The band received some media criticism for Jeff Martin's Jim Morisson-like stage persona in some of its videos and their Led Zeppelin-esq riffs, although he seemed determined to be striving to create his own image and sound. His looks certainly do draw some comparison, however, to The Doors' late front man.
Their sound is hard to categorize as each album possessed different themes and influences. Splendor Solis (1993) was a more acoustic, blues-based record, while Edges of Twilight (1995) was much darker with strong Middle Eastern influences on several tracks. Transmission (1997) saw a dramatic change to a darker, more industrial-tinged sound, and it was distributed in the USA by Atlantic Records. The last three albums by the band featured various efforts to attract a wider commercial audience, with the single "Heaven Coming Down" reaching No.1 on the Canadian mainstream charts in 1999.
In 2000, Capitol Records finally released a retrospective compilation in the USA of their Canadian singles entitled Tangents after only releasing their first two albums south of the border.
The Tea Party released The Interzone Mantras in 2001, but it did not possess the singles of its predecessors.
In October 2005, a year after their final album Seven Circles was released, Jeff Martin left the band and embarked on a solo career, releasing an album in early 2006. Jeff Burrows (drummer) and Stuart Chatwood (bass/synthesiser) have also had post-Tea Party successes, the former in several projects and the latter in soundtrack composition. Burrows and Chatwood worked together on a new project called The Art Decay before Burrows joined Crash Karma in 2008.
On April 12th 2011, an official Facebook page was launched with a biography section that closed with "The band is scheduled to play a select number of dates in 2011. No other info was available at this time." The following day, the local radio station K106.3 announced the Sarnia Bayfest lineup including The Tea Party, which was later confirmed by drummer Jeff Burrows on his radio show on April 13th. Burrows further stated that a Canadian tour was also in the works.
The Tea Party performed at the Cisco Systems Bluesfest in Ottawa, Ontario on July 14th, 2011, and the band will be playing a Canadian tour commencing on November 15th, 2011 in Vancouver. The band's website and tour is called "THE TEA PARTY - No Politics... Just Rock and Roll". In September 2011, the band was reportedly approached to sell its website URL for over a million dollars by the extremely popular American political movement bearing the same name: www.teaparty.com.
temptation
The Tea Party Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want what I need
Shaking as her sex takes hold
I've lost all control
Temptation
Temptation
I taste the embrace
Helpless as it steals my soul
I've lost all control
Temptation
It never lets you down
Temptation
One foot in the ground
We exist in a world
Where the fear of illusion is real
And we cling to the past
To deny and confuse the ideal
Once inside we conceive and
Believe in a God we can't feel
Destined by a fate so cruel
And drugged to delight
Laughing as these lies unfold
I've lost all control
Temptation
It never lets me down
Temptation
One foot in the ground
Temptation
You satisfy my soul
Temptation
I've lost all control
The Tea Party's song Temptation speaks to the idea of being driven by desire and losing all control to temptation. The lyrics "Driven by restrained desire, I want what I need" reflect the internal struggle of wanting something that is not necessarily good for us, but we cannot resist the temptation. The imagery of "shaking as her sex takes hold" and "drowning in a sea of rage" portray the overpowering nature of temptation.
The chorus of the song, "Temptation, it never lets you down. Temptation, one foot in the ground," speaks to the idea that temptation is always present and can lead us down a dangerous path. The line "one foot in the ground" suggests that giving into temptation can lead to our downfall.
The verses of the song explore deeper themes about the fear of illusion and clinging to the past. The line "we exist in a world where the fear of illusion is real" suggests that sometimes we are afraid to believe in something that seems too good to be true. We cling to the past because it is familiar and known, even if it is not ideal. The idea of believing in a God we can't feel connects to the theme of temptation - we may be tempted to give in to our doubts and abandon our faith.
Line by Line Meaning
Driven by restrained desire
Guided by an urge that is being held back.
I want what I need
I require the thing that I want.
Shaking as her sex takes hold
Shivering as her lust consumes her.
I've lost all control
I have completely given up all power over my actions.
Temptation
Inducement to commit sin, driven by desire.
Drowning in a sea of rage
I'm sinking in an ocean of fury.
I taste the embrace
I can perceive the feeling of being held tightly.
Helpless as it steals my soul
Powerless as I lose myself to the emotions.
It never lets you down
Temptation is always there to beckon you.
One foot in the ground
Halfway to total relinquishment of control.
We exist in a world
Our reality is filled with the fear of falsehood.
Where the fear of illusion is real
We're afraid of being deceived.
And we cling to the past
We hold on to yesterday.
To deny and confuse the ideal
To reject and muddle what's best.
Once inside we conceive and
Afterward, we think up and
Believe in a God we can't feel
Have faith in a deity that we cannot detect.
Destined by a fate so cruel
Condemned by a destiny that is harsh.
And drugged to delight
Intoxicated to enjoy oneself.
Laughing as these lies unfold
Giggling as these untruths are exposed.
You satisfy my soul
You bring contentment to my core self.
I've lost all control
I no longer possess any command over my behavior.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JEFFREY SCOTT MARTIN, STUART CHATWOOD, JEFFREY JOHN BURROWS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
nunya 🐝s wax - august 73
such fine… looking gents.!
🔥🔥🔥
& still rockin’ that same heat - today. 😉
very fond memories of
gold coast
australia
BDO (big day out)
😆
🇦🇺🤘🏻🤘🏼🤘🏽🤘🏾🤘🏿🇦🇺
thank you.! 🫦
rebecca rosen
Another underappreciated Canadian gem,fabulous live
Venus Smith
Definitely. Loved from first time hearing!!!!
Nini
One of the best drummers I have ever seen live. Never get tired of listening to this band. One cohesive unit they are. Well done guys!!
Amy N. Duncan
Teenagers need to listen to songs like this now. That’s why I truly miss the 90’s
miniclip7951
This plays all the time on the Q92.7FM (Sudbury, ON) & i can't get enough of it - they still play econoline crush, i mother earth, tea party... i never knew alt Canadian rock from the 90s was so absolutely amazing
J Bevan
Some of the best music you can hear
Charissa Peters
miniclip7951 I AGREE!!! It is the BES!!!💙
Gene Drakes
Was lucky to know most of staff from 102.1 in Toronto! From 96 to 04 . A school friend from 80's would be so pissed because they kept telling me to listen to the station! Took a few years but she was right!!
Lina J ☂
I Mother Earth!☺︎︎☺︎︎
Jason Bright
A gem from the North. First time I heard this on the radio, I immediately pulled a u-turn and went directly to purchase this album at Walmart.