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.
Tomorrow on the Runway
The Innocence Mission Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The sun is just about to climb up over there
While my heart is sinking I do not want my voice
To go out into the air
Did you leave the darkness without me?
You're always miles ahead
And you're standing in tomorrow on the runway
Oh, be the music in my head
The air around my bed
Oh, be my rest
Replace the small disgraces of the times and places
That I never really left
Did you leave the darkness without me?
You're always miles ahead
And you're standing in tomorrow on the runway
Oh, I want to fly, fly forward into the light
Be alive, to come alive
On the leaf-bright Friday drive
Sudden horses at the red light
Turn around, see clearer ways to go now
The Innocence Mission's "Tomorrow On The Runway" is a reflective and introspective song that delves into the nostalgia for a previous time period and the desire to move forward into the future. The opening lines of the song, "Old days, don't come to find me / The sun is just about to climb up over there," indicate a yearning for the past, while also acknowledging that it is time to let go and move on. The reference to the sun and the sinking heart emphasizes the emotional weight of this journey.
The following lines, "Did you leave the darkness without me? / You're always miles ahead / And you're standing in tomorrow on the runway," suggest a sense of abandonment or loss, as if the singer has been left behind in the journey towards the future. The idea of being "miles behind" emphasizes the feeling of disconnection and being lost, while "tomorrow on the runway" emphasizes the forward-thinking nature of this journey.
As the song progresses, the singer begins to yearn for a sense of peace and tranquility. The lines "Oh, be the music in my head / The air around my bed / Oh, be my rest" suggest a desire for comfort and stability amidst the chaos of change. The final lines break free from the introspection and introduce a sense of action, "Oh, I want to fly, fly forward into the light / Be alive, to come alive / On the leaf-bright Friday drive / Sudden horses at the red light / Turn around, see clearer ways to go now." Here, the singer is determined to move forward and take control of their journey.
Line by Line Meaning
Old days, don't come to find me
I don't want to dwell on the past because it can't bring me anything in the present
The sun is just about to climb up over there
A new day is beginning, full of promise and hope
While my heart is sinking I do not want my voice
To go out into the air
I feel heavy-hearted and don't want to express my emotions openly
Did you leave the darkness without me?
You're always miles ahead
And you're standing in tomorrow on the runway
I feel abandoned by someone who is always moving forward while I feel stuck in the darkness of yesterday
Oh, be the music in my head
The air around my bed
Oh, be my rest
I long for comfort, peace, and solace in my thoughts and surroundings
Replace the small disgraces of the times and places
That I never really left
I want to let go of the past regrets and failures that keep haunting me
Oh, I want to fly, fly forward into the light
Be alive, to come alive
On the leaf-bright Friday drive
Sudden horses at the red light
Turn around, see clearer ways to go now
I have a strong desire to move forward with enthusiasm and vitality, to take new opportunities and make better choices
Contributed by Harper L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.