This led to them signing a deal with London Records. Blancmange supported Nash the Slash on a London club tour in October and November 1980. Nash introduced the band to the Virgin subsidiary record label DinDisc, but they were ultimately signed by London Records, in 1982.
Their first success was the "Talking Heads" influenced single "Feel Me", a minor hit in 1982, but later that year they broke through with the single "Living on the Ceiling", which made Number 7 in the UK singles chart. Their debut album, "Happy Families" (which featured a sleeve painting in the style of Louis Wain) also reached the top 30.
Further hits followed with "Waves", "Blind Vision", "That's Love That It Is" and "Don't Tell Me", all of which reached the top 40, with "Don't Tell Me" even making no.8 in the UK, while their second album "Mange Tout" reached the top 10.
In 1984, Blancmange covered "ABBA's" single "The Day Before You Came", which reached No 22 in the UK (slightly higher than Abba's original less than two years earlier). The bands' 1985 single and video for "Lose Your Love" featured in the 1986 Walt Disney film "Flight of the Navigator".
Eventually, as synthpop became less fashionable, the band's fortunes declined. The 1985 single "What's Your Problem" only reached No. 40, and the subsequent album "Believe You Me" spent only two weeks in the UK Albums Chart, peaking at no.54. Blancmange formally split up in 1987.
Luscombe later released an album of Indian influenced music, "New Demons", with Pandit Dinesh, under the name The West India Company, in 1989. Arthur meanwhile released his solo album "Suitcase", in 1994.
As stated on the bands' MySpace page, as of 2006 Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe have reformed Blancmange and are writing material for a new album called "Blanc Burn", which was released on 7th March 2011 with a support tour.
On March 23rd 2015 Blancmange released their fifth studio album "Semi Detached", the first to be produced without the involvement of Stephen Luscombe who left the band due to ill health.
Blancmange's official website is at: http://www.blancmange.co.uk
Game Above My Head
Blancmange Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Someone tried to tie me down
Passing by at such a height
Smashing down the laughing clown
Don't tell me i'm looking well
For the truth will never tell
Cut me down, let me sleep
Something moved me in the night
Someone tried to pin me down
Asking questions, who was right
Telling me i wear the crown
Dont ask me whats on my mind
For the truth you'll never ever find
And don't tell lies no more
There's nothing left to hide
A clown can lose his foolish pride
I tried to tell you
So many times before
Give me back my pride
I could hardly ask for more!
I tried in every way
To get this through to you
I missed by miles
My message wont go through
I tried in every way
To get this through to you
I missed by miles
My message wont go through
Dont ask me whats on my mind
For the truth you'll never ever find
And don't tell lies no more
There's nothing left to hide
A clown can lose his foolish pride
Don't tell me i'm looking well
For the truth will never tell
Cut me down, let me sleep
That's a promise i'll never, never keep
Someone touched me late last night
Someone tried to tie me down
Something moved me in the night
Someone tried to pin me down
The lyrics of Blancmange's song "Game Above My Head" suggest a struggle with identity and personal freedom. The singer describes feeling like he is being held back and tied down by an unknown force, represented by the "someone" who touches and tries to pin him. This force is juxtaposed with the image of a laughing clown, which is smashed down by the force's passing presence.
The repeated refrain of "Don't tell me I'm looking well" suggests that the singer is aware of his own struggle and resists others' attempts to ignore or minimize it. He also acknowledges that the truth may be difficult to find, and perhaps even impossible, as represented by the idea that his message won't go through. The repeated attempts to communicate and assert his own identity come to a point of resignation at the end, with the promise of never keeping the promise to let himself be cut down and forced to sleep.
Overall, the lyrics of "Game Above My Head" speak to a conflicted, internal struggle for personal freedom, identity, and truth, with the singer's repeated, attempted visualizations become a symbol of failed attempts to stake a claim in his own perspective.
Line by Line Meaning
Someone touched me late last night
I felt like someone got too close to me when I didn't want them to
Someone tried to tie me down
I felt restricted and unable to move freely
Passing by at such a height
I felt like I was being ignored or overlooked
Smashing down the laughing clown
Something that made me happy was ruined
Don't tell me i'm looking well
I don't want to hear meaningless compliments
For the truth will never tell
I know that the real situation is not as good as you say it is
Cut me down, let me sleep
I want to be left alone and not bothered anymore
Promises i'll never, never keep
I can't follow through on everything I say I will do
Something moved me in the night
I was affected by something that happened when I wasn't expecting it
Someone tried to pin me down
I felt trapped or forced into a situation I didn't want to be in
Asking questions, who was right
Someone was trying to get me to take sides or justify my actions
Telling me i wear the crown
Someone was trying to put pressure on me to be the leader or responsible one
Dont ask me whats on my mind
I don't feel like being open or honest about how I'm feeling
For the truth you'll never ever find
You won't be able to uncover the real reason behind my actions
And don't tell lies no more
I don't want to be deceived or given false information
There's nothing left to hide
I've been completely exposed and there's no point in staying silent
A clown can lose his foolish pride
Even someone who is usually lighthearted and carefree can feel embarrassed or ashamed
I tried to tell you
I attempted to communicate with you before
So many times before
I've made this effort many times in the past
Give me back my pride
I want to feel confident and capable again
I could hardly ask for more!
This would be enough for me to feel content
I missed by miles
My communication was completely off the mark
My message wont go through
I can't seem to get my point across effectively
Contributed by Abigail F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rob Hallstrom
Probably my favorite of their work. The haunting and moving vocals combined with a stirring rhythmic beat and elevating crescendo. "I tried to tell you so many time before give me back my pride I could hardly ask for more."
David Coon
Yes. Their best song. It almost slipped by.
Ralf Petersen
I agree
Oliver Trott
absolutely brilliant compared to the shit pop music today
Ralf Petersen
still perfect...after all those years
Robert Lopez
Awesome
Zeit field unité
Testone fault lines, weakness, beware of the laughing clown, iconic lyrics
Frogodess
I almost feel a spiritual connection to this song
Rick Krasner
Love the groove
luca mingotti
Inventori di un genere. Fantastici 👏👏👏