The band was founded in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire in 1979 as a four piece avant-garde instrumental group called Art Nouveau, with Nick Beggs on bass guitar, Steve Askew on lead guitar, Stuart Neale on keyboards and Jez Strode on drums. Art Nouveau released a track called "The Fear Machine". The single sold a few hundred copies, and was played on the John Peel show, but the band could not get a record deal.
In 1981, they advertised for and auditioned lead singers, and finally chose Christopher Hamill. He made his profile, and therefore that of the band, catchier by using an anagram of his surname for his stage name, becoming Limahl. The name of the band was then changed to Kajagoogoo. Writing out the phonetics of a baby's first sounds gave them "GagaGooGoo". With a little bit of "casual" alteration it became Kajagoogoo.
The band attracted the interest of three record labels (and Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes) while performing at the Embassy Club in London. The band was signed to EMI in July of 1982, and Rhodes was signed to produce their first album, White Feathers. The debut single "Too Shy" was released in January of 1983 and went to the top of the charts (before any of Duran Duran's singles had done so, Rhodes noted ruefully). Follow-up releases "Ooh to Be Ah" and "Hang on Now" both reached the UK top twenty as well.
The band fired Limahl in 1983 after a huge disagreement, with Beggs taking over as singer, but the hits dried up completely. They tried a relaunch as Kaja in 1985 which failed, and they broke up for good in 1986.
Limahl enjoyed a briefly successful solo career, scoring a hit with the movie theme song "Neverending Story" in 1984.
The band briefly joined forces again on VH1's Bands Reunited (26 January 2004, Season 1, Episode 6) and performed at the Scala club in London, England for the show.
In 2007, Nick Beggs, Steve Askew and Stuart Neale continued to play together as Kajagoogoo.
June 24th, 2007 saw the release of "Rocket Boy" the first Kajagoogoo single in 22 years. The single received airplay on Steve Wright's Radio 2 show in the UK.
In September 2007 Kajagoogoo performed the opening set with other 1980s acts at Retrofest at Culzean Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Kajagoogoo is back!
They have since formally reunited. In February 2008, Kajagoogoo, under new manager Bradley Snelling, announced their reunion. on April 7, 2008 a new contract was signed with all of the original band members, Nick Beggs on bass guitar, Steve Askew on lead guitar, Stuart Neale on keyboards, Jez Strode on drums and Limahl on vocals bringing the band back together officially for the first time in 25 years.
Kajagoogoo are back! and a new website Kajagoogoo has been launched! An entire Free Album "Gone to the Moon" and tracks can be downloaded at their offical website, www.kajagoogoo.com
The website was created to mark the reformation of all original 5 band members, Nick, Limahl, Jez, Steve and Stuart.
Here you will find all the latest information on the band, live dates, band member info as well as some official Kajagoogoo goodies, mp3's, photos, downloads and more!
White Feathers
Kajagoogoo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When love takes hold again
Controlling how you feel
About me, about men
I've got these friends who
Mimic flowers forever in my way
And dance on their enormity
Like celebration day
That weight so heavy on my heart
(CHORUS 1)
'cause they've been here for years
Friends of mine, white feathers
Collecting dust with tears
Making mine, white feathers
(VERSE 2)
Confess to me expose
A pair of snowy white
Illusive shadows and all it takes is...
One more shot and then down I go my lady
Down I go just maybe down I go my lady
One more shot and then down I go my lady
Down I go just maybe down I go my lady
(CHORUS 2)
They've been here for years
Friends of mine, white feathers
Collecting dust with tears
Making mine, white feathers
(MIDDLE)
One more shot and then down I go...
One more shot and then down I go...
One more shot and then down I go my lady
Down I go just maybe, down I go my lady.
One more shot and then down I go my lady
Down I go just maybe, down I go...
One more shot and then down I go my lady
Down I go just maybe, down I go my lady.
One more shot and then down I go my lady
Down I go just maybe down I go...
One more shot and then down I go my lady
Down I go just maybe, down I go my lady.
One more shot and then down I go my lady
Down I go just maybe down I have to go.......
(FINAL CHORUS)
'cause they've been here for years
Friends of mine, white feathers
Collecting dust with tears
Making mine, white feathers
They've been here for years
Friends of mine, white feathers
Collecting dust with tears
Making mine, white feathers...
(REPEAT TO FADE)
The song "White Feathers" by Kajagoogoo is a melancholic expression of unrequited love and longing for someone who is controlled by their own emotions about the singer and men in general. The lyrics describe the singer's friends as mimicking flowers, or appearing similar, innocent, and weighty on the singer's heart, making it difficult for them to move on from their unrequited feelings. The mention of "white feathers" suggests purity, fragility, and perhaps even cowardice in expressing one's true feelings. The singer expresses their helplessness in being unable to overcome the emotional hold that their unrequited love has over them, and the repetition of "one more shot and then down I go" highlights the cyclical nature of their struggle.
The chorus, which repeats the phrase "they've been here for years, friends of mine, white feathers, collecting dust with tears, making mine, white feathers," emphasizes the idea that the singer's unrequited love has been a long-standing issue that has been accumulating over time. The weight of the "white feathers" collecting dust with tears suggests a burdensome emotional weight that has been carried for too long by the singer. There is a sense of resignation and perhaps even bitterness towards the situation and the people involved.
Overall, the song "White Feathers" explores the complexities of unrequited love and the difficult emotions that come with it. The repetition of the phrase "one more shot and then down I go" highlights how overwhelming and cyclical these emotions can be, hinting at a sense of hopelessness that the singer feels. The use of the symbol of "white feathers" adds a layer of depth and meaning to the lyrics, emphasizing the purity and fragility of love, as well as the burden it can carry over time.
Line by Line Meaning
When love takes hold again
When feelings of romantic love overwhelm and consume someone
Controlling how you feel
Exerting power over one's emotions
About me, about men
Concerning both the singer and men in general
I've got these friends who
The singer has a group of friends
Mimic flowers forever in my way
These friends are like flowers that consistently obstruct the singer's path
And dance on their enormity
The friends celebrate their own significance and grandeur
Like celebration day
Their behavior resembles a festive occasion
So innocently similar you can't tell them apart
These friends are so similar that it's impossible to distinguish one from the other
That weight so heavy on my heart
The burden of these friends' presence weighs heavily on the singer's heart
'cause they've been here for years
These friends have been around for a long time
Friends of mine, white feathers
These friends are compared to white feathers
Collecting dust with tears
These friends have been neglected and are now covered in dust and tears
Making mine, white feathers
These friends now belong to the singer and are causing her distress
Confess to me expose
Reveal something to the singer
A pair of snowy white
Something pure and pristine
Illusive shadows and all it takes is...
Something vague and dreamlike that can easily slip away
One more shot and then down I go my lady
One more attempt and the singer will fall
Down I go just maybe down I go my lady
The singer may fall
They've been here for years
These friends have been around for a long time
Collecting dust with tears
These friends have been neglected and are now covered in dust and tears
Making mine, white feathers
These friends now belong to the singer and are causing her distress
One more shot and then down I go...
The singer is on the verge of collapse
One more shot and then down I go my lady
One more attempt and the singer will fall
Down I go just maybe, down I go my lady.
The singer may fall
One more shot and then down I go my lady
One more attempt and the singer will fall
They've been here for years
These friends have been around for a long time
Friends of mine, white feathers
These friends are compared to white feathers
Collecting dust with tears
These friends have been neglected and are now covered in dust and tears
Making mine, white feathers...
These friends now belong to the singer and are causing her distress
They've been here for years
These friends have been around for a long time
Friends of mine, white feathers
These friends are compared to white feathers
Collecting dust with tears
These friends have been neglected and are now covered in dust and tears
Making mine, white feathers...
These friends now belong to the singer and are causing her distress
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHRISTOPHER HAMILL, JEREMY STRODE, NICK BEGGS, STEPHEN ASKEW, STEVEN ASKEW, STUART CROXFORD NEALE, STUART JOHN NEALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ray Clanet
WE WILL NEVER SEE A MUSIC GENERATION LIKE THAT AGAIN!!! KAJAGOOGOO WITH ANOTHER PURE EXAMPLE OF NEW WAVE PERFECTION!!! LOVED IT FOREVER!!!
Dream Of A Tiger
80s are for me without any doubt the best decade considering the culture and general way of lifestyle. At least once in every few days I catch my self day-dreaming that I have time machine and I set it to year 1983
Linda Flynn
Favourite Kajagoogoo song, still a tune in 2021 🎶
Livie Millie
and 2022 <3
Michele Laraia
16/3/2022✊🇮🇹🇺🇦
Livie Millie
I'm 21 and always adored 80s music but only discovered this song this year- it's so beautiful and I wish people still made music like this and like they did in the70s and 80s
Andrew JS
Check out the 80s music playlists on my channel if you love 80s music.
C C
Limahl sure was the cat’s meow. These guys were just magic, made great music together.
Young Choe
Someone said 'New Wave Perfection' below and I agree 200%. Too shy was a big hit but their first two albums were amazing. Debut album was yeah NEW WAVE PERFECTION and their 2nd album was a more mature and serious effort full of interesting tracks, almost fusion jazz. For me the Kajagoogoo with Limahl was the most advanced, evolved form of early 80s New Romantics/New Wave music. Love the way they composed their songs and played instruments just like Duran Duran did (first 2 or 3 albums).
Artsy Austin
They made such great music together. I wish they didn't split up too early. Limahl is so hot and attractive omg!