ln Waterford, O'Sullivan's father worked in a meat factory while his mother ran a sweet shop. In 1958, at the age of 11, he moved with his family to Swindon in England in search of a better life. He attended St. Joseph's Comprehensive school in Swindon. While there he developed an interest in both music and amateur boxing. Musically he began with the guitar and progressed to the piano. In the boxing ring he had nearly 50 bouts. Meanwhile his painting and drawing had won him a place at Swindon Art College. He started there in September 1963. His aim was to be a graphic designer. He played drums in his first group The Doodles and left them to join The Prefects while attending Swindon Art College. It was while at college that he met Rick Davies, who was later a member of Supertramp. While at college he began writing songs and sending out demo tapes, alas they were always returned unopened. The first song he remembers writing was Ready Miss Steady.
After finishing college, O'Sullivan moved to London in 1967 to try and further his musical career. He took a part-time job as a salesman at the C & A department store in Oxford Street. Mike Ward who also worked at C & A, had a contract with CBS and Gilbert went with him one day and played his tapes for some of the CBS executives. Gilbert signed a five year publishing contract with CBS which called for one single a year, and released two singles Disappear/You in 1967 and What Can I Do/You in 1968. Gilbert was disappointed that he was not allowed any input into the arranging or production of the singles. Neither single did well. Disillusioned with CBS, O'Sullivan signed with the Major Minor label and released I Wish I Could Cry/Mr. Moody's Garden in 1969.
O'Sullivan came to the attention of BBC Radio 1 disc jockey, John Peel, who gave him a slot on his radio show Top Gear, little of note resulted, and O'Sullivan spent part of 1969 applying to other record labels and management companies. It was at this time that O'Sullivan formulated his 'Bisto Kid' image; grey flannel suit, flat cap, school boy tie, football socks and hobnail boots. In search of a manager he sent some demo tapes to Gordon Mills, an ex-pop singer and himself a songwriter of repute, who had successfully guided the careers of Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck. Gordon Mills recognised something unique in the young Irishman and signed him for management as well as to a songwriting contract.
O'Sullivan made an irresistible impression with Nothing Rhymed, his first Top 10 hit and an introduction to his witty lyrics and original approach as a singer/songwriter. Signed to MAM Records, the label launched by Gordon Mills, who was also his record producer, great friend and surrogate older brother, O'Sullivan enjoyed four years of major success, incorporating a dozen more hit singles, ten of which reached the UK Top 10, and four Top 5 albums: Himself (1971), Back To Front (1972), I'm A Writer Not A Fighter (1973) and A Stranger In My Own Back Yard (1974).
Both Clair (written about Mills's infant daughter for whom Gilbert occasionally babysat) and Get Down were number one hit singles in Britain, and additionally, Back To Front topped the UK LP chart in 1972, emulating the success of the two million seller Alone Again (Naturally), a six week US chart-topper in 1972. O'Sullivan made his live debut in The National Stadium in Dublin in October of '72. Around this time, the singer jettisoned his so-called "Bisto Kid" image in favour of an endless series of collegiate-styled sweaters embossed with the letter "G". As quickly as O'Sullivan ascended to fame, however, his star began to fall , although singles like Ooh Baby and Happiness Is Me and You continued to chart, they sold increasingly fewer copies, and after 1973 his overseas popularity essentially ceased altogether. At home, he notched his final Top 20 hit with 1975's I Don't Love You But I Think I Like You. After a Greatest Hits album in 1976, and Southpaw in 1977, by which time the hit singles had dried up, disagreements over future direction led to a bitter split between O'Sullivan and Mills, which effectively sidelined the former as a recording artist for five years. The gruelling court case between O'Sullivan and his erstwhile manager, producer, music publisher and record company boss finally gave him control of his own recordings and the copyright in his songs, although it exacted an inevitable toll on his energy and his creativity during it's precedent-setting course.
Gilbert returned to CBS in 1980 and released Off Centre (1980) and Life & Rhymes (1982) but maintained a low profile during much of the 1980s, recharging his batteries and moving to Jersey, where he still lives with his wife and two children. Off Centre provided his 13th UK Top 20 single, What's In A Kiss?, after which legal proceedings monopolised his time. However, he continued writing songs, performing what he called "concepts within four walls" rather than starting back on the road before it was appropriate. He later recalled that the lyrics he wrote during that period were too heavily influenced by his personal emotions - having been extremely close to Mills before their disagreement, he was highly distressed to discover that his dear friend had been guilty of considerable financial greed at Gilbert's expense. Even so, he applied himself to his lonely creativity, working from 9 to 5 each day "just like Goffin & King and people like Neil Sedaka & Howard Greenfield at the Brill Building in New York used to do", although he later confessed "Really, the words were no good, because my mind was cluttered with all the problems". Lyrics have always been O'Sullivan's most unique facet, reflecting what's going on in his mind, and the strain under which he found himself was hardly conducive to much positive artistic or commercial creativity.
The first release for five years was Frobisher Drive and was only available in Germany. The same album with a slightly different track listing was released in the UK in 1989 under the title In The Key Of G, and included So What, his first chart single in almost a decade. Since the low-key comeback, the pace has increased, with five more albums. Gilbert also made a return to live performances in the early nineties, playing regularly in both Europe and Japan. In 1991, Gilbert was again in court, this time he sued American rapper Biz Markie and won the decision after Markie's unauthorized sample of "Alone Again (Naturally)" on his 1991 album I Need a Haircut. A 1992 single, Tomorrow Today had topped the Japanese charts for nine weeks, and this success led to a tour of Japan in early 1993 with his newly formed backing group, during which he recorded and filmed his first ever live album Tomorrow Today. Gilbert's newfound success in Japan led to the Japanese only release of The Little Album (1992) and Rare Tracks (1992). 1993's critical acclaimed Sounds Of The Loop (Daily Telegraph's Record Of The Week) included a duet with the legendary Peggy Lee on Can't Think Straight and even a solo version of the same song in Japanese. This album was recorded almost entirely at his home in Jersey in the Channel Islands.
By Larry (with a similar track listing to the Japanese released The Little Album) was released in 1994. Larry is a famous English cartoonist, much admired by Gilbert. Larry provided original cartoons for the album sleeve and booklet. Every Song Has It's Play was released the following year and was the soundtrack of the semi-autobiographical stage show that Gilbert had acted and sang in, in 1991. Singer Sowing Machine was released in 1997. The title is a humorous reaction by Gilbert to being constantly referred to as a singer/ songwriter. Irlish was released in 2000 and yielded three singles, Have It, Say Goodbye and Two's Company (Three Is Allowed). The album title Irlish, combination of the words Irish and English, appropriate for someone born in Ireland and raised in England. Gilbert's family was part of this migration. In 2001 The Official Gilbert O'Sullivan Website was launched as well as his own record label ByGum Records.
Gilbert continued to tour and he played a series of concerts in Ireland in 2001 and in the UK in 2002 to promote the Irlish album. A new studio album Piano Foreplay followed in 2003. In 2004 Rhino Handmade Records released a 3 CD anthology in the USA of Gilbert's music entitled Caricature: The Box. It contains 73 tracks which span the years 1967-2001. This is the first in-depth survey of Gilbert's lengthy career. It contains numerous singles and B-sides, tracks from 16 of his albums, and five previously unreleased tracks. A b-side collection entitled The Other Sides of Gilbert O'Sullivan was released in Japan in 2004 and contained many tracks available on CD for the first time. A series of concerts followed in Japan in June 2004 followed by a 20 date European Tour of the UK, Ireland, Norway and Denmark in November and December. In February 2005 a DVD/CD set of the 2004 Japanese show was released in Japan. Gilbert returned to Japan in June 2005 for a series of 13 shows. Gilbert spent the end of 2005 and the beginning of 2006 recording his next studio album "A Scruff At Heart" which was released in Japan on 25 October 2006.
Answers On A Postcard
Gilbert O'Sullivan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The girl that I'm in love with says we're through
How can I just let her go
Answers on a postcard please
It seems while I've been doing this and that
She's been carrying on behind my back
Why was I the last to know
And I don't know what rights if any I have
When it comes to little old me
You can be held for days without even being charged
They call it democracy
I never thought of this happening to us
It happens all the time of course it does
Devil did he play a role
Answers on a postcard please
(break)
And I don't know what rights if any I have
When it comes to, comes to seeing
Everything you've worked so hard for
All your life
Been smashed to smithereens
I'm lost and like a fool I found my way
Deep inside this dark secluded bay
How'd I get here I don't know
Answers on a postcard please
How'd I get here I don't know
Answers on a postcard please
The lyrics to Gilbert O'Sullivan's song "Answers On A Postcard" convey a sense of confusion, heartbreak, and a desperate need for guidance. The singer begins by expressing their loneliness and helplessness after the person they love ends their relationship. They ask for advice on how to let go of this person, emphasizing their desperation by requesting answers on a postcard. This imagery suggests a longing for something tangible, a physical response that could provide a solution or comfort.
The second paragraph reveals that while the singer has been occupied with their own activities, the person they love has been involved with someone else behind their back. This realization intensifies their feeling of betrayal and adds to their longing for answers. They express frustration at being the last to know about this infidelity and implore for explanations on a postcard.
The third paragraph introduces a theme of powerlessness and vulnerability in the face of unforeseen circumstances. The singer questions what rights they possess in such situations and suggests that even in a so-called democracy, individuals can be held captive without charge. This portrayal of an unjust system heightens the overall sense of confusion and vulnerability expressed throughout the song.
In the fourth paragraph, the singer reflects on their naivety in believing that such unfortunate events would never happen to them. They acknowledge that these occurrences are common, and they wonder if there was any influence from a third party, possibly referring to a malicious individual who caused the relationship to crumble. The plea for answers on a postcard persists, reflecting the singer's desperate search for understanding and closure.
The break in the lyrics emphasizes the emotional weight of the situation as the singer's thoughts and feelings become too overwhelming to express in words. It further underscores the desire for a tangible response, something concrete that can provide clarity and relief.
In the final lines, the singer expresses their bewilderment and confusion about how they ended up in their current state, lost in a secluded and dark place. They repeat the plea for answers on a postcard, once again highlighting their need for guidance and hoping for some form of resolution or explanation.
Overall, the lyrics of "Answers On A Postcard" delve into themes of heartbreak, betrayal, powerlessness, and the search for understanding in the face of unforeseen circumstances. The repeated request for answers on a postcard symbolizes a longing for clarity and closure, as the singer navigates the complex emotions that arise from a shattered relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm lost and all alone what do I do
I feel completely lost and isolated, unsure about what steps to take next in my situation.
The girl that I'm in love with says we're through
The woman I deeply love has ended our relationship.
How can I just let her go
I struggle to accept the idea of moving on from her.
Answers on a postcard please
I am desperately seeking advice or guidance from anyone who can provide it.
It seems while I've been doing this and that
While I have been occupied with various tasks and activities,
She's been carrying on behind my back
She has been secretly engaging in actions or behaviors without my knowledge.
Why was I the last to know
I wonder why I was the last person to find out about this betrayal.
And I don't know what rights if any I have
I am uncertain about the extent of my rights or entitlements in this situation.
When it comes to little old me
Especially when it concerns someone like me, an individual with limited influence or power.
You can be held for days without even being charged
In the name of democracy, authorities can detain individuals for extended periods without formal charges being filed against them.
They call it democracy
This practice is justified under the guise of democracy.
I never thought of this happening to us
I never anticipated such a situation befalling our relationship.
It happens all the time of course it does
In reality, this kind of betrayal occurs frequently.
Devil did he play a role
Perhaps the Devil influenced or played a part in this unfortunate turn of events.
And I don't know what rights if any I have
Once again, I am uncertain about my rights or protections in this matter.
When it comes to, comes to seeing
Specifically, when it pertains to having visibility or insight into certain aspects.
Everything you've worked so hard for
All the achievements and possessions that you have diligently pursued and built.
All your life
Throughout your entire existence.
Been smashed to smithereens
Have been completely shattered and destroyed.
I'm lost and like a fool I found my way
I feel utterly lost and foolish for ending up in this predicament.
Deep inside this dark secluded bay
In the depths of this hidden and isolated place.
How'd I get here I don't know
I genuinely have no understanding of how I arrived at this point.
Answers on a postcard please
Once again, I implore anyone to provide me with guidance or insights through any means possible.
How'd I get here I don't know
Reiterating my complete lack of comprehension regarding my current circumstances.
Answers on a postcard please
Once more, I plead for assistance or explanations from anyone who can offer them.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GILBERT O'SULLIVAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind