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.
Legacy
Mansun Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't need money to be there
Leave behind your money just to prove your worth
Won't be here so I don't care
If you strap your conscience to your vision thing
Won't be here so I don't care
Prove your worth to people that you called your friends
Won't be here so I don't care
I wouldn't care if I was washed up tomorrow you see
Reading novels is banned by the Marquis de Sade
All relationships are emptying and temporary
Life is wearing me thin
I feel so drained, my legacy
A sea of faces just like me and
Life is wearing me thin
I feel so drained, my legacy
A sea of faces just like me
I've been drained, emotion is a bitter fate
Won't be here so I don't care
I concede relationships have left me weak
Won't be here so I don't care
Look for something worthy to replace my guilt
Won't be here so I don't care
Prove my worth to people who I called my friends
Won't be here so I don't care
I wouldn't care if I was washed up tomorrow you see
Reading novels is banned by the Marquis de Sade
All relationships are emptying and temporary
Nobody cares when you're gone
The lyrics to Mansun's song Legacy touch upon themes of transition, worth, detachment, guilt, and relationships. The first stanza seems to suggest that if someone is afraid of transitioning to the afterlife and is concerned about their worth, they should leave behind their money and prioritize their conscience and values over material possessions. The singer of the song expresses a lack of concern for the opinions and perceptions of people they may have considered to be friends. They portray a certain level of indifference towards what others might think and instead choose to focus on their inner beliefs and values.
In the second stanza, the singer reflects on the fleeting yet draining nature of life and relationships. They describe feeling drained emotionally and struggling with a bitter fate. The lines "A sea of faces just like me" imply a sense of anonymity and insignificance within society. The chorus repeats the idea that the singer's legacy is draining them and that relationships are temporal and unfulfilling. The final line "Nobody cares when you're gone" also highlights the theme of detachment and a realization of one's temporary place in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
If you fear transition to your other life
If you're worried about moving on to the afterlife
Don't need money to be there
Money won't help you in the afterlife
Leave behind your money just to prove your worth
Don't focus on money as proof of your worth
Won't be here so I don't care
I'm not concerned with earthly matters
If you strap your conscience to your vision thing
If you align your actions with your beliefs
Prove your worth to people that you called your friends
Don't seek validation from friends
I wouldn't care if I was washed up tomorrow you see
I don't care about my reputation
Reading novels is banned by the Marquis de Sade
Knowledge is restricted or discouraged
All relationships are emptying and temporary
All relationships eventually fizzle out
Life is wearing me thin
I'm feeling drained and exhausted
A sea of faces just like me
I feel like I'm surrounded by people who are just like me
I've been drained, emotion is a bitter fate
I've been emotionally depleted
Look for something worthy to replace my guilt
I'm searching for something meaningful to replace my feelings of guilt
Nobody cares when you're gone
No one will remember or care about you when you're dead
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: PAUL EDWARD DRAPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@iwannadrinkfromyourwideeye2635
Six is still a brilliant album but I can see why the rest of the band just couldn't put up with Paul Draper anymore. They just couldn't see themselves making serious money if he stayed in the band because he was way to experimental and to much of a dictator. He writes about communism yet he wanted to make the most money from the songs seeing that he wrote and produced most of them. That's capitolism not communism but I'm a capitolist and believe that whoever puts in the hardest work should be the one who is rewarded most for the fruits of his labour.
Again, Six is amazing because the songs are so experimental that even 20 years down the line one will still hear fresh sounds stemming each song. But, he destroyed the some of the songs which were potential top 10 singles.
Specially Blown It could have been one of the songs of the year but was turned in to a Broadway show so it couldn't have been a potential single even though it is stunning but way to drawn out having a solo at the start of the song? Legacy is simply a stunning song all though I amd browned off it now having played it to death but it got song of the hear and another top 10 hit single I believe unless I'm incorrect here?
Being A Girl had Two Versions and was another brilliant sprawling two part piece of genius synth. Being A Girl Part 1. was a good single but I think Invers Midas and Seretonin would have made better quality singles.
Invers Midas is a stunning pop tune but is it two songs or one or even three in one for that matter? Fall Out was doomed as a single from the beginning because Paul put tuned out guiatar chords from the Legacy song on it so it could never have made the radio which is sad because it has the best solo guitar that I've heard since the solo from the Wide Open Space single. This takes me back to the Cancer song which had a very harsh first part and a very soft brilliant synth laden pop melodic brililance to the 2nd part.
Negative should have never made the album, I hated it and still don't like it today a song about aids which would put people off buying the album. I remember the time it came out, I was disapointed by it but also worried for Paul as I thought he had contracted the aids virus. The song negative made a cameo appearance in the english series East Enders which was portraying one of the characters as having contracted the aids virus, Such a depressing subject so I'm moving on and I don't want to hear that song or see East Enders ever again.
I Care, Been Here Before, Check Under the Bed and Railings should never have been b - sides. So many of the b -sdies made for the Six singles were just as good if not better than the actual singles themselves. And did the Six album really need Negative, Shotgun Blows or could it have done with much better songs like "I Care, Been Here Before and Check Under the Bed." Railings could have been the perfect song to end the album. I'm thinking Paul must really regret what he did way back then because he must realize now that he had enough material to make at least another 4 top 10 brilliant albums. His solo album was brilliant, the man has a gift for a fantastic melody and he's so detailed that he can make a top 10 single out of thin air.
Paul Draper was way more gifted than Noel Gallagher, Damon Arlbern yet he overthought Six and made it to complicated for the public to get it which then saw him banned from producing the next album Little Kicks. This album was pretty decent for the first half with the stunning song Comes as No Surprise which was very foolishly ignored as a single.
Electric Man was a very average song which I disliked becaue most of the songs on this album sounded like the ballads that you'd get from a twisted boy band. The album was way to polished but it did have some brilliant songs on it and it did produce their most successful single "I Can Only Disapoint You," a pretty decent single and another top ten hit for Mansun. Songs like We Are The Boys, Fool and Until the Next Life were very corny and nowhere near the standard that Paul usually reached. Fool is actually the worst single ever released by Mansun and I can't understand how they thought this song would do well in the charts and I don't tihnk it did either. Come's as No Surprise was the obvious stunner on this album a Bowie esc synth laden song cloked with brilliant guitar sounds which must have come from Chat. Sound Track for Two Lovers would have been a top 10 hit again and was made for the charts and all though It wasn't my particular favorite I could see it's appeal with the beautiful arrangement of strings and a chorus for all to sing along to. The produceres blew it on this album for me because they ignored to many obvious hit singles on this album which saw the band implode in on itself because of bad decisions and treachery and betrayal, bitterness, envy, jealousy, greed and spite a recipe for any band break up.
Going back to the album SIX. the song Shotgun was maybe 3 songs in one but had a beautiful stunning chorus. Cancer could never have been released as it might have actually seen Pauls assassination as he calls out the Jesuit Catholic Roman Empire for harbouring Nazi's down to Argintina at the end of WWII. Television was a huge stadium rock song with a brilliant solo but was far to long and maybe a bit to opera to be released as a single and the constant propaganda stemming from the tyrannical communists that are SKY NEWS.
The song Six was like three songs in one again and then there's the brilliant Duran Duran style Seretonin a piece of utter genius and the perfect single. The song is so strange, it's so down beat but the music is so briliant yet it leaves you wanting to jump off a cliff for some reason. Six could have been made by Hitler or Stalin for that matter lol becaues it was made by a genius control freak without the blood spilled but it could have been an album that blew up the charts like AOTGL did. But because it wasn't so immediate it wasn't as successful as AOTGL but it did eventually end up selling well via reputation. It's simple the best album I've ever heard but equally frustrating too which explains Pauls character and personality and why Mansun eventually folded after 8 years together. THE END.Again, Six is an amazing because the songs are so experimental that even 20 years down the line one will still hear fresh sounds stemming them But, he destroy some of the songs which were potential top 10 singles.
@ABHAYAMUDRAA
This song is so beautiful damn i wish i could’ve seen this live but i wasn’t even born when this was released
@strominheaven
good song ! for the mansun !
@rockingjamie
See you on 18 April Paul 🏴 ❤
@IvanoForgione
it's about freaking time for a Mansun Reunion! I can't live with the idea that I've never seen them live in my life! This and other songs mean A LOT to me! most of SIX does... Come on Paul!
@Prizzy999
Mansun is one of those bands you either love to bits from start or you hate, there's no way in between, and that's what makes them such an amazing band..fucks sake, I can't even tell how much I miss them....I rem when I went to a second hand record shop yrs ago and found their first album "Attack..." in a bargain tray...& what a bargain for me! I had never heard of them before but sthg abt the cover & song titles attracted me straight away...and I've been a die hard fan ever since.
@thephoenix3155
I only like the Oakenfold remixes of Mansun, to be honest because I'm a dance music person more than an indie music person. Each to their own!
@mrandy428
Can't type how much I love this.
@zancudero
nowadays nobody is making music or tracks like this, a really underrated band, and the music video is simply amazing, the great idea of lots of projects, bands, etc. that aren´t gone anywhere despite of the dreams shared, and everything it´s simple "nobody cares when you are gone" at least if u never made it, stories like this everyday and everywhere, my respects forever to this song
@markonahcilok8667
Omg Best britpop 90°
@sparkyhughes131
Life is wearing me thin