Belle and Sebastian released their first two albums in 1996: Tigermilk, recorded over three days, and If You're Feeling Sinister, recorded in a week, at the peak of the chamber pop movement. At first, some critics in Britain's music weeklies tied the band into the subgenre, yet the group was too pretty, too delicate, to bear that label. Through their first two years of public existence, the band shielded their personalities, submitting publicity photos featuring a girl, who was a friend of the band and reluctantly posing for photo shoots. Furthermore, they performed in odd venues, playing not only the standard coffeehouses and cafes, but also homes, church halls, and libraries.
Prior to the formation of Belle and Sebastian, Murdoch suffered from a protracted battle with chronic fatigue syndrome, which forced him to drop out of school and spend seven years living in his parents' home crippled by his condition.Whilst in his parents home, Murdoch wrote a short story about a boy named Sebastian and a girl named Isabelle based on the names from Madame Cecile Aubery's children's book Belle et Sebastian. On New Year's Day 1996, Stuart attended a party at which he met a young singer and cellist named Isobel Campbell. In a letter to his brother Fraser, Murdoch explained how he was making a single for Stow college at the end of February. Murdoch opted to use the name Belle&Sebastian for the project because it was occupying him at the time. Murdoch took to songwriting as an escapism from the four walls surrounding him in his room and eventually recorded demos with bassist Stuart David whom he met at a government training programme called Beatbox. Murdoch quickly met a series of other musicians through social and musical circles in his hometown Glasgow and they agreed to help with the Stow project. The members he found for this initial lineup were Stevie Jackson (guitar), Mick Cooke (trumpet), Chris Geddes (keyboards), Stuart David (bass), Richard Colburn (drums), and Isobel Campbell (cello). The Stow College record was to be issued by Electric Honey, but it turned into a full album. The course instructor Alan Rankine determined that Murdoch had enough good material to record a full LP and could do so if they could get it all done in three days, studio time allotted for the single. Murdoch and his musicians rose to the challenge and recorded ten tracks putting the songs in order as they would appear on the record and mostly completing them in just a few takes.
In May of 1996, Belle and Sebastian self-released their debut album, Tigermilk, on Electric Honey Records. Only 1,000 copies of the album, which was only pressed on vinyl, were released, but it unexpectedly became a sensation, earning terrific word of mouth throughout the UK. As a result, the band became slightly more than a school project — it became an actual band. If You're Feeling Sinister, released on the independent Jeepster label, followed in November of 1996. By the time the album was released in America on the EMI subsidiary The Enclave, it had earned considerable critical acclaim in the U.K. — not only from music weeklies, but from newspapers like The Sunday Times and magazines like The Face — and a large cult following; by some accounts, Tigermilk was being sold for as much as 75 pounds. Over the course of 1997, word of mouth continued to grow in America, even as the band pulled out of an American tour because The Enclave went bankrupt and closed.
As the band cult continued to build in 1997, Belle and Sebastian released three EPs — Dog on Wheels (May), Lazy Line Painter Jane (July), and 3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light (October). Each subsequent EP placed higher on the indie charts and received great critical acclaim. Later in the year, violinist Sarah Martin became a member of the band. By the end of the year, the group finalized an American deal with Matador Records, issuing The Boy With the Arab Strap in September 1998. The following year saw the eagerly anticipated wide re-release of Tigermilk, the album that started it all. It was the biggest selling album but is unpopular with the group themselves. Following completion of 2000's Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant, Stuart David left Belle and Sebastian to focus full-time on his solo project, Looper, being replaced by Bobby Kildea of V-Twin. In 2001, the group released two EPs — Jonathan David and I'm Waking Up to Us — and recorded the soundtrack for Todd Solondz's film Storytelling. Just before the soundtrack's release in spring 2002, Belle and Sebastian embarked on a comprehensive tour of the United States and Canada before returning to Europe for the summer festival season. Midway through the tour, Isobel Campbell left the band, citing the usual differences.
Another major change that soon took place was the band leaving Jeepster and Matador to sign with Rough Trade, with their next record, late 2003's Dear Catastrophe Waitress, produced by the inimitable Trevor Horn (who also produced Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Yes, and scores of others). The record spawned the brilliant "Step into My Office, Baby" and "I'm a Cuckoo" singles, the latter of which was the group's biggest U.K. hit, reaching number 14 in early 2004. After a long worldwide tour that found Belle and Sebastian reaching new levels of success, they retired to Scotland and began preparing for the recording of their seventh full length album, The Life Pursuit, released in 2006.
In 2010, they released their eighth full length album, Write About Love.
Official website: www.belleandsebastian.com
The Party Line
Belle and Sebastian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(I heard a rumour)
From your girlfriend's sister
(That you knew me)
And you end up dancing
(Close up to me)
I know that I broke the rule already
Going steady
I just trod my head and took a step off into the dark
Standing on the block of my tires
Don't dance on the lights because the bears eat the pretty ones
We are like the islands divided
Jump to the beat of the party line
Jump to the beat of the party line
There is no one in here but your body dear
Jump to the beat of the party line
Stay
You stay
I am on this morning quite distracted
The talk of all begins and our emotion
I am leaving many people feeling
Worse than before
People like to drive the cars and smoke up
People like to sit inside and toke up
People like to shoot at things with borrowed guns
And knives
I am happy to look and run
Where were you when I was king in this part of town
Now the days of glory are gone
Jump to the beat of the party line
Jump to the beat of the party line
There is nobody here but your body dear
Jump to the beat of the party line
Jump to the beat of the party line
Jump to the beat of the party line
There is nobody here but your body dear
Nobody here but your body dear
Jump to the beat of the party line
Jump to the beat of the party line
There is nobody here but your body dear
Jump to the beat of the party line
Jump to the beat of the party line
Jump to the beat of the party line
There is nobody here but your body dear
Nobody here but your body dear
The lyrics of "The Party Line" by Belle and Sebastian are about a moment of unexpected connection between two people at a party. The singer explains that they heard a rumor about someone they were interested in, and then unexpectedly found themselves dancing close to that person. As they try to navigate this new situation, the singer muses on the nature of social interactions and the expectations that people bring into them. They also reflect on the transitory nature of youth and the fleeting pleasure of these kinds of moments.
The lyrics are full of poetic imagery and striking phrases, such as the idea of "dancing on the lights because the bears eat the pretty ones." The repetition of the line "Jump to the beat of the party line" reinforces the idea of conformity and social pressure, while the phrase "There is nobody here but your body dear" suggests a sense of sensual abandon and the possibility for connection despite the noise and chaos of the party.
Overall, the lyrics of "The Party Line" capture the exhilaration and anxiety of spontaneous social encounters, and the fleeting joy that can come from giving in to the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
How did I get here
Expressing surprise at the current situation
(I heard a rumour)
Implies that someone (probably the girlfriend's sister) spread a rumour that the singer knew you
From your girlfriend's sister
The singer learned the rumour from his girlfriend's sister
(That you knew me)
Implies that the artist knew you from before but doesn't make it clear who 'you' is
And you end up dancing
The artist and 'you' dance together
(Close up to me)
Implies that the couple is dancing very close together
I know that I broke the rule already
The singer is aware that he's doing something he shouldn't be doing, i.e., dancing with 'you'
She asked me if I'm single
The girlfriend's sister explicitly asked the artist if he's single
Going steady
'Going steady' means being in an exclusive romantic relationship with someone
I just trod my head and took a step off into the dark
The artist is uncertain how to respond and dives into the unknown, ignoring the question
Don't dance on the lights because the bears eat the pretty ones
Metaphorical phrase meaning that the singer shouldn't trust someone just because they're attractive or charming
We are like the islands divided
Implies that the artist and 'you' can't communicate honestly or openly, suggesting differences and/or misunderstandings
Jump to the beat of the party line
A call to dance to the music
There is no one in here but your body dear
The lyrics suggest that the only thing that matters is the physical relationship between the singer and 'you'
Stay
A call to stay and dance with the singer
I am on this morning quite distracted
The artist is distracted and not fully present
The talk of all begins and our emotion
The artist acknowledges that this relationship is the subject of gossip and speculation and has an impact on his emotions
I am leaving many people feeling
The singer is aware that his actions have an impact on others
Worse than before
Implies that others have an unfavorable view of the singer or his relationship with 'you'
People like to drive the cars and smoke up
A general statement about people enjoying drugs and other forms of risk-taking or pleasure-seeking
People like to sit inside and toke up
Similar to the previous line, suggesting that people enjoy smoking marijuana
People like to shoot at things with borrowed guns
A statement about people's love for guns and risky behavior
And knives
Adding even more risk to the mix
I am happy to look and run
The artist is happy to observe others' behaviors but not necessarily partake in them
Where were you when I was king in this part of town
A statement of regret that 'you' wasn't around when the singer had more power or status
Now the days of glory are gone
Implies that the singer has lost power or status
Nobody here but your body dear
Implies the singer only cares about the physical aspect of his relationship with 'you'
Contributed by Tristan A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Randy Angel
Lyrics
How did I get here? I heard a rumour
From your girlfriend's sister that you knew me
And you end up dancing closer to me
I know that I broke the rule already
She asked me if I'm single
Going steady
I just drop my head and took a step off in to the dark
Standing on the black and white tiles
Don't dance on the lights
'Cause the bears eat the pretty ones
We are like the islands, divided
Jump to the beat of the party line
Jump to the beat of the party line
There is nobody here
But your body, dear
Jump to the beat of the party line
Stay
You stay
I am on this morning quite distracted
The tug of war begins on our emotion
I am leaving many people feeling
Worse than before
People like to drive their cars and smoke up
People like to sit inside and toke up
People like to shoot at things with borrowed guns and knives
I am happy to look and run
Where were you when I was king in this part of town?
Now the days of glory are gone
Jump to the beat of the party line
Jump to the beat of the party line
There is nobody here
But your body, dear
Jump to the beat of the party line
Jump to the beat of the party line
Jump to the beat of the party line
There is nobody here
But your body, dear
Nobody here but your body, dear
Jump to the beat of the party line
Jump to the beat of the party line
There is nobody here
But your body, dear
Jump to the beat of the party line
Jump to the beat of the party line
Jump to the beat of the party line
There is nobody here
But your body, dear
Nobody here but your body, dear
Richard Mayne
Criminally underrated tune
John Webb
Truly one of the greatest dance/pop/indie songs of the last ten years, at least.
PK_mattressfirm
Probably why they play it at every show since it came out
Holly May
Who is underrating it?!?
sydney !!
belle and sebastian are the most underrated band ever
Michel Masserey
Probably one of their best tracks... Great they didn't stick to their traditional sound... bands have the right to evolve
Christian Martin
Disco love
Media Monarchy
Hipster disco like arcade sleater decemberists
David Rodriguez
Me gustó este nuevo ritmo que están probando Belle and Sebastian con esta canción, a pesar de ser algo super diferente a las notas melancólica a las que nos acostumbraron, siguen conservando el mismo estilo, México escucha a Belle and Sebastian
Gabriel Manzano
México siente Belle & Sebastian