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.
Umbrella
The Innocence Mission Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pass me my umbrella, darling.
I wear it like a crutch,
to the ground,
like a shade
and nothing comes down on me.
I walk along beside the drivers.
When I still hear the bang-
sudden bang in my head-
and the scar runs on my face.
And on my hands, they held the wheel.
And on my mind, it was distracted.
And saved from scarring anybody else,
I'm lodged between the could-haves, could-haves.
I want you to be proud of me,
proud of me, proud.
And how can you be?
When I wear my umbrella like this.
When I dwell on myself like this.
When I need to be reassured like this.
You dance around with my umbrella.
You dance around the obvious weaknesses.
Around the room with my umbrella.
You dance around the room with me.
I see us in the mirror going by-
look at my happy face!
See what you do for me.
The Innocence Mission's song "Umbrella" is a reflective and introspective piece about one's emotional reliance on a physical object as a crutch. The lyrics describe the singer asking their partner to pass them their umbrella as they head out, using it as a symbol of protection and security. The umbrella is then likened to a crutch, a shade, and a shield that guards the singer from the outside world. The lyrics then transition into an introspective account of a traumatic experience, where the singer recalls an accident that left them with scars on their face and hands. The accident seems to have left a deep emotional scar on the singer’s psyche, as they still hear the loud bang in their head and feel distracted. They reflect on the fact that they were fortunate enough not to harm anyone else and are now left with regretful thoughts of “could-haves.” In the later lines, the singer expresses a desire for their partner to be proud of them. However, the singer feels unworthy of that pride as they demonstrate a lack of self-reliance and dwell in fear and uncertainty.
The singer also acknowledges their partner's emotional support and affection, describing them dancing around the room with their umbrella, highlighting the partner's ability to see past the singer’s flaws and not judge them. The final lines shine a positive light on the situation, with the singer looking in the mirror and seeing their happy face, realizing that their partner is the one who brings them joy and security.
Overall, "Umbrella" is a poignant portrayal of the emotional complexities that arise from trauma, fear, and uncertainty. It highlights the importance of having a strong emotional support system that enables one to heal and feel secure in their vulnerabilities.
Line by Line Meaning
I am going out now, darling.
I am leaving now, my love.
Pass me my umbrella, darling.
Hand me my umbrella, my dear.
I wear it like a crutch,
I use it as support,
to the ground,
bringing it down to the floor,
like a shade
to protect me from the sun,
and nothing comes down on me.
and I am not affected by anything falling from the sky.
I walk along beside the drivers.
I accompany the drivers on foot,
How ever do they drive so bravely?
How can they drive so courageously?
When I still hear the bang-
Although I still hear the loud noise,
sudden bang in my head-
a sudden sound in my mind,
and the scar runs on my face.
and the physical mark is still visible on my face.
And on my hands, they held the wheel.
My hands were holding the steering wheel.
And on my mind, it was distracted.
But my mind was unfocused.
And saved from scarring anybody else,
And prevented from causing harm to others,
I'm lodged between the could-haves, could-haves.
I am stuck between the things I could have done differently.
I want you to be proud of me,
I desire for you to be proud of me,
proud of me, proud.
so proud of me!
And how can you be?
But how is that possible?
When I wear my umbrella like this.
When I use my umbrella in this way.
When I dwell on myself like this.
When I focus on myself like this.
When I need to be reassured like this.
When I require reassurance like this.
You dance around with my umbrella.
You gracefully dance with my umbrella,
You dance around the obvious weaknesses.
You skillfully avoid highlighting the evident shortcomings.
Around the room with my umbrella.
Around the room, holding my umbrella.
You dance around the room with me.
You dance around the room with me.
I see us in the mirror going by-
I envision us passing by in the mirror-
look at my happy face!
Take a look at my joyful expression!
See what you do for me.
Take note of what you do for me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KAREN PERIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@layne_aic
Thank you for sharing this! It's one of my favorite albums from my years in high school which were difficult. Their music was my solace. ❤
Lyrics:
I prize the cloudy, tearing sky
For the thoughts that flap and fly
For staying in and reading by
For sitting under
I read a book of Madeline
And her friends in two straight lines
In Paris, in a house with vines
Over its old face
Far, far is Paris...
And the sky is dark with mystery
Try, catch the thoughts that flap and fly
In the cloudy, tearing sky
That touch and stir and won't be tied-
And try to speak them
I think of my old Flower Sky
Of us, when we thought we were spies
Of bobbing eggs in Easter dyes
Of walks in London
Try, try to hold my love for you
It knows no measure
This is a day for hearing bagpipes
Somewhere playing
This is a day for hearing sarabands
And hiding away
Sky, I hold my tears if you do
Starling thoughts, go over me
@diamondfieldmusic
Criminal that this album is not anywhere on streaming. This is basically their debut Mk II (and both are equally great). The middle of the trio of albums (Glow being the last) that is my favorite era of the band.
@layne_aic
Thank you for sharing this! It's one of my favorite albums from my years in high school which were difficult. Their music was my solace. ❤
Lyrics:
I prize the cloudy, tearing sky
For the thoughts that flap and fly
For staying in and reading by
For sitting under
I read a book of Madeline
And her friends in two straight lines
In Paris, in a house with vines
Over its old face
Far, far is Paris...
And the sky is dark with mystery
Try, catch the thoughts that flap and fly
In the cloudy, tearing sky
That touch and stir and won't be tied-
And try to speak them
I think of my old Flower Sky
Of us, when we thought we were spies
Of bobbing eggs in Easter dyes
Of walks in London
Try, try to hold my love for you
It knows no measure
This is a day for hearing bagpipes
Somewhere playing
This is a day for hearing sarabands
And hiding away
Sky, I hold my tears if you do
Starling thoughts, go over me
@moniquevamado
Their music has been the soundtrack of my life. Thank you for posting. What beautiful souls they are.
@BobTheCamper
I just added an acoustic version of Now in This Hush I had forgotten about to the end of the playlist. It's really nice :)
@kimbaisch8112
it sounds like a new england autumn.
i lost my dad then got divorced all in one year and this album inspired me to paint and draw which helped me navigate those two experiences. 1991, almost as if it was someone else’s life, yet this slbum is a time capsule bringing my heart right back to those days… the sweetness of time is that i only recall it as a very creative time not a painful one and the music is what inspired the creativity. thanks for posting this gem
@ebeep
This song just absolutely levels. The bone-piercing mood radiates right through me, the masterful arrangement/production/instrument voicing (so difficult to showcase the purity and unadorned brilliance of a Strat without it tracking too thin)...that outro and its perfect chorusing warble, and last but not least, that other dimension that is the break between verses. Such an incredible achievement. I wish I knew someone I could share this with who would appreciate it even 10% as much as I do. I wish I lived in a world where this wasn't obscure.
@Eyelooker11
This and the first album are "timeless'. Production , songwriting, instrumentation,....timeless. Sounds great in 2018.
@sundays2go470
Because they almost sound on these similar as the Sundays?
@joseschmoe2800
Reminds me of 1995. I had just returned to Chicago after a 3 year job stint in Miami. Had a new job, had a new car, had a new gf. My car had a cassette player and I used to play their album, Umbrella, every day on my way to work, a commute from the city to the 'burbs. It was fall and the weather was starting to turn cold and crappy which is typical of the Windy City come October. Umbrella was their finest work in my opinion. Listening to this album just brings me back to that phase of my life, certainly a much happier one. That's all.
@BobTheCamper
I'm a fellow (former) Chicago suburbanite, I can relate to those being happier times, and I also agree that this was the band's finest moment. All these years later it's still high on my list of go-to albums.