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
Dan's Song
Frank Turner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are going to get some beers,
And then we're going to go down,
To the park and drink them there.
We'll busk out in the sun
Play guitar and sing some songs
Pull up our friends and
Invite them down to share
What might be
The last weekend of the summer
'Cause September getting colder, as it goes
And we haven't done enough
Of this simple kind of stuff,
This year we're clearly getting older
And it shows.
Well work weeks make us weary
School's a distant memory,
And it's easy to ask questions
Of ourselves.
Like where it is we're going?
And what we had to show
From the sunny days we've
In the shelves.
With expectations of our ultimate direction
All the stations
That we should have reached by now.
Where we haven't read the script,
And our tender wings are clipped.
And we're scared we might be
Letting someone down.
Listen to these heart-break songs
When nothings really wrong.
And then we smile
When we're asked
And say we're fine.
We're drifting through
Our middle days,
And creeping,
Into middle age.
And setting in our ways
And now it's time
To decide
Now it's time
To draw the line
In the sand
And ask
What's more important than
Days like today,
So grab some beers
Call your friends,
And meet us here
In the summer park
With me and my friend Dan
The song "Dan's Song" by Frank Turner is a reflective look at the fleeting nature of time and the importance of living in the moment. The song begins with the singer, Frank, talking about his plans to spend the day with his friend Dan. They plan to drink some beers in the park, play guitar, and just enjoy each other's company. The lyrics emphasize the importance of spending time with loved ones and living in the present moment. The chorus reflects the feeling that the summer is almost over and that time is slipping away, so they need to make the most of every day.
The second verse shifts the focus to the introspective nature of being in your middle years. The song talks about the pressure to have everything figured out and the feeling that time is running out. Frank sings about the expectation of knowing where you're going and what you should have accomplished by now. The song emphasizes that it's okay to not have everything figured out, and that it's important to take a step back and enjoy the simple things in life.
The song ends with a call to action, encouraging listeners to grab some beers, call their friends, and join Frank and Dan in the park. It's a reminder to prioritize spending time with loved ones and living in the moment.
Overall, "Dan's Song" is a heartfelt reminder to slow down and appreciate the people and moments that make life worth living. It's a reminder to not get caught up in the pressure of having everything figured out and instead focus on what's really important.
Line by Line Meaning
Me and my friend Dan,
I am going out to get some beers with my friend named Dan.
Are going to get some beers,
We are going to buy some beers.
And then we're going to go down,
After buying the beers, we will head to the park.
To the park and drink them there.
We plan on consuming these beers while resting in the park.
We'll busk out in the sun
We are going to play musical instruments on the street to gain money or recognition.
Play guitar and sing some songs
We will play guitar and also sing some songs for others to enjoy or for our own amusement.
Pull up our friends and
We will ask our friends to come along with us.
Invite them down to share
We will offer them a drink and have a conversation or enjoy time together.
What might be
I am not sure about what may happen, but it could be the last weekend of summer.
The last weekend of the summer
This weekend could be the last one of the summer season.
'Cause September getting colder, as it goes
September is coming and the weather is getting colder.
And we haven't done enough
We have not completed enough activities this year.
Of this simple kind of stuff,
We have not done enough of these simple things.
This year we're clearly getting older
We are getting older day by day, and it is noticeable.
And it shows.
It is evident that we are getting older.
Well work weeks make us weary
Tiring and stressful workweeks make us exhausted.
School's a distant memory,
Our school days feel like they happened a long time ago.
And it's easy to ask questions
It is easy to question and contemplate our lives.
Of ourselves.
We are questioning ourselves.
Like where it is we're going?
We are unsure where we are headed in our lives.
And what we had to show
We are questioning our achievements so far in life.
From the sunny days we've
During the bright days we've had in the past,
In the shelves.
The things we've accomplished or the memories we've created seem like they are placed in a corner and gone dusty.
With expectations of our ultimate direction
We carry expectations of where we want to ultimately go in life.
All the stations
We measure our lives according to certain milestones or goals.
That we should have reached by now.
We should have attained certain things by this point in our lives, based on societal and personal expectations.
Where we haven't read the script,
We haven't planned each and every detail of our lives.
And our tender wings are clipped.
We are not capable of flying to our dreamlike hopes or goals.
And we're scared we might be
We are potentially worried that we might be
Letting someone down.
Disappointing someone significant, such as family or friends, by pursuing our dreams, can be something to worry about.
Listen to these heart-break songs
We listen to sad songs that help us cope, although nothing significant may be happening or wrong at this moment.
When nothings really wrong.
We listen to melancholic music when nothing is really that troubling.
And then we smile
After crying or feeling sad, we put on a brave face and smile like nothing has happened.
When we're asked
When someone inquires about our well-being or emotions.
And say we're fine.
When asked how we are, we usually tend to respond with, 'I'm fine'.
We're drifting through
Our present means we float or move back and forth aimlessly.
Our middle days,
Our days in the middle period of our lives.
And creeping,
Slowly moving towards something that you'd rather not move towards.
Into middle age.
Moving into the mid-point of our lives.
And setting in our ways
We are setting in our lifestyle preferences, or beliefs that we follow and cherish, and do not wish to deviate anymore.
And now it's time
It is time for us now.
To decide
We must take a decision.
Now it's time
This is the moment.
To draw the line
We must establish clear boundaries to protect what's important to us.
In the sand
Figuratively, drawing a line in the sand means marking a line and not wavering from it.
And ask
We must question.
What's more important than
What is more important than this? We must prioritize our time and energies accordingly.
Days like today,
Days that are simple and enjoyable like today.
So grab some beers
Go out and get some beers.
Call your friends,
Contact your friends.
And meet us here
Meet us here at this place.
In the summer park
In the park where summertime activities happen.
With me and my friend Dan
With me and my companion Dan.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FRANCIS EDWARD TURNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pixorite
I really do love this song :3 Learning to play it is proving to be a challenge though...
The Media Raptor's Archives
Love it.
Jomchen
somebody sang this in Comedy Night to me and it was beautiful
Faye datfangirl
Quarantine dance party continues.
Paula Higham gray
I wanna know who disliked this <🔫
Jitch Mones
Practice dude! all it takes!
5ardino
cool
5ardino
you re wrong everybody cares i mean it has like the best plot ever: she was fuurst :O
smurf2112
"daN"s[X-TRA]mileY's(:
A Fellow followin
"Pirate"
mallory
First