At the age of 19, Nick moved to Havana, Cuba to study music and art. On returning to the UK, Nick enrolled at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies to study Ethnomusicology. In 2011, he left Portico Quartet to pursue his career as a solo singer-songwriter .
He released two EPs, The Trellis (Communion Records 2012) and Fever to the Form (Communion Records 2013) Read Full BioNick Mulvey (1984) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and founder member of 2008 Mercury Prize nominated band Portico Quartet.
At the age of 19, Nick moved to Havana, Cuba to study music and art. On returning to the UK, Nick enrolled at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies to study Ethnomusicology. In 2011, he left Portico Quartet to pursue his career as a solo singer-songwriter .
He released two EPs, The Trellis (Communion Records 2012) and Fever to the Form (Communion Records 2013), before his debut full-length First Mind landed on 12 May 2014. The album received a 2014 Mercury Music Prize nomination and was promoted with the singles Cucurucu and Meet me there.
Fever To The Form
Nick Mulvey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning | Line by Line Meaning
Live by one of the two
By one of the two
Go on, fill your heart up with gladness
Not a moment too soon
Not a moment too soon
Should we ration the reasons
To the charts that ignore
Of this I've never been sure
So I will follow the feeling
And sing fever to the form
Oh my fever to the form
'Cause the very thing you're afraid, afraid of
It keeps you clean but unclear
Clean but unclear
Is the dirt that you're made, you're made of
And thats nothing to fear
No, its nothing my dear
How did I know what you're thinking
Maybe I thought it before
Maybe that's why I'm at your window
Hear me at your door
Singing give me some more
Oh fever to the form
Won't you hear me at your door
Singing give me some more
'Cause you were never empty
And we've been here before
Yes, we've been here before
But now theres always plenty
Yet still we ask for more
Singing fever to the form
"Fever To The Form" by Nick Mulvey is an interesting song that talks about living life to its fullest and embracing all that comes with it - the good and the bad. The song starts off with the line "whether music or madness, live by one of the two", implying that life can be chaotic and unpredictable, much like music or madness itself. We are then advised to fill our hearts with gladness and to make the most of every moment, not waiting for the right time to act on our desires.
The second verse of the song is particularly interesting as it talks about rationing the reasons because the charts ignore them. This suggests that there are certain things that are valuable and important to us but are ignored or looked down upon by society. So, we do not need to follow the norms and rules dictated by others, but rather follow our instincts and feelings, which in turn helps us connect with our inner selves. The song then ends with a repetition of the chorus, which emphasizes the idea of giving in to one’s emotions and enjoying life to the fullest.
Line by Line Meaning
So whether music or madness
Choosing between music and madness to live by.
Live by one of the two
Choosing between music and madness to live by.
By one of the two
Choosing between music and madness to live by.
Go on, fill your heart up with gladness
Be happy and positive.
Not a moment too soon
Be happy and positive now, don't delay.
Should we ration the reasons
Should we limit the reasons for doing something?
To the charts that ignore
To the things that are popular but ignore other important things.
Of this I've never been sure
I'm not sure about this.
So I will follow the feeling
I will follow my own intuition.
And sing fever to the form
I will express myself with passion and energy.
Oh my fever to the form
Expressing oneself with passion and energy.
'Cause the very thing you're afraid, afraid of
The thing you're afraid of is the thing that keeps you honest.
It keeps you clean but unclear
It keeps you honest, but it's not always easy to understand.
Is the dirt that you're made, you're made of
It's the imperfections that make you who you are.
And thats nothing to fear
Embracing your imperfections is not something to be afraid of.
No, its nothing my dear
Embracing your imperfections is not something to be afraid of.
How did I know what you're thinking
How did I anticipate your thoughts?
Maybe I thought it before
Maybe I've had similar thoughts before.
Maybe that's why I'm at your window
Maybe that's why I'm here now.
Hear me at your door
Hear me knocking at your door, asking for more expression.
Singing give me some more
Asking for more passion and energy in expression.
Won't you hear me at your door
Asking for attention and open-mindedness to expression.
'Cause you were never empty
You were never without feeling or expression.
And we've been here before
We've experienced this feeling before.
Yes, we've been here before
We've experienced this feeling before.
But now theres always plenty
Now there is an abundance of things to express about.
Yet still we ask for more
Even with an abundance of things to express about, we still seek more passion and energy in expression.
Singing fever to the form
Expressing oneself with passion and energy.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Nick Mulvey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Julia Mehr
Lyrics
So whether music or madness
We live by one of the two
By one of the two
So go on, fill your heart up with gladness
Not a moment too soon
Not a moment too soon
Should we ration the reasons
To the child to ignore
Of this I've never been sure
So I will follow the feeling
And sing fever to the form
Oh my fever to the form
Fever to the form
Fever to the form
Cause the very thing you're afraid, afraid of
It keeps you clean but unclear
Clean but unclear
Is the dirt that you're made, you're made of
And that's nothing to fear
No, it's nothing my dear
But how do I know what you're thinking
Maybe I thought it before
Maybe that's why I'm at your window
Hear me at your door
Singing give me some more
Oh fever to the form
Won't you hear me at your door
Singing give me some more
Cause you were never empty
And we've been here before
Yes, we've been here before
But now there's always plenty
Yet still we ask for more
Singing fever to the form
Julia Mehr
Lyrics
So whether music or madness
We live by one of the two
By one of the two
So go on, fill your heart up with gladness
Not a moment too soon
Not a moment too soon
Should we ration the reasons
To the child to ignore
Of this I've never been sure
So I will follow the feeling
And sing fever to the form
Oh my fever to the form
Fever to the form
Fever to the form
Cause the very thing you're afraid, afraid of
It keeps you clean but unclear
Clean but unclear
Is the dirt that you're made, you're made of
And that's nothing to fear
No, it's nothing my dear
But how do I know what you're thinking
Maybe I thought it before
Maybe that's why I'm at your window
Hear me at your door
Singing give me some more
Oh fever to the form
Won't you hear me at your door
Singing give me some more
Cause you were never empty
And we've been here before
Yes, we've been here before
But now there's always plenty
Yet still we ask for more
Singing fever to the form
JAYLEEN BOYD
So beautiful but I can’t figure out what this is about exactly – can anyone share with me?
KateK8
ration all the reasons to "choose a child to ignore"?
yaa63
LOVELY...THANK YOU!!!!
Marco Emmanuel Patiño Acosta
@Genea Corleone yeah, some sites tell it's "choose the charts to ignore", also some sites say "Lived by one of the two" on the second line instead of "we live by one of the two", it's a total different expression, but mostly accurate haha
Genea Corleone
i can't trust lyric sites anymore lol
Emma C
This song makes me escape reality for 3 minutes. It really is 'music or madness' for me. This song touches my soul like no other, it reminds me that there is more to life than the anxiety of the present and that you will get through whatever you are facing, because you've been 'there before' and you will continue to grow, love and heal
Jacqueline Verywell
Hello 👋 Emily
Woww❗ a very spectacular statement.. There ~ & it's so true. 🐾🐾🐶
Pamyla Oliveira
This song makes me see the best in me, all my strength, all my struggles. This song takes me to an unexplainable meditative state. This song has helped me to heal, it has been my therapy. This song makes me cry and put out everything that hurts me. This song makes me cry with happiness for all that is good. This song chills me. This song makes me rediscover myself. This song was a gift to me, I just wanted to thank you. I'm sure I'll always have it with me.
❤
Graciecakes
This will forever be my favorite song. It gives me goosebumps every time