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.
Matrimony
Gilbert O'Sullivan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But have you seen the time
It's quarter to ten and we're supposed to be there
at nine
I don't think the registrar
Will be very pleased
When we show up an hour late
Like two frozen peas
Presently and past
Something that begins with M
And ends in alas
More than not complete disaster
Even form the start
What could it be...
It's Matrimony
I know how you've dreamt about
Being walked down the aisle
But think of the money we'll save
And you'll see it's worthwhile
It won't please our mums and dads
But they don't even know,
Besides if they did what's the betting
They wouldn't even go
You and me are all that matters
Disregard the rest
Trust your soon to be old man
He knows what is best
Very shortly now there's going to be
An answer from you
Then one from me
That's matrimony
I'm truly grateful for the little things in life
That have made me so glad
Every other hour that I spend with you
Is not in the least bit sad
Quite the opposite in fact
And if you don't believe me
Here's the proof
Ask me if I and I'll say "Aye, I do"
You and me are all that matters
Disregard the rest
Trust your soon to be old man
He knows what is best
Very shortly now there's going to be
An answer from you
Then one from me
That's matrimony
Marriage-the joining together of the two people
For better or for worse Till death them do part
Ole!
The song "Matrimony" by Gilbert O'Sullivan presents a humorous take on the subject of marriage, as the singer tries to convince his lover to elope with him rather than go through with a traditional wedding. He is concerned about being late to the ceremony and makes light of the fact that they will be "like two frozen peas" by the time they arrive. He also suggests that they could save money by eloping and not having a big wedding, although he acknowledges that their parents would not be pleased with this decision. The singer seems confident in his love and relationship, proclaiming that he is grateful for every moment he spends with his partner and that they are all that matter in this decision.
Line by Line Meaning
I've no wish to hurry you luv
I don't want to rush you, my love
But have you seen the time
But do you realize how late it is
It's quarter to ten and we're supposed to be there
at nine
It's already 9:45, and we were supposed to arrive an hour ago
I don't think the registrar
Will be very pleased
When we show up an hour late
Like two frozen peas
I suspect the registrar will not be happy with us when we arrive an hour late and look foolish
Both now facing for the first time
Presently and past
Something that begins with M
And ends in alas
More than not complete disaster
Even form the start
What could it be...
It's Matrimony
Now we come together with our past and present to face something that starts with M and ends in 'alas.' Although more often it ends in disaster, even from the beginning. What is it? It's marriage
I know how you've dreamt about
Being walked down the aisle
But think of the money we'll save
And you'll see it's worthwhile
I understand you've always dreamed of being walked down the aisle, but consider the money we'll save and you'll see it's worth it
It won't please our mums and dads
But they don't even know,
Besides if they did what's the betting
They wouldn't even go
Our parents won't be happy about it, but they don't even know yet. And if they did, odds are they wouldn't even attend
You and me are all that matters
Disregard the rest
Trust your soon to be old man
He knows what is best
All that matters is you and me - we can ignore everyone else's opinions. Trust me, your soon-to-be husband, I know what's best
Very shortly now there's going to be
An answer from you
Then one from me
That's matrimony
Soon there will be a 'yes' from you and then a 'yes' from me - that's marriage
I'm truly grateful for the little things in life
That have made me so glad
Every other hour that I spend with you
Is not in the least bit sad
Quite the opposite in fact
And if you don't believe me
Here's the proof
Ask me if I and I'll say "Aye, I do"
I'm grateful for the small things in life that make me happy, and every hour spent with you is the opposite of sad - it's wonderful. And if you doubt me, ask me to marry you, and I'll happily say 'I do'
Marriage-the joining together of the two people
For better or for worse Till death them do part
Ole!
Marriage is the union of two people, for better or for worse, until death do them part. Hooray!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RAYMOND O'SULLIVAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@celticdollface
You know, Gilbert was a genius singer songwriter... he was a favourite of ours in the 70's when we were teens... every song was brilliant... he was way ahead of his time, and should have become a global superstar...
@gilbertosullivanofficial
The lamp on the piano was my response to Liberace, who always used to place a candelabra on his grand piano. I also love those coat stands. Just somewhere to hang my coat up whilst I’m singing....
I once did a TV show, and to get to the studio I took my own coat stand on the tube!
@ownread112
Excuse me, is this film also an official video?「Alone again(naturally)」 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ8VyWuUdL4
@WilliamHelfrichLuvsCandi
Awesome!
@tonychuter4830
Thank you sir thanks for the memories...
@ronnieparkerscott6223
You talk about coat stands, but I am not alone I am sure when I say that you were instrumental in forging my moral compass with Nothing Rhymed. For that, I thank you.
@haukechristiansen3957
Einfach nur schön
@gilbertosullivanofficial
Hello everyone, thank-you for tuning in to watch the HD premier of 'Matrimony'. So what I love about this song, is that while it was never released as a single, it has become almost a signature tune for me. You only have to witness the reaction it receives at concerts! And of course, being a Latin based song, there’s no denying Latin never dates. It's current, contemporary, and a key factor... danceable!! It's nice to think it has played it's part in many a wedding over the years
@journeyman4619
Fantastic to see these clips digitally restored - keep them coming :-) Would love to see a re-broadcast of some of the BBC footage and concerts
@thomasmarthinussen8978
Hi Gilbert! Matrimony was a charttoppa here in Norway in 1972. Love you an your songs! Are you coming to Norway this autumn?