Says Paul Berryman of the name: "It was basically just a piss-take on commonly used words in the 90's. Like The Jesus and Mary Chain, 'Jesus Built My Hot Rod', Jesus Lizard, Jesus Jones; there's just heaps of Jesus' out there in the music world so we thought we would have that and super was kind of like a 90s catch word."
The group's debut EP, "Eight Step Rail", was released in May 1996 and spent a couple of months on top of the Australian Independent charts and won a couple of ARIA awards.
All has not always well with the band internally and in 1997 Chris Tennent temporarily left the band. Aaron Tokona from Wellington, New Zealand band Weta filled in, though chose to turn down the band's offer to become a permanent member.
They released their debut album, Sumo, through Warner Music in 1998 and its success in Australia led to a US release. The band has released two subsequent albums, Jet Age, in 2001, and Rock Music, in 2003. All albums charted well in Australia.
Chris Tennant left the band permanently in 1999 and was replaced by Tim Henwood (who has since himself left to concentrate on his work with The Androids). Jason Slack (an unofficial member) has since been playing guitars with the band.
In June 2004, the band split with Warner Music Australia and indicated they would take time off while individial members pursued other projects. McLeod is said to be working on a solo album of material not suited to the band. Her solo single released in 2005 is entitled "Let's Get Together", while her album to be released in the same year is called Beauty Was A Tiger.
Recently there has been much controversy over whether the band has split: a number of articles describe McLeod and Berryman as "former" members. Fans continue to speculate over online message boards, some reasoning that the writers of such articles jump to conclusions after seeing each member doing his/her own thing. The band has so far remained silent on this issue, although the band's website has disappeared.
Sink
The Superjesus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't throw your weight around
Sow the seeds carefully
But don't come down on me
Blinded bloodshed
Sinking in the sun
Lifeless fearless
Blackest sun blackest night
Shades of scarred delight
Wash away all your sins
Where does the end begin
Hands on and off the gun
You're not the only one
Step away now step aside
Just to leave you open wide.
The Superjesus's song "Sink" is a powerful piece that asks us to mesh our will with that of everyone else's instead of fighting against them. The lyrics to the song are filled with strong convictions and the sense that the person singing and the people listening are staking their claim to something fundamental. The opening lines of the song are a plea for peace - "Settle in settle down/Don't throw your weight around/Sow the seeds carefully/But don't come down on me." This is followed by a stanza that mentions the consequences of blind violence - "Blinded bloodshed/Sinking in the sun/Lifeless fearless/Be the only one."
The second half of the song is a collection of phrases that suggest the struggle for survival through moments of turmoil. The lines "Blackest sun blackest night/Shades of scarred delight" conjure up images of darkness and pain, while the next two lines - "Wash away all your sins/Where does the end begin" - suggest one unified cleansing ritual, which may serve as a metaphorical way of working through our collective pains. The song ends with the exhortation to lay down our arms and unite - "Hands on and off the gun/You're not the only one/Step away now step aside/Just to leave you open wide."
Line by Line Meaning
Settle in settle down
Get comfortable and calm down
Don't throw your weight around
Don't act like you're better than others or boss them around
Sow the seeds carefully
Be cautious with your actions, make sure they have positive consequences
But don't come down on me
Don't take out your anger or frustration on me
Blinded bloodshed
Violence and chaos, unable to see clearly due to it
Sinking in the sun
Falling or drowning in a situation that's supposed to be positive (like a sunset)
Lifeless fearless
Lacking emotion but also not afraid of the consequences of one's actions
Be the only one
Standing out or being unique, even if it means being alone
Blackest sun blackest night
A dark and gloomy atmosphere, both during the day and at night
Shades of scarred delight
Finding pleasure in pain or suffering from past experiences
Wash away all your sins
Get rid of your mistakes or regrets
Where does the end begin
Questioning when something went wrong and trying to fix it
Hands on and off the gun
One is thinking about whether or not to resort to violence to solve a problem
You're not the only one
Don't assume your problems are the only ones that matter
Step away now step aside
Leave this situation and let others handle it
Just to leave you open wide
To abandon someone in a defenseless or vulnerable position
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: SARAH MC LEOD, CHRIS TENNENT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind