China Crisis is a British pop/rock group formed in 1979 in Kirkby on Mersey… Read Full Bio ↴China Crisis is a British pop/rock group formed in 1979 in Kirkby on Merseyside, with a core band of vocalist/keyboardist Garry Daly and guitarist Eddie Lundon. They've produced pop music similar in style to that of the new romantic movement. Yet they've also had strong similarities to the post-punk movement of the early 80s, particularly inclusion of a broader range of musical influences and occasional flirtation with political commentary.

Sharing an affection for Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, and Brian Eno, Daly and Lundon had become burned out from playing with various Knowsley post-punk groups. Daly quit school and then spent much of his time indoors tinkering with synthesizers and a drum machine. Along with Lundon, Daly began writing songs using his high-tech toys. Feeling creatively stifled by the drum machine, the pair eventually asked percussionist Dave Reilly to join them, and in 1982 they released the single "African & White" as China Crisis on the independent label Inevitable. Later re-released by Virgin Records, "African & White" was also China Crisis' first hit in the U.K..

Throughout their career, China Crisis has seen moderate success in the United Kingdom, western Europe, Australia,Philippines and the Americas. Adding Gary "Gazza" Johnson and Kevin Wilkinson to the lineup, they recorded their debut album Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms. Another single, "Christian", hit U.K. #12, followed by two singles from second album, Working with Fire and Steel Possible Pop Songs, Vol. 2.

China Crisis spent 1984-1985 making their biggest chart run, beginning with their first top-ten hit, "Wishful Thinking". Third album Flaunt the Imperfection was produced by the sympathetic Walter Becker, and resulted in the hit singles "Black Man Ray" and "King in a Catholic Style (Wake Up)". The album was followed up in 1986 with What Price Paradise, though China Crisis worked with Becker once more on 1989's Diary of a Hollow Horse, which earned critical raves though not much commercial movement.

Sometimes misunderstood by critics, China Crisis distinguished themselves from Liverpudlian peers like Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, The Teardrop Explodes, and Echo & The Bunnymen by digesting a cornucopia of musical genres, everything from jazz to progressive rock. Despite the stylistic deviations, China Crisis maintained their distinctive sound through a number of albums in the '80s and '90s. Tragically, Wilkinson hanged himself on July 17, 1999. In 2000, Daly contributed a track to a tribute compilation to Wilkinson, Green Indians.

Worlds Apart
China Crisis Lyrics

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You're so cold
Resisting only your feelings
Worlds apart
And your world's lost all meaning

I, I try
But nothing you say moves me
Some, some day

Maybe I'll hear more clearly

Laughing loud
But I felt uninvited
Away from the crowd
The way they talk it's frightening

I, I try
But nothing you say moves me
Some, some day
Maybe I'll hear more clearly

Worlds, worlds apart
Worlds, worlds apart

A stranger to me
And I could have sworn I knew you

And worlds apart
And my worlds lost all meaning

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Worlds Apart" by China Crisis explore the feeling of disconnection and distance between two people. The opening lines of the song, "You're so cold, Resisting only your feelings, Worlds apart, And your world's lost all meaning," suggest that the two individuals are not able to connect with each other emotionally. The next lines "I, I try, But nothing you say moves me" reveals that one of the two individuals is trying to bridge the gap, but their efforts seem futile. The phrase "Worlds apart" is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the gulf between the two people.

In the second stanza, the song's narrator talks about feeling out of place when surrounded by a group of people. The line "Laughing loud, But I felt uninvited" suggests that there is a feeling of alienation and isolation despite being physically present. The phrase "Worlds apart" is repeated again, indicating that the rift is not limited to the relationship between the two individuals, but extends to the singer's sense of belonging in the social setting.

The chorus of the song, which simply repeats the phrase "Worlds apart," is a powerful one. It highlights the sense of separation between the two individuals, and also reinforces the idea that the singer's world feels devoid of meaning as a result of this distance. In the final lines, the singer expresses how he thought he knew the other person, but now they feel like a stranger. This final reveal emphasizes the emotional weight of the song and the sense of loss that accompanies such a disconnection.

Line by Line Meaning

You're so cold
You're emotionally distant

Resisting only your feelings
You're trying to suppress your emotions

Worlds apart
We're completely different

And your world's lost all meaning
You don't know what's important anymore

I, I try
I'm making an effort

But nothing you say moves me
Your words aren't affecting me emotionally

Some, some day
Maybe in the future

Maybe I'll hear more clearly
I'll be able to understand you better

Laughing loud
You're pretending to be happy

But I felt uninvited
But I wasn't comfortable there

Away from the crowd
I preferred to be alone