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.
Willow
Tindersticks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Willow, where are you hiding now?
In the dappled light, deep in the trees
The spiders and the centipedes
Crawl across your hands, across your knees
Willow, do you walk across the sand?
And their fingers tickle at your feet
And pull a little as they retreat
Do you feel the rushing forward
Though you're standing still?
Willow, are we rushing forward, are we standing still?
Willow, are we rushing forward, are we standing still?
Willow, do you crouch among the rooftops?
Willow, listening to the city wheezing?
And your dreams, they stretch beyond the clouds
And past the moon, into the stars
Do you feel the rushing forward
Though you're standing still?
Willow, are we rushing forward, are we standing still?
Willow, does this love hold a destination?
Willow, do you feel the wind run through your hair?
Willow, do you feel the sun upon your back?
A lover's hand?
Breath
An abyss
The song "Willow" by Tindersticks speaks about the enigmatic character Willow who is constantly being searched for. The lyrics are repeated several times which emphasizes the longing and the search for Willow. The song is presented in the form of a series of questions about the whereabouts of Willow. It is interesting that the song mentions different scenarios such as deep in the trees, by the seashore, among the rooftops listening to the city wheezing. This randomness in the questions seems to imply that searching for Willow has become an obsession, and there is no fixed place that Willow could be found.
Furthermore, the lyrics suggest that Willow is an elusive and mystical character. The mention of spiders and centipedes crawling across Willow's hands and knees perhaps suggests a closer relationship with nature. The song creates a vivid image of Willow standing still while feeling the rush of the surroundings. This may symbolize that Willow is immovable, while the world continues to move on. It is possible that Willow represents something that can never be found, but the search itself is what is important.
In conclusion, Tindersticks’s song “Willow” conveys the themes of longing, search, and the mythical character named Willow. The song's repetition of the questions accentuates the song's obsessive character, while its curious lyrics create a vivid image of this enigmatic character. It reflects on the idea that sometimes the journey itself is more important than the destination.
Line by Line Meaning
Willow, where are you hiding now?
Asking where the elusive Willow is hiding
In the dappled light, deep in the trees
The spiders and the centipedes
Crawl across your hands, across your knees
Describing a scene where Willow is hidden in the forest and insects are crawling all over them
Willow, do you walk across the sand?
Willow, do the waves crash and fall?
And their fingers tickle at your feet
And pull a little as they retreat
Do you feel the rushing forward
Though you're standing still?
Asking if Willow feels the motion of the ocean and if they feel like they are moving even though they are standing still
Willow, are we rushing forward, are we standing still?
Questioning if humanity as a whole is making progress or if they are stagnant
Willow, do you crouch among the rooftops?
Willow, listening to the city wheezing?
And your dreams, they stretch beyond the clouds
And past the moon, into the stars
Do you feel the rushing forward
Though you're standing still?
Pondering if Willow watches the city from the rooftops and has aspirations beyond this world
Willow, does this love hold a destination?
Questioning if the love being discussed has a clear goal
Willow, do you feel the wind run through your hair?
Willow, do you feel the sun upon your back?
A lover's hand?
Breath
An abyss
Asking if Willow can feel the sensations of life and love, both positive and negative
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Robert McKinna, Stuart Staples
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jessiecitrus3348
Willow
Where are you hiding now
Willow
Where are you hiding now
In the [?] light
[?] in the tree
Spiders and a centipede
Crawl across your hands
Across your knees
Willow
Do you walk across the sand
Willow
Till the waves crash and fall
And their fingers tickle
At your feet
[?]
Do you feel that rushing forward
Though you're standing still
Willow
Are we rushing forward, are we standing still?
Willow
Are we rushing forward, are we standing still?
Willow
Do you crouch among the rooftops
Willow
Listening to a city wheezing
And your dreams they stretch
Beyond the clouds and pass the moon
Until the stars feel the rushing forward
Though you're standing still
Willow
Are we rushing forward, are we standing still?
Willow
Does this love hold a destination, willow
D'you feel the wind running through your hair
Willow
Feel the sun upon your back
[?] breath, an abyss
@mariahdominguez4504
And just like that my 2008 obsession with this man is back
@nryan8190
ikr!
@andreatenorio5202
I'm 23 fucking years old and the same thing is happening to me after 8 years of the Twilight Rush 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🙄
@creativespirit1738
Yup yup yup
@cassiedouglas5682
Never mind I'm 37years old and obsessed with him the
last couple years!
@annaheart5656
I never got rid of it
@willow940
It’s a good day to be named Willow
@anoulab4212
Amin
@anarosales2444
Holly cow 😳
@nicolejama279
Right