Air Traffic were an alternative rock band formed in Bournemouth, England in… Read Full Bio ↴Air Traffic were an alternative rock band formed in Bournemouth, England in 2005 while at sixth-form college. The band were composed of Chris Wall (vocals, piano, guitar), Tom Pritchard (guitar), David Jordan (percussion) and James Maddock (bass guitar).

In June 2006, Air Traffic released their first single, double A-side Just Abuse Me/Charlotte on London-based indie label Club Fandango. Following this the band signed to major label EMI.

They went on to release Never Even Told Me Her Name as a four track EP in October 2006.

Their debut album Fractured Life was released in July 2007 charting at number 42 in the UK, supported by the singles Shooting Star, No More Running Away, and a re-release of Charlotte.

In February 2008 Fractured Life was released in the USA through the label Astralwerks, with additional track Come On which signaled a darker sound and lyrics thought to be about the band's troubled relationship with EMI. This release was supported with an extensive tour of America with Elbow.

In 2009 Air Traffic began writing their second album, following the departure of drummer David Jordan and leaving EMI. The first glimpse of new material was an Internet only download called Ambulate which showed a clear departure from their previous mainstream Alt-pop sound.

The played a summer tour during 2009 previewing new songs, however these only came to fruition through a low key download EP called Whatever Comes released to those attending the two final shows Air Traffic announced, a warm up gig in Bournemouth before playing Bush Hall, London on the 29th April 2010.

The band officially announced a split on the 26th September 2010 announcing
"To our Loyal fans,
We are taking a break from being a band for a while to try other things.
To everyone who ever helped us, thank you. To everyone who supported us, we wouldn’t exist without you.
We’ll let you know here if things change, or what other endeavours we’re up to.
Love
Air Traffic"

* Chris Wall – Vocals, Piano
* Tom Pritchard – Guitar
* James Maddock – Bass guitar
*David Ryan Jordan - Drums (Until 2009)

Air Traffic's singer Chris Wall's new project is Soft Bullets.

Never Even Told Me Her Name
Air Traffic Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Suzy was a glad-rag-clad clown run-around
Never even told me her name
But I found it in a half-burnt pin-up Polaroid
Smiling through the wall at her place

Looking at her bed, I sat
Sucking on a cigarette
Wonder why I bothered to chase

When I'm tired of making time
I'm tired of making time

So I slip away on the story line
I heard you on the Radio
You were screaming out
You grabbed me by my Heart and soul through the speakercone electric hands and
Touched my face seemed to say
We are here,we are

Suzy tried to call said
"I'm not waiting for You to come and sweep me away"
It isn't that I don't care
I'm just all wired up
Trying to think of something to say

Clinging to a credit card
Waiting for the phone to stop
Take me back to heaven again
'cus I'm tired of making time
I'm tired of making sound

So I slip away on the story line
I heard you on the Radio
You were screaming out
You grabbed me by my Heart and soul through the speakercone electric hands and
Touched my face seemed to say
We are here,we are

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

Don't stop Don't stop I'm coming
Down where I can find my feet again

So I slip away on the story line
I heard you on the Radio
You were screaming out
You grabbed me by my Heart and soul through the speakercone electric hands and

Touched my face seemed to say
We are here,we are

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Air Traffic's "Never Even Told Me Her Name" tell the story of a man who meets a woman named Suzy, but doesn't know her name at first. He finds a half-burnt Polaroid photo of her and eventually discovers her name. However, he becomes tired of trying to make time for her and slips away into his own thoughts, listening to the radio. Suzy reaches out to him, but he is too preoccupied with his own worries and fears to respond. In the end, he realizes he needs to come back down to reality and face his problems.

One possible interpretation of the lyrics is that the man is struggling with commitment and fear of getting hurt. Suzy is a symbol of a potential relationship, but the singer can't commit to her. He is constantly searching for something else, but ultimately realizes that the answer lies within himself. The lyrics are filled with vivid images and metaphors, such as the half-burnt Polaroid and the electric hands of the singercone.

Line by Line Meaning

Suzy was a glad-rag-clad clown run-around
Suzy was dressed in flashy clothes and constantly on the move without direction or purpose

Never even told me her name
She did not reveal her name to me

But I found it in a half-burnt pin-up Polaroid
I discovered her name from a partially burned photograph of her

Smiling through the wall at her place
In the photo, she was smiling through a wall in the background

Looking at her bed, I sat
I came across Suzy's bed and paused to reflect

Sucking on a cigarette
I was smoking a cigarette at the time

Wonder why I bothered to chase
I questioned why I had gone through the effort to pursue Suzy

When I'm tired of making time
I become fatigued from constantly trying to make things happen

So I slip away on the story line
To escape this feeling, I immerse myself in a fantasy or narrative

I heard you on the Radio
I heard a voice on a radio broadcast

You were screaming out
The voice was very loud and energetic

You grabbed me by my Heart and soul through the speakercone electric hands and
The voice's impassioned words deeply moved me

Touched my face seemed to say
It felt as though the voice was physically touching me

We are here,we are
The voice expressed a sense of presence and shared experience

Suzy tried to call said
Suzy attempted to contact me and communicated the following

"I'm not waiting for You to come and sweep me away"
Suzy is not expecting me to come rescue her

It isn't that I don't care
Suzy wants me to understand that she does not lack concern

I'm just all wired up
Her emotions are high and complex

Trying to think of something to say
She is attempting to find the right words to express herself

Clinging to a credit card
I am holding onto a credit card tightly

Waiting for the phone to stop
I am anxiously anticipating the phone to stop ringing

Take me back to heaven again
I desire to return to a state of bliss

'cus I'm tired of making time
I am too exhausted from trying to control my life and make things happen

I'm tired of making sound
I am tired of expressing myself without being truly heard

Don't stop Don't stop I'm coming
I am determined to keep going and not give up

Down where I can find my feet again
I want to return to a place where I feel grounded and stable

We are here,we are
The voice on the radio reminds me that I am not alone and others are present

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CHRISTOPHER MICHAEL WALL, DAVID RYAN JORDAN, JAMES RICHARD MADDOCK, TOM PRITCHARD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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