You and Your Sister

Chris Bell, Big Star

About You and Your Sister

"You and Your Sister" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Chris Bell, that appears on his only solo album I Am the Cosmos. It was released as a B-side to Bell's only single "I Am the Cosmos." The song is very similar in composition, vocals, and guitar playing to Big Star's "Thirteen," which Bell co-wrote with band mate Alex Chilton, as it is also an acoustic love ballad. It features backing vocals by Chilton. Mark Deming of Allmusic described it as a "sweet, guileless love song" that "represents the sincerity and emotional innocence that Bell brought to his brief tenure in the band Big Star" that "make[s] more emotional sense than literal sense" and as "one of the great unknown love songs in the pop canon, a luminous and fragile ballad almost otherworldly in its beauty. " Two alternate versions of the song appear on the 1992 I Am the Cosmos release, an "acoustic version" and a "country version." It was covered by This Mortal Coil on the 1991 album Blood, along with "I Am the Cosmos", by Seana Carmody on the 2007 album Barn Songs, and by Mike Daly on A Tribute to Big Star. It was also included in the 2009 Big Star box-set release Keep an Eye on the Sky. more »

Year:: 2009
: 3:10
: 52 Views

Lyrics currently unavailable…

Chris Bell

Christopher Branford "Chris" Bell (January 12, 1951 – December 27, 1978) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist born in Memphis, Tennessee. Along with Alex Chilton, he led the power pop band Big Star, which recorded albums during the early 1970s. Bell left the group after Big Star's first album, #1 Record (1972), failed to find commercial success, although some of his musical and lyrical contributions surfaced on the band's second album, Radio City (1974). Bell recorded as a solo artist for the remainder of the 1970s; two of these influential solo recordings, "I Am the Cosmos" and "You and Your Sister", were released on a 1978 single on Car Records. These two songs became popular among collectors of Big Star-related items, and were later included on… more »

0 fans

11 facts about this song

Release and Artist "You and Your Sister" is a song originally written and performed by Chris Bell, one of the founding members of Big Star, an influential rock band from the 1970s. It featured on Bell's posthumous solo album, "I Am the Cosmos."
Cover Version This song gained even more popularity when the band This Mortal Coil gave it a new twist in a cover version. Their version included on the groups’ debut album "It'll End in Tears" in 1984.
Featuring Artists The version by This Mortal Coil features vocals by Kim Deal of The Pixies and Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses. Their soft, enchanting voices contribute to the ethereal and haunting quality of the version.
Album Launch "I Am the Cosmos," the album in which the Chris Bell's version appears, was released in 1992, around 13 years after his fatal car accident in 1978. Bell had initially released only a single of the title track "I Am The Cosmos" / "You and Your Sister" from the album in 1978.
Genre Both Big Star and Chris Bell's work, including the song "You and Your Sister," fall under the Power Pop genre, a style that draws its influence from British Invasion bands like The Beatles and The Who.
Lyrics The lyrics of "You And Your Sister" focus on complex emotions and relationships. It's a song about longing and unrequited love yet possessing an underlying sense of optimism.
Legacy Despite Big Star being labeled as a "commercial failure" during their active years, they later achieved cult status. The song "You and Your Sister," among others, is an example of Bell's influential songwriting skill and the enduring power of his work.
Tragic Backdrop Chris Bell's untimely demise gives an added layer of melancholy to "I Am the Cosmos" and "You and Your Sister." He did not live to see the posthumous success and admiration his work received.
Last Recording "You and Your Sister" was the last song that Chris Bell recorded for his album "I Am the Cosmos." This song is believed to be one of his best solo works.
Notable Covers Besides the cover by This Mortal Coil, "You and Your Sister" has also been covered by artists like The Posies and The Watson Twins, attesting to the enduring appeal of the song.
Dedication In 2009, an album named "Thank You, Friends: Big Star's Third Live...And More" was released. It was a tribute to the music of Big Star, and it featured a rendition of "You and Your Sister."

more »

Discuss the You and Your Sister Lyrics with the community:

0 Comments

Notify me of new comments via email.

Citation

Use the citation below to add these lyrics to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"You and Your Sister Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/17637006/Chris+Bell/You+and+Your+Sister>.

Missing lyrics by Chris Bell?

Know any other songs by Chris Bell? Don't keep it to yourself!

The Web's Largest Resource for

Music, Songs & Lyrics

A Member Of The STANDS4 Network

Watch the song video