Unable to garner much attention in Los Angeles, the band flew to London shortly after forming in hopes of securing a record deal and possibly gaining an audience in the New Wave and post-punk scene that was quite popular in Britain at the time. After playing on the pub circuit extensivley, they came to prominence as the opening act for fellow Americans Blondie, and were signed to disc jockey Charlie Gillett's record label, Opal.
The 1979 release of the single "Tell That Girl To Shut Up" garnered the band a recording contract with Virgin Records. While the single wasn't a very big hit for Holly and the Italians, it would be in 1988 when covered by Transvision Vamp. The band recorded their only album, The Right To Be Italian, produced by Richard Gottehrer. Their next two singles, "Youth Coup" and "Miles Away," (the latter written by bassist Mark Henry), failed to chart and the group disbanded at the end of 1981.
In 1982 Holly Beth Vincent issued a solo album entitled Holly and the Italians even though the band was now defunct and the album was solely credited to Vincent. The album featured a minor hit with the completely overhauled cover of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth," and the subsequent video gained some airtime on MTV. Later that year Vincent recorded a cover of Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe" with Ramones frontman Joey Ramone.
After a brief period replacing Patty Donahue in The Waitresses, she appeared in a combo called the Wild Things with Anthony Thistlethwaite of The Waterboys, and in 1995 teamed up with Concrete Blonde singer Johnette Napolitano for a musical side project entitled Vowel Movement.
Miles Away
Holly And The Italians Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How could you leave me out here in the dark all alone again
Well this time, it's too bad, don't complain
Cause it's me that's been had, whoa-O
Let's call it a day, if you don't go, I'll be away, hey
Miles away
Before you even feel it I'll be miles away
Don't even want to see you when I'm miles away
I don't care how, just make it now
Don't want to row, don't want you around, whoa-O
When you're feeling down and needing me I'll be miles away
Even now when you say you have to see me
Well I just know
You play it like those guys on the TV
But I've seen that show
Well I tried, even though, you're unkind
But why I don't know, whoa-O
Let's call it a day, if you don't go, I'll be away, hey
Miles away
Before you even feel it I'll be miles away
Miles away
Don't even want to see you when I'm miles away
I don't care how, just make it now
Don't want to row, don't want you around, whoa-O
When you're feeling down and needing me I'll be miles away
Miles away, hey-ey
Miles away, Oh-o
Miles away, before you even feel it I'll be
Miles away, before you even feel it
Miles away, before you even feel it I'll be
Miles away, before you even feel it
Miles away, before you, before you
Miles away, before you before you even feel it I'll be
Miles away, before you even feel it I'll be
Miles away, before you even feel it
Miles away
The song "Miles Away" by Holly And The Italians describes a situation where one person is tired of being treated poorly in a relationship and decides to leave. The lyrics start with the singer waiting up for their partner in Clermont Park for hours, only to be left alone in the dark yet again. The singer decides that they've had enough and it's time to end the relationship because they feel they've been taken advantage of. The chorus emphasizes the distance between the two, both physically and emotionally. The singer wants to be miles away from the individual and doesn't want to see them, hear from them or be around them anymore. The verse continues to describe how the person they're in a relationship with pretends to want to see them, but the singer knows it's an act and that the person is not good for them. The song ends with the repetition of the phrase "Miles Away" to emphasize the distance and finality of the decision to end the relationship.
Overall, "Miles Away" is a song about standing up for oneself and leaving a toxic relationship. The lyrics are straightforward and highlight the singer's firm decision to move on from the person who has been treating them poorly. The use of repetition in the chorus reinforces the idea that the singer truly wants to put distance between themselves and their former partner.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been waitin' up at Clermont Park since half past ten
I have been waiting for you in the park since half past ten.
How could you leave me out here in the dark all alone again
You left me alone in the dark despite knowing how it hurts me.
Well this time, it's too bad, don't complain
This time, I won't tolerate any complaints from you because it's your fault.
Cause it's me that's been had, whoa-O
I have been taken advantage of, and I feel hurt.
Let's call it a day, if you don't go, I'll be away, hey
Let's end this relationship now, and if you don't leave, I will go away.
Miles away
I am far away from you.
Before you even feel it I'll be miles away
Before you even realize it, I will have left and be far away.
Don't even want to see you when I'm miles away
I don't want to see you, even if I am far away.
I don't care how, just make it now
I don't care about the method, but you need to leave now.
Don't want to row, don't want you around, whoa-O
I don't want to argue with you, and I don't want you around me anymore.
When you're feeling down and needing me I'll be miles away
If you need me when you're in a low place, I won't be there for you since I will be far away.
Even now when you say you have to see me
Even when you say you want to see me, I don't believe you.
Well I just know
I am confident that you are not being honest with me.
You play it like those guys on the TV
You are putting on a show, just like the guys on TV.
But I've seen that show
I know what you are doing, and I am not buying it.
Well I tried, even though, you're unkind
I tried to make things work, even though you were not kind to me.
But why I don't know, whoa-O
I don't know why you treated me so poorly.
Miles away
I am far away from you.
Before you even feel it I'll be miles away
Before you even realize it, I will have left and be far away.
Don't even want to see you when I'm miles away
I don't want to see you, even if I am far away.
I don't care how, just make it now
I don't care about the method, but you need to leave now.
Don't want to row, don't want you around, whoa-O
I don't want to argue with you, and I don't want you around me anymore.
When you're feeling down and needing me I'll be miles away
If you need me when you're in a low place, I won't be there for you since I will be far away.
Miles away, hey-ey
I am far away from you.
Miles away, Oh-o
I am far away from you.
Miles away, before you even feel it I'll be
I will have left and be far away before you even realize it.
Miles away, before you even feel it
I will have left and be far away before you even realize it.
Miles away, before you even feel it I'll be
I will have left and be far away before you even realize it.
Miles away, before you even feel it
I will have left and be far away before you even realize it.
Miles away, before you, before you
I will have left and be far away before you even have a chance to react.
Miles away, before you before you even feel it I'll be
I will have left and be far away before you even have a chance to react.
Miles away, before you even feel it I'll be
I will have left and be far away before you even realize it.
Miles away
I am far away from you.
Writer(s): M. Sidgwick
Contributed by Zachary S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Zookzookzook13
First saw Holly & The Italians in Central Park, NYC in 1980 - they opened for The Ramones. Holly Beth Vincent is a hidden gem - fantastic songwriter. Really hope she's still writing and recording!
@michaeltnewyorknights8413
Fantastic record. My brother bought the single when it came out.
@maykolcastillo6965
I Love This Song ❤️
@petMonster28
Wow, this is fantastic.
@slick222
She was Mark Knopfler's muse for most of his career, seemingly the love of his life. They hooked up in 1973 or 74 then again in 79-80. He helped her get signed and she dumped him when he started acting clingy, never looked back, and if his music is any measure he never really got over her. He's one of the best ever.
@GreasyBelcher
The line, "Now you just say, oh Romeo, yeah, you know I used to have a scene with him," came from an interview where Holly Vincent was quoted as saying: "What happened was that I had a scene with Mark Knopfler and it got to the point where he couldn't handle it and we split up."
@slick222
@Greasy Belcher I think he felt like she acted serious when she needed his help to get her record deal but when she didn't need him anymore it suddenly changed into a looser thing. Also, she was quite young the first time they were together - maybe younger than either have admitted, maybe too young - and he may have still been married. That gave her a get out of jail free card where she could change her opinion later about him. It may have been hard for her too, who knows? He clearly wanted to spend his life with her though and she just wasn't that in to him, which is noteworthy since he is a guitar hero, gigantic star, hall of famer. It suggests she is true to herself, I think. The number of songs about her in his catalogue is high. "Where you think you're goin'," "Romeo", "On Every Street (the most heartbreaking one, I think)", "Private Investigation", "Fade to Black", all the way down to a recent solo song "Whoopdeedoo". Not a comprehensive list. He had it extremely bad for her, probably does today. She missed a big, rich boat and then hid from him the rest of her life. maybe she was proud and her beauty faded a lot. Maybe she just thought he got to her too early and resented him. Maybe she just didn't like Adult Rock guys and wanted a Punk Rocker. Who knows? Fascinating to me.
@AA-kb8vy
@@GreasyBelcher and how is this interview named?... can't find it((((
@AA-kb8vy
@@slick222 but why do you think that all the songs except “Romeo and Juliet” are dedicated only to her?.. he had a second wife just a couple of years after breaking up with Holly and he looks happy in the photo with her...
in addition, in some interview he said that he is rarely (or never) “that guy” from his songs)))
@slick222
@@AA-kb8vy He sang "Where do you think you're going" at a Berlin concert the night she dumped him and almost cried. The lyrics of "On Every Street" are about someone who vanished and who he can't quit looking for even though he admits he should. That does not describe a wife and it does describe Holly. As for "It's not me in my songs..." we need some common sense here. If you were trying to give some oxygen to old school attitudes (Money for Nothing - smash hit with the words "that little faggott" in them) and got called on the carpet for being bigoted you'd say the same thing. Plus, your explanation would basically be true, but let's not get carried away. You don't give voice to things that aren't in you. What you do do is zig-zag when you're being pursued by something dangerous like the proto-cancel mob. And why Holly? Again, use common sense. As Sheryl Crow said, the first cut is the deepest. How many people cut YOU that deep? More than one? Really? It's always one that goes all of the way down. Knopfler may have had a few paper cuts before Holly but she stabbed his heart and that doesn't happen twice to anybody.