Collins' music is mostly electric guitar-driven pop, and his songwriting and vocal delivery range from the acerbicly satirical to the soulfully tender, although he is better known for the former. He built his own studio in 1994 and produced his own third solo album, Gorgeous George. He has also worked as producer with other artists, including The Proclaimers, The Cribs, and Little Barrie. Collins also produced and starred in the Channel 4 sitcom West Heath Yard.
Collins lives with his long term partner, Grace Maxwell, who also manages his career. The couple, who live in London, have one son.
In a BBC 6 Music radio interview on 18 February 2005 Collins had said he felt unwell, but ascribed the nausea and vertigo to food poisoning. Two days later he was admitted to intensive care in London's Royal Free Hospital after apparently suffering a major cerebral haemorrhage. On 25 February he underwent an operation, reportedly after suffering a second haemorrhage. The procedure was successful, and Collins began a lengthy programme of neurological rehabilitation.
Sept 2007 saw the release of Home Again, the first album since his illness. Recorded before Collins’ hospitalisation but only mixed and produced after his recovery, Edwyn worked on the album during his recovery. He was heard to sing a few bars on BBC Radio 4's Front Row, sharing strumming and chord duties with Grace. 'Crap' he said afterwards; some listeners begged to differ.
Someone Else Besides
Edwyn Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm someone else besides
Someone forced to hide behind
This pitiful disguise
My only saving grace
Is that you've made me realize
That i'm not who you think i am
I'm someone else besides
There's nothing in your world
That i freely recognise
But then again i've always been
Hellbent on compromise
But now it's time to break away
Now don't look so surprised
I think you've known it all along
I'm someone else besides
I'm someone else besides
I'm all that you despise
Shout it from the roof
I'm the living proof
That can't be denied
I'm someone else besides
Even in my darkest hour
I knew that i'd survive
Today i've finally seen the light
Exposing all your lies
Tomorrow i will take that chance
You'll never jeopardise
I'm not who you thought i was
I'm someone else besides
I'm someone else besides
I'm all that you despise
Shout it from the roof
I'm the living proof
That can't be denied
I'm someone else besides
Look to the future
Forget the past
Give me the love
That is built to last
Cause I'm someone else besides
The song, "Someone Else Besides" by Edwyn Collins, is a powerful expression of the inner turmoil and struggle of an individual who feels forced to hide behind a pitiful disguise. The first verse of the song speaks to the feelings of the singer about the fact that they are not who others see them as. They feel that they are disguised and forced to hide who they truly are due to external factors that are not within their control. However, their only saving grace is that the person they are addressing has made them realize that they are different from what others see them as.
The second verse speaks to the dichotomy that the singer feels between their own reality and what they see in the world around them. They recognize that they have always been hellbent on compromise, but now it is time for them to break away from that and finally be true to themselves. They acknowledge that the person they are addressing may have suspected all along that there was something different about them, but they are now ready to face that truth.
The chorus is a powerful declaration of the singer's identity. They claim to be someone else besides who others think they are. They also acknowledge that they are despised by some, but they are the living proof of their own identity.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not who you think i am
I'm not the person you believe me to be
I'm someone else besides
I'm a different individual than the one you perceive
Someone forced to hide behind
I was made to conceal myself
This pitiful disguise
I wear a shameful mask
My only saving grace
The one good thing about this situation
Is that you've made me realize
Is that you helped me discover
That i'm not who you think i am
That I'm not the person you think I am
There's nothing in your world
I don't relate to anything in your world
That i freely recognise
That I can identify with openly
But then again i've always been
But I've always been
Hellbent on compromise
Determined to make compromises rather than stand up for myself
But now it's time to break away
But now it's necessary for me to move on
Now don't look so surprised
Please don't be taken aback
I think you've known it all along
I believe you've been aware of it for a while
I'm someone else besides
I'm an entirely different person than you realized
I'm all that you despise
I'm everything you hate
Shout it from the roof
Announce it to the world
I'm the living proof
I'm the concrete evidence
That can't be denied
That can't be refuted
Even in my darkest hour
In my most challenging time
I knew that i'd survive
I was certain that I would persevere
Today i've finally seen the light
Today I've finally had an epiphany
Exposing all your lies
Revealing all the falsehoods you've told
Tomorrow i will take that chance
Tomorrow I'll seize that opportunity
You'll never jeopardise
You won't endanger
I'm not who you thought i was
I'm not the person you believed me to be
Look to the future
Focus on the future
Forget the past
Leave the past behind
Give me the love
Show me love
That is built to last
That is meant to endure
Cause I'm someone else besides
Because I'm a completely different person
Contributed by Eva A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@vitaliyandreev7181
A Girl Like You
I've never known a girl like you before
Now just like in a song from days of yore
Here you come a knockin', knockin' at my door
And I've never met a girl like you before
You give me just a taste so I want more and more
Now my hands are bleeding and my knees are raw
Now you've got me crawlin', crawlin' on the floor
And I've never met a girl like you before
You've made me acknowledge the devil in me
I hope to God I'm talkin' metaphorically
Hope that I'm talkin' allegorically
Know that I'm talkin' about the way I feel
And I've never known a girl like you before
Never, never, never, never
Never known a girl like you before
This old town's changed so much
Don't feel like I belong
Too many protest singers
Not enough protest songs
And now you've come along
Yes you've come along
And I've never met a girl like you before
@rasstriga
Я никогда раньше не встречал такую, как ты
И теперь, словно из песни о былом,
Ты приходишь, стучась, стучась в мою дверь,
И я раньше никогда не встречал такую, как ты.
Ты даёшь мне только попробовать, я хочу большего.
Сейчас мои руки кровоточат, а мои колени ободраны,
Потому что сейчас ты заставляешь меня ползти, ползти по полу,
И я никогда раньше не встречал такую, как ты.
Ты заставила признать дьявола во мне
Я надеюсь, что с Богом я говорю метафорически,
Надеюсь, что говорю аллегорически.
Знай, что я говорю о том, что чувствую.
И я раньше никогда не встречал такую, как ты.
Никогда, никогда, никогда, никогда не встречал такую, как ты.
Этот старый город так сильно изменился.
Я не чувствую, что принадлежу ему.
Слишком много протестующих певцов,
Недостаточно песен - протестов.
И сейчас ты пришла,
Да, ты пришла,
И я никогда раньше не встречал такую, как ты.
Всё в порядке, да, всё в порядке, да, всё в порядке...
@alamkhan1102
Who is watching this master piece in 2023
@veikkooinonen2541
I Am
@sebbers
Not me, I’m listening in 3001
@obriech
Me
@janinekuckert8053
Me👍👍
@ajaybagda
Aye aye
@luckyspurs
It feels like it has the coolest aspects of the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s mixed into one song. Timeless.
@E-LIB
C'est exactement ça. Je me souviens quand ce morceau est sorti en 1994, ce fut comme une bonne '' claque musicale ''. 🎶👍🥂
@brendancronin3796
I love the dirty guitar ...swampy af
@manumanu6371
P⁰