The band has a cult following in the United Kingdom and continental Europe, although the eclectic and unique sound Tindersticks possesses never made significant inroads in the mainstream.
Personnel
* Stuart Ashton Staples, born 14 November 1965 - Lead voice, guitar, melodica
* Dickon James Hinchliffe, born 9 July 1967 - violin, guitar, voice, piano, string and brass arrangements
* Neil Timothy Fraser, - born 22 November 1962 - lead guitar, vibraphone
* David Leonard Boulter, born 27 February 1965 - keyboards, percussion
* Alasdair Robert De Villeneuve Macaulay, born 2 August 1965 - drums, percussion, trumpet
* Mark Andrew Colwill, born 12 May 1960 - bass guitar
The band formed in late 1991, Staples, Boulter, Frazer, Macauley and Hinchcliffe having previously been members of Asphalt Ribbons. The final band line-up for the "old horse" mini-LP (1991) was: Stuart Staples (vocals) Dave Boulter (organ & accordion) Neil Fraser (guitar) Dickon Hinchliffe (Guitar & strings) Al Macauley (percussion & drums) John Thompson (bass). Mark Colwill was recruited when John Thompson left the Asphalt Ribbons, but it is not sure if he played any gigs under the Asphalt Ribbons name. Then they changed their name to Tindersticks after Stuart A. Staples discovered a box of German matches on a Greek beach.
Tindersticks started recording demo tapes in 1992, and were signed by Tippy Toe Records who released their first single, "Patchwork".
Their self-titled first and second albums established their signature sound and received widespread critical acclaim. Their live performances, often augmented by large string sections and even, on occasion, a full orchestra, were rapturously received. (The live album Bloomsbury Theatre 12.3.95 is a recording of one such concert.) By the time of the third album, Curtains, however, it was clear that a change of direction was called for. There was a certain ennui to the songs, and the lengthy "Ballad of Tindersticks" was a weary swipe at the pressures of being a touring band.
The fourth album, Simple Pleasure, lived up to its title with a series of snappy, direct songs influenced by soul music. The female backing vocals on several tracks, and the respectful cover of Odyssey's "If You're Looking For A Way Out", signalled the band's wish to move towards lighter, more soulful material. However, the inner sleeve's documentation of the number of takes each track went through was evidence that the band continued to adopt a painstaking approach to recording.
The fifth album, Can Our Love, continued the band's soulful direction, in particular evidence on the tender "Sweet Release" and in the nod to the Chi-Lites in the title of "Chilitetime".
The sixth and most recent album, Waiting For The Moon, was more stripped down and introspective in nature, particularly on the harrowing "4.48 Psychosis" (based on the play of the same name by the British playwright Sarah Kane) and "Sometimes It Hurts". Only the bouncy "Just A Dog" lightened the otherwise melancholy mood of the album.
In 2005 Staples embarked on a solo career and there was resultant speculation that the band had split. Staples has so far produced two solo albums, Lucky Dog Recordings 03-04 and Leaving Songs. The title of the second album, and Staples' notes on it, indicate that Tindersticks may indeed be at an end: "These are songs written on the verge of leaving the things I loved and stepping into a new unknown life, both musically and personally. I was always aware that these songs were the end of something, a kind of closing a circle of a way of writing that I started so long ago and I knew I had to move on from."
In September 2006, the band played a one-off concert at London's Barbican Centre, performing their second album in full with a nine-member string section and two brass players, including former collaborator Terry Edwards on trumpet. This concert brought the band's members back together. A new recording process in 2007 resulted in a new album, The Hungry Saw, which was released on April 28th 2008.
In the meantime, in July 2007, Island Records had released The BBC Sessions, a double CD compilation of the band's sessions for BBC radio programmes. Also in 2007, a stripped-down line-up of three of the original band, Staples, Boulter and Fraser, spent time writing and recording in a newly-equipped studio in Limousin, France. They were joined by Thomas Belhom on drums and Dan McKinna on bass, with Ian Caple engineering. The resulting album, The Hungry Saw, was released on Beggars Banquet in April 2008. Tindersticks played a number of other European dates during the summer festival season and also announced a winter 2008 European tour.
In 2010, the eighth album Falling Down a Mountain was released on 4AD / Constellation Records with a changed band line-up, with Earl Harvin replacing Belhom on drums and David Kitt, a solo artist in his own right, joining the band on guitar and vocals.
The group's ninth album The Something Rain was released in February 2012.
As well as their nine studio albums, the band has produced the soundtracks for four films by the French director Claire Denis: Nenette et Boni,Trouble Every Day, 35 Rhums and White Material
They recorded a cover of the Four Tops song, "What Is A Man", for the theme to the British TV series The Sins.
The Tindersticks song Tiny Tears was featured prominently in the Series 1 episode "Isabella" of HBO's The Sopranos. Additionally, a version of "Running Wild" was played during the ending credits of the penultimate episode of the series, "The Blue Comet". In the Season One Finale of Brotherhood, "El Diablo En El Ojo" is used twice.
* Tindersticks (aka First Album) (This Way Up, 1993)
* Tindersticks (aka Second Album) (This Way Up, 1995)
* Curtains (This Way Up, 1997)
* Simple Pleasure (Island, 1999)
* Can Our Love... (Beggar's Banquet, 2001)
* Waiting for the Moon (Beggar's Banquet, 2003)
* BBC Sessions (2007)
On 17th October 2014, Tindersticks released the commissioned soundscapes from the In Flanders Fields WW1 museum in Ypres, Belgium.
See the band's site at www.tindersticks.co.uk.
Sweet Sweet Man
Tindersticks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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She sang for me, her heart on her tongue
She sang so pretty
She danced for me, her heart on her hips
She danced so fine
She said "oh, a sweet sweet man like you,
I said "a sweet sweet man like me
I can only bring you misery"
I lay awake that night, listening to her breathing
Thinking how strange it would be
If I awoke and she wasn't there
I could feel myself, feel myself changing
No longer me, I was only a part of her
I said "a sweet sweet man like me
I can only bring you misery"
So they put me down, back where I started from
But where I started seems so high
I start to climb
Sweet sweet man pt. 2
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I lay awake that night, listening to her breathing
Thinking how strange it would be
If I awoke and she wasn't there
I could feel myself, feel myself changing
No longer me, I was only a part of her
She said "oh a sweet-sweet man like you
What can I do for you? "
I said "a sweet sweet man like me
I can only bring you misery"
The song "A Sweet Sweet Man" by Tindersticks is a two-part emotional journey through a complicated relationship. The lyrics in part one describe a woman who sings and dances for the singer, expressing her admiration and love for him. However, the singer cannot reciprocate her feelings and declares that he can only bring her misery. He spends the night contemplating how much he has changed and how much he is becoming consumed by her. In part two, the singer continues to lay awake and listens to the woman breathe, again feeling consumed by her. She asks what she can do for him, and he responds with the same line "a sweet sweet man like me, I can only bring you misery." Ultimately, the relationship results in him being put down back where he started from but still filled with a desire to climb.
The song expresses a one-sided love and the internal struggle of the singer. The woman's vocals, initially "pretty" and "fine," create a powerful contrast to the singer's despair. He is overwhelmed by her love and deeply saddened by his own inability to reciprocate. The song's arrangement is aided by the use of strings, giving the track an emotional and dramatic touch. Overall, "A Sweet Sweet Man" is a heartbreaking and relatable expression of unrequited love.
Line by Line Meaning
She sang for me, her heart on her tongue
She expressed her emotions through her beautiful singing.
She danced for me, her heart on her hips
She conveyed her feelings through her graceful movements.
She said 'oh, a sweet sweet man like you, What can I do for you?'
She was attracted to the singer and offered to do something for him.
I said 'a sweet sweet man like me I can only bring you misery'
The artist believes that he is not good enough for her and that he may cause harm to her.
I lay awake that night, listening to her breathing Thinking how strange it would be If I awoke and she wasn't there
The artist was worried about the possibility of losing her and couldn't sleep.
I could feel myself, feel myself changing No longer me, I was only a part of her
The singer was falling deeply in love with her and was becoming a better version of himself while being with her.
So they put me down, back where I started from But where I started seems so high I start to climb
Despite being rejected or disappointed, the singer is determined to pursue her and improve himself.
She said 'oh a sweet-sweet man like you What can I do for you?' I said 'a sweet sweet man like me I can only bring you misery'
The conversation between the two characters is repeated as a reflection of their mutual feelings and self-doubt.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALASDAIR MACAULAY, DAVID BOULTER, DICKON JAMES HINCHLIFFE, MARK ANTHONY STEPHEN COLWILL, NEIL TIMOTHY FRASER, STUART ASHTON STAPLES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind