Belle and Sebastian is a band from Glasgow. Led by guitarist/vocalist Stuar… Read Full Bio ↴Belle and Sebastian is a band from Glasgow. Led by guitarist/vocalist Stuart Murdoch, the seven-piece band has an intimate, majestic sound that is equal parts folk-rock and '60s pop. Murdoch has a gift not only for whimsy and surrealism, but also for odd, unsettling lyrical detail which keeps the songs grounded in a tangible reality.

Belle and Sebastian released their first two albums in 1996: Tigermilk, recorded over three days, and If You're Feeling Sinister, recorded in a week, at the peak of the chamber pop movement. At first, some critics in Britain's music weeklies tied the band into the subgenre, yet the group was too pretty, too delicate, to bear that label. Through their first two years of public existence, the band shielded their personalities, submitting publicity photos featuring a girl, who was a friend of the band and reluctantly posing for photo shoots. Furthermore, they performed in odd venues, playing not only the standard coffeehouses and cafes, but also homes, church halls, and libraries.

Prior to the formation of Belle and Sebastian, Murdoch suffered from a protracted battle with chronic fatigue syndrome, which forced him to drop out of school and spend seven years living in his parents' home crippled by his condition.Whilst in his parents home, Murdoch wrote a short story about a boy named Sebastian and a girl named Isabelle based on the names from Madame Cecile Aubery's children's book Belle et Sebastian. On New Year's Day 1996, Stuart attended a party at which he met a young singer and cellist named Isobel Campbell. In a letter to his brother Fraser, Murdoch explained how he was making a single for Stow college at the end of February. Murdoch opted to use the name Belle&Sebastian for the project because it was occupying him at the time. Murdoch took to songwriting as an escapism from the four walls surrounding him in his room and eventually recorded demos with bassist Stuart David whom he met at a government training programme called Beatbox. Murdoch quickly met a series of other musicians through social and musical circles in his hometown Glasgow and they agreed to help with the Stow project. The members he found for this initial lineup were Stevie Jackson (guitar), Mick Cooke (trumpet), Chris Geddes (keyboards), Stuart David (bass), Richard Colburn (drums), and Isobel Campbell (cello). The Stow College record was to be issued by Electric Honey, but it turned into a full album. The course instructor Alan Rankine determined that Murdoch had enough good material to record a full LP and could do so if they could get it all done in three days, studio time allotted for the single. Murdoch and his musicians rose to the challenge and recorded ten tracks putting the songs in order as they would appear on the record and mostly completing them in just a few takes.

In May of 1996, Belle and Sebastian self-released their debut album, Tigermilk, on Electric Honey Records. Only 1,000 copies of the album, which was only pressed on vinyl, were released, but it unexpectedly became a sensation, earning terrific word of mouth throughout the UK. As a result, the band became slightly more than a school project — it became an actual band. If You're Feeling Sinister, released on the independent Jeepster label, followed in November of 1996. By the time the album was released in America on the EMI subsidiary The Enclave, it had earned considerable critical acclaim in the U.K. — not only from music weeklies, but from newspapers like The Sunday Times and magazines like The Face — and a large cult following; by some accounts, Tigermilk was being sold for as much as 75 pounds. Over the course of 1997, word of mouth continued to grow in America, even as the band pulled out of an American tour because The Enclave went bankrupt and closed.

As the band cult continued to build in 1997, Belle and Sebastian released three EPs — Dog on Wheels (May), Lazy Line Painter Jane (July), and 3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light (October). Each subsequent EP placed higher on the indie charts and received great critical acclaim. Later in the year, violinist Sarah Martin became a member of the band. By the end of the year, the group finalized an American deal with Matador Records, issuing The Boy With the Arab Strap in September 1998. The following year saw the eagerly anticipated wide re-release of Tigermilk, the album that started it all. It was the biggest selling album but is unpopular with the group themselves. Following completion of 2000's Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant, Stuart David left Belle and Sebastian to focus full-time on his solo project, Looper, being replaced by Bobby Kildea of V-Twin. In 2001, the group released two EPs — Jonathan David and I'm Waking Up to Us — and recorded the soundtrack for Todd Solondz's film Storytelling. Just before the soundtrack's release in spring 2002, Belle and Sebastian embarked on a comprehensive tour of the United States and Canada before returning to Europe for the summer festival season. Midway through the tour, Isobel Campbell left the band, citing the usual differences.

Another major change that soon took place was the band leaving Jeepster and Matador to sign with Rough Trade, with their next record, late 2003's Dear Catastrophe Waitress, produced by the inimitable Trevor Horn (who also produced Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Yes, and scores of others). The record spawned the brilliant "Step into My Office, Baby" and "I'm a Cuckoo" singles, the latter of which was the group's biggest U.K. hit, reaching number 14 in early 2004. After a long worldwide tour that found Belle and Sebastian reaching new levels of success, they retired to Scotland and began preparing for the recording of their seventh full length album, The Life Pursuit, released in 2006.
In 2010, they released their eighth full length album, Write About Love.

Official website: www.belleandsebastian.com

A Century of Elvis
Belle and Sebastian Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We were sitting in the living room on the sofa
The wrong way round, looking out the window.
It was quiet, and then in the car park across the road we saw Elvis
"Look, there, beside the postman's van"
And he was walking round the postman's van,

Looking in the open door.
He looked as if he was thinking about getting in,

But then the postman came back,
And he swaggered off, walked past the window
And down the stairs,
And then at the bottom of the stairs right by the caretaker's office,
He started licking the pavement.

Every night now since we moved into that new house
There's this noise outside the door
At just about half seven or eight o'clock every night.
And if we go and look outside the door,

Elvis'll be standing there waiting to be let in.
And then he wanders into the living room
Maybe sits down on one of the chairs or even lies down on the floor.
He doesn't say much, he just stays there for an hour or two,

Watching the TV.
We talk to him a bit, and then around ten o'clock he'll go away again,
And not come back until the next night.
There's a lot of lanes and stuff around here, around the house.

Although it's right in the middle of the city it seems quite like the country,
It's dead hidden, safe I suppose,
Made for night living.
There's a lot of squirrels and birds,

And Stuart says he's seen about nine foxes there
When he's jumping over the fence on his way to Prior's road.
Sometimes you can go out walking,
And when you've been out for a wee while

Even you don't know where you are anymore,
So it would be pretty hard for anyone else to find you.
I suppose that's why he spends so much here,
That's why he's come to live here,

Or maybe it's just the squirrels.
I read about somewhere that he likes squirrels quite a lot.

There's these two videos that we got for wedding presents
Called the E-files, the E-files one and E-files two,
About how Elvis is supposed to be still alive.
And one time when he came round we were watching one of those,

But he didn't say anything, he just sat on the armchair.
He was playing with his collar a bit,
And we watched it all through,
And then when it finished he just got up
And walked off into the mist and didn't say anything.

The first few times he came round I didn't speak to him at all.
I wasn't really sure what to say.
And Karen spoke to him quite a lot -
She seemed to know what to do more than I do.

He had quite a strange manner,
He'd just go into your stuff and look through it,
Then he'd maybe pick something up and play with it for a wee while,
But he'd never make any comment about any of it.

Seemed pretty rude to me.
I just watched whatever Karen did,
And listened to how she talked to him,
And then after a while I started to copy that

And tell him a few things,
Not really bothered about whether he responded or said anything back or not.

I think the first time I spoke to him we were sitting up on the mezzanine
And I said that I would tell him about me and wee Karen,
And how it was that we'd come to be living here.
I thought he probably liked the fact that we were living here

Because he came round so much,
So I thought he might want to know how it was that it came about.

We did it all over backwards, I told him.
First of all we got to know each other,
And then a while after that we met,
And when we'd known each other for about seven years

We decided to have an anniversary, and that went quite well,
So after the anniversary we had a honeymoon, and that went well too.
So after that we decided that we would get married,
And that's why we're living here now.

I used to think my dad was Elvis,

But I haven't told him that yet.
I haven't told my dad either.

Overall Meaning

The song "A Century of Elvis" by Belle and Sebastian tells a story of Elvis Presley, who apparently lives in the same area as the singer and their partner, and occasionally visits their house. The song describes Elvis' bizarre behavior, as he licks the pavement and looks into the postman's van, and then spends hours watching TV without saying much. The lyrics also mention the secluded location of the house, which seems to attract Elvis, and the singer's own relationship with Karen, their partner, which they compare to Elvis' mysterious presence.

The song has been interpreted in different ways, but many critics see it as a metaphor for the mythic quality of Elvis Presley and his enduring influence on popular culture. The lyrics suggest that even though Elvis is said to have died long ago, his spirit lives on through his music and his legends. The singer's fascination with Elvis mirrors the enduring appeal of the King of Rock and Roll to generations of fans.

Overall, "A Century of Elvis" is a poignant and beautifully crafted tribute to one of the most iconic figures in music history. The song captures the enigmatic and timeless qualities of Elvis Presley's persona, while also exploring the theme of longing and nostalgia that runs through much of Belle and Sebastian's music.

Line by Line Meaning

We were sitting in the living room on the sofa
The singer and someone else were sitting on the sofa in the living room.

The wrong way round, looking out the window.
They were sitting facing away from the TV, looking out the window.

It was quiet, and then in the car park across the road we saw Elvis
Suddenly, they saw Elvis in the car park across the road.

"Look, there, beside the postman's van"
The artist points out Elvis beside the postman's van.

And he was walking round the postman's van,
Elvis was walking around the postman's van.

Looking in the open door.
He was looking in the open door of the postman's van.

He looked as if he was thinking about getting in,
Elvis seemed like he was considering getting into the postman's van.

But then the postman came back,
The postman returned before Elvis could get in.

And he swaggered off, walked past the window
Elvis walked past the artist's window in a confident and arrogant manner.

And down the stairs,
He went down the stairs.

And then at the bottom of the stairs right by the caretaker's office,
Elvis reached the bottom of the stairs next to the caretaker's office.

He started licking the pavement.
Elvis began licking the pavement at the bottom of the stairs.

Every night now since we moved into that new house
Since moving into a new house, the same thing has happened every night.

There's this noise outside the door
There is a noise heard outside the door.

At just about half seven or eight o'clock every night.
The noise occurs every night at around 7:30-8:00pm.

And if we go and look outside the door,
If the artist looks outside the door, they will find Elvis standing there.

Elvis'll be standing there waiting to be let in.
Elvis is waiting outside the door for someone to let him in.

And then he wanders into the living room
After being let in, Elvis walks around the living room.

Maybe sits down on one of the chairs or even lies down on the floor.
Elvis may sit on one of the chairs or even lie down on the floor.

He doesn't say much, he just stays there for an hour or two,
Elvis doesn't speak much and just hangs around for an hour or two.

Watching the TV.
During his stay in the living room, Elvis watches the TV.

We talk to him a bit, and then around ten o'clock he'll go away again,
After some minor conversation, Elvis will leave around 10:00pm.

And not come back until the next night.
He won't return until the following evening.

There's a lot of lanes and stuff around here, around the house.
The area surrounding the house has many narrow allyways.

Although it's right in the middle of the city it seems quite like the country,
Despite being located in the city center, the setting is quite rural.

It's dead hidden, safe I suppose,
The setting is secluded and secure.

Made for night living.
The place is perfect for nightlife activities.

There's a lot of squirrels and birds,
The area is populated by many squirrels and birds.

And Stuart says he's seen about nine foxes there
Stuart claimed to have seen nine foxes in the area.

When he's jumping over the fence on his way to Prior's road.
Stuart saw the foxes while jumping over the fence to get to Prior's road.

Sometimes you can go out walking,
One can go out for a walk.

And when you've been out for a wee while
After walking for a short time.

Even you don't know where you are anymore,
The area is confusing and one could easily get lost.

So it would be pretty hard for anyone else to find you.
It would be very difficult for others to locate you in the area.

I suppose that's why he spends so much here,
Perhaps this is why Elvis visits the area so frequently.

That's why he's come to live here,
Maybe the reason Elvis lives here is because of the seclusion and wildlife.

Or maybe it's just the squirrels.
Perhaps the reason for his love of the area is simply because of the squirrels.

I read about somewhere that he likes squirrels quite a lot.
The singer read somewhere that Elvis has a fondness of squirrels.

There's these two videos that we got for wedding presents
The singer and Karen received two videos as wedding presents.

Called the E-files, the E-files one and E-files two,
The videos are titled the E-files and come in two parts.

About how Elvis is supposed to be still alive.
The videos cover the theory that Elvis is still alive.

And one time when he came round we were watching one of those,
One time while Elvis was over, they were watching the videos.

But he didn't say anything, he just sat on the armchair.
Elvis didn't say anything and just sat on the armchair.

He was playing with his collar a bit,
While the videos were playing, Elvis was fidgeting with his collar.

And we watched it all through,
They watched the entire video without commentary from Elvis.

And then when it finished he just got up
After the video was over, Elvis stood up.

And walked off into the mist and didn't say anything.
Without saying anything, Elvis walked off into the mist.

The first few times he came round I didn't speak to him at all.
At first, the artist did not talk to Elvis.

I wasn't really sure what to say.
The reason for the singer's silence is not knowing what to say to Elvis.

And Karen spoke to him quite a lot -
In contrast, Karen talked to Elvis quite often.

She seemed to know what to do more than I do.
She felt more comfortable and knew what to say to Elvis.

He had quite a strange manner,
Elvis had a peculiar demeanor.

He'd just go into your stuff and look through it,
Elvis had a habit of going through people's belongings.

Then he'd maybe pick something up and play with it for a wee while,
If he found something interesting, he would play with it for a bit.

But he'd never make any comment about any of it.
He would never offer any commentary on what he found.

Seemed pretty rude to me.
The artist found Elvis's actions to be impolite.

I just watched whatever Karen did,
The artist observed how Karen interacted with Elvis.

And listened to how she talked to him,
They paid attention to how Karen spoke with Elvis.

And then after a while I started to copy that
After observing Karen, the singer began to emulate her.

And tell him a few things,
They would talk to Elvis more often.

Not really bothered about whether he responded or said anything back or not.
They weren't particularly concerned with whether or not Elvis responded.

I think the first time I spoke to him we were sitting up on the mezzanine
The singer's first real conversation with Elvis took place while they were on the mezzanine.

And I said that I would tell him about me and wee Karen,
The singer thought Elvis would be interested in the story of them and Karen.

And how it was that we'd come to be living here.
The artist explains how they ended up living in this area.

I thought he probably liked the fact that we were living here
The artist believes Elvis likes that they live in this area.

Because he came round so much,
This is likely due to the fact that Elvis visits and hangs out so often.

So I thought he might want to know how it was that it came about.
The singer thought Elvis might be interested in the story of how they ended up living here.

We did it all over backwards, I told him.
The artist explains that they did things in the wrong order.

First of all we got to know each other,
They initially got to know each other.

And then a while after that we met,
They actually met in person after getting to know each other.

And when we'd known each other for about seven years
After knowing each other for seven years...

We decided to have an anniversary, and that went quite well,
They decided to celebrate their anniversary.

So after the anniversary we had a honeymoon, and that went well too.
They followed that up by having a successful honeymoon.

So after that we decided that we would get married,
Finally, they decided to get married.

And that's why we're living here now.
As a result of getting married, they now live in the designated area.

I used to think my dad was Elvis,
The artist used to believe their father was Elvis.

But I haven't told him that yet.
They haven't informed their father of this thought.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHRISTOPHER GEDDES, ISOBEL CAMPBELL, MICHAEL COOKE, RICHARD COLBURN, SARAH MARTIN, STEPHEN JACKSON, STUART DAVID, STUART MURDOCH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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