Morcheeba have revealed the story behind their 1990s anthem The Sea, recounting how the track was born from a late-night vodka-fuelled writing session and nearly never saw the light of day. The band's Ross Godfrey explained that he and his brother Paul stayed up all night in early 1996, drinking vodka and writing songs for their second album Big Calm. They showed singer Skye Edwards the chord progression and some lyrics, and she came up with the melody.
Godfrey recalled the recording process, including a 3am session after a pub lock-in when he recorded the wah-wah guitar part. When a string section was brought in, they mistook the 20-year-old Godfrey for the tea boy. 'When I asked for a psychedelic improvisation like at the end of the Beatles' A Day in the Life, they went: 'Why is the tea boy telling us what to play?'' he said. The band pieced the track together using loops and an Otari two-inch tape machine.
The Sea was initially slated for release as a single, but the record company lost confidence and it only came out as a white label for DJs. Despite this, Big Calm became a double-platinum success, spending a year in the Top 40. The track gained wider recognition when Channel 4's reality show Shipwrecked used it as its theme tune, and it has since become Morcheeba's most popular song.
Edwards, who joined the band after meeting Ross Godfrey at a party, recalled her first gig with Morcheeba: 'After my first gig with them, someone stole my car with my dole money in the glove compartment, but things worked out.' She added that the song has taken the band to beautiful seaside locations around the world.
