The band is notable for their single "Tie Up My Hands", taking the number one spot in the jtv music television programme, with their debut album Guillotine produced by Harry Vanda. Guillotine was also nominated for Triple J's J Award in 2007 and in December of that year British India won the AIR Award for 'Best New Independent Artist'. In April and May of 2008 the band entered Flashpoint studios once again to record their new album "Theives" officially released on the 19th of July, althought copies were available at gigs a week earlier than this. The first single from the album is titled "I Said I'm Sorry" and is on their MySpace.
British India formed when Melbourne high school friends Declan Melia and Nic Wilson met Will Drummond and Matt O'Gorman through mutual friends, and asked them to join the band. Social misfits in school, the quartet began to jam together, playing work by their favourite bands; Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Beatles, Blur, and Starsailor. The band's name was originally noticed by Wilson on a b-side by Strawberry Alarm Clock.
In 2005, after playing regularly across Australia for a year, the band signed with In-Fidelity Recordings and began work on their debut EP, with producer Lindsay Gravina. In June 2005 they released a single, "Outside 109 / Automatic Blitzkrieg". The song's inspiration came from a quip made by Mick Jagger in an interview in 1964. Melia told Australian Music Online the song's lyrics referred to the band's gigging in Melbourne, and "being just outside of international recognition".
On 21 November 2005 the band released their EP, Counter Culture, on Shock Records. Following recording at Sydney's Flashpoint Studios with studio owner Harry Vanda.[6] Drummond said that in recording the EP, the band "crammed all [their] youthful exuberance" onto it.
The Golden Years
British India Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This secret service this dead end guy
And ever since I was a young man
I've been waiting for right now
Take off your name tag, push through the crowd
I haven't seen you in months and months
Been snorting diamonds and stealing cars
And every time I see you these days
I can't remember, I can't forget
It's the angel complication
You've got to get there your own way man,
Then you've just got to do it again
It's the angel being questioned
You've got to get there your own way man,
Then you've just got to do it again
I think about you now and then
These golden years that we're drowing in
We'll spend our whole lives trying to get to a place
We dont want to be
Take off your t-shirt, lie next to me
It's the angel complication
You've got to get there your own way man,
Then you've just got to do it again
It's the angel being wasted
Reminding me once again, that I have no freinds
I'm alone and I'll end up as dead as everyone else
It's the angel complication
You've got to get there your own way man,
Then you've just got to do it again
It's the angel on the pavement
She sings a song that lasts forever
But I hate to remember
I forget as hard as I can
The song "The Golden Years" by British India is a melancholic reflection on the futility of human existence and the struggle to find meaning in life. The opening lines "It makes me nervous and I know why, this secret service this dead end guy" are a reference to the singer's anxiety and sense of alienation from society. He feels like he is stuck in a rut, unable to break free from the monotony of daily life. The subsequent lines "And ever since I was a young man, I've been waiting for right now, take off your name tag, push through the crowd" are a plea for liberation and an invitation to experience life as it is meant to be lived, free from the constraints of society and convention.
The chorus of the song is a reminder of the transience of life and the futility of our efforts to find lasting happiness. The lines "These golden years that we're drowning in, we'll spend our whole lives trying to get to a place, we don't want to be" are a reflection on the human condition, dominated by our incessant craving for something more, something we can never attain.
The song continues with a reference to drug abuse and petty crime, as the singer seeks solace in the temporary pleasures of a life that he knows is ultimately meaningless. The reference to the "angel complication" suggests a struggle with addiction, as he tries to come to terms with the emptiness of his existence.
Overall, "The Golden Years" is a song that speaks to the fragility of the human condition and our tendency to be consumed by our own insecurities and anxieties. It is a poignant reminder that even as we strive to find meaning and purpose in life, we are ultimately powerless in the face of our own mortality.
Line by Line Meaning
It makes me nervous and I know why
I am aware of the cause for my anxiety
This secret service this dead end guy
The corrupt government and its officials are leading us to a hopeless future
And ever since I was a young man
My desire to escape this life of misery started early in my youth
I've been waiting for right now
I've been waiting for this moment, this opportunity to break free
Take off your name tag, push through the crowd
Let go of the societal labels and norms and fight for your own beliefs
I haven't seen you in months and months
We have been apart for a while now
Been snorting diamonds and stealing cars
We've been indulging in illegal activities to escape our mundane lives
And every time I see you these days
Whenever we meet now
It feels like we have never met
It feels like we are strangers, disconnected from each other's lives
I can't remember, I can't forget
I have no memories with you, but at the same time, I can't forget you either
It's the angel complication
The conflicts in my mind are so significant
You've got to get there your own way man,
Only you can decide your way in life.
Then you've just got to do it again
After finding your path, you must keep fighting for it
It's the angel being questioned
My beliefs are being put into question
These golden years that we're drowing in
We are drowning in the prime years of our lives
We'll spend our whole lives trying to get to a place
We will spend our entire lives attempting to escape our current status
We dont want to be
We don't want to live the life that society has planned for us
Take off your t-shirt, lie next to me
Strip away the boundaries and societal expectations to be true to yourself
It's the angel being wasted
I'm wasting away my life pondering over my beliefs
Reminding me once again, that I have no freinds
I am reminded that I am alone with my beliefs and opinions
I'm alone and I'll end up as dead as everyone else
I will be as lost and hopeless as everyone else without freeing myself
It's the angel on the pavement
The conflicts inside my mind are ripping me apart
She sings a song that lasts forever
The solution to my problems is something I can find within myself
But I hate to remember
I don't like to recall the dark moments of my past
I forget as hard as I can
I try my best to forget the things that bring me down
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DECLAN XAVIER MELIA, MATTHEW VINCENT O'GORMAN, NICHOLAS JAMES WILSON, WILL DRUMMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Juscody
Awesome Aussie music. These guys deserve far more credit.
tachoteeth
I don't believe I will EVER hear them play this song live... I thought they were going to the last time I saw them for their "I can make you love me" Single Launch, But Declan was just teasing... Played the opening riff, I went NUTS.... then he stopped....
Drew Baby Drew
I have no photo because i do not want to detract from the brilliance of my fave band.
Love you deckky