The Stunning have sold in excess of 100,000 albums in Ireland alone. Songs such as “Got to Get Away”, “Half Past Two”, Romeo’s on Fire” and “Brewing up a Storm” were massive hits with radio and the band scooped every music prize and award going. It seemed that international fame and stardom would naturally follow.
But this was not to be. After a series of business disappoinments and self-financed tours of the UK and the US, the band became frustrated at the lack of progress and decided to go their separate ways. Steve and Joe Wall went on to form The Walls; guitarist Derek Murray joined the Sawdoctors; percussionist and trumpet player - Jim Higgins - spent a number of years playing all over the world with Riverdance before also joining the Sawdoctors. And Cormac Dunne became one of the most in-demand session drummers in the country.
By the year 2000, Steve and Joe had set up their own record label Earshot (now changed to Dirtbird Records) and had released The Walls debut album Hi-Lo. They also received regular emails from people looking for “Paradise in the Picturehouse” as their cassette copies had worn out or been chewed in the car stereo. So they decided to reissue the album on their own label. It was also decided that the best way to publicise this was to reform The Stunning for a tour. Little did the band realise how successful this would be. In Sept 2003 they played 14 sold-out shows to over 20,000 people all over the country.
And it wasn’t just the old Stunning fans that came out in force. Audiences were split down the middle with a large proportion who were too young to have seen the band first time round. They had heard the music at home through older brothers and sisters, as well as in clubs around the country where a Saturday night rarely passes without Brewing up a Storm being played by a DJ or by a covers band.
Band website is at http://www.thestunning.net
Heads
The Stunning Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My heart had a hunger,
For feelings of every kind
Down through the years,
I shed hardly a tear,
Was it just that I hadn't the time?
Holds pain for tomorrow,
The future don't look very bright
Down through the ages,
We're tearing the pages,
While there's more of the book still to write
(Chorus)
All these years I never asked why
All the tears I never could cry
You don't miss the water till the well runs dry
And you've nothing left to show
So heads are gonna roll
Met an old woman
She knew I was coming
By the leaves in her teacup that night
Took pains to explain
What I found on my way
And the things that I left way behind
(Chorus x2)
Yeah, you don't miss the water till the well runs dry
All these years I never asked why...
The song "Heads" by The Stunning is a reflective piece about the passing of time and the realization of missed opportunities. The first verse portrays a sense of indifference towards emotions during youth, but as time goes on and experiences accumulate, the importance and value of feelings become more apparent. The lyrics then touch on the sadness and hardship present in the world, which despite being a constant reminder, is too often ignored. The chorus emphasizes the idea that one must appreciate what they have while they still have it, as the absence of it will be regretted. The second verse introduces the character of an old woman who appears to have a premonition of the singer's arrival. The singer listens to her warnings and begins to contemplate the things they have left behind in life, implying a desire for a second chance.
The song reflects on how the future may not have seemed bright considering the negative aspects in the world, but as the song progresses, it is evident that the past is being reminisced. The chorus is the main theme of the song and portrays the message that often we don't realize what we have until it is gone. Sometimes we don't shed tears when we should have and that's when it hurts. The song is a timeless reminder to cherish and appreciate life and all its moments.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was younger,
In my youth,
My heart had a hunger,
I yearned strongly,
For feelings of every kind
To experience all types of emotions
Down through the years,
As time passed,
I shed hardly a tear,
I rarely cried,
Was it just that I hadn't the time?
Perhaps it was due to lack of opportunity?
World full of sorrow,
A place full of sadness,
Holds pain for tomorrow,
There is pain to be felt in the future,
The future don't look very bright
The future is bleak,
Down through the ages,
Throughout history,
We're tearing the pages,
We're destroying what's been written,
While there's more of the book still to write
Even though there's still more to be written,
(Chorus)
Refrain:
All these years I never asked why
I never questioned anything for all those years,
All the tears I never could cry
I couldn't bring myself to shed a tear,
You don't miss the water till the well runs dry
You don't appreciate something until it's gone,
And you've nothing left to show
When you have nothing left to hold onto,
So heads are gonna roll
There will be consequences for actions,
Met an old woman
I encountered an elderly lady,
She knew I was coming
She anticipated my arrival,
By the leaves in her teacup that night
Through reading tea leaves,
Took pains to explain
She went to great lengths to describe,
What I found on my way
My experiences and discoveries,
And the things that I left way behind
And what I left in my past,
(Chorus x2)
Refrain x2:
Yeah, you don't miss the water till the well runs dry
You only realize the value of something when it's gone,
All these years I never asked why...
I never bothered to seek answers to life's questions...
Contributed by Zachary L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@petergannon3752
One of best irish.. Uk.. And European bands of the last 25 years...spent many years aboard working played the stunning CDs to new found friends across the globe they loved the stunning
@TheStunningTV
Thanks Peter, always nice to get a compliment.
@MrDav72
Me and my two best mate's, used to have a competition, to see which one of us could see them most.. Then the two of of them got back stage passes for Féile 94, never heard the end of that lol.. Best band, from the best days of my life
@thebraindamager
What a great song,sounds as good now as it did back when I was young.
@martinkingston1498
It always amazes me that these guys aren't rightfully regarded as one of THE finest musical groups ever produced by this country. Phenomenal songwriting, really beautiful melodies, with Steve's amazing vocals of course! All these years later their songs sound as fresh as when first released, of their time, but timeless in their own way. A criminally underappreciated band imho.
@docguy89
This song needs more recognition! Its fantastic!
@raymondhavil918
Probably the greatest debut album prior to the stone roses
@simonlancaster1815
This is from their second album... great band, though!
@peterhennelly477
Great Song. Got a haircut from the chic the barber during my college days in Galway. "Paradise in the Picturehouse" One of the finest Irish Albums ever.
@superD1cp
Lads , will ye please get the original versions of these songs on Spotify. Please please please ! Great music !All the best.