Sixpence None The Richer Songs Ranked

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Sixpence None the Richer are an alternative rock band from Texas who are known for their Christian Beliefs. The name comes from a book by C.S Lewis who was known as a Christian writer. They were first formed in 1992 when guitarist Matt Slocum met singer Leigh Nash. After recording a demo, they recorded their debut album The Fatherless and the Widow which was released in 1994. After touring to promote this album over the next year they released their second album This Beautiful Mess.

The release of their self-titled third album in 1997 got them more wider recognition. This was primarily brought on by release of the single “Kiss Me” which has become their most well known song. Their next big success came in the form of a cover of “There She Goes” by the Las.

They recorded another album which was ready for release but was delayed due to their record company falling apart which led them to be in state of limbo for a couple of years. The album titled Divine Discontent was eventually released in 2002.

In 2004, the band announced their split. Over the next couple of years all of the members would pursue other projects. However, three years later they announced that they were getting back together. In 2008 they released an ep titled My Dear Machine. Later that year they released a Christmas album titled The Dawn Of Grace. Their most recent album Lost In Transition was released in 2012.

# 10 – We Have Forgotten

Kicking off our Sixpence None the Richer list we have a song taken from their self-titled debut released in 1997. It is the opening track and marked the start of a new era for the band which saw them gain more mainstream success. The album was nominated for Best Rock Gospel album at the Grammys and also topped the Christian Billboard charts.

# 9 – Breathe

Up next is a song that is a song that you were maybe not expecting to appear on this list. This song does not appear on any of the band’s actual albums apart from their Best Of in 2004 and is actually a Leigh Nash song that is performed by Sixpence None The Richer. It originally appeared on the Christian music compilation Streams released in 1999.

# 8 – Puedo Escribir

Up next we have another song from the self-titled album which something of a jazz flair to it. This is due to the talents of bassist J.J Plasencio and drummer Dale Barker who are both trained musicians of the genre. Leigh Nash also puts in a incredible performance where she sings in Spanish throughout the whole song.

# 7 – Within A Room Somewhere

Here we have a track taken from Sixpence’s second album This Beautiful Mess released in 1995. The album was produced by Armand John Perri who was also the band’ manager at the time. The album sold 50,000 copies and its success was something of precursor for their self-titled breakthrough album that would follow a couple of years later.

# 6 – Meaningless

Closing the first half of this list we have a song from Sixpence None The Richer’s debut album The Fatherless and The Widow released in 1994. Whilst it is not their best album and has a particularly dated sounding production it nevertheless contains some brilliant songs, of which this is a prime example. This song was known for being expanded into fifteen minutes long during the band’s live shows at the time despite only actually being five minutes in length.

# 5 – Dizzy

Kicking off the second half of this list we have a song taken from the fourth Sixpence album Divine Discontent released in 2002. The song is schmaltzy piano ballad that is about the biblical character David. However, rather than the usual theme of him slaying Goliath, it is instead about dancing to the point that he does not realise that he is making a fool of himself!

# 4 – Don’t Dream Its Over

Here we have a cover of a song originally by Crowded House that was the second single to be taken from Divine Discontent. It’s B Side was “Don’t Pass Me By” which was recorded during the album’s sessions and was also featured on it. This version would also later be featured on the compilation Smallville: The Talon Mix which was a soundtrack to the “Superman” TV prequel series.

# 3 – Breathe Your Name

At number three is the lead single from Divine Discontent. It was produced by Paul Fox and Matt Slocum who also wrote. Distributed through Reprise Records and Squint Entertainment, it was a minor success reaching number eighteen on the US Billboard Adult Top Forty. It had two B Sides: “Northern Lights” (CD version) and “Waiting On The Sun” (seven inch version.)

2 – There She Goes

Just off the top spot is a cover song which was a big hit that was originally by the British band The Las. The original version was released in 1990 and this version was put out in 1999 as a single and was featured on their self-titled album two years earlier. It was successful commercially, reaching number fourteen in the Uk and thirty-two in the US.

# 1 – Kiss Me

At the top spot we have Sixpence None The Richer’s best known song taken from their self-titled album. It was released as a single in 1998. Upon its release, it was compared to the work of the British band The Sundays which is rather easy to see. It was nominated for Best Duo or Group with vocals at the forty-second Grammy Awards. It is by far the band’s biggest hit reaching number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was the sixth-biggest selling American single of 1999. It got to number one in Canada and Australia and number four in the UK and New Zealand. There were three videos produced for the song, one of which played tribute to the French romance film “Julies and Jim.” It was met with a generally positive critical reception upon its release, with one critic even calling the nineties equivalent to the Beatles “I Wanna Hold Your Hand.”

The song has had several covers over the years. Artists who have given it their own treatment include Avril Lavigne, UK R & B singer Nathan and Lava Lava. The most well known is by New Found Glory on their covers album From The Screen To The Stereo Part 2. This version had its own video which also featured members of Paramore.

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