The Roches were active as performers and recording artists from the mid-1970s through 2007, at various times performing as a trio and in pairs.
In the late 1960s, eldest sister Maggie (October 26, 1951 – January 21, 2017) and middle sister Terre (pronounced "Terry", born April 10, 1953) quit school to tour as a duo. Maggie wrote most of the songs, with Terre contributing to a few. The sisters got a break when Paul Simon brought them in as backup singers on his 1973 #2 album There Goes Rhymin' Simon. They got his assistance (along with an appearance by The Oak Ridge Boys) on their only album as a duo, Seductive Reasoning (1975). Shortly after that, youngest sister Suzzy (rhymes with "fuzzy", born September 29, 1956) joined the group to form The Roches trio.
Around this time, they parlayed bartending jobs at famous Greenwich Village folk venue Gerde's Folk City into stage appearances, an experience they commemorated in their song, "Face Down at Folk City" (from Another World, 1985). It was here that they met many of their future singing and songwriting collaborators. Terre was now writing songs as well, and by the time of their first album as a trio, The Roches (1979), Suzzy had also begun writing. Robert Fripp produced the album. Maggie's "The Married Men" from this album was eventually to become the biggest hit of the songwriting trio — not for them, but for Phoebe Snow. After Snow and Linda Ronstadt performed the song in a duet on Saturday Night Live, the Roches were invited themselves to perform on the show a few months later in 1979 at the behest of Paul Simon. They did two songs, both unreleased at the time, "Bobby's Song" and "The Hallelujah Chorus".
Throughout the 1980s, The Roches continued to release their music to small audiences, little or no air play, and only modest record sales. Their widest exposure in the '80s was an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in November 1985, where they performed their song "Mr. Sellack". In 1990, they returned to their Christmas-caroling roots with the release of the 24-track We Three Kings, which included the a cappella "Star of Wonder", written by Terre. After another pop album (A Dove, 1992), they recorded an entire album of children's songs entitled Will You Be My Friend?, featuring a song by brother David and various young backup singers, including Suzzy's daughter Lucy Wainwright Roche.
After a tour interrupted by the death of their father, The Roches released Can We Go Home Now (1995), the last original recording they released as a trio until 2007.
In 1997, the sisters formally put their group on long-term hold. They continued to work on solo projects and often collaborated on albums and performances. Terre teaches guitar workshops and has released a solo album. Suzzy, who has acted on the stage and in several movies, released two of her own albums and two with Maggie, with whom she has toured. All three sisters periodically participated in New York-area events. At the end of 2005, the three Roches (with brother Dave) reunited for a short but highly successful holiday tour. Several more appearances in the U.S. and Canada took place in 2006–07, and in March 2007, after a 12-year hiatus, The Roches released a new studio album, Moonswept. Following the tour for Moonswept, the Roches announced that they would no longer be touring, although they have made isolated appearances individually and as a group, mostly in and around New York City.
On January 21, 2017, Maggie Roche died of cancer at age 65.
Maggie had an "unusual" contralto voice – "almost a baritone." Terre provides a soprano that brackets the upper range of the sisters, while Suzzy fills in the middle range. While touring, the sisters accompany themselves with guitars and keyboards, occasionally with additional musicians.
Brother David is also a singer-songwriter with his own solo album, and has often backed up the trio on their recordings. Maggie's son, Felix McTeigue, has recorded three albums (one with his group Filo). Suzzy's daughter, Lucy, has also contributed vocals on the Roches' and McTeigue's albums, and in 2007 she produced an EP of her own, 8 Songs, followed by 8 More in 2008 and tours opening for acts such as Amos Lee and the Indigo Girls. Lucy has released two full-length albums, "Lucy" in 2010, and "There's a Last Time for Everything" in 2013. Her father is Loudon Wainwright III, and she is the half-sister of singers Martha and Rufus Wainwright.
The majority of Roches songs are written by the three sisters, whether individually, in every combination, or collaborating with other songwriters. They have also recorded their own arrangements of songs by a variety of New York folk artists, as well as a few covers of famous songs. Their three-part arrangement of the four-part "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah, featured on Keep On Doing (1982), is well regarded in a cappella circles.
Discography
- Maggie and Terre Roche
Seductive Reasoning (Columbia, 1975)
I Gave My Love a Kerry (Earth Rock Wreckerds, 2004)
- The Roches
The Roches (Warner, 1979)
Nurds (Warner, 1980)
Keep On Doing (Warner, 1982)
Another World (Warner, 1985)
No Trespassing (Real Live Records, 1986)
Speak (MCA, 1989)
We Three Kings (MCA, 1990)
A Dove (MCA, 1992)
Will You Be My Friend? (Baby Boom, 1994)
Can We Go Home Now (Rykodisc, 1995).
The Collected Works of the Roches (Rhino/Warner, 2003)
Moonswept (429 Records, 2007)
Rhino HiFive: The Roches (Rhino/Warner, 2007)
- Suzzy Roche
Holy Smokes (Red House, 1997)
Songs from an Unmarried Housewife and Mother, Greenwich Village, USA (Red House, 2000)
- Terre Roche
The Sound of a Tree Falling (Earth Rock Wreckerds, 1998)
- Suzzy & Maggie Roche
Zero Church (Red House, 2002)
Why The Long Face (Red House, 2004)
Suzzy Roche & Lucy Wainwright Roche[edit]
Fairytale and Myth (2013)
Mud and Apples (2016)
- Terre Roche, Sidiki Conde and Marlon Cherry (as Afro-Jersey)
Afro-Jersey (2013)
TRAIN
The Roches Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
with my big pocketbook
the guitar and a sugar-free drink
I wipe the sweat off of my brow
with the side of my arm
and take off all that I can
I am trying not to have a bad day
Even though my baggage and I
are using up a two person seat
I'm not trying to be funny
but the guy who sits down next to me
is even bigger than that
we are overflowing out of the seat
I can't look at him
he doesn't look at me
Once you step on
you might never get off
of the commuter train
it doesn't go very far away
but just the same
it s a trip and a half
My face is pressed up
against the window
and through it I can see
the reflection of the train
I spy on the big guy
sitting next to me
he's drinking two beers
and reading the New York Post
trying not to get in my way
everybody knows the kind of day that is
He is miserable
I am miserable
we are miserable
can't we have a party
would he rather have a party
after all we have to sit here
and he's even drinking a beer
I want to ask him what's his name
but I can't cause I'm so afraid
of the man on the train
The Roches's song, "The Train," is a poignant commentary on the human experience of riding on a commuter train. The singer boards the train "with [her] big pocketbook, the guitar and a sugar-free drink," and finds herself seated next to a man who is similarly overflowing out of his seat. The singer seems determined to not have a bad day, even though the situation is not ideal.
As the train ride progresses, the singer looks out the window and reflects on the experience of being stuck with a stranger for an indefinite period of time. She observes the man sitting next to her, who is drinking two beers and reading the New York Post in an attempt to pass the time. Despite her efforts to ignore him, she can't help but wonder about his life and circumstances. However, her fear of the man prevents her from asking him his name or striking up a conversation.
The song, although simple in its lyrics and melody, speaks to the universal experience of feeling trapped or uncomfortable in close quarters with strangers. It also points to the power of human connection and the potential for finding joy in unexpected places, even on an otherwise miserable train ride.
Line by Line Meaning
I sit down on the train
I find my seat on the train and prepare for my journey
with my big pocketbook
I bring along my oversized purse
the guitar and a sugar-free drink
I carry my guitar and a drink that is sugar-free
I wipe the sweat off of my brow
I use my sleeve to dry the sweat from my forehead
with the side of my arm
I use the side of my arm as a makeshift towel
and take off all that I can
I strip down to try and cool off
I am trying not to have a bad day
I am attempting to stay positive and avoid a bad mood
everybody knows the way that is
It is common knowledge that staying positive is beneficial
Even though my baggage and I
Despite having a lot of luggage
are using up a two person seat
We are taking up more space than allotted for one person
I'm not trying to be funny
I am being serious
but the guy who sits down next to me
The man seated beside me
is even bigger than that
He takes up more space than I do
we are overflowing out of the seat
We are both spilling over into the aisle
I can't look at him
I feel uncomfortable looking at him
he doesn't look at me
He avoids eye contact with me
Once you step on
Once you board
you might never get off
You might remain on the train for a long period
of the commuter train
Of this particular train for commuters
it doesn't go very far away
It does not travel a great distance
but just the same
Regardless
it s a trip and a half
It is an experience full of ups and downs
My face is pressed up
My face is pushed against
against the window
Against the train's window
and through it I can see
I can see out the window
the reflection of the train
I can see the train's own reflection
I spy on the big guy
I observe the larger man beside me
sitting next to me
Seated beside me
he's drinking two beers
He is consuming two bottles of beer
and reading the New York Post
He is reading a popular newspaper
trying not to get in my way
He avoids bothering me
everybody knows the kind of day that is
It is common to have days like this
He is miserable
He is unhappy
I am miserable
I am unhappy
we are miserable
Both of us are unhappy
can't we have a party
Why not have some fun?
would he rather have a party
Is he open to the idea of having a party?
after all we have to sit here
Since we are both stuck here
and he's even drinking a beer
And he even has alcohol
I want to ask him what's his name
I am curious about his name
but I can't cause I'm so afraid
But I am too scared to ask
of the man on the train
Of the stranger beside me
Lyrics © NABITHIUS MUSIC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind