By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
February 17, 1995
Anyone who’s been through a breakup can identify with the Murmurs’ hit single.
But though most assume the single, “You Suck,” is about an ex-boyfriend, vocalist Heather Grody says it’s about a mentor who turned on Grody and Leisha Hailey.
” `You Suck’ is about someone who we really loved and were best friends with and then he turned on us out of nowhere,” said Gordy. “Leisha just wrote the song and said, `You have to hear this’ and we were cracking up. It was going to be a B-side and then we decided to put it on the album because we thought it was really funny.
“I think the reason a lot of people relate to the song is because it’s blunt and to the point. . . . There are some grownup types that just don’t get it and never will understand. But the feelings in the song, I think, are pretty universal.”
Blessed with perfect harmonies and world-weary cynicism that belies their youth (23), the Murmurs combine folky acoustic guitars with biting lyrics.
Grody and Hailey met as teenagers in acting class but have put their thespian careers on hold to concentrate on touring as headliners and with the likes of Sweet, Joe Jackson and the Lightning Seeds.
“Everyone thinks we’re overnight successes but it took us almost four years to get to this point,” Grody said. “We really lived the starving artist cliche in New York when we were trying to become actors. We started singing as a fluke almost.”
Almost. The pair began playing guitar and singing together for fun and to keep their friends amused. When an artist friend wanted music for his gallery opening, he “hired” Grody and Hailey to perform live and, most importantly, free.
And about that band name?
“Our acting teacher made us do all these humiliating vocal exercises that sounded like, `Murrrr … Murrrr … ,’ ” Grody said. “We mocked it all the time and started doing it all the time between songs to clear our throats. It was too sick not to make it a band name.”
