In the 1970s, Essex emerged as one of the UK's top performers. His biggest hits during this decade included a pair of Number One singles : "Gonna Make You A Star" (1974), a satirical look at his success; and "Hold Me Close" (1975), a cheerful singalong. He also appeared in Stardust, a 1974 sequel to That'll Be The Day; the title song was another Top 10 hit. In 1976, Essex covered the Beatles song, “Yesterday”, for the musical documentary All This and World War II.
Essex's pop idol looks gave him a strong female fan base and his British tours created scenes of hysteria reminiscent of Beatlemania. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X 'he was voted the number one British male vocalist in 1974, and was a teen idol for more than a decade'.
In 1978, he appeared on Jeff Wayne's concept album, a musical version of The War of the Worlds, as the Artilleryman. The two album set remains a bestseller.
In the same year, Essex played the character Che, loosely based on Che Guevara, in the original production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita, and his recording of the show's "Oh What a Circus" reached Number 3. Two years later, he starred in the film Silver Dream Racer; and the soundtrack song "Silver Dream Machine" was yet another Top 10 hit in the UK singles chart. In 1985, he wrote and starred as Fletcher Christian in the West End musical Mutiny!, based on the novel Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. The score produced two more hit singles, including "Tahiti," his tenth Top 10 success.
Essex has continued to perform in all areas of show business, to varying degrees of success. A 1989 sitcom, "The River", achieved good ratings. In 1991, a compilation entitled His Greatest Hits reached Number 13; a 1993 album, Cover Shot, peaked at Number 3. His autobiography, A Charmed Life, was published in 2002, and became a bestseller.
In 1999, Essex was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He still tours the UK on a yearly basis and releases albums through his website. Surprisingly, despite his long and thriving British career, he remains largely unknown in the United States. "Rock On" reached Number 5 in 1974, and was his only Billboard Top 40 hit single.
The grandson of an Irish Traveller, Essex told Jake Bowers of the BBC's Rokker Radio, a programme for Gypsies and Travellers, on 30th July 2006, that he has always been openly proud of his Traveller roots, but that having moved to the US, Essex has said he feels it inappropriate for him to continue as Patron of Britain's National Gypsy Council, which works for equal rights, education, and services for Romany and Irish Travellers.
In 2005, he appeared as a guest vocalist on Saint Etienne's album Tales from Turnpike House. Also that year, he appeared in the Channel 4 documentary Bring Back...The Christmas Number One.
Essex was due to join the cast of soap opera EastEnders, in early 2006, as new character Jack Edwards. However, the role was expanded beyond the three weeks planned, and Essex was unable to commit the time. The role instead went to Nicky Henson.
A model and recording of Essex is featured in the museum of West Ham United Football Club. In the recording, he explains his reasons for supporting West Ham and his love of the team. He remains a popular, hard working and respected star, who has nevertheless not achieved a more global presence.
Circles
David Essex Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ah
Why I love you for a reason
Why I love you yes I do
Why I love you for a reason
But I can't get close to you
You got me walking round in circles
Won't somebody help me
Because I'm still in love wid you, ehh
Was inside out I was inside in
You were looking real hard to get over him
Yeah you made your rule to be so cool
Well I bent my rule to be a fool
Look walking round in circles
'Cause i don't know where to go
Won't somebody help me
'Cause I'm going down slow
Yes going down yeah
I'm going down, ah
Going down
Was it something that I found
Keep going, round, round, round, yeah yeah, yeah
wooh
oh yeah
Why I love you for a reason
Say I love you yes I do
I love you for a reason girl
But I can't get close to you
You watch me walking round in circles
'Cause I don't know where to go
Won't somebody help me
'Cause I'm going down slow
Say I'm going down slow
Going down slow
I'm going down slow, eh
'eahh
Circles, yeah
Circles, yeah
Circles, ooh yeah
Circles, yeah
Hey there I'm going down in circles
Yeah ah yeah yeah
Circles, yeah
Look at me will ya yeah yeah yeah
Circles, yeah, yeah yeah
Circles, yeah
Circles going down, yeah
Circles, dah dah dah dah yeah
The song "Circles" by David Essex is about an unrequited love. The singer of the song is struggling to get over someone they love but can't be with. The lyrics repeat how they love this person for a reason, but they can't get close to them. The singer feels like they are walking around in circles, confused about what to do because they can't help loving this person. The chorus repeats this idea of being lost, and they need someone to help them because they're still in love.
The lyrics continue to describe how the singer was inside out, and their love interest was inside in, trying to get over someone else. The person the singer loves makes a rule to be cool, and the singer bends their rule to be a fool. It's clear that the singer is willing to do whatever it takes to be with this person, but they're stuck walking in circles, going down slow, and needing help to figure out what to do.
Line by Line Meaning
Why I love you for a reason
I have a specific reason for loving you
Why I love you yes I do
I do love you, without a doubt
Why I love you for a reason
I have a specific reason for loving you
But I can't get close to you
Despite my love for you, we can't be close
You got me walking round in circles
You have me aimlessly wandering in confusion
'Cause I don't know what to do
I have no idea what to do about my love for you
Won't somebody help me
I need help with my situation
Because I'm still in love wid you, ehh
My love for you is still very strong
Was inside out I was inside in
I was confused and turned around
You were looking real hard to get over him
You were trying to move on from a past love
Yeah you made your rule to be so cool
You made a decision to appear aloof and uninterested
Well I bent my rule to be a fool
I disregarded my own principle and acted foolishly for you
Look walking round in circles
I'm still wandering aimlessly in confusion
'Cause i don't know where to go
I have no direction with my love for you
Won't somebody help me
I need assistance to find clarity
'Cause I'm going down slow
My situation is deteriorating slowly
Yes going down yeah
I am suffering and struggling
Going down
I am experiencing a decline
Was it something that I found
Did I discover something new that triggered these feelings?
Keep going, round, round, round, yeah yeah, yeah
I can't seem to break the cycle of my love for you
wooh
Expressing strong emotion
Why I love you for a reason
I have a specific reason for loving you
Say I love you yes I do
I do love you, without a doubt
I love you for a reason girl
I have a specific reason for loving you
But I can't get close to you
Despite my love for you, we can't be close
You watch me walking round in circles
You see me aimlessly wandering in confusion
'Cause I don't know where to go
I have no direction with my love for you
Won't somebody help me
I need assistance to find clarity
'Cause I'm going down slow
My situation is deteriorating slowly
Say I'm going down slow
I am experiencing a decline
Going down slow
I am suffering and struggling
I'm going down slow, eh
My situation is deteriorating slowly
'eahh
Expression of strong emotion
Circles, yeah
I can't seem to break the cycle of my love for you
Circles, yeah
I'm aimlessly wandering in confusion
Circles, ooh yeah
Expressing frustration with being stuck in the same cycle
Circles, yeah
My love for you is keeping me in this cycle
Hey there I'm going down in circles
I am suffering and struggling due to my love for you
Yeah ah yeah yeah
Expression of strong emotion
Look at me will ya yeah yeah yeah
I feel like I am being watched and judged for my love for you
Circles, yeah, yeah yeah
I can't break the cycle of my love for you despite trying
Circles, yeah
I'm aimlessly wandering in confusion
Circles going down, yeah
My situation is deteriorating due to my love for you
Circles, dah dah dah dah yeah
Expressing frustration with being stuck in the same cycle
Contributed by Camilla I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.