Isobel Campbell (born April 27, 1976) is a Scottish singer, cellist and com… Read Full Bio ↴Isobel Campbell (born April 27, 1976) is a Scottish singer, cellist and composer in the indie and folk genres. As with her former band Belle and Sebastian, she is often labelled as twee pop. Campbell was a member of Belle and Sebastian from their formation in Glasgow in 1996 until 2002, when she departed the band for personal reasons. Isobel played cello with Belle and Sebastian and sang backing vocals. She also took lead vocals on a few songs from the band, and co-wrote their top-20 U.K. single Legal Man.

In 2006 Isobel released a collaborative LP (Ballad of the Broken Seas) with former Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age singer Mark Lanegan, a mixture of folk and more rock-orientated music. October 2006 also saw the release of her latest album, Milkwhite Sheets, a more acoustic folk album, consisting of a mixture of traditional songs alonside Isobel's own compositions.

Isobel's band The Gentle Waves released its first album on Jeepster Records, titled The Green Fields of Foreverland, in 1999. The second Gentle Waves record, Swansong For You came out one year later. In 2002, she collaborated with Scottish jazz musician Bill Wells on a collection of Billie Holliday songs, released by Creeping Bent.

In 2003 Campbell released Amorino, the first solo album under her own name, to very good reviews. Bill Wells was featured here again, along with other jazz musicians.

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan form a unique combination of gruff vocals and dulcet voices. They have released three albums so far: Ballad of the Broken Seas, which received a nomination in the 2006 Mercury Awards, Sunday at Devil Dirt, which was released in May 2008. The album received US release in Fall 2008. And finally their third album Hawk was released in August 2010.

Monologue For An Old True Lov
Isobel Campbell Lyrics

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Tell me how I play around
So you say "I don't want you"
Go and play your little game
But still I'm going to haunt you now
Wearing your guitar
Letting your soul cry
Look into my eyes

Every time you miss the point
Yet every time you scold me
Talking so self-righteously
About everything you showed me, boy
Wearing your guitar
Letting your soul cry
Look into my eyes

And still your spirit comes to me
You were the one for life
You brightened up the sun for me
Even through all the fights

And still your spirit comes to me
You were the one for life
You brightened up the sun for me
Even through all the fights

This is not about what we see
A silhouette or colour
This is not about gaining points
But loving one and other
Boy, say you're angry now
I wonder why
You've got then round your little finger
You say you're angry now
Though I wonder why
The pattern it was in full swing
Yeah yeah yeah

Say you're angry now

I wonder why
You've got then round your little finger

Overall Meaning

The song "Monologue for an Old True Love" by Isobel Campbell is a lament for love lost. The lyrics are addressed to a former lover who has voiced objections to the way the singer has been acting. The opening verse asks the former lover to explain how she is playing around and, in response, the lover says he doesn't want the singer anymore. Despite this, the singer says she will continue to haunt him. She is wearing his guitar and singing to him, letting her soul cry, as she looks into his eyes.

In the chorus, the singer recalls happier times with her former lover, saying that even though they fought, he was the one for life and he brightened up the sun for her. She then repeats the chorus and adds that their love is not about appearances or gaining points, but about loving one another. The song closes with the singer acknowledging that the former lover is angry but wondering why, as she has him wrapped around her little finger.

This song expresses a complex range of emotions regarding a past lover. The lyrics highlight the singer's feelings of being haunted by memories of past love, even when that love is no longer reciprocated. The use of sensory language is also important in this song, as the singer wears the former lover's guitar and lets her soul cry, drawing the listener into the depth of her sorrow. It is an introspective and melancholy tune which encourages one to reflect on the complexities of relationships.

Line by Line Meaning

Tell me how I play around
Explain to me how I am being playful.

So you say "I don't want you"
You say that you don't want me.

Go and play your little game
Go and do what you want to do.

But still I'm going to haunt you now
But I am still going to be present in your thoughts.

Wearing your guitar
Playing your guitar that belongs to you.

Letting your soul cry
Allowing yourself to express your emotions.

Look into my eyes
Make eye contact with me.

Every time you miss the point
Every time you don't understand the situation.

Yet every time you scold me
Yet every time you criticize me.

Talking so self-righteously
Speaking in a way that suggests moral superiority.

About everything you showed me, boy
About everything you taught me.