The band is named after a line in the BBC TV mini-series 'The Singing Detective', in which a character says that the word "elbow" is the most sensuous word in the English language (not due to its definition per se but due to how it feels to say it). Though the group came about in 1990, intially going by names such as 'Soft' and 'Mr. Soft', it wasn't until 'The Noisebox EP' came out on 1 January 1998 that they had a real release. Elbow started out specializing in "chilled funk", but the guys changed the direction of their music after unanimously deciding that they were "shit."
Their new songs picked up notice from both Island Records, but the band got dropped due to business shenanigans before anything actually came out post-singing. Elbow then released two critically acclaimed EP's on the independent Ugly Man Record label, starting with the aformentioned 'Noisebox EP'. Luckily, their work caught the attention of V2 Records.
V2 released Elbow's debut album: "Asleep In The Back." The album was a surprisingly moderate success, gaining substantial critical acclaim and, ultimately, a nomination for the Mercury Music Prize in 2001. The single "Newborn" received attention after being banned by Radio 1 for the lyric, "I'll be the corpse in your bathtub."
Word of mouth then began to work in Elbow's favor. Its 2003 album, "Cast Of Thousands," entered the UK Charts at #7 to critical acclaim. The lead single, "Fallen Angel," charted at #19.
In 2004, Elbow became the first British band to ever play a concert in Havana during an unofficial Cuban tour. The tour was made into a short film by British documentary maker Irshad Ashraf.
Elbow released its third album in 2005: "Leaders Of The Free World." Despite a continued lack of commercial notice, "Leaders Of The Free World" charted at #12, with its lead single, "Forget Myself" achieving #22 in the charts. That autumn, Elbow headlined the first of two sell-out tours.
March 17, 2008, saw the release of Elbow's fourth album, entitled "The Seldom Seen Kid." Released through Fiction, it entered the UK album chart at #5, and went on to win the 2008 Mercury Music Award. "The Fix," features guest vocals and lead guitar by Richard Hawley. April 2009 saw the release of The Seldom Seen Kid Live At Abbey Road, recorded with The BBC Concert Orchestra and Chantage. This album, recorded in Studio One of the world famous Abbey Road Studios on Saturday, January 17, 2008, is a complete run-through of the Mercury winning album. It features the band, a 52-piece orchestra, and a 20-member choir.
"Grounds for Divorce" was featured in VALVe Software game Left 4 Dead in 2008.
The band's fifth album Build A Rocket Boys! was released in the UK on March 14, 2011.
The First Steps Songfacts reports that Elbow was commissioned by the BBC to write a song for their coverage of the 2012 Olympics. The resulting tune is "First Steps". The full song lasts six and a half minutes, but it was written in such a way so that it could be divided into different minute or two long elements for use over both winning and losing footages.
In July 2015, Elbow released the Lost Worker Bee EP, which was soon followed by Guy Garvey's first solo album 'Courting the Squall' (Oct 2015).
Their seventh studio album, 'Little Fictions' was released on 3 February 2017, with Elbow's eighth studio album, 'Giants of All Sizes', released 2 years later on 11 October 2019.
Website: http://elbow.co.uk/
Any Day Now
Elbow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't believe myself
Must be someone else
Must be
Any day now how's about getting out of this place
Anyways
Got a lot of spare time
Don't play Coltrane you will sleep at the wheel
Eyes on horizon
Don't sleep at the wheel
The lyrics to Elbow's "Any Day Now" speak of a feeling of restlessness and a desire to break free from routine and familiar surroundings. The opening lines express a sense of self-doubt and confusion, suggesting that the singer may not recognize himself and is perhaps feeling trapped in his own skin. This feeling is followed by a call to action, with the singer declaring that it's time to leave and move on to something new.
The chorus further underscores this sense of urgency, with the singer expressing a need to escape the current situation and experience something new and exciting. The repetition of "any day now" suggests a feeling of impatience and a desire for immediate change, while the reference to having "spare time" and "senses on overdrive" implies a longing to embrace life to the fullest.
The final lines of the song offer a warning against complacency and a call to remain alert and engaged with the world. The reference to Coltrane (presumably jazz musician John Coltrane) suggests that the singer is well-versed in the joys and pitfalls of excess, and is urging his audience to stay focused and on task.
Overall, the lyrics to "Any Day Now" capture a universal feeling of restlessness and longing for something more, while also showcasing Elbow's penchant for poetic language and evocative imagery.
Line by Line Meaning
What's got into me
I am feeling different and strange
Can't believe myself
I am surprised by my own behavior
Must be someone else
I don't recognize who I am right now
Must be
There must be a reason for this change in me
Any day now how's about getting out of this place
I am ready to leave this location soon
Anyways
Regardless, in any case
Got a lot of spare time
I have a lot of free time without any obligations
Some of my youth and all of my senses on overdrive
I am experiencing high levels of excitement, energy and enthusiasm
Don't play Coltrane you will sleep at the wheel
Don't listen to music that may relax you and cause you to become drowsy while driving
Eyes on horizon
Focus on the road ahead
Don't sleep at the wheel
Remain alert while driving to avoid an accident
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Peter James Turner, Richard Barry Jupp, Craig Lee Potter, Mark Potter, Guy Edward John Garvey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anonymous
Any Day Now - Lisa Dilan - Lyrics
Any day now
I will hear you say goodbye, my love
And you'll be on your way then my wild, beautiful bird
You will have flown
Any day now, I'll be all alone,
I'll be all alone
Any day now, when your restless eyes meet someone new
Oh, to my sad surprise
Then the blue shadows will fall all over town
Any day now, now; love will let me down
I know I shouldn't want to keep you
If you don't want to stay
Till you have gone forever
I'll keep holding on for dear life
Holding you this way; begging you to stay
Any day now when the clock strikes go
You'll call it off
And then my tears will flow
Then the blue shadows will fall
All over town
Any day now love will let me down
Love will let me down
Musical Interlude
I know I shouldn't want to keep you
If you don't want to stay
Till you have gone forever
I'll keep holding on for dear life
Holding you this way; begging you to stay
Any day now when the clock strikes go
You'll call it off
And then my tears will flow
Then the blue shadows will fall
All over town
Any day now love will let me down
Love will let me down
Love will let me down
Love will let me down
Love will let me down oh
Love will let me down…….
Eric
I found this song on spotify and its fantastic. It reminds me of Radiohead's later albums like Kid A and A Moon Shaped Pool.
Green Toast
Kid a and a moon shaped pool have a 15 year gap 😂
Orgyen Dorje
Dark, shuffle, sketchy, edgy, beautiful,... Perfect Elbow!
Ha-Mi Nguyen
Can't describe how much I love this song!
LanceCampeau
Hugely underrated track.
Bede Road
6 dislikes
How can anyone dislike this masterpiece?
The drum work here is out of this world
Eric
This song has a really good like/dislike ratio, especially compared with views
Kevin Luis
As a big fan of Elbow I really love this song definitely one of my favourites from their debut album
EcksTheGuide
Back in college, this song came on a Best Buy promotional disc with some other random stuff. Loved this song instantly. Then season 3 of Nip Tuck came around, and this song was featured in the first episode. Couldn't believe it.