from Klein's heavier production style. Whereas the first two releases may have brought to mind The Sundays and The Cocteau Twins with their moody keyboards, Herring's lighter touch gave more emphasis to the group's guitar work and to Karen's vocals and lyrics.
Glow contains songs that appear on the soundtracks of the films Empire Records, and Dream for an Insomniac, as well as the television series Party of Five. The album’s second track, Bright as Yellow, peaked on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks at #33.
In 1999 the band recorded for a new label, Badman. Additionally, drummer Steve Brown left the band to pursue a career as a chef. On the subsequent album, Birds of My Neighborhood, Brown played drums and brushes on "Snow," but otherwise the group became a trio. Now bereft of drums, their sound took an even more acoustic direction. Some songs featured just Don and Karen, and a few, such as "She May Turn Around," featured only Karen's voice and instrumentation.
The 2000 release of Christ is My Hope, featuring religious music that had inspired them over the years, was independently released on their own website. Small Planes, released in 2001, featured outtakes from Glow and Birds of My Neighborhood. 2003's Befriended was their next "regular" album.
In 2004, the Innocence Mission released Now the Day is Over, a collection of lullabies. Except for "My Love Goes With You," all songs are cover versions, such as a stripped-down vocal and piano rendition of Henry Mancini's Moon River,
The Innocence Mission's new album We Walked in Song was released March 13, 2007.
Curious
The Innocence Mission Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're getting carried away with our guesses
What is she like?
We want to know
She'll be the bride of our dear brother
She's very nice
She's very nice
That's all he said
We're curious
Curious
We're curious about the whole affair
She comes from London
(We think that is so romantic)
Maybe she is distantly related to Di
He met her at college
She'll graduate with honors
Maybe our brother fell in love
With her mind
She's very bright
She's very bright
She's very bright
That's what he said
That's news to us
News to us
We're curious about the whole affair
I know our brother
I know what he wants
He wants to make an entrance
In grand style
I know our brother
He's trying to tease us
He knows the wheels are turning
In our minds
We're curious
Curious
We're curious about the whole affair
We're so curious
Curious
We're so curious
And it's so unfair
The Innocence Mission’s “Curious” explores the theme of curiosity and how it manifests in individuals when a loved one is getting married. The song is sung from the perspective of the siblings of the groom, all of whom are eager to know the bride-to-be. The lyrics highlight their curiosity about her, with the siblings getting carried away with what they believe she is like.
The siblings ask themselves a number of questions about the bride. They wonder about her personality, where she is from, how intelligent she is, and her level of education. They consider the possibility that she could be related to Lady Diana, and speculate about how their brother fell in love with her. The chorus of the song repeats the line “We’re curious about the whole affair” multiple times, emphasizing the siblings’ inquisitiveness.
The final verse of the song suggests that the groom knows his siblings’ intrigue and is trying to playfully tease them. The song ends with a repetition of the word curious, illustrating the siblings’ lingering curiosity and the unfairness of being kept in the dark.
Line by Line Meaning
We're curious about the one he loves
We are interested in knowing more about the person our brother loves
We're getting carried away with our guesses
We are making assumptions and speculations without any concrete information
What is she like?
We want to know what kind of person she is
She'll be the bride of our dear brother
She will be our brother's wife
She's very nice
Our brother said she is a kind person
She comes from London
She is from London
(We think that is so romantic)
We find it romantic that she is from London
Maybe she is distantly related to Di
There is a possibility that she is related to Princess Diana
He met her at college
Our brother met her while he was in college
She'll graduate with honors
She is a top-performing student and will receive academic honors
Maybe our brother fell in love
It is possible that our brother has fallen in love with her
With her mind
Our brother might be attracted to her intelligence
She's very bright
Our brother described her as intelligent
That's what he said
Our brother specifically used these words to describe her
That's news to us
We were not aware that she was intelligent
We're curious about the whole affair
We want to know all the details about our brother's relationship
I know our brother
I have a good understanding of our brother's personality
I know what he wants
I understand what our brother desires
He wants to make an entrance
Our brother wants to make a grand impression
In grand style
Our brother wants to impress in an extravagant and impressive way
He's trying to tease us
Our brother is purposely making us curious by withholding information
He knows the wheels are turning
Our brother is aware that we are actively thinking about his relationship
We're so curious
Our curiosity is consuming us
And it's so unfair
We feel that it is not fair that our brother is teasing us without revealing more information
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KAREN PERIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind