The Sweetest Ache started life in Swansea in the late 80s as The Spirals, i… Read Full Bio ↴The Sweetest Ache started life in Swansea in the late 80s as The Spirals, initially fronted by guitarist, Stuart Vincent. Upon joining the band, Sweetest Ache vocalist, Simon Court, took over as frontman.

The Spirals changed their name to The Sweetest Ache, perhaps because Manchester band, Inspiral Carpets had risen from indie obscurity to become unlikely regulars on Top Of The Pops. In fact, singer, Simon Court claimed in an interview in a local newspaper that he was a former member of said band. Whether that was an untrue brag, or a mix up by the paper itself is not known.

After selling a demo tape at gigs around Swansea, the band signed to Sarah Records. The second single was released on the same day as the debut.

After a third single, Simon Court split from the band under unknown circumstances. A female vocalist, Louise, replaced him. Her tenure in the band was brief, as she was due to go away to university that year. Louise only recorded one track with the band ("Briaris" from the debut album, named after Stuart's then flatmate). Simon was quickly reinstated and sang vocals on the remainder of the album. It sold reasonably well, reaching number 12 in the indie chart.

A one-off single for Sunday Records, 'Sweet Soul Sister', was the first sign of what was to come next. The Sweetest Ache were moving away from the jangly Sarah sound of their early releases, adopting American west coast influences.

The American influence was fully realized on their second album, Grass Roots. By this time, Simon had left the band for good, to be replaced by guitarist, Peter Stone. The band's relationship with Sarah Records had soured completely. Grass Roots was eventually released by Vinyl Japan.

Though Grass Roots eventually sold approximately 10,000 copies, it initially sank without trace. The new direction wasn't a hit with many former janglepop fans and the album was widely dismissed by critics. Meanwhile, The Sweetest Ache disbanded.

A thaw in relations between Stuart and Simon saw them work together in the early 2000's as acoustic duo Mumbles (named after a Swansea suburb). Both also became members of indie-rock band, Shooter.

In 2008 Peter Stone, Rob Lloyd and Neil Edmond formally of the Sweetest Ache formed the Milestone band and have a free down load 7 track mini album..visit myspace or type in the Milestone band/mountain road.
The songs are similar to the later music the Sweetest Ache made following a more west coast rock direction.

If I Could Shine
The Sweetest Ache Lyrics

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I saw you standing by the sea
With your hands clutched to you
I can see you over

If I could only want to scream
I will try I love to try
Much more than big bright moon

If I could finally reach your hand
I could tell you what I feel
And tell you what is in me

If I could toil the rings of why
I could lay your hands to rest
I'd lay my hands upon your knee

If you could somehow I could be there
I could be the one to make you smile

I saw you standing by the sea
With your hands close to your knee
I could see it over

If I could only halt your scream
I could show you how to shine
Much more than the big bright moon
If i could shine... If I could shine...

If you could somewhat I could be there
I could be the one to make you smile

Overall Meaning

The Sweetest Ache's song "If I Could Shine" is a beautiful and emotional ballad about unrequited love and the desire to be with someone you care deeply about. The opening lines set the scene of the singer seeing the person they love standing by the sea, and an immediate feeling of longing and sadness overcomes them. The singer wants to reach out to the person they love, but they are unable to do so. Instead, they express a desire to scream, which represents the intensity of their feelings.

The singer wants to express their love to the person and make them smile. They feel that if they could reach out and touch them or communicate their feelings, they could shine and make a positive impact on the person's life. The repeated refrain of "If I could shine..." emphasizes the singer's desire to be a source of positivity and joy for the person they love.

Overall, the song is a poignant expression of love and longing in the face of distance and separation. The imagery of the sea and the moon adds to the power of the lyrics, heightening the sense of the vastness of emotion and the desire to bridge the distance between two people.

Line by Line Meaning

I saw you standing by the sea
I noticed you near the ocean

With your hands clutched to you
You held your hands tightly to yourself

I can see you over
I can still picture you now

If I could only want to scream
If only I had the courage to let out a cry

I will try I love to try
I would attempt, I always want to attempt

Much more than big bright moon
Even more than the shining moon in the night sky

If I could finally reach your hand
If I could just touch your hand one day

I could tell you what I feel
I could finally express what I truly feel inside

And tell you what is in me
And reveal everything that's inside of me

If I could toil the rings of why
If I could answer all the questions why

I could lay your hands to rest
I could calm you down and ease your worries