Marc Almond has had a long and varied career spanning circa 40 years. During this time, after a career with Soft Cell and Marc and the Mambas, he has collaborated with an extremely wide range of artists including Antony and The Johnsons, Jools Holland, Siouxsie Sioux, Nick Cave, P.J. Proby, Nico, Kelli Ali of the Sneaker Pimps, Neal X (on the albums Fantastic Star and Open All Night), Marie France, Agnes Bernelle, Lydia Lunch, Gene Pitney on the #1 UK single "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart", Foetus (a.k.a. J. G. Thirlwell), Jimmy Somerville of The Communards and Bronski Beat, Psychic TV, Coil, Sally Timms of Mekons, King Roc, John Cale and David Johansen of The New York Dolls and German band Rosenstolz.
Almond initially shot to fame in the early 1980s as one half of synth duo Soft Cell, whose combination of drama and peep show sleaze set to an electronic beat gave them hits such as "Tainted Love" (UK #1), "Bedsitter" (UK #3), "Torch" (UK #2), "Say Hello Wave Goodbye" (UK #3), "Soul Inside" (UK # 16), "What?" (UK #3) and the club hit "Memorabilia". They were first spotted by David Oddie, boss of Wakefield based Ambergris Records in a Bradford club, who passed his enthusiasm onto Dead Good Records in Lincoln, famous for their Hicks From The Sticks compilation, who in turn approached Polygram, the newly formed amalgam of Polydor and Phonogram. Although Soft Cell disbanded in 1984 just before the release of fourth album, This Last Night In Sodom, the duo reunited in 2001 for live shows and in 2002 released a new album entitled Cruelty Without Beauty, from which the single "The Night" (UK #39) was taken.
His biggest UK hits as a solo artist have been cover versions; the aforementioned 1989 number one duet with Gene Pitney and another near chart-topper in 1991 with David McWilliams' "The Days of Pearly Spencer", which peaked at #4. In 1985, he duetted with Jimmy Somerville and Bronski Beat on a cover of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love (Medley)" and it hit #3. The highest UK positions his self-penned singles have reached so far have been "Stories of Johnny" (#23 in 1985), "Tears Run Rings" (#28 in 1988) and "Adored and Explored" (#25 in 1995).
Almond's work runs the gamut from electronica and dance music to French chanson, traditional piano ballads, and Russian romance songs, as exhibited on his 2003 album Heart on Snow. Influences include David Bowie, a childhood hero of his, as well as early 1960s Northern Soul and disco. Other major influences have been Scott Walker from Walker Brothers and Jacques Brel, 12 of whose songs Almond reworked in English for his 1989 album Jacques. Almond's own lyrics are a creative expression of what he sees and are not to be confused with his own life. He also operates a record label, Blue Star Music, on which he has released many of his solo and collaborative records in the UK.
Almond currently lives in the Bermondsey area of south east London. In his autobiography he describes previously living in Earl's Court, in a converted church in Fulham and most memorably in Soho's Berwick Street, where he lived in a flat overlooking the Raymond Revuebar.
The Boy Who Came Back
Marc Almond Lyrics
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Felt charged with a new lease of life
Time to break out of his present surroundings
A mother, a child and a wife
He'd not said good-bye to his last thread of childhood
It lay just beyond his front gate
So he packed just a few things
And he packed in his job
And he prayed he'd not left it too late
He turned and he said
"Well we always have time,
Time on our side
And there's time for this boy to turn back"
Joy held his heart
As he took to the road
Cast all his sorrow
To the breeze
Knew in his heart
It was the right thing to do
For he had to search out
His belief
Spring came and fall went
The year ran away
Love, hate and heartache ran too
Felt himself drift
Into memories of home
And the loneliness he lived on through
He turned and he said
"Well we always have time,
Time on our side
And there's time for this boy to turn back"
And he'd learnt about life
But he'd lost out on love
He was no longer only a boy
There were lines on his face
From the sun and the wind
But no lines there through
Laughter or joy
Shoes full of holes
But with fire in his soul
He walked down the dirt beaten track
Mother was gone
But his wife and child were living on
And they cried
"It's the boy who came back"
Goodbye through the evening
Goodbye through the night
Goodbye through the dreams
Through the sleep
Goodbye to our yesterdays
Hello tomorrow
It seems we were destined to meet
He turned and he said
"Well we always have time,
Time on our side
And there's time for this boy to turn back"
The song "The Boy Who Came Back" by Marc Almond depicts the story of a man who wakes up to the sound of birds in the morning charged with life and the need to break out of his present surroundings. He leaves behind his mother, a child, and a wife to go out and find his belief. Despite this, he feels a longing for the last thread of his childhood and packs up a few things, his job and hits the road. The journey is full of ups and downs, he experiences love, hate, heart-ache, loneliness, and also learns about life. As he reaches his distination, his shoes full of holes, his face lined with wrinkles from the sun and wind, he realizes that he may have lost out on love, but he still has fire in his soul. He returns to the arms of his wife and child and pure joy ensues.
The song is a poignant tale of someone who had everything but still felt like he was missing something. The lyrics convey a feeling of hope and determination as well as a sense of regret, especially through the lines that say, "he'd learnt about life, but lost out on love." It is a story that many people could relate to as we all go through periods where we feel like we need to leave our current lives behind and go in search of something more.
Line by Line Meaning
He woke to the sound of the birds in the morning
He woke up feeling refreshed at dawn to the melodious chirping of birds.
Felt charged with a new lease of life
He felt energized to start a new chapter in life.
Time to break out of his present surroundings
He realized it was time to move away from his current environment.
A mother, a child and a wife
He had the responsibility of taking care of his mother, child, and spouse.
He'd not said good-bye to his last thread of childhood
He had not yet parted ways with his childhood memories and dreams.
It lay just beyond his front gate
His childhood memories and dreams were within his reach, just outside his house.
So he packed just a few things
He took only the essentials with him for his journey.
And he packed in his job
He quit his job to prioritize his search for meaning.
And he prayed he'd not left it too late
He hoped that he had not missed his chance for a better life.
He turned and he said
"Well we always have time,
Time on our side
And there's time for this boy to turn back"
He believed that time was on his side and he could always return to his old life.
Joy held his heart
As he took to the road
Cast all his sorrow
To the breeze
He felt happy and hopeful as he embarked on his journey, leaving all his sorrows behind.
Knew in his heart
It was the right thing to do
For he had to search out
His belief
He was convinced that his decision was the right one as he needed to find his true purpose in life.
Spring came and fall went
The year ran away
Love, hate and heartache ran too
Time flew by, and he experienced many emotions, including love, hatred, and heartbreak.
Felt himself drift
Into memories of home
And the loneliness he lived on through
He often found himself lost in memories of his past and was reminded of the loneliness he endured.
And he'd learnt about life
But he'd lost out on love
He was no longer only a boy
There were lines on his face
From the sun and the wind
But no lines there through
Laughter or joy
Although he had learned much about life, he had missed out on love. He had aged, but his happiness and joy had kept him youthful.
Shoes full of holes
But with fire in his soul
He walked down the dirt beaten track
Mother was gone
But his wife and child were living on
And they cried
"It's the boy who came back"
He walked back to his family with tattered shoes but a determined attitude. His mother had passed away, but he was overjoyed to see his wife and child, who recognized the boy in him that had returned.
Goodbye through the evening
Goodbye through the night
Goodbye through the dreams
Through the sleep
Goodbye to our yesterdays
Hello tomorrow
It seems we were destined to meet
He said goodbye to his past and welcomed the future, realizing that his journey had brought him to where he was meant to be.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARC ALMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind