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/
Starlings
Elbow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He'll have to go
So too the bunch he luncheons with
It's second on my list of things to do
At the top I'm stopping by
Your place of work and acting like
I haven't dreamed of you and I
You are the only thing
In any room you're ever in
I'm stubborn, selfish and too old
I sat you down and told you how
The truest love that's ever found is for oneself
You pulled apart my theory
With a weary and disinterested sigh
So yes, I guess I'm asking you
To back a horse that's good for glue and nothing else
But find a man that's truer than
Find a man that needs you more than I
Sit with me a while
And let me listen to you talk about
Your dreams and your obsessions
I'll be quiet and confessional
The violets explode inside me
When I meet your eyes
Then I'm spinning and I'm diving
Like a cloud of starlings
Darling, is this love?
The opening lines of Elbow's song "Starlings" express a sense of frustration and anger towards someone in a position of power - the premier - who has ignored the invitations of the person singing the song. The singer then declares that this person "will have to go," along with the group of people they associate with. However, the singer quickly changes the subject, saying that their top priority is to visit someone else's place of work and pretend that they haven't been dreaming of being with that person and getting married in an orange grove.
The rest of the song explores the singer's conflicted feelings about this person they are addressing. They describe this person as "the only thing in any room you're ever in" and admit to being "stubborn, selfish and too old." The singer also shares a theory with the person about how the truest love is for oneself, but the other person refutes this with a "weary and disinterested sigh." The singer then asks the person to find a man who is truer and needs them more than the singer does.
Overall, "Starlings" is a song about the complexities of love and relationships, with the singer expressing both desire and insecurity. The dream imagery of meeting in an orange grove and the explosive feeling of the violets inside the singer when they meet the other person's eyes suggest a deep emotional connection, but the singer is unable to fully commit due to their own issues.
Line by Line Meaning
How dare the premier ignore my invitations?
I feel personally offended that the prime minister did not respond to the invitations I sent.
He'll have to go
I will not tolerate this disrespect any longer and the prime minister will have to be removed from his position.
So too the bunch he luncheons with
The prime minister's associates and friends are also guilty by association and must be dealt with.
It's second on my list of things to do
Dealing with the prime minister and his associates is second only to my top priority.
At the top I'm stopping by
My highest priority is visiting your workplace.
Your place of work and acting like
I will pretend that I have never been infatuated with you or dreamed of a life together.
I haven't dreamed of you and I
I will deny my feelings for you and act as if they never existed.
And marriage in an orange grove
I had imagined a romantic future with you, but I will suppress those feelings.
You are the only thing
You are the most captivating person in any room that you enter.
In any room you're ever in
Your presence stands out and captures everyone's attention.
I'm stubborn, selfish and too old
I acknowledge that I have flaws in my personality, such as being stubborn and selfish, and I may not be the best match for you due to our differences in age.
I sat you down and told you how
I opened up about my belief that loving oneself is the purest form of love.
The truest love that's ever found is for oneself
I believe that the most sincere form of love comes from self-acceptance and self-love.
You pulled apart my theory
You disagreed with my theory and argued against it.
With a weary and disinterested sigh
You were not impressed or convinced by my argument and showed your indifference with your reaction.
So yes, I guess I'm asking you
I am now asking you for a favor after all that has been said.
To back a horse that's good for glue and nothing else
I am asking you to support me, even though I may not have much to offer beyond my loyalty.
But find a man that's truer than
I recognize that I may not be the perfect match for you and that you deserve better.
Find a man that needs you more than I
You should find someone who values you more than I do and can offer you more than I am capable of.
Sit with me a while
I am asking you to spend some time with me and talk openly about your passions.
And let me listen to you talk about
I want to hear you talk about your ideas, hobbies, and interests.
Your dreams and your obsessions
I am interested in hearing about your aspirations and passions, no matter how unique or obscure they may be.
I'll be quiet and confessional
I will listen attentively to you and also share my own personal thoughts and feelings with you.
The violets explode inside me
Your beauty and presence evoke strong emotions in me.
When I meet your eyes
When I look into your eyes, I feel a deep connection and attraction towards you.
Then I'm spinning and I'm diving
I feel like I'm losing control and falling deeper into my emotions when I am around you.
Like a cloud of starlings
I feel overwhelmed and entranced, like a flock of birds moving together in unison.
Darling, is this love?
I am questioning whether my feelings towards you are genuine and whether they constitute love.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CRAIG LEE POTTER, GUY EDWARD JOHN GARVEY, MARK POTTER, MARK ELLIS POTTER, PETER JAMES TURNER, RICHARD BARRY JUPP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
James Martin
How dare the Premier ignore my invitations?
He'll have to go
So, too, the bunch he luncheons with
It's second on my list of things to do
At the top is stopping by
Your place of work and acting like
I haven't dreamed of you and I
And marriage in an orange grove
You are the only thing in any room you're ever in
I'm stubborn, selfish and too old
I sat you down and told you how
The truest love that's ever found
Is for oneself
You pulled apart my theory
With a weary and disinterested sigh
So yes I guess I'm asking you
To back a horse that's good for glue
And nothing else
But find a man that's truer than
Find a man that needs you more than I
Sit with me a while
And let me listen to you talk about
Your dreams and your obsessions
I'll be quiet and confessional
The violets explode inside me
When I meet your eyes
Then I'm spinning and I'm diving
Like a cloud of starlings
Darling is this love?
Jonathan Fry
I always think comments like this look strange, but it's 3:30 in the morning and I'm past caring. I think this is one of the most beautiful songs ever written and it's genuinely impossible for me to feel at all sad when I listen to it. I hope this feeling never wears off.
Sally Majer
You and me both....
Sally Majer
Jonathan Fry that’s a beautiful comment..... you are lovely
Sally Majer
Jonathan, I think I love you....
L Devaney
...I mean Jonathan!!
L Devaney
Couldn't agree with you more on that Robert!!!
Terry Barham
This is one brilliant album. There are few things in life quite so liberating as the opening track on an Elbow album--they're like airlocks between the plainness of the outside world and the elaborate melancholic heave-ho that you are likely about to submerge yourself in. Following predecessors "Any Day Now", "Ribcage" and "Station Approach", "Starlings" opens their fourth album The Seldom Seen Kid rising from a bed of tumbling electronic subtlety like a depressed Atari game loading up, adding bare touches of piano, glimpses of ambient guitar, out of body background vocals, an understated pulse and a wisp of strings, before--EXCELSIS!--a fanfare avalanche of horns crashes the gate and elevates things to gasping palatial heights, before Guy Garvey's inimitable gravel tone and wrenchingly poetic reinterpretations of the everyday announce their arrival proper.the best of their career.
jezzvideo
Copied and pasted from Amazon review, credited to James Berry.
Lenny Vee
You should write for the NME, before they were a crap magazine
Moira Russell
Dude, nice.