They have released three full length CDs, one EP and one single. They are most widely known for the song "Duvet", which was used as the theme song for the anime series Serial Experiments Lain. As a result, they are fairly popular among anime fans worldwide; in particular, they performed in a live concert at the anime convention Otakon in 2000.
Their first full-length album was released in Japan in 1998 and titled "The Race Of A Thousand Camels." In 2001, the album was released in North America under the name "Twilight." It contained extra songs not found in the initial Japanese release.
After long delays by Pioneer's record label, bôa set up their own record label, "Boa Recordings", in 2003 and began recording their new album, "Get There", released in February of 2005.
The band is currently on hiatus until further notice.
(Note that bôa is not to be confused with the Korean pop artist BoA.)
bôa was formed in 1993 by original drummer, Ed Herten. Ed had played in several bands including "Delirious Groove", from whom he recruited Paul Turrell (keyboards) and "Draggin' Bones", from whom he recruited Alex Caird (bass). Ed had also been to school with Steve Rodgers, who soon joined bôa on guitar and vocals.
"Fran", an early song penned by Ed and Paul, had a chorus which lent itself to a female vocal. Steve's sister, Jasmine Rodgers, then just 16 years old, was persuaded to record a vocal on an early recording. This happened a number of times until Jasmine was eventually persuaded to become a full member of the group.
bôa actually started out as a funk band and soon recruited Ben Henderson, who had played in the band "Doctor Sky" with Alex, on saxophone.
1994
After several months of intensive songwriting and practicing, bôa played their first gig at "The Forum" in London. The gig was the first of many great live successes (and a few early disasters!)
In summer 1994, Ed left the band to concentrate on his studies, but remains a good friend of the rest of bôa to this day. After a couple of drummers were tried out but, for one reason or another, didn't work out, bôa found themselves with a gig to play and no drummer. Alex persuaded the drummer of yet another ex-band, "Chapter 6", Lee Sullivan, to help out. Lee's debut was a great success and he soon became bôa's permanent drummer.
Ed's laid back feel had worked perfectly with bôa's early funk songs. However, Lee brought a more powerful, rocky feel to the band and the songs naturally followed suit. Consequently, saxophone became somewhat surplus to requirement and Ben switched to guitar.
1995
This was a good year for bôa - they played many successful gigs including a short tour of the South of England which ended in two performances at the Glastonbury festival, where they were chosen as the focus of a TV documentary about the festival that was shown on the London art/music magazine show, "Shift".
The members of bôa were so pleased with the way the band was going that Jasmine delayed studying for a degree, Alex dropped out of his and Paul quit his full time job as a computer salesman (he didn't like it much anyway!) and moved to the spiritual home of bôa, the incredible town of New Malden.
1996
A relatively quiet year for bôa in which they received considerable interest from British record companies but no actual offers of deals. Salvation came in the unlikely form of an offer of a deal from Japanese company, Polystar Records, which bôa signed.
In December, bôa went into Red Bus Studios, London with producer Darren Allison (who has also worked with Skunk Anansie and The Divine Comedy) and recorded three songs: "Twilight", "Deeply" and "Elephant".
1997
Production of the bôa album was delayed by Polystar but the remainder was recorded in September at "Monnow Valley Studios" with producer Neil Walsh. It was mixed at PWL studios (Manchester) in November by Neil Walsh and Jason Barren.
1998
The bôa album was finally released by Polystar in the second half of the year under the dubious title "Race of a Thousand Camels" (inspired by a dream of Jasmine and a computer game written by Paul). Jasmine and Steve went to Japan to promote the release with some TV and radio appearances though the rest of the band were not invited by Polystar. Polystar also failed to fulfil contractual obligations to release the album in America and Europe. The song "Duvet" was released as a single.
1999
Despite to this day owing money to bôa, Polystar finally did something to help rather than hinder the band when they secured the use of the song "Duvet" as the theme tune to Serial Experiments' anime "Lain". This led to DJ Wasei remixing "Duvet". The show won several awards in Japan and has become hugely popular with anime fans around the world, most notably the USA. This web site suddenly became inundated with notes of appreciation for the song "Duvet". Paul and Alex wrote to Pioneer-USA, distributors of Lain, and discovered they too had received many enquiries about bôa.
Meanwhile, bôa were working with producer Stuart Epps and recorded some new material including an acoustic version of "Duvet" and the song "Drinking". The "Tall Snake E.P." was released in Japan featuring all three versions of "Duvet" and two songs ("Little Miss" and "Two Steps") than had been intended as B-sides of further promotional singles in Japan that Polystar had failed to release.
2000
Ben left bôa to concentrate on his other band, "Moth", in which he plays with his wife, Tina.
2001
bôa's debut US album "Twilight" was released on March 27th 2001. bôa played a mini-tour of Los Angeles in April and hope soon to perform a promotional tour. They are well on the way to completing a second album. The future looks bright....
Paul Turrell
Sadly, after much soul-searching, Paul has deciced to leave the band in order to pursue other interests. We wish him all the best and ask you all to wish him congratulations for his wedding to Jai-un and further congratulations for their forthcoming little one!
In August, bôa were tempted away from songwriting for a moment when they were invited to play at the Animefest in Dallas, Texas where they were treated to a fantastic audience and good Texan Beer, all in all a good one.
2002
bôa were scheduled to record their second album for Pioneer but due to a series of re-shufflings in the record company the album has been delayed for the moment. bôa, however have enjoyed writing more and more songs, only stopping for a break in June when Alex went to Australia for a couple of months travelling and Jasmine went to the Far East.
In September bôa supported Bad Company on their UK tour playing in Newcastle, Glasgow, Manchester, London, Birmingham,Sheffield, Nottingham and York. The tour was brilliant and bôa are back in gigging mode and planning many for the next year!
2003
BOA record the new album in Southampton, England. The album is entirely self-funded and the band set up a record label, Boa Recordings.
2004
The album is then mixed and mastered and finally titled Get There!
2005
Boa have finally accomplished what they set out to achieve.
Originally, this was just a simple wish like all bands to record the next set of songs that all musicians feel compelled to write. However, like all bands again, Boa met with a series of delays and eventually decided that doing it on their own would be the best course of action.
As a result, a record label, Boa Recordings was set up and Get There was recorded, mastered and is out on the 1st. We wish to thank all of you for waiting so patiently and supporting us so marvellously.
Elephant
bôa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Interesting Facts ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Would you know me?
Or would you see the other side of me?
And if you were to notice
There is a plan I've been devising
To go, to go now, far away from here
And I gonna be so brave
And I gonna go so far away
Where are the wise men?
Where have they all gone to
Did they follow the spirit children
Down the road that only they know?
And you and I know that the answer lies
Somewhere deep in the city of skies
We're gonna go there
We're gonna go there
We're gonna see the daylight
And I, gonna fly away now
And I, gonna go where the path runs high
Oh, I'm searching, Oh yeah.
I'm gonna go there, I'm gonna travel
I'm gonna see my through and
You can follow
We can go together
Trunk in hand we're gonna go
Isn't it touching the way the trees hold the leaves
Into the sky
And when the breeze blows
All you can see is the green and gold
You and I know that the city holds, the street night lights
And we're gonna find it
We're gonna find the gold that illuminates our lives
And I, gonna go so far away
And I, gonna see the stars up high
Hear me out, hear me out
I'm searching
Hear me out, yeah
We can go there, we can travel
Over the motorway, over the valley
All the way there with your gentle spirit
I am not afraid
With your gentle spirit
I am not afraid
I am not afraid
I am not afraid
I am not afraid
The lyrics to Boa's song "Elephant" are about wanting to escape from the current situation and explore the unknown. The singer is questioning whether they will be recognized or seen for who they truly are if they were to cover their face. The plan to leave and start anew is emphasized throughout the verses. The singer is looking for answers and references the idea of wise men following the spirit children. The answer to what they are searching for lies somewhere in the city of skies.
The repetitive phrases in the song such as "We're gonna go there" and "I'm gonna go so far away" show the determination of the singer to leave and go to a place where they can find what they're looking for. The reference to the trees holding onto their leaves and the beauty of nature contrasts with the idea of an urban city holding the answers. The repetition of "I am not afraid" at the end of the song shows the determination and courage the singer has to leave and explore the unknown.
Interesting facts about the song "Elephant":
Interesting Facts
Note: This section uses generative AI, which can be inaccurate.
Line by Line Meaning
If I was to hold one hand over my face now
Wondering if you can recognize me from this side of me
Would you know me?
Can you identify me accurately?
Or would you see the other side of me?
Would you see what lies beneath my facade?
And if you were to notice
If you were paying attention
There is a plan I've been devising
I've been working on a secret plan
To go, to go now, far away from here
To escape and start anew somewhere else
And I gonna be so brave
I'll have the courage to follow through
And I gonna go so far away
I'll venture to a distant location
Where are the wise men?
Where did the knowledgeable people go?
Where have they all gone to
Where did they disappear to?
Did they follow the spirit children
Did they pursue a spiritual path?
Down the road that only they know?
Along a direction that's unfamiliar to most
And you and I know that the answer lies
We both know where to find the answer
Somewhere deep in the city of skies
In the heart of the celestial realm
We're gonna go there
We intend to reach that place
We're gonna see the daylight
We'll experience the brightness of a new dawn
And I, gonna fly away now
I'll depart on a journey of self-discovery
And I, gonna go where the path runs high
I'll follow a route with great potential
Oh, I'm searching, Oh yeah.
I'm seeking something momentous
I'm gonna go there, I'm gonna travel
I'm determined to embark on this journey
I'm gonna see my through and
I'll stay committed to my aspirations
You can follow
You can come, too
We can go together
We'll travel as companions
Trunk in hand we're gonna go
We'll hit the road with confidence and enthusiasm
Isn't it touching the way the trees hold the leaves
It's poetic how the trees and leaves interact
Into the sky
Towards the heavens
And when the breeze blows
Whenever the winds gust
All you can see is the green and gold
The colors that capture your attention
You and I know that the city holds, the street night lights
We both know the city at night is enchanting
And we're gonna find it
We're committed to discovering its secrets
We're gonna find the gold that illuminates our lives
We'll seek the things that bring meaning into our existence
And I, gonna go so far away
I'll distance myself from my current life
And I, gonna see the stars up high
I'll gaze at the stars from a vantage point
Hear me out, hear me out
Listen carefully to what I'm about to say
I'm searching
I'm looking for something meaningful
We can go there, we can travel
We have the power to reach our destination
Over the motorway, over the valley
Across different terrains and landscapes
All the way there with your gentle spirit
We'll journey together in peace and harmony
I am not afraid
I'm unafraid to take this step forward
With your gentle spirit
With your guidance and tenderness
I am not afraid
I won't be intimidated
I am not afraid
I'm fearless
I am not afraid
I'm filled with courage
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Aly
on Twilight
i love this song sm