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
Time Machine
Frank Turner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On particle physics and the power steam
It runs on diesel oil and Donnie Darko daydreams
Packed a pair of socks and a hunting riffle
Change of underwear and some snacks to trifle
Scared of going back you know how I'm forgetful
To go back and to see the way things really used to be
Packed up, sat in my DeLorean
Like some kind of amateur historian
I'll visit the Renaissance and the Romans, the Victorians
Drinking in Deadwood in the 1880s
Rock and roll and drive thrus in the 1950s
Trying not to change things so the plot lines don't get shitty
To go back and to see the way things really used to be
Not the way we remember them
To go back and to see the way things really used to be
Not the way we remember them at all
'Cause I can't recall, you tell it to me false
What if everything were to change completely
If you just saw a replay of the crucial scenes
From the passenger window of a time machine
In truth the real reason that I built this here machine
Was just to travel back a couple of years
To when we first met before the fights and tears
To a time when you and I first got together
Simple days and simple words like "forever"
Dripped off our tongues, come on you must remember
To go back and to see the way things really used to be
Before life quietly dismembers
All the best things about you and I before the doubts
Drowned out all of the mirth and mercy
Come on baby please you must remember
Please remember
The song "Time Machine" by Frank Turner is an ode to the past and the desire to go back to simpler times. The lyrics describe the building of a time machine, fueled by both particle physics and Donnie Darko daydreams, that runs on diesel oil. The singer packs some essentials, including a hunting rifle, snacks, and a change of underwear, before embarking on a journey through time. However, the singer is also scared of going back as they are forgetful. The aim of this journey is to see the way things really used to be, not how we remember them, and to revisit moments from history without changing anything significant.
The singer travels through time, visiting various eras, including the Renaissance, the Romans, and the Victorians, and experiencing different cultures and lifestyles. They also try not to change things to avoid screwing up the timelines. The desire to witness history firsthand stems from the fact that our memories can be unreliable and are often shaped by our perceptions and feelings. The singer believes that the only way to know the truth is to witness it for themselves through the time machine.
Towards the end of the song, the true motive behind building the time machine is revealed as a desire to go back to the time when the singer and their loved one first met, before life's struggles and doubts crept in. The lyrics speak to the experience of nostalgia and a longing to relive happier moments from the past. The final plea to "Please remember" is a call to their loved one to share in this desire to revisit the past.
Line by Line Meaning
I'ma gonna build myself a time machine
Frank Turner is going to construct a time machine
On particle physics and the power steam
The time machine relies on principles of particle physics and steam power
It runs on diesel oil and Donnie Darko daydreams
The time machine is fueled by diesel oil and Frank Turner's imagination, reminiscent of the movie Donnie Darko
Packed a pair of socks and a hunting riffle
Frank Turner brought along practical items like socks and a hunting rifle for his time travel adventure
Change of underwear and some snacks to trifle
He also packed spare underwear and snacks, reflecting his practical approach to time travel
Scared of going back you know how I'm forgetful
Frank is hesitant about traveling to the past due to his forgetfulness and potential consequences of changing history
To go back and to see the way things really used to be
The main purpose of Frank's time machine is to witness the reality of the past, rather than romanticized versions
Not the way we remember them at all
He acknowledges that our memories of the past may not be entirely accurate
Packed up, sat in my DeLorean
Frank uses a DeLorean, made famous by the movie Back to the Future, as his time machine
Like some kind of amateur historian
Frank is like a novice historian, exploring the past in his own way
I'll visit the Renaissance and the Romans, the Victorians
He has plans to visit various historical eras, including the Renaissance, Roman times, and Victorian era
Drinking in Deadwood in the 1880s
Frank intends to experience the Wild West town of Deadwood in the 1880s
Rock and roll and drive thrus in the 1950s
He also wants to check out the 1950s, with its iconic music and newly-emerging drive-through restaurants
Trying not to change things so the plot lines don't get shitty
Frank is aware of the dangers of changing history and tries to avoid doing so, to avoid undesirable consequences
'Cause I can't recall, you tell it to me false
He admits to having trouble recalling specific details of the past, and may rely on other people's accounts, which may be inaccurate
What if everything were to change completely
Frank wonders about the potential for disastrous consequences if something is changed in the past
If you just saw a replay of the crucial scenes
He suggests that if you could simply watch the past like a movie, it would not have as much impact
From the passenger window of a time machine
The time machine allows Frank to witness historical events from a unique perspective
In truth the real reason that I built this here machine
Frank reveals the true motivation behind his time machine: to revisit his past relationship with someone special
Was just to travel back a couple of years
He wants to go back to a time when he and his partner were happy and in love
To when we first met before the fights and tears
He wants to go back to the early days of their relationship, before it became difficult and painful
To a time when you and I first got together
He wants to relive the exciting and euphoric beginning of their romance
Simple days and simple words like 'forever'
The past he wants to relive was characterized by simplicity and hopefulness
Dripped off our tongues, come on you must remember
He urges his partner to remember and appreciate the beautiful moments they shared together
Before life quietly dismembers
Frank laments how their love and happiness was taken apart slowly by life's challenges
All the best things about you and I before the doubts
He misses the best parts of their relationship before they started doubting each other and their love
Drowned out all of the mirth and mercy
The doubts and struggles drowned out the joy and kindness they once shared
Come on baby please you must remember
Frank pleads with his partner to remember and perhaps rekindle the past love that they had
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: FRANK TURNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind