Pulp disbanded in 2002 (although they have reformed on a number occasions since), but Cocker has been busy. In 2003, he re-emerged to promote a new album A Heavy Nite With... for his new band, Relaxed Muscle. 2005 then brought Cocker briefly back into the limelight with his contribution to the soundtrack for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. He also collaborated with and wrote lyrics for Nancy Sinatra's and Charlotte Gainsbourg's comeback albums.
Cocker embarked on a solo career under his own name with an album entitled Jarvis (2006). His sophomore effort Further Complications (produced by Steve Albini) was released in 2009.
Cocker released an album called Room 29 (2017) with Chilly Gonzales and then started a new band called Jarv is..., with which he released the critically acclaimed and very successful album Beyond the Pale (2020).
2021 saw the release of Chansons d'Ennui Tip-Top, which served as a companion release to the soundtrack for Wes Anderson's 2021 film, The French Dispatch. Cocker sang the songs in film character, the name of this character being Tip-Top, which explains why the album is sometimes simply referred to as Chansons d'Ennui, formally credited to Tip-Top.
More film music followed in 2022, as Cocker recorded the original soundtrack to the film This Is Going To Hurt. This where it gets complicated: the band name Jarv is... can be spotted on the artwork of This Is Going To Hurt (Original Soundtrack), but the score is listed on streaming platforms such as Spotify under Jarvis Cocker. As a matter of fact, the band name Jarv is... seems to have been dropped altogether, as all Jarv is... albums are now also listed under Jarvis Cocker.
Black Magic
Jarvis Cocker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And all the bells were ringing
My eyes could see the glory
Baby
Could hear the song they're singing
You only get to see the light
Just one time in your life
Oh, black magic
That blows your mind away
And takes you somewhere that you wanna stay
You only get to stay one day
Oh, that cold black magic
Is there anything more wretched
Than to just have caught one sight?
The eyes that saw the glory have been
Have been blinded by the light
And it's the true believers that crash and burn
But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna learn
Black magic
That blows your mind away
And takes you somewhere that you wanna stay
Oh, you only get to stay one day
Oh, that cold black magic
Ow
We can't escape, we're born to die
But I'm gonna give it a real good try
Because nothing comes close and nothing can compare
To black magic
Yeah yeah yeah
Black magic
Yeah yeah yeah
The lyrics of Jarvis Cocker's song 'Black Magic' are infused with a wistful longing for the magical moments that we experience in our lives, which seem to be fleeting and rare. The song begins with the singer awakening to the sound of bell ringing and being enveloped in a sense of awe, as if he had been transported to a world of wonder. He refers to this feeling as 'black magic' - a force that can 'blow your mind away and take you somewhere you want to stay'. However, the song takes a darker turn as we realize that the singer has only caught a single glimpse of this magical world, and the vision that he saw was so blindingly beautiful that it has left him unable to see anything else.
The lyrics touch on the idea that the pursuit of magic can often lead to desperation and disillusionment. The true believers, who seek out these extraordinary experiences with unbridled enthusiasm, often end up crashing and burning. In the end, the singer seems resigned to his fate - he knows that he cannot escape the inevitability of his own mortality, but he is determined to hold onto the memory of that one perfect moment. The song leaves an impression of the great beauty and allure of the magical experiences that we have in our lives, but also acknowledges the pain and uncertainty that they can bring.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke up in the morning
My day has started
And all the bells were ringing
The sound of the bells was ringing
My eyes could see the glory
I am able to see success
Baby
A term of endearment
Could hear the song they're singing
I can hear the celebratory song
You only get to see the light
Opportunities only come once
Just one time in your life
You only have one chance
Oh, black magic
A special occurrence that's hard to explain
That blows your mind away
It's a mind-blowing experience
And takes you somewhere that you wanna stay
An experience that's unforgettable
You only get to stay one day
The experience is brief
Oh, that cold black magic
A complex and indescribable event
Is there anything more wretched
Is there anything worse
Than to just have caught one sight?
To miss out on something amazing
The eyes that saw the glory have been
The once-seers of success are now
Have been blinded by the light
Unable to see the good anymore
And it's the true believers that crash and burn
The optimists are often let down
But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna learn
I will never stop believing
Ow
A sound of shock or surprise
We can't escape, we're born to die
We are all destined to die
But I'm gonna give it a real good try
I'll make the most of my time
Because nothing comes close and nothing can compare
There's nothing else like it
To black magic
To that extraordinary experience
Yeah yeah yeah
Energetic or enthusiastic emphasis
Black magic
An indescribable and rare occurrence
Yeah yeah yeah
Energetic or enthusiastic emphasis
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JARVIS BRANSON COCKER, TOMMY JAMES, PETER LUCIA, STEPHEN PATRICK MACKEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind