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
She Has Faces
The Verve Pipe Lyrics
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Up in her bedroom and they gaze down on her
Guarding her slumber
A black bead rosary
Under her pillow and when it thunders
She clutches it tightly
Silence is white,
Sound is black,
The world is wrapped in a paper sack
And when I leave I close the door
To this galaxy of yours
Dropping by
I open a window
As the breeze blows in the curtains are butterflies
And we hear the church bells ring
Out on a hill
And all of their echoes
Left us singing
Silence is black,
The room is bright,
Our world is basking in tv light
And we are laid out on the floor
Of this galaxy of yours
With all of your heroes waiting
In paper piles laid on the floor
I push my paintbrush lightly
And fill in any empty nail holes
A dresser top,
A jewelry box,
Colored tassels tied in knots
And a porcelain girl danced a music box ballet for us
And your nightlight is a star,
Or a firefly
That leads my gaze up to the ceiling
Wondering if you think that it's the sky
With all of your heroes waiting
Open the window slightly, pick up paper off the floor
I hold my paintbrush tightly, and fill in any empty nail holes
Open the window slightly,
Open the window slightly
The Verve Pipe's song She Has Faces is a mysterious and poetic tribute to a girl who appears to lead an enchanted life, with a room full of faces that keep an eye on her and protect her while she sleeps. The singer seems captivated by her mystical aura, and sees her bedroom as a unique and magical galaxy, with her heroes waiting among piles of paper.
The girl's attachment to a black bead rosary that she clutches tightly during thunderstorms adds to the sense of mystery surrounding her. The lyrics suggest that for her, silence is a white color and sound is black, and that the world is wrapped in a paper sack. The imagery of paper recurs throughout the song, hinting at a sense of fragility and transience.
When the singer drops by, he opens a window to let in the breeze, and the curtains become butterflies. The song becomes more uplifting as the church bells ring out on a hill and the echoes of their sounds fade away, leaving the two characters singing. For a moment, the room is bright and the world seems basking in the light of a TV. The porcelain girl in the music box ballet and the nightlight that resembles a star or a firefly are further signs that this girl's world is infused with a sense of magic.
Finally, the lyrics conclude with an invitation to open the window slightly, pick up paper off the floor, hold a paintbrush tightly, and fill in any empty nail holes. These words seem to imply that the singer wants to become part of this enchanted world, contributing his own touches and making it his own.
Line by Line Meaning
She has faces
She has many different sides to her personality
Up in her bedroom and they gaze down on her
She has posters and pictures of people she admires in her room
Guarding her slumber
Her heroes give her a sense of protection or comfort while she sleeps
A black bead rosary
She keeps a religious object under her pillow for solace during storms
Under her pillow and when it thunders
She seeks comfort from her religious object during loud, intense moments
She clutches it tightly
She holds onto the black bead rosary very tightly for comfort
And she hears
She experiences a certain perception of the world around her
Silence is white,
Silence is peaceful and pure, like a blank canvas or a fresh sheet of paper
Sound is black,
Noise is chaotic and dark, like a dense fog or a storm cloud
The world is wrapped in a paper sack
Life can feel mundane or ordinary, like a plain, boring package
And when I leave I close the door
When the singer leaves, they shut the door to her world
To this galaxy of yours
Her room is like a universe that the artist enters
Dropping by
The singer comes to visit her from time to time
I open a window
The singer lets some fresh air in
As the breeze blows in the curtains are butterflies
The curtains appear to be animated by the wind
And we hear the church bells ring
The sound of bells ringing catches their attention
Out on a hill
The church bells are ringing in the distance
And all of their echoes
The sound of the bells reverberates throughout the air
Left us singing
The sound of the bells inspires them to sing
The room is bright,
The light in the room is very strong and illuminating
Our world is basking in tv light
They are surrounded by the glow of the television screen
And we are laid out on the floor
They are lounging on the floor, enjoying the moment
Of this galaxy of yours
They are still talking about her room like it's its own universe
With all of your heroes waiting
Her posters and pictures of people she admires are still present
In paper piles laid on the floor
She has stacks of paper-related items like drawings or notes
I push my paintbrush lightly
The singer is an artist and he adjusts his work in her room
And fill in any empty nail holes
He takes care of any imperfections in the walls before he leaves
A dresser top,
Her clothes and accessories are on display on the dresser
A jewelry box,
She keeps her jewelry in a special container
Colored tassels tied in knots
Decorative objects hang off of various furniture items
And a porcelain girl danced a music box ballet for us
She has a music box with a ballerina figurine inside
And your nightlight is a star,
She has a specific type of nightlight that looks like a star
Or a firefly
At times, the nightlight looks like a firefly
That leads my gaze up to the ceiling
The artist notices the light and looks up
Wondering if you think that it's the sky
The singer ponders if she imagines that the nightlight is a real object in the sky
Open the window slightly, pick up paper off the floor
The artist prepares to leave and picks up after himself
I hold my paintbrush tightly, and fill in any empty nail holes
The singer ensures everything looks neat and tidy before he exits
Open the window slightly,
He reiterates that he's leaving and opening the window to air out the space one last time
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