The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from the British Isles. London, Dublin, Spiddal, and Findhorn have all served as a home for the group. The band has played in a number of different styles, but most often their music can be described as a mix of Celtic folk music with rock and roll, or folk rock. After ten years of recording and touring, the band dissolved in 1993 and Scott pursued a solo career. The band reformed in 2000, and continues to release albums and tour worldwide. Scott himself emphasizes a continuity between The Waterboys and his solo work, saying that "To me there's no difference between Mike Scott and the Waterboys; they both mean the same thing. They mean myself and whoever are my current travelling musical companions."
More than thirty musicians have performed live as a Waterboy. Some have spent only a short time with the band, contributing to a single tour or album, while others have been long-term members with significant contributions. Scott has been the band's lead vocalist, motivating force, and principal songwriter throughout the group's history, but a number of other musicians are closely identified with the band.
Anthony Thistlethwaite was an original member of the band, and remained a member until 1991 when the band broke up, although he also joined a few recording sessions for A Rock in the Weary Land. After Scott and Wickham, Thistlethwaite has more songwriting credits than any other Waterboy. His saxophone, regularly featured in solos, was one half of the early group's distinctive brass section, but he has also played guitar, keyboards and a number of other instruments for the band. He pressed to return The Waterboys to a rock music sound after Room to Roam, but did not appear on Dream Harder, the result of that decision. He is now a member of The Saw Doctors, and has also released three solo albums.
Kevin Wilkinson, another original member, was The Waterboys' drummer from 1983–1984, and continued to play in some studio sessions afterwards. His most recent appearance was on A Rock in the Weary Land. He led the rhythm section of the group during its "Big Music" phase, sometimes without the assistance of any bass guitar. Scott describes Wilkinson's drumming as "bright and angular, an unusual sound".
Karl Wallinger joined the group in 1983, shortly after its formation. He left the group two years later, but in that relatively short period made important contributions to both A Pagan Place and This is the Sea. He co-wrote "Don't Bang the Drum", the environmentalism anthem on This is the Sea. His keyboards and synthesizer work expanded the group's sound, and he also did some studio work for demo sessions. Wallinger's World Party project was heavily influenced by his work with The Waterboys.
Roddy Lorimer's participation in the group began in 1983, contributing his trumpet playing "on and off" through 1990. He and Thistlethwaite took turns leading the brass section of the band, and Lorimer was also a featured soloist, most famously on "The Whole of the Moon" and "Don't Bang the Drum". He further contributed backing vocals to the song. His trumpet style is a combination of his classical training with an experimental approach encouraged by Scott. Lorimer returned for some studio work in 2006.
Steve Wickham transformed the group with his joining in 1985. His strong interest in folk music directly resulted in the band's change of direction. His initial involvement with The Waterboys ended in 1990 when Scott and Thistlethwaite wanted to return to rock and roll, but Wickham rejoined the group again in 2000, and, as of 2007, continues to perform with the band. Described by Scott as "the world's greatest rock fiddle player", he has written more songs for the band than anyone other than Scott, including the group's handful of instrumental recordings.
After 2000, Richard Naiff became one of the three core Waterboys members.Richard Naiff first recorded with the band in 1999, and joined permanently in 2000. As of 2007, he is a core member, along with Scott and Wickham. He is a classically-trained pianist and flautist, and plays keyboards for The Waterboys. Ian McNabb described him as Scott's "find of the century" and reviewers have described him as "phenomenally talented".
Other notable members of the band include bassist McNabb, leader of Icicle Works; Sharon Shannon, who became Ireland's all-time best-selling traditional musician; the experimental musician Thighpaulsandra, producer Guy Chambers, and Patti Smith Group drummer Jay Dee Daugherty.
Beverly Penn
The Waterboys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Under a wintry sky
Wrapped she is in furs and sable,
Starlight in her eye
And what is the name of this creature ?
Where did she live and when ?
Who was she and why was it
That Peter Lake loved Beverly Penn
Four o'clock on a marble morning,
Water pouring on her skin
In fever her life bursts open
And a hurricane blows in
When high from the dreams of this creature
A thief on a horse descends
It was dawn and it was December
And Peter Lake loved Beverly Penn
It was all of a windy day
And the sky was full of crows
When her lovely soul ascended
she just closed her heart and rose
And whither the soul of this creature ?
Tell me the story again
Of scarves and songs and the skin of space
And how Peter Lake loved Beverly Penn
I would dive in a freezing river,
Set fire to a hundred men
If I could for just one time
Love somebody the way that he loved Beverly Penn
The Waterboys’ “Beverly Penn” is a song about an enchanting woman who captures the heart of a man named Peter Lake. The first stanza of the song describes Beverly sleeping on a mansion roof under a wintry sky, wrapped in furs and sable with starlight in her eye. The second stanza describes her death - on a windy day with a sky full of crows, her soul ascended and Peter’s love for her remained unchanged. The final stanza is a confession of love by the singer, who declares that he would go to great lengths to love someone the way Peter loved Beverly.
The song is inspired by the novel “Winter’s Tale” by Mark Helprin. Beverly Penn is a central character in the book, described as a beautiful, doomed young woman who captures the heart of Peter Lake, a thief who has fallen on hard times. The book is set in an alternative version of New York City, in both the present day and the past, and tells a fantastical story of love, magic, and destiny.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl sleeping on a mansion roof
A girl is sleeping on a roof of a mansion.
Under a wintry sky
The sky is wintry.
Wrapped she is in furs and sable,
She is wrapped in furs and sable.
Starlight in her eye
She has starlight in her eye.
And what is the name of this creature ?
The singer is asking about the name of the girl.
Where did she live and when ?
The singer is curious about where and when the girl lived.
Who was she and why was it
The singer wishes to know who the girl was and why Peter Lake loved her.
That Peter Lake loved Beverly Penn
The singer notes that Peter Lake loved the girl named Beverly Penn.
Four o'clock on a marble morning,
It was four o'clock on a marble morning.
Water pouring on her skin
Water is falling on the girl's skin.
In fever her life bursts open
The girl's life is bursting open due to fever.
And a hurricane blows in
A hurricane arrives.
When high from the dreams of this creature
When the thief is high from the dreams of the girl.
A thief on a horse descends
A thief on a horse comes down.
It was dawn and it was December
It was December dawn.
And Peter Lake loved Beverly Penn
Peter Lake loved Beverly Penn.
It was all of a windy day
It was a windy day.
And the sky was full of crows
The sky was full of crows.
When her lovely soul ascended
When her soul ascended.
she just closed her heart and rose
She closes her heart and rises.
And whither the soul of this creature ?
The singer wonders where the girl's soul has gone.
Tell me the story again
The singer asks for the story again.
Of scarves and songs and the skin of space
The story is about scarves, songs, and the skin of space.
And how Peter Lake loved Beverly Penn
The story includes how Peter Lake loved Beverly Penn.
I would dive in a freezing river,
The singer would dive in a freezing river.
Set fire to a hundred men
The singer would set fire to a hundred men.
If I could for just one time
The singer wishes to love someone like Peter Lake loved Beverly Penn.
Love somebody the way that he loved Beverly Penn
The singer wants to love someone like Peter Lake loved Beverly Penn.
Lyrics © Global Talent Publishing
Written by: MICHAEL SCOTT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind