Daryll-Ann was a Dutch indie rock band, active from 1988 to 2004 and origin… Read Full Bio ↴Daryll-Ann was a Dutch indie rock band, active from 1988 to 2004 and originally hailing from the small town of Ermelo, although the band members had moved to Utrecht and Amsterdam by the time the group gained some prominence.

The band's figureheads and main songwriters were Jelle Paulusma (lead vocals) and Anne Soldaat (guitar, vocals). Critics often heard echoes of early Neil Young, Buffalo Springfield and other sixties bands from the American west in Daryll-Ann's particular blend of indie rock.

After an initial EP (Decibel, 1991) and début album (Renko, 1992) on tiny domestic labels, the band drew the attention of Hut, the indie branch of Virgin Records. The I Could Never Love You and Come Around EP's (1993 and 1994, respectively) were praised by critics in Holland and the U.K. The group toured Europe and their first full-length album for Hut, Seaborne West (1995), even saw a U.S. release. It received rave reviews in the U.K. music press.

Due to disappointing sales, however, the band was dropped by Hut and joined the respected Dutch indie label Excelsior Recordings, for which they continued to release albums to huge critical acclaim (but moderate commercial success). A small international cult following continued to follow the band, so that some of their Excelsior releases were also put out internationally.

Daryll-Ann's studio albums for Excelsior Recordings:

Daryll-Ann Weeps (1996)
Happy Traum (1999)
Trailer Tales (2002)
Don't Stop (2003)

Excelsior also released a limited edition live album, entitled DA Live (2000).

The band decided to call it a day in 2004. Frontman Jelle Paulusma resurfaced two years later with his first solo album, using his his family name Paulusma as his moniker, whereas guitarist Anne Soldaat went on to form the band Do The Undo (self-titled début album released in 2007) and subsequently started recording under his own name, Anne Soldaat.

2014 saw Daryll-Ann's eagerly anticipated re-formation: original line-up, no new new material, old songs only. The band's brief reunion and farewell tour of The Netherlands received rave reviews.

On April 24, 2022, the band reunited once again, this time for one night only, to perform at Paradiso during the 25th anniversary party of Excelsior Recordings.

It's Only Love
Daryll-Ann Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I think you have to go now
My love
You're on your own
And after all
It wasn't such a great idea
At all
Give me the morning
She said

I think I'd like to be
In love with you
And do the things that lovers do
My love
I think before the showdown
Has come
I'll throw down my arms
For I don't have to win
And you don't want to die
So young
Bring in the army
She said
I think I'd like to be
In love with you
Yeah all the way through
My love, my only love
My love
I think I have to go now
My love
I've let you down
For all I know
The river's always running free
To fall

My love, my only love
My love, my only love

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Daryll-Ann's song "It's Only Love" convey a sense of melancholy resignation and a recognition that something that seemed like a good idea at the time has now come to an end. The singer addresses their lover, telling them that they must go and face life on their own. Despite the fact that they had talked about being in love and doing "the things that lovers do," the singer seems to have realized that this was not a sustainable situation. They suggest that it is time to throw down their arms and surrender, rather than insisting on winning, and they acknowledge that the river always runs free, a metaphor for the inevitability of change.

The song captures the bittersweet emotions of a relationship that has run its course. The lovers once had high hopes and dreams, but it now seems that they were misguided. At the same time, however, the singer acknowledges that love is still present, even if it is not enough to sustain the relationship. The song's simplicity echoes the complex emotions of the lyrics, and the sparse melody is poignant and affecting.

Line by Line Meaning

I think you have to go now
I believe it's time for you to leave

My love
The person being addressed

You're on your own
You're responsible for yourself now

And after all
Despite everything

It wasn't such a great idea
This wasn't as good of an idea as we thought

At all
Not at any point in time

Give me the morning
I want to wake up to a new day

She said
Someone else is speaking

I think I'd like to be
I believe I want to experience

In love with you
To be romantically involved with you

And do the things that lovers do
To engage in activities associated with romantic relationships