The Parachutes Songfacts states that Charlie Simpson has a strong musical pedigree dating back to one of his mother's ancestors, Sir William Sterndale Bennett (1816-1875), who was a distinguished classical music composer of the romantic school. Charlie attended public school Uppingham, along with the likes of Harry Judd from McFly and his ex-girlfriend Camilla Smith. He was selected as the third member of Busted, beating Tom Fletcher (now lead singer and guitarist in McFly), after responding to an advert placed by Matt and James in NME magazine in 2001. He plays guitar, piano, drums and bass, and sings vocals.
He is renowned for his distinguished eyebrows, which he says are "...the biggest and best in the business", and his guitar playing style. He loves Nirvana and The Deftones and considers Kurt Cobain his idol.
On 14 January 2005, Charlie caused Busted to split after deciding to leave the band to concentrate on his other band, Fightstar. The name "Fightstar" was created when bassist Dan Haigh came up with the name "Evenstar" and Charlie thought of the name "A Time To Fight", these names were combined to give the name Fightstar.
Following three studio albums, Fightstar initiated an extended hiatus in 2010, allowing Simpson to focus on his solo career. Parachutes, the lead single from his debut solo full-length album entitled Young Pilgrim, was released on August 15, 2011.
He met the other guys in the band through Camilla when Alex's sister moved in with her as a flatmate, and Fightstar was born. He has two other brothers who are also in bands, Will in Brigade and Edd in Union Sound Set (formerly Prego); both have supported Fightstar on recent tours/gigs.
Cemetery
Charlie Simpson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I lost your love and I buried it here
'Cause you're the one who stole my heart
Down the river
I don't need you to tell me that I'm alright
There's something in the air
There's something in the water
I just hope your mind stays stable
When you're Cain and unable
To speak to me again
We never made it to the start of the race
I guess I thought that in the end we would be saved
There's someone up in the sky looking down over me
Well, call me selfish, call me what you will
I don't care about you anymore
You fucked me up and broke my heart
In smithereens
I don't need you to tell me that I'm alright
There's something in the air
There's something in the water
Dragging me down
I just hope your mind stays stable
When you're Cain and unable
To speak to me again
We never made it to the start of the race
I guess I thought that in the end we would be saved
There's someone up in the sky looking down over me
We took the blankets and we slept on the beach
We chewed the candy 'till we couldn't feel our teeth
Is this the way it's gonna be until our time is up?
We never made it to the start of the race
I guess I thought that in the end we would be saved
There's someone up in the sky looking down over me
We took the blankets and we slept on the beach
We chewed the candy 'till we couldn't feel our teeth
Is this the way it's gonna be until our time is up?
In Charlie Simpson's "Cemetery," the singer takes the listener on a journey through his emotional aftermath of being heartbroken. He opens with the line "Welcome to my cemetery gates," referencing the metaphorical place where he has buried the love he once had. He states that it was the person who stole his heart who he is addressing. He expresses that he doesn't need this person to tell him that he's okay, as he can sense that something in the environment is "dragging him down." He also mentions that he hopes that the person stays "stable" because he might be unable to speak to them again.
Simpson speaks about the relationship, which never even made it to the start of the race, meaning it was never able to flourish. He had imagined that the relationship would be successful, but it ended up in a tragic mess that he has had to cope with. He then changes the focus to his emotions during the relationship, stating that he no longer cares for the person who ruined him romantically. Finally, he questions whether this will be the way his life goes until he dies.
The song is a powerful expression of the frustration and sadness that comes with the end of a relationship. The lyrics are poetic and metaphorical, allowing for the listener to interpret them in their way. Simpson also puts forth the idea that something in the environment and water can dictate emotional moods and therefore have a physical impact on individuals.
Line by Line Meaning
Welcome to my cemetery gates
I'm talking about my heart where I buried my lost love. It's become a graveyard for my feelings
I lost your love and I buried it here
You left me and I couldn't bear the pain, so I buried your memory to forget you
'Cause you're the one who stole my heart
I fell in love with you and you stole my heart; now I'm left alone and broken-hearted
Down the river
Our love has drifted apart and has gone its separate way, like a river flowing downstream
I don't need you to tell me that I'm alright
I'm aware that I'm not okay, there's something missing in my life that only I can fix
There's something in the air
I can sense a melancholic aura around me, a feeling of sadness and loneliness that's hard to shake off
There's something in the water
I feel like I'm drowning in my sorrows and can't get a grasp on life anymore
Dragging me down
All the sadness and despair is weighing me down, and it's becoming harder to rise above it
I just hope your mind stays stable
I don't want you to be troubled like me, and I wish for you to stay mentally stable
When you're Cain and unable
If you start to struggle, I hope you're able to get the help you need
To speak to me again
I realize that we may not mend our relationship, but I still hope for a future where we can speak again without animosity
We never made it to the start of the race
Our relationship never even began; we never had a chance to love each other properly
I guess I thought that in the end we would be saved
I had hope that things would work out between us in the end, but now I recognize that that's not the case
There's someone up in the sky looking down over me
I believe in a higher power that's watching over me, even during my darkest moments
Well, call me selfish, call me what you will
You can judge me for being selfish, but I no longer care about your opinion
I don't care about you anymore
My love has turned into apathy, and I no longer care about what happens to you
You fucked me up and broke my heart
You hurt me deeply, and my heart is shattered into pieces as a result
In smithereens
My heart is beyond repair, and it's been reduced to dust and fragments
We took the blankets and we slept on the beach
We shared intimate moments together, sleeping under the stars and sharing a connection
We chewed the candy 'till we couldn't feel our teeth
We enjoyed each other's company, relishing in the blissful ignorance that love can bring
Is this the way it's gonna be until our time is up?
Will our love be just a fading memory until the end of our days on this earth?
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CHARLES SIMPSON, DANTON SUPPLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
iNGRATE
Young Pilgrim still sits firmly in my Top 5 best albums of this decade. What an incredible first solo album.
Rhiannon Marsh
i love Charlie's individual music, it finally shows what he wanted to fulfill with his musical career and his talent! amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing
JakeCR97
As a busted fan, I think it was the best that Charlie decided to go it alone and not be a part of Mcbusted because he's made some fucking amazing music
Carter Watson
Jake Clarke-Royle I’m still listening in 2018 and it’s still a masterpiece each time I listen to his solo music I wish he’d make a new solo album but I know he’s back with his band but still his solo music is so good
JakeCR97
+Lolly Fraser-King I know I'm going seeing them 😁
Lolly Fraser-King
Lol, they're back together now
iAmReallyFreya
+beethreefour he would've had permission to use it.
garconrouge
Honestly soon I'm expecting them to release Dumbstruck or Break It under the same pretenses as What Happened To Your Band. But, you probably haven't even heard about Call Me When I'm 18, so whatever.
iLeoVlogs
I don't know how many times I've listened to this song since the day I discovered it :)
lucyanneimation
Love this. My favourite song from the album :D