Frank Turner started solo acoustic shows prior to Million Dead's break up. The first official performance was at the first Small Town America all dayer at 93 Feet East on September 18th 2004. The solo performances were, in a sense, a sideline to Million Dead. They did allow Turner to display some of his own songwriting capabilities (without a band) as well as some covers of songs and bands he enjoyed, in some cases the songs were much re-worked to fit an acoustic atmosphere. Solo performances were also used to help bolster or expose Million Dead to new individuals as well, with some acoustic in-store and radio performances of Million Dead songs.
At the end of February and start of March (2006) Frank went to Oxford to record the "Campfire Punkrock" EP with Dive Dive as the backing band for three of the songs. This EP was released on May 15 2006 on a limited run through Xtra Mile recordings. It sold out after only a few weeks on sale and had to be re-pressed to meet demand.
With Jonah Matranga doing some touring in June 2006 in support of his CD/DVD album "Jonah Matranga" there was some discussion of Frank doing supports with Jonah, this only ended up with one show featuring both at The Peel in Kingston. The discussion however lead to the creation of the Jonah Matranga and Frank Turner split 12" vinyl. Released in the USA on Welcome Home Records and in the UK via Xtra Mile Recordings. The release features Frank covering two songs by American songwriters and Jonah covering two songs by British songwriters. He was recently (September 18 2006) the last ever artist to perform on BBC Radio 1's Lamacq Live program, unveiling two new songs from "Sleep Is For The Week".
The good sales of "Campfire Punkrock" meant good news as this allowed Frank to record his debut album "Sleep Is For The Week" in August and September 2006. Recorded in Oxford with Dive Dive as extra band on a selection of the 13 tracks. The last track, "The Ballad Of Me And My Friends", is a live recording from a sold out show at the London Barfly and features the vocal contribution of the (approximately) 200 strong audience during a verse. Those in attendance and gave their names to Xtra Mile Recordings will have their names credited as contributers to this track.
In April 2008, his second album Love, Ire and Song was released to critical acclaim.
His third full-length album, Poetry Of The Deed, was released September 7th 2009, and includes the singles The Road, Try This At Home and Isabel. An accompanying DVD, Take To The Road, was released in March 2010.
Amidst extensive touring in support of Poetry of the Deed, Turner and his then-untitled backing band recorded Rock & Roll, an EP consisting of tracks written at the same time as Poetry of the Deed alongside new material. Following its release, Turner and the band spent twenty days in January 2011, recording their next studio album with producer Tristan Ivemy. The result was England Keep My Bones, the fourth studio album by Frank, released on June 6, 2011, on Xtra Mile in the United Kingdom, and on June 7, 2011, on Epitaph Records worldwide. Preceded by the single, "Peggy Sang the Blues", the album was produced and mixed by Tristan Ivemy, who had previously mixed Love, Ire and Song, Rock & Roll and Campfire Punkrock.
The album's title is taken from William Shakespeare's play, The Life and Death of King John, with Turner noting, "I knew that the album was, for the most part, about mortality, and about Englishness. Shakespeare seemed like a good place to go hunting for some pearls of wisdom, and with a little help from my friend Ben we came across this one, and it just seemed to fit the work really well."
Following the completion of the album, Turner subsequently announced his backing band had named themselves The Sleeping Souls, after a lyric in the track, "I Am Disappeared". The Sleeping Souls are Nigel Powell, Ben LLoyd, Tarant Anderson and Matt Nasir.
Turner recorded his fifth studio album in Burbank, California, in October 2012. The reason for recording first time abroad in California was, that producer Rich Costey wouldn't come to England with all his equipment so he convinced Turner to record it in Burbank. Frank Turner announced via Twitter on 28 October 2012 that recording was completed, and mixing and mastering would be done in time for a March 2013 release date. During the November and December UK tour a free CD titled Good Hangs from Xtra Mile Recordings was distributed for free at Frank Turner shows, this included a yet-to-be-released Turner song titled "Tattoos" plus the Möngöl Hörde song "Casual Threats From Weekend Hardmen". On Christmas Day 2012, the song "Four Simple Words" was released on Xtra Mile Recordings' website as a free download along with the b-side "Cowboy Chords". On 4 January 2013, a video was shot for what would be the first single. On the same day Frank announced on Twitter that the single was the song "Recovery". On 9 January, Frank uploaded a photo to his Instagram page showing the names of all 13 songs that would feature on his new album. This included songs played during the UK and US tours of 2012 such as "Anymore", "Plain Sailing Weather", "We Shall Not Overcome" and "Tell Tale Signs". Frank also posted on his fan forum that an extended edition of his new album would be released that includes an extra 5 or 6 songs. On 19 February 2013, it was announced that Turner had signed a licensing deal with Interscope Records in the US for Tape Deck Heart. Following the release of the album Frank Turner embarked on a short U.K tour.
[this section requires expansion, to cover the period 2013 to 2018]
Discography:
2005 - Frank Turner's Demo
2007 - Campfire Punkrock
2007 - The Real Damage
2007 - Sleep Is For The Week
2008 - Love Ire & Song
2008 - The First Three Years
2009 - Poetry Of The Deed
2010 - Take to the Road: Live 2009
2010 - iTunes Festival: London 2010
2011 - 2011-11-17: Daytrotter Session, Big Orange Studios, Austin, TX, USA
2012 - The Second Three Years
2012 - Last Minutes and Lost Evenings
2013 - Tape Deck Heart
2014 - Polaroid Picture
2014 - The Third Three Years
2015 - Positive Songs for Negative People
2017 - Songbook
2018 - Be More Kind
2019 - No Man's Land
2020 - West Coast vs. Wessex
2020 - Buddies II: Still Buddies
Back In The Day
Frank Turner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I met a girl in a Rancid shirt, and a tape she gave to me
With the Black Flag First Four Years and the Minor Threat Discography,
And punk rock saved my life.
Going down the Red Eye back in 1998,
Hanging out with Household Names and staying out too late,
This angry adolescent found an outlet for his hate,
And punk rock saved my life.
The vision wasn't perfect and we knew it all along,
We dressed like fucking idiots and got our facts all wrong.
But everyone must needs be an extremist when they're young –
Fucking with your parents makes you grow up big and strong.
Folding zines and record sleeves while sitting round at home,
Flicking through the catalogues and distros at the shows,
Circle pits and sing-a-longs, come on let's fucking go,
And punk rock saved my life.
That little dream is over, it was never going to last.
Everybody's moved along and it's all in the past,
But when I was just 16 I pinned my colours to the mast.
And punk rock's in the ink that's in my skin,
The attitude in every song I sing,
And we didn't change the world, we didn't win,
We probably didn't even save my life, it's true
But I bet we had a better time than you.
Frank Turner's "Back in the Day" is a nostalgic look back at his youthful punk rock days. The song tells the story of how punk rock music and culture had a profound influence on his life, and how it helped him to express his anger and rebel against societal norms. As an adolescent, Turner met a girl on holiday wearing a Rancid shirt, who gave him a mixtape that changed his life. The tape contained two seminal punk rock albums: Black Flag's "First Four Years" and Minor Threat's "Discography". He describes how these albums, along with the punk rock community, gave him a sense of belonging and purpose.
The second verse acknowledges the imperfections of the punk rock movement, including misguided fashion choices and misinformed political views. However, Turner argues that these extreme attitudes were necessary for young people to assert their independence and challenge the status quo. The chorus repeats that "punk rock saved my life", emphasizing the transformative power of the genre. The final verse reflects on how the punk rock community faded away, but the memories and tattoos still remain as a testament to the impact it had on Turner's life. He acknowledges that punk rock didn't change the world or save his life in a literal sense, but it provided a sense of identity and belonging that had a profound impact on his youth.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was just a skinny lad on holiday by the sea,
As a young, thin boy vacationing by the ocean
I met a girl in a Rancid shirt, and a tape she gave to me
I crossed paths with a girl wearing a Rancid band T-shirt, who gifted me a cassette
With the Black Flag First Four Years and the Minor Threat Discography,
Containing Black Flag's 'First Four Years' album and complete recordings of Minor Threat
And punk rock saved my life.
It saved me from something, perhaps a dark or mundane existence, by providing a sense of purpose and community through punk rock.
Going down the Red Eye back in 1998,
Took a flight called the Red Eye in year 1998
Hanging out with Household Names and staying out too late,
Spending time socializing with other punk bands known as Household Names and often staying up late into the night
This angry adolescent found an outlet for his hate,
This emotional teenager found a means of channeling their feelings of anger
And punk rock saved my life.
Punk rock provided a salvation for me, possibly from feelings of isolation, disillusionment or depression.
The vision wasn't perfect and we knew it all along,
We were aware of the defects in our outlook and values from the beginning
We dressed like fucking idiots and got our facts all wrong.
Our clothing choices were absurd and we were grossly misinformed on important issues.
But everyone must needs be an extremist when they're young –
It's common for youthful people to become extreme in their beliefs
Fucking with your parents makes you grow up big and strong.
Rebelling against your parents helps one mature and become more robust.
Folding zines and record sleeves while sitting round at home,
Sitting at home, folding punk rock zines and record sleeves
Flicking through the catalogues and distros at the shows,
Perusing the catalogs and merchandise booths at punk rock concerts
Circle pits and sing-a-longs, come on let's fucking go,
Participating in circle pits and singing along to punk music with gusto
And punk rock saved my life.
Punk rock had a profound impact on my life, possibly providing needed support, acceptance and camaraderie.
That little dream is over, it was never going to last.
The small-scale fantasy has ended, it could never last forever.
Everybody's moved along and it's all in the past,
Everyone else has gone on with their lives and the past memories are just that
But when I was just 16 I pinned my colours to the mast.
At 16, I made a heightened commitment to my punk rock virtues.
And punk rock's in the ink that's in my skin,
My tattoos honor my punk rock culture and values.
The attitude in every song I sing,
The punk rock sentiment is embodied in every song I sing.
And we didn't change the world, we didn't win,
We haven't really affected a worldly change nor come out as 'winners' in any practical sense.
We probably didn't even save my life, it's true
It's possible that punk rock didn't really save my life, as was previously claimed.
But I bet we had a better time than you.
However, I surmise that we probably had a more enjoyable and meaningful time than most people.
Contributed by John N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.