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
The 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 "The game above my head" depict a sense of confusion and vulnerability, with an underlying theme of being held down or tied up by someone or something. The singer is describing a situation where he feels like he's lost control and is at the mercy of external forces that are beyond his comprehension or understanding. He refers to a "laughing clown" being smashed down, which could be interpreted as an attempt to destroy his sense of humor or lightheartedness. He also speaks about trying to get a message across, but missing by miles, indicating a sense of frustration and isolation.
The singer mentions someone touching him late at night, which could be interpreted as a sign of intimacy, but then talks about being tied down and held back, which suggests a loss of control and autonomy. He also mentions wearing a crown, which could be a metaphor for feeling powerful or in charge, but then dismisses the idea that he knows what's going on inside his own head. Overall, the song seems to describe a struggle to regain a sense of agency in the face of overwhelming forces that are beyond the singer's control.
Line by Line Meaning
Someone touched me late last night
I experienced some sort of physical touch or interaction with someone during the night, which may have been unwelcome or unexpected.
Someone tried to tie me down
There was an attempt to restrict my freedom or bind me to something, whether physical or metaphorical, that I did not want to be bound to.
Passing by at such a height, Smashing down the laughing clown
There was some sort of powerful or destructive force at play that had a negative impact on something which was otherwise seen as entertaining or amusing.
Don′t tell me i'm looking well, For the truth will never tell
It is pointless to try and flatter me or give me false compliments, as I am aware that the reality is likely quite different.
Cut me down, let me sleep, Promises i′ll never, never keep
I am ready to just give up and withdraw from the world, as I know that I am unwilling or unable to follow through on any promises or commitments.
Something moved me in the night, Someone tried to pin me down
There was some sort of emotional or psychological confrontation that occurred during the night, where someone tried to force their will or perspective onto me.
Asking questions, who was right, Telling me i wear the crown
There was an attempt to engage me in some sort of interpersonal conflict or argument, where one person was claiming superiority or victory over the other.
Dont ask me whats on my mind, For the truth you'll never ever find
I am not willing or able to open up and share my innermost thoughts or emotions, as I know that there is no way for anyone to truly understand them.
And don't tell lies no more, There′s nothing left to hide, A clown can lose his foolish pride
It is time to come clean and be honest, as there is no more point in hiding the truth; even if it means admitting to being wrong or foolish.
I tried to tell you, So many times before, Give me back my pride, I could hardly ask for more!
There have been previous attempts to resolve or communicate the issue at hand, and now all that is left is to redeem some semblance of self-respect or dignity.
Writer(s): Neil Arthur, Stephen Luscombe
Contributed by Arianna V. 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 👏👏👏