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/
Asleep in the Back
Elbow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Did I rush you?
All my time is yours
My twisted heart is yours
The faithless shit is yours
The shameless fits of love that only smother you for moments
Until I fold them up and leave
All yours
Oh, you had to ask, didn't you?
Oh, you had to know
Show your scars
Not to rush you
The hieroglyphic hints in all the toilet scrawl
Guilty little pins
And all the things I never talk about are spilling with the gin
Test how tough you are
All yours
Not to rush you
The lyrics to Elbow's song "Asleep in the Back" appear to be a reflection from a narrator who has been grappling with guilt over their previous actions. The lines "Were you crushed? Did I rush you?" seem to indicate that the singer is regretful of a past event that may have hurt the other person. The singer then offers all of their time and heart to the other person, but also acknowledges their own faults with the lines "The faithless shit is yours, the shameless fits of love that only smother you for moments."
The singer then asks the other person to show their own scars, possibly attempting to reach a level of vulnerability and honesty that was missing before. The reference to "hieroglyphic hints in all the toilet scrawl" and "guilty little pins" suggest that there are deep secrets and hidden pain that both parties have been hiding. The singer then challenges the other person to "test how tough you are", once again emphasizing the need for honesty and openness.
Overall, the song appears to be a plea for authenticity and forgiveness from both parties in a relationship that has been marred by secrecy and past mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
Were you crushed?
Did I cause you pain or hurt you?
Did I rush you?
Did I move too quickly for you or put too much pressure on you?
All my time is yours
I am willing to give you all of my time and attention.
My twisted heart is yours
I am giving you my heart, even though it may be complicated or difficult.
The faithless shit is yours
Even my flaws and mistakes are yours to bear.
The shameless fits of love that only smother you for moments
I may be overwhelming with my love, but it only lasts for a brief moment before I pull back.
Until I fold them up and leave
Eventually I will withdraw my love and affection.
Oh, you had to ask, didn't you?
You had to question our relationship or my feelings towards you.
Oh, you had to know
You had to seek the truth and bring up our issues.
Show your scars
Reveal your vulnerabilities and past pains to me.
Not to rush you
I want you to feel comfortable taking your time in opening up.
The hieroglyphic hints in all the toilet scrawl
There are hidden messages and emotions even in mundane things like bathroom graffiti.
Guilty little pins
I feel a sense of guilt or unease about certain things in our relationship.
And all the things I never talk about are spilling with the gin
I am finally opening up about my inner thoughts and emotions while drinking.
Test how tough you are
I am putting you to the test, seeing how much you can handle in our relationship.
All yours
Everything, good or bad, is for you to handle and accept in our relationship.
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
@typicalcitrus7848
Were you crushed?
Did I rush you?
All my time is yours
My twisted heart is yours
The faithless shit is yours
The shameless fits of love
That only smother you for moments
‘Til I fold them up and leave
All yours
Oh you had to ask, didn’t you?
Oh you had to ask, didn’t you?
Oh you had to know
Oh you had to ask, didn’t you?
Oh you had to ask, didn’t you?
Oh you had to know
Show your scars
Not to rush you
The hieroglyphic hints
In all the toilet scrawl
Guilty little pins
In all the things I never talk about
Are spilling with the gin
Taste how tough you are
All yours
Oh you had to ask, didn’t you?
Oh you had to ask, didn’t you?
Oh you had to know
Oh you had to ask, didn’t you?
Oh you had to ask, didn’t you?
Oh you had to know
Not to rush you
@jolianthom
i had this played by a string quartet at my wedding three weeks ago it was this song that brought me to tears i love this band
@gerardkearney3683
Great choice for your wedding, God bless you both💚👍
@narellebarrett621
Gang of Youths live cover of this stunningly beautiful song is amazing
@seriterkunda2583
Here from the gang of youths cover and Elbow is just as beautiful
@michae13james10
So delicate.
The instruments played that of for a baby.
The melody so sweet
Love this song.
@Rich27014
Elobow's great lost single?? Just been having a root around in the CD collection and pulled up the CD singles for this tune, which I'd pretty much forgotten about. Stunning.......
@rl9779
Anyone in 2021 seeing this? It's Lockdown time. This pandemic brought so much good music! I love this band! 😻 Thank you, Elbow! You make our days of confinement smoother.
@brianshorrockjnr6928
20th Anniversary Of The Album Today
@elizabethbell4697
I first heard this tune way back in 2002. Totally gorgeous video. Means so much to me as it did as it does now. Love this video so much.
@terryeggett1
I'm mesmerized by this song and video. Incredible.