Despite the similarity in name to the British band The Verve, there is no relation between the two.
In 1992, working with producer/engineer Jon Frazer, they released their first album, I've Suffered a Head Injury, which featured an acoustic version of the band's calling-card hit, "The Freshmen." The original 10-song version of the CD is no longer available. A 7-song version, without the original recording of "The Freshmen" and two songs written by Stout, was later released as an EP.
The band, known for its energetic live performances, built strong followings during its early years, especially in the college towns of Kalamazoo and East Lansing.
In the fall of 1993, the band released a second album, Pop Smear again working with Frazer that helped them gain a devoted following in their native state of Michigan and their eventual signing with RCA Records in 1995. AJ Dunning replaced Stout on guitar for the recording of Pop Smear and remained in the band for their three RCA records. This album featured the popular tracks "Spoonful of Sugar" and "Victoria" among others. While Doug Corolla played on Pop Smear, he was not a full member of the band until 1994.
Their first major label release was 1996's Villains, which was a minor hit and launched two respectably-selling singles, first Photograph then the #1 hit The Freshmen. They came back with The Verve Pipe in 1999, with such tracks as "Supergig," "Generations" and "She Has Faces." The album, however, failed to contain the commercial appeal of its predecessor.
The band's final release for RCA Records was 2001's Underneath. The song "Colorful," from Underneath, was featured on the soundtrack of Rock Star. Underneath's release unfortunately coincided with the September 11th terroist attacks which contributed to the album's poor sales which led to the band being dropped from RCA.
On September 15, 2009, Brian Vander Ark announced on his Web site that the band would be releasing a new album called A Family Album in October, 2009. The band had been approached to contribute a song for an album called "Calling All Kids" which led to them creating an entire album of family friendly songs.
Lead singer Brian Vander Ark has also released four solo albums: 2003's Resurrection, 2006's Angel, Put Your Face On, 2008's self-titled release Brian Vander Ark and 2011's Magazine.
Since the release of Underneath, the band's line up has changed frequently with former members including Joel Ferguson, Dan Matheny and John Conners. The current line up is as follows:
* Brian Vander Ark – lead vocals, guitars
* Donny Brown – drums, background vocals
* Andy Reed – bass, background vocals
* Randy Sly – keyboards, background vocals
* Lou Musa - guitars, background vocals
* Craig Griffith - harmonica, background vocals
Penny Is Poison
The Verve Pipe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
advantage is my only masterpiece
penny is poison but i don't mind
penny is poison but i don't mind
gardening malice for murderers
flushes to me are the weeds to her
we know who we are
starving the love of the marvelous
i was the penny to previous
The lyrics to The Verve Pipe's song Penny Is Poison are complex and require a deep understanding of metaphor and symbolism to fully grasp their meaning. The song seems to be about a toxic relationship between two people, one of whom is manipulating the other for their own advantage. The phrase "blushing a cue for her falsities" suggests that one person is pretending to be innocent and vulnerable while manipulating the other person behind the scenes. The line "advantage is my only masterpiece" reinforces this idea, suggesting that the manipulator is using their advantage to control the other person.
The chorus of the song, "penny is poison but I don't mind," seems to suggest that the victim in the relationship is aware of the other person's manipulations but is willing to tolerate them regardless. The image of the penny as poison is intriguing, as it suggests that something seemingly harmless (like a penny) can be deadly when ingested. This could be a metaphor for the manipulator's words or actions, which seem harmless at first but ultimately cause harm to the victim.
The other lyrics in the song reinforce this theme of manipulation and toxicity. The line "gardening malice for murderers" suggests that the manipulator is actively cultivating their ability to harm others, while "flushes to me are the weeds to her" reinforces the idea that one person is using the other for their own purposes. Overall, Penny Is Poison is a powerful song about the dangers of toxic relationships and the damage they can cause.
Line by Line Meaning
blushing a cue for her falsities
When she blushes, it's a sign that she's lying
advantage is my only masterpiece
My only skill is using people to get ahead
penny is poison but i don't mind
I know she's toxic, but I can't resist her
penny is poison but i don't mind
I know she's toxic, but I can't resist her
gardening malice for murderers
She cultivates hate and anger towards those she wants to hurt
flushes to me are the weeds to her
My emotions are insignificant to her
we know who we are
We both know that we're not good for each other
starving the love of the marvelous
Our relationship lacks any sense of wonder or beauty
i was the penny to previous
I used to be the toxic one in a past relationship
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: A.J. DUNNING, BRAD VANDER ARK, BRIAN VANDER ARK, DONNY BROWN, DOUG CORELLA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
bohallor
This reminds me of when I first started actually getting into music of my own taste. Bands I loved like Verve Pipe, 7Mary3, Live, and Tonic all seem to have vanished from people's memories, but I loved them.
Jarrod Walsh
7 Mary 3's "Rodrigo" is perfection!
Michael Ratino
7 Mary 3 there's a name from the past wow
Aaron Gentry
Love Verve Pipe, love this album, love this song
Michael Spires
@Aaron Gentry one of the best albums ever!
Pranav Phx
The strange part is that i never heard this song when I was young, but still this takes me back to my college days. I guess the vibe of the song is very melancholic and transports you back to the age of uncertainty when there was so much to look forward to and yet so much uncertainty. The entire album has that vibe and of course freshmen embodies that vibe quite literally. Great album, great song writing
TheHelvetican
The age of uncertainty... Y2k + 20
fearless204571
I just love this CD and at the time it was very rare that you can listen to the entire CD and like every song.
Chris DuBach
I lived with Brian Vanderark for a short while, and have been friends with the drummer of the band for years. They were a magically gifted group...it was fantastic to be around them and witness their growth as songwriters and as a band.
Homie Bullock
Haven't heard this for years still love it awesome cd