Adorable were a British alternative rock band active in the 1990s. They for… Read Full Bio ↴Adorable were a British alternative rock band active in the 1990s. They formed in Coventry in 1991, and consisted of band members Piotr Fijalkowski (vocals, guitar), Robert Dillam (guitar), Steven ‘Wil’ Williams (bass), and Kevin Gritton (drums).

After recording a 12" of "Sunshine Smile" (b/w "I’ll Be Your Saint" and "Breathless") that was pressed to be released on record producer Pat Collier’s ‘Money To Burn,’ label the band received a gushing review in the NME. They signed to Creation Records in 1992, and after a UK tour supporting Curve they released their first single, a re-recording of "Sunshine Smile," in May of that year. Distancing themselves from the shoegaze movement by attempting to be more outspoken than traditional shoegazers, Adorable were briefly seen along with other bands Suede and The Verve as being a part of a new movement tagged ‘New Glam,’ a label attributed to Fijalkowski’s assertion that "we want to put the glamour back into pop." "Sunshine Smile" was NME’s Single of the Week, and topped the Indie Singles chart as well as entering the mainstream UK single top 100 charts for three weeks. A backlash in the press against the band’s outspoken image immediately followed, and the band were never to be interviewed in the mainstream UK press after their debut single. The band released "I’ll Be Your Saint," "Homeboy" and "Sistine Chapel Ceiling" (NME single of the Week), which all went into the Top 5 in the Indie charts, but failed to enter the mainstream Top 75. The album Against Perfection, released in 1993, went to #70 in the album charts, and the band toured the USA, Europe, Australia & Japan.

The second album, Fake, was seen as a far more introspective album, which Fijalkowski himself suggests was the result of the band feeling vulnerable. Although two singles ("Kangaroo Court" & "Vendetta") again entered high in the Indie Singles chart, the album failed to dent the mainstream Top 75, and strained relations both within the band and with Creation resulted in the band announcing their split onstage in Brussels in late 1994.

In subsequent years, the band has been re-classified as being part of the shoegaze movement. Bands such as Ash & Oasis have in the past acknowledged their admiration of the band.

Subsequent to the band’s demise Robert Dillam moved to Scotland where he joined The Zephyrs, whilst Fijalkowski went on to form the band Polak, who signed to One Little Indian Records.

Discography

Albums
Against Perfection (Creation / CRE 138) - Mar 1993
Fake (Creation / CRE 165) - Sept 1994
Footnotes - Best Of 92-94 (Cherry Red / CDMRED327) - Jan 2008

Singles
Sunshine Smile (Creation / CRE 127) - Apr 1992
I’ll Be Your Saint (Creation / CRE 133) - Jul 1992
Homeboy (Creation / CRE 140) - Oct 1992
Sistine Chapel Ceiling (Creation / CRE 153) - Jan 1993
Favourite Fallen Idol (Creation / CRE 159) - Apr 1993
Kangaroo Court (Creation / CRE 172) - Apr 1994
Vendetta (Creation / CRE 177) - Sept 1994

Man in a Suitcase
Adorable Lyrics

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A portrait of a life
Wrapped up in decayed paper tales
Telling half-truths and lies
Cigarettes, bourbon, and betrayal
He took a room with a view
Of the perpetual railway station
He'll leave in a week or two
Unearthed a few truths and a host of frustrations

Oh, he's our man
Oh, he's our man
In a suitcase
Oh, in a suitcase

A bottle of forgotten time
And a diary half remembered
Ringed photo of a ticket up-line
A drunken letter written mid-September
With autumn in his face
Like the battered book, he doesn't understand
Wearing his suitcase
Like a lover's ring on his left hand

Oh, he's our man
Oh, he's our man
In a suitcase
Oh, in a suitcase

He's moving on now

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Adorable's "Man in a Suitcase" are poetic and evoke a sense of melancholy and nostalgia. The song is a portrait of a life that is wrapped up in decayed paper tales, telling half-truths and lies. The man described in the song appears to be somewhat of a drifter, taking a room with a view of a perpetual railway station and searching for the truth, while experiencing a host of frustrations along the way. Despite the hardships he faces, there is a sense of admiration and respect for this man, as illustrated by the repeated refrain of "Oh, he's our man, In a suitcase".

The imagery in the song is vivid and compelling. The man's life is represented by a bottle of forgotten time, a diary half remembered, a ringed photo of a ticket up-line, and a drunken letter written mid-September. These objects allude to a past that is filled with regret, but also with moments of beauty and hope. The man's suitcase is a symbol of his transient existence, and the fact that he wears it like a lover's ring on his left hand suggests that it is a source of comfort and familiarity for him.

Overall, "Man in a Suitcase" is a powerful and evocative song that captures the essence of a life on the move, filled with both sorrow and wonder.

Line by Line Meaning

A portrait of a life
A depiction of a person's existence

Wrapped up in decayed paper tales
Enveloped in old, worn-out stories

Telling half-truths and lies
Sharing both some truth and some falsehoods

Cigarettes, bourbon, and betrayal
Consists of smoking, drinking, and being disloyal

He took a room with a view
He rented a place with a scenic outlook

Of the perpetual railway station
Next to a train station that never stops operating

He'll leave in a week or two
He plans to depart after several days

Unearthed a few truths and a host of frustrations
Discovered some realities and many irritations

Oh, he's our man
He's the one we admire or endorse

In a suitcase
Carrying all his belongings in a traveling bag