The Fish era is often categorized as neo-progressive. They originally started as "Silmarillion" (from Tolkien's book) with heavy influences from classic Genesis but went on to develop their own distinctive sound. The band was formed in 1979 by Mick Pointer (drums), Steve Rothery (guitar), Doug 'Rastus' Irvine (bass), and others, soon adding vocalist Fish (real name Derek W. Dick), Diz Minitt (bass), and Brian Jelliman. By the time of their first album, 1983's Script for a Jester's Tear, the bass position had been taken over by Pete Trewavas and keyboards by Mark Kelly.
The studio albums Fugazi (1984), Misplaced Childhood (1985), and Clutching at Straws (1987), as well as the 1984 live album Real to Reel all sold respectably, and the band scored a hit single in Britain with Kayleigh in 1985.
When Fish left the band in 1988 after four albums he was replaced by Steve Hogarth. A former member of The Europeans and some-time collaborator with The The and Julian Cope, Hogarth brought a new energy to the band.
Across a further ten albums, Hogarth – along with existing members Rothery, Kelly, Trewavas, and Mosley – have reinvigorated and constantly redefined Marillion’s sound. They forged into new musical territories with a succession of inventive, emotional albums, displaying little regard to the vagaries of hit charts or radio playlists.
After the release of 1999’s marillion.com the band freed themselves from record company pressure once and for all by launching their own record label, the Intact imprint.
Thanks to their pioneering embrace of the Internet through their website http://marillion.com, Marillion have developed a unique and intimate relationship with their fans. From sponsoring entire tours of the USA to funding the recording of recent albums, Marillion’s global fan-base is unique in its affection and dedication. As a result, such passionate, wholesale support has allowed Marillion to step outside of the conventional music industry and find their own path.
In 2001 Anoraknophobia saw Marillion take the groundbreaking step of asking fans to pre-order an album 12 months before release. An amazing 12,000 people signed up, helping to finance the recording. The band once again took pre-orders for the 2004 release Marbles, but this time the money was channelled into a campaign fund to promote its launch. The success of singles Don't Hurt Yourself and You're Gone – the latter making it all the way to number 7 – vindicated the band's independent strategy.
Their 2007 album Somewhere Else reached number 24 in the UK album chart with their most recent single Thankyou Whoever You Are hitting the UK singles chart at number 15. The band shows no signs of fading away after more than 25 years of activity.
Their 15th album, "Happiness is the road", was physically released in October 2008 but was originally available exclusively from the band's website. It was released with little promotion and a deluxe pre-order package was made available as with Marbles. 'Happiness is the Road' is the second studio double album of a long career (2004's Marbles was the other). A UK and European tour followed the album's release, and the band is taking special effort to record every show in the "Happiness on the Road" tour, making the recordings available from the band's website.
Beautiful
Marillion Lyrics
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Where they give bad names to beautiful things
Everybody knows that we live in a world
Where we don't give beautiful things a second glance
Heaven only knows that we live in a world
Where what we call beautiful is just something on sale
People laughing behind their hands
And the leaves turn from red to brown
To be trodden down
To be trodden down
And the leaves turn from red to brown
Fall to the ground
Fall to the ground
We don't have to live in a world
Where we give bad names to beautiful things
We should live in a beautiful world
We should give beautiful a second chence
And the leaves fall from red to brown
To be trodden down
To be trodden down
And the leaves turn green to red to brown
Fall to the ground
And get kicked around
You strong enough to be..
Have you the faith to be..
Have you the courage to be..
Honest enough to say..
Don't have to be the same..
Don't have to be this way
Come on and sign your name
You wild enough to remain beautiful?
Beautiful
All the leaves turn from red to brown
To be trodden down
Trodden down
And all we fall green to red to brown
Fall to the ground
To be kicked around
You strong enough to be..
Why don't you stand up and say
Give yourself a break
They laugh at you anyway
So why don't you stand up and be
Beautiful.
The song 'Beautiful' by Marillion is a commentary on the nature of human beings, and how they give bad names to beautiful things or people. The song argues that society has created a world where things that are truly beautiful are often ignored, whereas things that are shallow or materialistic are more highly valued. The song describes how people laugh at those who are fragile or sensitive, while celebrating those who are more aggressive or insensitive.
The song is a call to arms, urging the listener to stand up for what is truly beautiful in the world, rather than buying into the false values that society often promotes. The lyrics argue that we should be brave enough to say that something is beautiful, even if others do not agree. In this way, the song is both a critique of modern society and a call to action, urging listeners to be honest, courageous, and wild enough to remain beautiful.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody knows that we live in a world
It is common knowledge that we reside in a world
Where they give bad names to beautiful things
Where attractive objects are defamed
Everybody knows that we live in a world
It is common knowledge that we reside in a world
Where we don't give beautiful things a second glance
Where we don't give alluring objects a second look
Heaven only knows that we live in a world
Only God knows that we reside in a world
Where what we call beautiful is just something on sale
Where what we term as attractive is merely something available for purchase
People laughing behind their hands
Individuals snickering amongst themselves
While the fragile and the sensitive are given no chance
Where individuals who are weak or sensitive are not given equal opportunities
And the leaves turn from red to brown
The color of leaves changes from red to brown
To be trodden down
Be defiled and crushed
To be trodden down
Be defiled and crushed
And the leaves turn from red to brown
The color of leaves changes from red to brown
Fall to the ground
Descend towards the earth
Fall to the ground
We don't have to live in a world
We are not obligated to live in a world
Where we give bad names to some beautiful things
Where we call attractive things by derogatory names
We should live in a beautiful world
We should strive to live in an attractive world
We should give beautiful a second chance
We should give alluring things a second opportunity
And the leaves fall from red to brown
The color of leaves changes from red to brown and they fall
To be trodden down
To be defiled and crushed
To be trodden down
To be defiled and crushed
And the leaves turn green to red to brown
The color of leaves transforms from green to red to brown
Fall to the ground
Descend towards the earth
And get kicked around
And get trampled upon
You strong enough to be..
Are you strong enough to
Have you the faith to be..
Do you have the trust to be
Have you the courage to be..
Do you have the bravery to be
Honest enough to say..
Truthful enough to say
Don't have to be the same..
You don't have to be equivalent
Don't have to be this way
You don't have to persist like this
Come on and sign your name
Come on and sign your name
You wild enough to remain beautiful?
Are you audacious enough to remain attractive?
Beautiful
Attractive
All the leaves turn from red to brown
The color of leaves changes from red to brown
To be trodden down
To be defiled and crushed
Trodden down
And all we fall green to red to brown
All life falls from green to red to brown
Fall to the ground
Descend towards the earth
To be kicked around
To be trampled upon
You strong enough to be..
Are you strong enough to
Why don't you stand up and say
Why don't you get up and say
Give yourself a break
Take a break for yourself
They laugh at you anyway
In any case, they ridicule you
So why don't you stand up and be
So why don't you get up and become
Beautiful.
Attractive.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: STEVEN THOMAS ROTHERY, MARK KELLY, PETER TREWAVAS, IAN MOSELY, STEVE HOGARTH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind