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
Living On The Ceiling
Blancmange Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I could buy my reasoning I'd pay to lose
One half won't do
I've asked myself
How much do you commit yourself?
It's my life (Don't you forget)
I never knew if I was sometimes played upon
Afraid to lose, I'd tell myself what good you do
Convince myself
It's my life
How much do you commit yourself?
It's my life
Don't you forget
Caught in the crowd
It's my life
The Blancmange song "Living On The Ceiling" is a contemplation of the nature of love, commitment and individualism. In the opening lines, the singer acknowledges the unexpected nature of falling in love with someone, despite it being against their logical reasoning. The next line, "If I could buy my reasoning I'd pay to lose," suggests that the singer feels love is a desirable state, even if it defies reason.
This is followed by the repetition of the question, "How much do you commit yourself?" This line suggests that the singer is questioning both his own commitment to the relationship and that of his partner. The repetition of "It's my life" can be interpreted as an assertion of independence and a desire for individuality in the context of a relationship.
The second verse explores the feeling of being blinded by love and not being able to discern whether one is being taken advantage of. The singer talks about the fear of losing their partner and convincing oneself that the relationship is good, thus suggesting that the relationship is not entirely healthy.
Overall, the song seems to be a reflection on the nature of love, personal autonomy and questioning what it means to be committed to another person.
Line by Line Meaning
Funny how I find myself in love with you
It's amusing how I ended up falling in love with you unexpectedly.
If I could buy my reasoning I'd pay to lose
I'm willing to pay to lose my logic and let go of rational thinking if it means I can be with you.
One half won't do
I don't want just half of you or part of a relationship. I want it all.
I've asked myself
I've been reflecting on this and wondering.
How much do you commit yourself?
I'm questioning how devoted you are to our relationship.
It's my life (Don't you forget)
I'm in control of my own life, and I won't let you forget it.
Funny how I blind myself
It's interesting how I sometimes turn a blind eye to the unfavorable aspects of our relationship.
I never knew if I was sometimes played upon
I was unsure if you were manipulating me at times and leading me on.
Afraid to lose, I'd tell myself what good you do
I'd convince myself that even though I was afraid of losing you, you were still good for me and worth holding onto.
Convince myself
I'd try to convince myself that you were the right person for me, despite my doubts.
It's my life
I'm the one who gets to decide how I live my life and who I spend it with.
Don't you forget
I'm reminding you that I'm the one in charge of my own life and choices.
Caught in the crowd
I feel like I'm just part of the crowd and losing my individuality in this relationship.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NEIL ARTHUR, STEPHEN ALFRED LUSCOMBE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
CB
on Don't Tell Me
This is not the meaning of this song.