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
Like Dylan in the Movies
Belle and Sebastian Lyrics
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When the music stops
Take a tip from me, don't go through the park
When you're on your own, it's a long walk home
If they follow you
Don't look back
Like Dylan in the movies
If they follow you
It's not your money that they're after boy it's you
Pure easy listening, settle down
On the pillow soft when they've all gone home
You can concentrate on the ones you love
You can concentrate, hey, now they've gone
If they follow you
Don't look back
Like Dylan in the movies
On your own
If they follow you
It's not your money that they're after boy it's you
Yeah you're worth the trouble and you're worth the pain
And you're worth the worry, I would do the same
If we all went back to another time
I will love you over
I will love you over
I will love you
If they follow you
Don't look back
Like Dylan in the movies
On your own
If they follow you
Tenderly you turn the light on in your room
If they follow you
Don't look back
Like Dylan in the movies
On your own
If they follow you
The lyrics to Belle and Sebastian's song Like Dylan in the Movies depict an eerie and suspenseful scenario, where the singer, Lisa, is being followed by unknown men. Lisa’s promiscuous behavior of “kissing men like a long walk home” has put her in danger, causing the singer to offer a warning piece of advice to avoid walking through the park alone if the music stops. The repetition of “it’s a long walk home” serves to reinforce the fear and anxiety of the situation, reminding the listener that danger lurks around every corner.
The reference to Dylan in the Movies is likely inspired by the 1957 movie A Face in the Crowd starring Andy Griffith, where the main character, an influential but abusive media personality named Lonesome Rhodes, is brought down by a former protege who exposes his true nature. The comparison of the situation to a movie indicates that the singer feels a sense of detachment from the events, as if they are watching someone else's tragedy unfold. The lyrics suggest that the men following Lisa may not be interested in her money, but rather her.
The second half of the song takes a softer, more meditative tone, with the focus shifting from the present danger to the companionship and intimacy of loved ones. The chorus repeats, admonishing Lisa to “not look back,” as if to say that the past is past, and one must move on from danger and fear. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the singer pledging to love Lisa “over and over,” suggesting that relationships can transcend time and danger.
Line by Line Meaning
Lisa's kissing men like a long walk home
Lisa is kissing many men just like a long journey that is somewhat lonely and tiresome.
When the music stops
This line signals the beginning of a warning or an advice.
Take a tip from me, don't go through the park
The singer suggests not to go through the park which could be a safe haven for the person to avoid any kind of danger or risk of being followed or chased by someone.
When you're on your own, it's a long walk home
It's not safe to be alone when the person is at risk of being followed and it could lead to an endless and lonely journey on foot.
If they follow you
This line indicates the recurring theme of the song, which is the idea of being followed and chased.
Don't look back
The person is instructed not to look back while they are being followed or chased.
Like Dylan in the movies
This line references Bob Dylan's iconic style of being followed and escaping danger, which is a recurring theme in his songs and movies.
On your own
The person is alone, which makes them feel vulnerable and scared.
It's not your money that they're after boy it's you
This line suggests that the person being followed is being targeted for something specific, and the purpose is for something sinister, not for money or any other commodity.
Pure easy listening, settle down
This line urges the person to remain calm, focused and collected.
On the pillow soft when they've all gone home
After everyone has gone home, the person is able to rest in the comfort of their bed and contemplate life.
You can concentrate on the ones you love
This line advises the person to focus on their loved ones.
Hey, now they've gone
This remark tells the person that they can finally be alone and have some peace of mind after a busy day.
Yeah you're worth the trouble and you're worth the pain
The singer is reassuring the person that they are worth all the effort and the obstacles they may face.
And you're worth the worry, I would do the same
This line reinforces the fact that the person is important and the singer would do anything to protect them.
If we all went back to another time
This line is talking about going back to a time when people were safer and life was easier.
I will love you over
This line suggests that the artist will always love the person no matter how many challenges they may face.
Tenderly you turn the light on in your room
This line is depicting a peaceful and romantic scene where the person turns on the light and prepares to rest.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CAMPBE, CHRISTOPHER GEDDES, ISOBEL CAMPBELL, MICHAEL COOKE, RICHARD COLBURN, SARAH MARTIN, STEPHEN JACKSON, STUART MURDOCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind