10cc are an English art rock and pop band. Initially comprised of four musi… Read Full Bio ↴10cc are an English art rock and pop band. Initially comprised of four musicians - Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme - who had written and recorded together for some three years, before assuming the "10cc" name in 1972 - two strong song-writing teams, injected sharp wit to lyrically-dextrous songs.
Stewart and Gouldman were straight pop-song-writers, who created the band’s most accessible songs; Godley and Creme were the experimental half of 10cc, featuring an Art School sensibility and cinematic writing. All are skilled multi-instrumentalists, vocalists, writers, and producers, and each could perform convincingly as lead singers, leading to favourable comparisons with The Beatles.
The band achieved its greatest commercial success during the 1970s.

In 1976 ... Godley & Creme left, releasing records under that name before making a significant contribution to the development of the music video in the 80s.
In 1977 ... 10cc embarked on an international tour with guitarist Rick Fenn, keyboardist Tony O'Malley and additional drummer Stuart Tosh and recorded a live album in 1977, "Live And Let Live", which mixed the hits with material from the previous three albums.
Fenn, Tosh, Burgess and keyboardist Duncan Mackay were full members of the band and performed on 1978 album "Bloody Tourists", which provided the band with their third UK No.1 single, the reggae-styled "Dreadlock Holiday".

1977-1983 ... After the departure of Godley and Creme, Stewart and Gouldman opted to continue as 10cc, bringing in to the studio drummer Paul Burgess, who had up to that point been their tour backup drummer. Their first album as a three piece band was "Deceptive Bends".

1984-1992 ... Separate projects - after 1983, the band went into recess as Stewart did produce recordings for Sad Café and Gouldman produced tracks for The Ramones before teaming up with Andrew Gold to form the synth-pop group Wax.

1992-1995 ... In 1992 the original four members reunited to record "Meanwhile", an album produced by Gary Katz of Steely Dan fame. ...the album was not a "reunion" in the strict sense of the word. All the album's songs were written by Stewart and Gouldman ... Creme and Godley agreed to guest on the album to fullfil their obligation to Polydor records.

1999-2009 ... since 1999 Gouldman has toured as 10cc consisting of Rick Fenn, Paul Burgess, Mick Wilson, Mike Stevens and/or Keith Hayman, with occasional guest appearances by Kevin Godley. The band has embarked on several national tours of the UK and various dates throughout the World playing 10cc hits, plus a section of Gouldman's hits written for others. Their first gig was at Ronnie Scotts jazz club in Birmingham in 1999.

Additional info:
There is much speculation about where the name of the band comes from but the general consensus was that it is named after the average amount of ejaculate in a single male orgasm. However one will find that the average is about 3cc ...the name "10cc" in fact comes from a dream: Jonathan King, the person who signed them, dreamed of a band called 10cc topping the charts in both the UK and America - see: snopes.com/music/artists/10cc.asp

Brand New Day
10cc Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When you open your eyes
To a brand new morning
And the sun shines
Above you

You pull on your breeches and say
Oh well
It's the start of a brand new day

For birds of prey
You live and learn your life away
But there below, your body must go
Against the grain

Like an old mule train
Keeps pulling hard against the
Here boy, there boy
The boss got you running everywhere boy

Ya got no money and ya got less sense
And you ain't going nowhere
But there below your body must go

For birds of prey
You live and learn your life away
But there below your body must go
Against the grain

Like an old mule train
Keeps pulling hard against the
Here boy, there boy
The boss got you running everywhere boy

Ya got no money and ya got less sense
And you ain't going nowhere'
But there below your body will go

At the end of the day
When you look around you
And the sun sets
Deep inside you

Dust off your breeches and say
'Oh well'

Say goodnight to the man in the moon
The sandman's on his way

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of 10cc's song "Brand New Day" express the sentiment of acknowledging an underlying struggle while still finding the hope and determination to carry on. The singer reflects on the beginning of a new day, with the sun shining above, but also acknowledges the challenging path that lies ahead. The third verse describes the daily struggles of life, working hard with little reward, and feeling like one is trapped in an unbreakable cycle. The repetition of "here boy, there boy" gives a sense of being constantly pulled in opposite directions. However, the chorus repeats the idea that although life may be difficult and unpredictable, one's body must keep going "against the grain" like an old mule train. The final verse ends with an optimistic note, as the singer suggests dusting off their breeches and saying goodnight to the moon as they finish the day, ready to begin again tomorrow.

Overall, "Brand New Day" is a song about perseverance and acknowledging the difficulties of life without losing hope or motivation. The lyrics depict a struggle that many people can relate to, as they work hard day after day, but still find the strength to persevere and carry on.

Line by Line Meaning

When you open your eyes
When you awaken from your slumber

To a brand new morning
To a fresh start of a new day

And the sun shines above you
And the sun illuminates the world around you

You pull on your breeches and say
You dress yourself and exclaim

Oh well
Oh well; accepting the reality of the situation

It's the start of a brand new day
A new beginning presents itself

For birds of prey
Life is a constant battle for survival

You live and learn your life away
You spend your entire life gaining experience and knowledge

But there below, your body must go
Nevertheless, you must continue to work hard

Against the grain
Against the natural order of things

Like an old mule train
Similar to the constant labor of a mule train