Their full-length debut album Old Liquidator was released in 1995, and the Minus 5's lineup consisted of McCaughey, Buck, and Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of The Posies. After releasing Old Liquidator on East Side Digital, the group reconvened in late 1996 to record their Hollywood Records debut, The Lonesome Death of Buck McCoy, released the following spring. The same year, McCaughey's 1989 solo album My Chartreuse Opinion was reissued by Hollywood as a Minus 5 album.
In 2001, the Minus Five and the Young Fresh Fellows, another McCaughey project, released a split double album, Let the War Against Music Begin/Because We Hate You; the "Let the War Against Music Begin" half was the Minus 5 submission.
After a change of guard at Hollywood Records, the Minus 5 found themselves releasing music via independent channels, with the Return To Sender label releasing a collection of outtakes from Let The War Against Music Begin called I Don't Know Who I Am before McCaughey signed the band to the Yep Roc label for his collaboration with Wilco, Down With Wilco. Yep Roc later issued an EP dominated by Down With Wilco outtakes, At The Organ, and reissued In Rock, a collection of tunes McCaughey recorded in a single day in 2000.
In 2002, the band contributed a track, "Girl I Never Met" to Rami Jaffee, Pete Yorn, and Marc Dauer's Trampoline Records release: Trampoline Records Volume I.
The band's seventh album, self-titled (but known as The Gun Album), was released early 2006, and features, along the regular line-up, guest appearances by Wilco, Kelly Hogan and The Decemberists' singer/songwriter Colin Meloy, among others.
Buck and McCaughey went on to play in The Baseball Project together in 2008.
Over the Sea
The Minus 5 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey, hey, hey, have you seen my girl
She's done the disappear again
Or is it in my head
Cause I think I said
Baby that's pretend
Baby that's pretend
Over the sea
Yeah you and I
Will ever be
Yeah you and I
Yeah you and I, over the sea
Hey, Hey, Hey, we were gonna marry
Love, love, love, in every capillary
And we were thinking stone somewhere
In the cold dark air, are you still there
Cause baby I'm scared
I'm scared
That you and I stood on a cliff
Over the sea
You and I
Will ever be
You and I
Yeah you and I, over the sea
Hey, Hey, Hey, we are on the reef now
Hey, Hey, Hey, where the waters hum
And if I dare to dream again
It's gonna pull me in
Cause I think I said
Baby that's pretend
Baby that's pretend
That you and I are on a cliff
Over the sea
Yeah you and I
Will ever be
You and I
Yeah you and I, over the sea
Yeah you and I are on a cliff
Over the sea
You and I
Will ever be
You and I
Yeah you and I, over the sea
Over the sea
The Minus 5's "Over the Sea" is a melancholy love song that explores the fragility of human relationships and the fear of losing a loved one. The song is driven by an acoustic guitar and features lead singer Scott McCaughey's plaintive vocals. The lyrics are simple yet effective, and they create a vivid and emotional picture of a couple standing on a cliff overlooking the sea.
The song begins with the singer asking if anyone has seen his girlfriend, who has disappeared once again. He wonders if it's just in his head, and he tries to reassure himself by saying "baby that's pretend." But as the song progresses, it becomes clear that something is wrong. The singer and his girlfriend were planning to get married, but now he's scared because she seems to have vanished into thin air.
The chorus of the song repeats the image of the couple standing on a cliff over the sea, with the singer declaring that they will "ever be" together. But as the song closes, the singer admits that he's still afraid and that his dreams are pulling him in. The final repetition of the chorus feels like a resolution but also a surrender, as if the singer is resigned to the fact that his love may be lost forever.
Overall, "Over the Sea" is a poignant and affecting song that captures the bittersweet nature of love and loss. It's a testament to The Minus 5's ability to write simple yet powerful songs that resonate with listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, hey, hey, have you seen my baby
The singer is asking if someone has seen their lover.
Hey, hey, hey, have you seen my girl
The singer is asking if someone has seen their girlfriend.
She's done the disappear again
The singer's lover has left without telling them.
Or is it in my head
The singer is wondering if their lover actually left or if they are just imagining it.
Cause I think I said
The singer believes that they may have pushed their lover away with something they said.
Baby that's pretend
The singer wishes that their current situation, where their lover is gone, was not real.
That you and I are on a cliff
The singer imagines themselves and their lover standing on a cliff.
Over the sea
The cliff is overlooking the ocean.
Yeah you and I
The singer and their lover are together in this imaginary scenario.
Will ever be
The singer hopes that they and their lover will always be together.
Hey, Hey, Hey, we were gonna marry
The singer and their lover had plans to get married.
Love, love, love, in every capillary
The singer and their lover were deeply and passionately in love.
And we were thinking stone somewhere
The couple had discussed finding a place to settle down together.
In the cold dark air, are you still there
The singer wonders if their lover is still with them in spirit, even though they are physically gone.
Cause baby I'm scared
The singer is afraid of being without their lover.
Hey, Hey, Hey, we are on the reef now
The singer has moved on to a new place, but still thinks of their imaginary scenario with their lover on the cliff.
Where the waters hum
The singer is by the ocean again, where they can hear the water making noise.
And if I dare to dream again
The singer is hesitant to imagine being with their lover again, because it hurts too much.
It's gonna pull me in
If the singer allows themselves to dream of their lover, it will be overwhelming emotionally.
Yeah you and I are on a cliff
The singer is once again imagining themselves and their lover on a cliff overlooking the ocean.
You and I
The singer is reaffirming their connection with their lover.
Over the sea
The cliff scene is still overlooking the ocean.
Over the sea
The song ends with a repetition of the imagery of the couple on the cliff over the ocean.
Contributed by Maya T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.