The band originated with vocalist Stephen Holt (vocals) and guitarist Graham Lambert. Another uncredited founding member, was basist Glenn Chesworth. His partnership with the band lasted only a couple of years. The band emerged alongside The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays from the indie scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Bassist, Martyn Walsh, and drummer, Craig Gill, joined in 1984. Playing garage rock, they were joined by keyboardist, Clint Boon, who changed their sound based around harmonic (and often psychedelic) keyboards and jangly guitars.
After a couple of singles on a local indie label, Holt left the group and was replaced by Tom Hingley. The band were propelled to fame after being 'discovered' by the Radio 1 DJ John Peel and had their greatest chart success in the UK with a single entitled This is How it Feels, which is a song about loneliness and unemployment.
At the time of their initial success, the band earned some notoriety for their squiggly-eyed cow 'Cool as Fuck' T-shirts; a student at Oxford Polytechnic was prosecuted on obscenity charges for wearing one. One of their roadies, Noel Gallagher, went on to great success with the band Oasis. The band is named after an Inspiral Carpets tour poster which included the venue Swindon Oasis.
They reworked their single Find Out Why as the theme tune to early 90's kids TV show 'The 8:15 From Manchester'. Another release I Want You was used by Sony to advertise their in-car entertainment systems on this advert ; an early example of advertising agencies co-opting and promoting non-mainstream music to add kudos to mainstream brands (a trend that has increased significantly).
After the release of their 4th studio album, Devil Hopping, they started to record new, more darker-sounding demos in 1995 which their label, Mute Records rejected. An amicable split followed but they re-formed in 2003 for a tour and new compilation. For the next several years, they played gigs on and off, until Hingley could no longer give his 100% commitment so original vocalist, Stephen Holt, rejoined in March 2011.
Garage Full of Flowers
Inspiral Carpets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't you buy me a drink
Can we be alone
Get together and think
I'm out of time
You might be high
To want to be me
Can't you feel pain
Can't you feel pain
A garage full of flowers
A garage full of flowers
Do you insult me
And do my head
Do you escape
Can't we be one
Should we be one
Are you insane
Do you disdain
We wait for hours
In a garage full of flowers
In a garage full of flowers
A garage full of flowers
A garage full of flowers
The lyrics to Inspiral Carpets' song "Garage Full of Flowers" suggest a feeling of loneliness and a desire for connection. The opening lines express a sense of isolation, with the singer still being alone and hoping for someone to buy them a drink. The next lines suggest a desire for intimacy and reflection, asking to be alone with another person to think things through. The lines "I'm out of time / You might be high / You might be free / To want to be me / Can't you feel pain / Can't you feel pain" create a sense of urgency and a need for empathy and understanding.
The second verse of the song continues this theme of questioning and searching for connection, with lines like "Do you insult me / And do my head / Do you escape / Can't we be one / Should we be one / Are you insane / Do you disdain". These lines suggest a fear of rejection, but also a longing to be understood and accepted. The chorus, which repeats "A garage full of flowers", creates a vivid image of a space filled with beauty and life, but also suggests a sense of trapped energy and a need for release.
Overall, "Garage Full of Flowers" is a song about the universal human desire for connection and understanding, and the ways in which we often struggle to find it. The lyrics express a sense of loneliness and isolation, but also a hope for intimacy and empathy.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm still alone
The singer is currently not in a relationship or surrounded by people.
Can't you buy me a drink
Asking the listener to buy the singer a drink as a gesture of friendship or interest.
Can we be alone
Asking the listener to spend some one-on-one time with the singer.
Get together and think
Suggesting that the artist and listener should spend some time together and reflect on their lives.
I'm out of time
The artist is feeling rushed or under pressure to accomplish something.
You might be high
The listener may have consumed drugs or alcohol, potentially affecting their behavior.
You might be free
The listener may not have the same obligations or responsibilities as the singer.
To want to be me
The artist believes that the listener may view the artist's life as desirable or enviable.
Can't you feel pain
Asking the listener if they are capable of experiencing emotions like pain.
A garage full of flowers
Referring to a location filled with fragrant blooms, potentially symbolizing hope or beauty.
Do you insult me
Asking the listener if they are intentionally being rude or hurtful towards the singer.
And do my head
Causing the artist to feel confused or disoriented.
Do you escape
Asking the listener if they are trying to avoid the singer or their problems.
Can't we be one
Suggesting that the singer and listener can find common ground or unity.
Should we be one
Questioning if it is even possible or desirable for the singer and listener to come together.
Are you insane
Asking if the listener is mentally unstable or irrational.
Do you disdain
Asking if the listener has a strong dislike or contempt for the artist.
We wait for hours
The singer and possibly others are waiting for something or someone, likely in a state of anticipation or anxiety.
In a garage full of flowers
Highlighting the setting of the wait, which is surrounded by beautiful blooms.
A garage full of flowers
Reiterating the presence of the previously mentioned location, which may hold a deeper symbolic meaning.
Writer(s): CLINT BOON, MARTYN WALSH, THOMAS WILLIAM HINGLEY, CRAIG DOUGLAS GILL, GRAHAM PAUL LAMBERT
Contributed by Emily O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.