Mansun came to prominence in the mid-nineties British indie/ guitar-rock resurgence, despite pursuing their own path away from any of the emerging scenes. Their first album Attack of the Grey Lantern could easily have been lost amidst the wave of new music in the British (Britpop) scene at that time if it had not been for the majestic Wide Open Space. The single charted at number 15 in the UK. The album then went on to reach no. 1 in the UK charts. Many of the tracks from the album and the associated EP's formed part of a grand concept piece. The band created a twisted town inhabited by bizarre characters such as "Dark Mavis", "Stripper Vicar", "Flourella" and "Egg-Shaped Fred".
Between their 1st and 2nd album they released the Closed for Business EP which departed from the themes that had run through all Mansun's previous releases, while musically very similar to the tracks from Attack of the Grey Lantern.
The band's second album Six was a radical departure from the first album. The tracks segued into each other creating two musical sections which were separated by an "intermission". Musically, the songs were far more produced in sound. The album artwork was also very complex containing many references to the cult (and often surreal) 60's TV show "The Prisoner". This perfectly suited the music which had the feeling of a nonsensical prog extravaganza. The artwork together with the way that the complex structure of the songs/time signatures blended into each other gave the impression of a very ambitious progressive rock concept album, though lyrically there is little to suggest that there is a central theme to the album. While generally critically appreciated, Six was not a huge commercial success, though the album did reach no. 6 in the UK album charts.
For their third album, Little Kix, Mansun again changed direction. This time the songs were slickly produced (over-produced in some senses) with strong pop sensibility. The album was obviously an attempt by the band to produce an album with more maturity, but was perhaps too polished. Little Kix reached no. 12 in the UK charts.
Mansun disbanded in May 2003. This was a culmination of band tensions which had seen one of the original members leave (Stove King). Disappointed by the poor reception of their 3rd album, the band folded with little fanfare of their passing.
Due to pressure from their fans, EMI released the posthumous "4th album", Kleptomania, which was a three CD set containing rough recordings of tracks slated to be on the unfinished 4th album, b-sides and rarities.
Decisions
Mansun Lyrics
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Easy, one of life's rejections anyway, yeah
I wanted to be beautiful
My big decisions are going the flow
Easy, we were always losers anyway, yeah
Sitting on the fence again
All my big decisions always ruin my life
Gets harder with time
All my big decisions make me act like a child
Decisions decisions all the time
Not content to be one of life's spectators
I gravitate to all those stiffs and geeks, yeah
Life is entertaining me
Hurting strangers was easy
My weakness, my electric man is taking over me, yeah
I just brought him out again
[Chorus]
I want you to stay
I want you to go
I can't make up my mind
It's driving me mad
I'm going the flow
I can't even decide
[Chorus]
I want you to stay
I want you to go
I can't make up my mind
It's driving me mad
I'm going the flow
I can't even decide
No, no, no, no yeah
I want you to stay
I want you to go
Yeah, no, oh, yeah, oh
It's driving me mad
I'm going the flow
Oh, yeah, ow
The lyrics of Mansun's song "Decisions" express the frustration and confusion that comes with making important life choices. The first verse describes the feeling of being rejected and laughed at by others, all while wanting to be seen as beautiful. The second verse references the tendency to sit on the fence and not make a decision, while also gravitating towards those who are considered outcasts or different. The chorus repeats the idea that big decisions always seem to ruin the singer's life and make them feel like a child. The bridge expresses the desire for someone to either stay or go, but the inability to make up their mind is driving them mad.
Overall, the lyrics suggest a feeling of powerlessness and indecision in the face of life's big choices. The use of animal imagery with "monkey faces" and the reference to an "electric man" evoke a sense of being controlled or manipulated, perhaps by one's own fears and anxieties. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the weight of these decisions and the struggle to come to a resolution.
Line by Line Meaning
These monkey faces are laughing at me
I feel like an outsider and mocked by others
Easy, one of life's rejections anyway, yeah
It's not a new experience to be rejected and disappointed
I wanted to be beautiful
I aspire to be attractive and accepted by others
My big decisions are going the flow
I'm taking the easy way out and following others instead of making my own choices
Easy, we were always losers anyway, yeah
It seems natural for me to feel like a failure
Sitting on the fence again
I'm indecisive and hesitant to commit
All my big decisions always ruin my life
My major choices never turn out well and cause harm to me
Gets harder with time
It's becoming increasingly difficult to make and stick with decisions
All my big decisions make me act like a child
My significant choices cause me to behave immaturely and recklessly
Decisions decisions all the time
I'm constantly faced with making choices that affect my life
Not content to be one of life's spectators
I'm not happy just observing others' lives; I want to be actively involved
I gravitate to all those stiffs and geeks, yeah
I feel drawn to people who are labeled as outsiders or unpopular
Life is entertaining me
I find life amusing and interesting
Hurting strangers was easy
I've harmed others without much thought or care
My weakness, my electric man is taking over me, yeah
My faults and addictions are consuming me
I just brought him out again
I'm indulging in my weaknesses and vices again
I want you to stay
I want someone to remain in my life
I want you to go
I want someone to leave my life
I can't make up my mind
I'm indecisive and struggling to choose
It's driving me mad
My indecision is causing me distress and frustration
I'm going the flow
I'm allowing events and other people to dictate my decisions
No, no, no, no yeah
An expression of frustration and defiance
Oh, yeah, ow
An exclamation of pain or discomfort
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DOMINIC CHAD, PAUL EDWARD DRAPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Noel Dabreo
brilliance to core
P5YCh-O'-B4BbL3
Oh my God!!! This is dope!!!!!!
cj hepburn
Sounds a bit better in my car. Luv the strings. Abbey Rd?
jonnyp UK
Don't make bands like this anymore ...
cj hepburn
Say it again. Cj.
Chris Lea-Alex
Things people want by solo draper is reminiscent of this
Simondo81
Very Mike Patton/Faith No More
Ben Wherlock
The reason I first got into Mansun was because of exactly that reason!
HARRY PAIN
I much preferred the b-sides to the majority of the songs that appeared on Little Kix. Little Kix was such a let down even though I loved the first 3 songs there are not many good songs after those.
HARRY PAIN
@Neil Weager It's got the sound of a boyband feel to it which really turned me off and it's clear Draper had no control over the production. He even said himself he dislikes the album because of this fact.
The melodies are there as usual but it's way to polished and miles away from the first two albums. Having said that, one of my fav mansun songs is on it and that being Comes as no Surprise which should have been a single. Paul wanted it to be a single but the record company chose Electric man over it and what's worse is that they then chose Fool as a single which has to be their worst single to date.
I agree about the b-sides as the majority of them should have been on the album and Golden Stone being my fav out of the lot sung by Chad a brillaint tune but I love the songs you mentioned too.