While I was in college studying on exchange in San
Diego, California in the Fall of 1988 an album came out that was big, big, big.
It was called Shooting Rubber Bands at
the Stars and it was by a Texas band called Edie Brickell and the New
Bohemians. The song that got the most
airplay and was probably their biggest hit was “What I Am”. It was a great song! But I also really liked “Circle” which was
one of their follow-ups. I think it is
one of the most melancholy songs out there, as verified by the lyrics:
“I quit. I give up.
Nothing’s good enough for anybody else.
It seems.
And being alone is the
best way to be.
When I’m by myself it’s
the best way to be.
When I’m all alone it’s
the best way to be.
When I’m by myself,
nobody else can say goodbye…
Everything is temporary
anyway…
When the streets are
wet, the colors slip into the sky,
But I don’t know why
that means you and I.”
If you were feeling down in the dumps and defeated,
this song sure could keep you company and relate. I also quite liked their song “Little Miss S”
and have included someone’s homemade video for it below. File it under “songs about Edie Sedgwick (she
seemed to be a popular song inspiration for many).
The New Bohemians originally started out as a
3-piece ska band in the early 80’s (no Edie Brickell). They played a lot in the Deep Ellum
neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas.
Three of the members of the band, Kenny Withrow (guitars), Brandon Aly
(drums) and John Bush (percussion), went to school together at Dallas’s Booker
T. Washington High School. Edie Brickell
had also attended this school; however, the other members did not meet her
until much later. The other members of
the band, Robbie Blunt (guitar), Wix (keyboards), Chris Whitton (drums) and
John Henry (backing vocals) joined the band in 1985. Edie Brickell came into the mix when she was
encouraged to leave the audience at one of their shows and come on stage to
sing along with the band. Shortly
afterwards an agent who was booking bands to play another club called Rick’s
Casablanca heard them, and they began playing regular gigs there for 6 months. After that time, they played all around Deep
Ellum venue such as Theater Gallery, 500 Café, and Club Dada, garnering a huge
local following, and becoming very popular.
Next, the band was signed to Geffen Records. The label changed the name of the band to
Edie Brickell and The New Bohemians at this point. In 1988 their debut album, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars was
released. It was a huge commercial
success, spawning 3 hits, “What I Am”, “Circle’ and “Little Miss S”.
The band also recorded a cover of Bob Dylan’s song “A
Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” for the Oliver Stone directed movie Born on the Fourth of July which starred
Tom Cruise. I had this song on
cassingle, and thought it was a wonderful cover version.
The band put out another album in 1990 called Ghost of a Dog, but for some reason, it did
not do well on the charts and the band broke up.
Back on November 5, 1988 Edie Brickell and the New
Bohemians had performed as the musical guest on American television show Saturday
Night Live. Singer Paul Simon (of Simon
and Garfunkel fame, and later solo success) was watching from backstage and was
standing in front of a camera man. Edie
Brickell said that he made her mess up the song when she looked at him. Because the moment is preserved on tape, she
feels she always has a record of the moment that she first laid eyes on
him. She and Paul Simon ended up getting
married on May 30, 1992. They have three
children: Adrian, Lulu, and Gabriel.
Edie Brickell did work on some music. She sang a cover version of Lou Reed’s “Walk
on the Wild Side” for a 1990 movie called Flashback. In 1994 she released a solo album, I
thought was excellent (but did not do well commercially) called Picture Perfect Morning. She put out
another in 2003 called Volcano, but
mostly focused her attention on her marriage and children.
Lyrics:Me, I'm a part of your circle of friends
And we notice you don't come around
Me, I think it all depends on you
Touching ground with us but
I quit, I give up, nothing's good enough for anybody else
It seems
And I quit, I give up, nothing's good enough for anybody else
It seems
And being alone is the best way to be
When I'm by myself it's the best way to be
When I'm all alone it's the best way to be
When I'm by myself, nobody else can say goodbye
Everything is temporary anyway
When the streets are wet, the colors slip into the sky
But I don't why that means you and I are, that means you and I
I quit, I give up, nothing's good enough for anybody else
It seems
And I quit I give up, nothing's good enough for anybody else
It seems
And being alone is the best way to be
When I'm by myself, it's the best way to be
When I'm all alone, it's the best way to be
When I'm by myself, nobody can say
Me, I'm a part of your circle of friends
And we notice you don't come around
In 2006 she reunited with some of the original
members of The New Bohemians and they released another album called Stranger Things. She formed the band The Heavy Circles in 2007
along with her stepson, Harper Simon and released a single on iTunes called “Hands
On”. The Heavy Circles released an album
in 2008 that featured Sean Lennon, Martha Wainwright and some of the members of
Cibo Matto. Brickell is back to working
on music again, and in 2010 founded a new band called The Gaddabouts with some
other musicians.
"Little Miss S" by Edie Brickell and The New Bohemians and someone's homemade video & tribute to Edie Sedgwick:
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