1 post tagged “sixpence none the richer”
Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or of moving your limb from movement to moment, is given to you by God. If you devoted every moment of your whole life exclusively to his service you could not give Him anything that was not in a sense His own already. So that when we talk of a man doing anything for God or giving anything to God, I will tell you what it is really like. It is like a small child going to his father and saying, "Daddy, give me a sixpence to buy you a birthday present." Of course, the father does, and he is pleased with the child's present. It is all very nice and proper, but only an idiot would think that the father is sixpence to the good on the transaction. When a man has made these two discoveries, God can really get to work. It is after this that real life begins. The man is awake now...
—C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
This is the quote that inspired the name of guitarist/cellist Matt Slocum's and vocalist Leigh Nash's newly formed band in the early 1990s. I recently came across their "Best Of" album at the local library, and listening to its spread of songs from the 90s to their last album in 2002 brought back a lot of memories. Their first album, The Fatherless and the Widow (1994), was a sort of alternative-folk blend, with lyrics provided by the melancholy Slocum himself. One track, "Trust," made it into the regular praise chorus fare of my church's weekly youth group meeting, and was my first real exposure to the band.
Their next album This Beautiful Mess (1995) let go of the folk/praise roots, and latched on to an alternative rock sound. Indeed, this album can only be properly called rockalicious.
The band was soon after signed on to Christian music veteran Steve Taylor's new label Squint Entertainment, which led to the release of their self-titled album (1997) and their first radio hit, "Kiss Me." Unfortunately (or not, depending on your perspective), the rest of the album was very unlike the peppy, upbeat pop hit that was playing in radios and malls. Many of the album's songs depict the agonizing difficulties the band had with their previous record company, and as such they are mostly melancholy and sad. The lyrics for the second track "Anything" (sound file unfortunately unavailable) set the tone for the album:
By the fourth track "Kiss Me," a bit of levity is introduced, and it's good to note that the lyrics for this "pop" tune are far less embarrassing than what you'll find in most pop songs:
This is my forty-fifth depressing tune.
They're looking for money as they clean my artistic womb.
And when I give birth to the child I must take to flight,
'Cause the black in our pocket won't let us fight a proper fight.
So hey baby, can you shed some light on the problem maybe?
'Cause we're all tired and we'd like to know
If we should pack our tents, shut down the show.
Yes, we should like to see a burning bush-type sign.
But anything would be fine.
They're looking for money as they clean my artistic womb.
And when I give birth to the child I must take to flight,
'Cause the black in our pocket won't let us fight a proper fight.
So hey baby, can you shed some light on the problem maybe?
'Cause we're all tired and we'd like to know
If we should pack our tents, shut down the show.
Yes, we should like to see a burning bush-type sign.
But anything would be fine.
By the fourth track "Kiss Me," a bit of levity is introduced, and it's good to note that the lyrics for this "pop" tune are far less embarrassing than what you'll find in most pop songs:
Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight
Lead me out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance
Silver moon's sparkling
So kiss me
Lead me out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance
Silver moon's sparkling
So kiss me
The success of "Kiss Me" as a single led to a reissue of the album with the band's cover of "There She Goes," by The La's as the new 13th track. While the song hardly fit in with the rest of the album, the track was another radio hit.
Unfortunately, Squint Entertainment soon underwent financial difficulties, postponing the release of the band's next album Divine Discontent. It wasn't until the label went totally under and was bought out by another company that the album found its release in 2002, albeit with a dramatically changed track list. Divine Discontent was more obviously oriented towards a pop audience, eschewing much of the band's former alt-rock leanings. The first track "Breathe Your Name" was another radio hit, though not as big as "Kiss Me."
The band had one last radio release with a cover of "Dancing Queen," by ABBA.
In February of 2004 it was announced that the Sixpence None the Richer had disbanded. A "Best Of" album was released later that year (oddly the third of such albums). Vocalist Leigh Nash has moved on with her own solo career, and has released one album, Blue on Blue; and lyricist/musician Matt Slocum has done instrumental work with other bands, and has started a new band, Astronaut Pushers. Who knows, perhaps one day we will see a reunion of this band which was a bright light among many dim attempts at artistry in the Christian music world.
