The band revolves around the distinctive vocal style of songwriter Luke Steele. Stemming from a musical family, father Rick Steele is a local blues musician, two of Luke Steele's siblings are also musicians with brother Jesse a former member of The Sleepy Jackson (and currently performing with father Rick in The Hot Biscult Band) and sister Katy, who fronts another Perth indie rock band, Little Birdy.
The band formed in 1998 with the original lineup featuring Luke Steele (guitars/vocals), Jesse Steele (drums), and Matthew O’Connor (bass). This lineup recorded a self-titled debut and a subsequent single titled "Miniskirt". Both recordings were independently released. In 2000, as a result of non-musical commitments, Luke Steele suggested that his brother should redirect his attentions and concentrate on other happenings in his life which ultimately resulted in Jesse following his advice and departing the band.
The void created by Steele's departure was filled by Paul Keenan (who now drums with Eskimo Joe at their live performances). Along with numerous shows in their hometown of Perth, in late 2000, The Sleepy Jackson toured nationally with Jebediah. In March 2001, on the eve of the band’s signing with EMI Records, the band toured with Magic Dirt and Motor Ace with Ronan Charles on keyboards joining Steele, O'Connor and Keenan. Five weeks into the tour, with the band broke, exhausted, and sleeping in caravan parks rather than enjoying the luxuries their touring partners were enjoying, O'Connor, Keenan and Charles quit leaving Steele to complete the tour solo.
In signing to EMI, pressure was soon placed on Steele to produce a recording. The result was a 2001 released EP titled Caffeine In The Morning Sun which Steele recorded in Sydney with a collection of session musicians. In addition to playing solo, Steele recruited drummer Malcolm Clark into The Sleepy Jackson fold and, when some serious touring was required in support of the release, the services of Justin Burford (Guitar) and Rodney Aravena (Bass) were enlisted. In addition to The Sleepy Jackson, Steele's three colleagues were also playing around their hometown with Jonathon Dudman under the name End Of Fashion.
The Sleepy Jackson relocated to Sydney where they recorded another EP, Let Your Love Be Love. Songs from this and past releases were put together to form a self titled mini album for release on the UK market. A period of extensive touring quickly followed which saw the band playing in Australia, The United States, and Europe. The later bought the band some very enthusiastic attention from UK music paper NME. In between live appearances, The Sleepy Jackson worked on recordings that were to become their debut album Lovers. During a series of UK appearances in 2003, Burford and Aravena left the band. With a support slot for Silverchair's Diorama tour looming back in Australia, replacements were quickly sought. Clarke ironically called upon the only other End of Fashion member not previously part of The Sleepy Jackson, Jonathon Dudman.
Dudman joined the band in Sydney where he took over bass duties and the second guitarist position was filled by session musician Ben Nightingale. The Sleepy Jackson's revolving door continued when Nightingale was ultimately replaced by Jonathon Dudman's brother, Julian Dudman. But the Dudmans consequently left the band leaving Luke Steele and Malcolm Clark as the only official members of The Sleepy Jackson.
The Sleepy Jackson released their second full length album Personality - One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird in Australia on July 1 2006 where it debuted at No. 10 on the ARIA Albums Charts the following week. With its predecessor Lovers receiving generous support from both critics and radio alike, the band supported the new album's worldwide release with a series of live appearances in select markets. Joining Clark and Steele are Dave Symes and Felix Bloxsom, who both worked on the album, and Lee Jones who was formerly in Perth band Spencer Tracy.
The album was released in the United Kingdom on July 26th and in the United States on July 27th. In July 2006 the album was nominated for a J Award by Australian Radio Station, Triple J.
In 2007 The Sleepy Jackson performed at the 2007 Big Day Out, Southbound, Falls Festival and the St Jerome's Laneway festivals in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
Don't Say
The Sleepy Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In computers and talk like a lazy bee
Bathe in the winters in disguise
They dance in corners marked as 109
They laugh like saunas caught in old divine
Run in the valley in the kick of time
You're a terror in the northern part of town
I always caught you on the ranking down
When the seasons change at night I run around in light
'til I find my hands in you
If I ever want to know where you live now,
I'm clever if I leave around your town
I always caught you on the ranking down
I never want to know where you live now,
I'm clever if I leave around your town.
I always caught you on the ranking down.
You're a terror on the northern part of town.
A crooner in the poorest side of south.
I always caught you on the ranking down.
The Sleepy Jackson's song "Don't Say" is filled with cryptic and enigmatic lyrics that convey a sense of mystery and intrigue. The song opens with the line "All the girls they live right across the sea," which sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The girls are portrayed as being distant and elusive, existing in a realm of computers and disconnected from the real world. The imagery of them "bathing in the winters in disguise" and "dancing in corners marked as 109" adds to this sense of otherworldliness.
The second half of the song seems to shift the focus to the singer, who describes himself as a "terror in the northern part of town" and a "crooner in the poorest side of south." He is always "caught on the ranking down," which suggests that he is living on the fringes of society and struggling to stay afloat. The lines "When the seasons change at night I run around in light / 'til I find my hands in you" suggest that the singer is seeking some kind of connection or comfort, perhaps from one of the elusive girls mentioned in the first half of the song.
Overall, the lyrics to "Don't Say" are open to interpretation and leave a lot of room for the listener to fill in the blanks. It's a song that invites repeated listens and rewards careful attention to detail.
Line by Line Meaning
All the girls they live right across the sea
Women from far and wide, out of reach like the sea
In computers and talk like a lazy bee
They communicate through technology, buzzing around lazily
Bathe in the winters in disguise
They hide their true selves in the cold of winter
They dance in corners marked as 109
They retreat to specific, numbered locations to dance
They laugh like saunas caught in old divine
Their laughter sounds like sacred rituals from a bygone era
Run in the valley in the kick of time
They run freely in the valley in the prime of their youth
You're a terror in the northern part of town
You have a fearsome reputation among those in the north
A crooner in the poorest side of south
You sing soulfully to lift the spirits of those in the south, despite its poverty
I always caught you on the ranking down
I often see you when you're feeling down or struggling
When the seasons change at night I run around in light
When the night is bright with changing seasons, I wander aimlessly
'til I find my hands in you
Until I find myself holding onto you
If I ever want to know where you live now,
If I ever wanted to know where you currently reside
I'm clever if I leave around your town
I'll be sly if I'm in the vicinity of your neighborhood
I never want to know where you live now,
I actually have no interest in knowing your current whereabouts
I always caught you on the ranking down.
I just always seem to bump into you when you're not doing so well
Contributed by Joseph F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
elektriccobra
0:51 to 0:55 I could listen to that change on a loop for 3 day straight, then the next few seconds has that really high pitched note returning several times. Everything in the room must levitate the first time someone writes something like that. UGHH!