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.
Joan
The Innocence Mission Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know his is not, as his is never, with them
seven years I've watched them sadly
watch with them, understanding
joan, my head hurts, my head hurts
joan, I must close the curtain
see the way the sky is changing?
"can you see the color?" he would say to me
"well, of course I see the colors
sea is silver, red and white and..."
"no! you don't look! You don't see!
no, you don't look, you don't see,"
in the squares of sun slanted on the floor
slanted over my feet, joan
this is how he painted me
a halo round me, like our lady
bathed his brush in sun
and blurred my faults away
joan, the sunlight, the sunlight!
joan, I must close the curtain
The Innocence Mission's song Joan is a haunting portrayal of a woman who is trapped in her own emotional turmoil but finds solace in watching the painters outside her window. The opening lines speak of a window that overlooks a group of painters working at the water. The singer is watching them from afar, but while she empathizes with their passion, she also knows there is something missing from her life: she sees the way the painters' work changes with the "sky is changing" but doesn't have anyone in her life who will point out the beauty and wonder of the world to her. Then the song transitions into a conversation between the singer and someone named Joan. The singer says, "my head hurts, my head hurts", which seems to be a plea for help of some sort. She wants to close the curtain, to close herself off from the world that is making her head hurt. The next lines reveal a contentious relationship between the singer and the person named Joan. Joan tells the singer how to look at the sky and the world around her, but the singer feels trapped by this pressure to see what Joan sees, and lashes out. The song closes with a description of how the singer is painted by one of the painters- with a halo of sunlight around her, as if blurring her faults away, and her painful plea to close the curtain because the sunlight is too much to bear.
The song seems to be about the tension between feeling connected to the world and feeling overwhelmed by it. The singer watches the painters and feels connected to their work, but cannot fully engage with it because of her own struggles. She seeks some solace in watching the painters, but the world beyond her window is too much to bear, especially without anyone to share it with. The singer's relationship with Joan seems tense as well- Joan seems to want to help the singer feel more connected to the world, but the singer doesn't want to be pressured into seeing what Joan sees. The imagined painterly halo around the singer's head, suggests that the artist has achieved something of what Joan was asking the singer to do- to see past the singer's faults and pain and capture something beautiful.
Line by Line Meaning
so, I see their easels at the water from the window
I observe the easels at the water from the window.
I know his is not, as his is never, with them
I know he is not with them as he habitually prefers solitude.
seven years I've watched them sadly
I have been observing them with a feeling of sadness for seven years.
watch with them, understanding
I understand how they feel and empathize with them.
joan, my head hurts, my head hurts
I am experiencing a headache, Joan.
joan, I must close the curtain
I feel the need to close the curtain, Joan.
they will come back in the evening
They will return in the evening.
see the way the sky is changing?
Have you noticed how the sky is transforming?
"can you see the color?" he would say to me
"Can you perceive the color?" he would inquire of me.
"well, of course I see the colors
"Of course I can see the colors.
sea is silver, red and white and..."
The sea has hues of silver, red and white, and..."
"no! you don't look! You don't see!
"No! You are not observing correctly! You are not seeing truly!
no, you don't look, you don't see,"
You are not looking and seeing properly, no,"
in the squares of sun slanted on the floor
I see squares of sunlight angled on the floor.
slanted over my feet, joan
The light falls obliquely on my feet, Joan.
this is how he painted me
This is how he portrayed me in his art.
a halo round me, like our lady
He painted a halo around me, like the Madonna.
bathed his brush in sun
He dipped his brush in sunlight.
and blurred my faults away
He concealed my flaws with his brushwork.
joan, the sunlight, the sunlight!
Joan, look at the bright sunlight!
joan, I must close the curtain
Joan, I have to close the curtain.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DONALD CHARLES JR. PERIS, KAREN PERIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
James White
I've always loved this song, but would love to know more about it. It's clearly a follow-up (as in sequel, or continuation) of their song "You Chase the Light" from their eponymous 1989 debut album. Does anyone know anything about the story here? Who is Joan? I think of the painter Joan Miro, but that doesn't fit, time wise or location wise. Anyway it's an absolutely brilliant, and beautiful song, and after literally hundreds of listens it still moves me to tears...
Colleen McGarrity
This is such a beautiful song. I remember listening to this when I was driving at 16 over and over in the car while I practiced driving stick shift.
Keiv Spare
Love this song!
SurfWriter
I have great affection for the Innocence Mission and much of their recorded music, at least until the last couple of albums. This song from the excellent "Umbrella" album has a strong melody and gorgeous vocal quality. But like quite a few of their songs, the lyrics are too difficult to discern because Karen Peris doesn't enunciate well.
Sheyla Fernandes
So great
annabell ward
Sheyla Fernandes sooooo great !!!!!!
Sheyla Fernandes
I discovered this today! My fav Xmas git... :)
Bob theCamper
I wasn't at all aware of this. Thank you!
Sheyla Fernandes
Check her new work with Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins). It's a song called “The Places We've Been”... :)
Sheyla Fernandes
Thanks! I love Karen's voice.