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.
Beyond You
Marillion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I could hide you in the folds of my heart
There's a truth in the madness that I can't get beyond
And a fever that won't leave me alone
I don't want my heart
Don't want my head
Don't want my friends
I can't live with myself
I can't live with myself
Can't take no help
I try to want to
But I can't get beyond you
I will stare from the window
At the shapes in the rain
As the space between us drives me insane
I can't live with myself
I can't live with myself
Can't take no help
Don't want no one else
If I was a child
I would refuse to leave
I would sit down on the street
Kick my legs and scream
I'm not much of a man
But I know how I am
I know this won't fade away
I will pretend and be strong
But I wonder where I belong
And the feeling comes in waves
A hole in my body, aching
Like a heart dying
A soul crying
Exhausted and insecure
Took all you have and I still want more
So I reach out to hold you
But all I do is hurt you
Hurt you
I can't live with myself
I can't live with myself
Can't take no help
I try to want to
But I can't get beyond you
If I was a child I would take you and run
And I say I don't know... But I know
And I say I'll go
You just spent the whole day
Driving away
The lyrics to Marillion's song Beyond You explore the intense emotions that arise when a relationship comes to an end. The singer is struggling to move on from the breakup and is consumed by a deep longing for his former partner. The opening lines express a desire to protect his lover, even if it means carrying them with him wherever he goes. He is weighed down by a sense of irrationality, referred to as 'truth in the madness', that prevents him from moving on. The fever that he feels is a metaphor for the intensity of his emotions which refuse to abate.
The chorus of the song features a repetitive list of things that the singer does not want - his heart, his head, his friends, his bed - all of which suggest an aversion to anything that reminds him of his former partner. He feels trapped by his own feelings and unable to move on from them. The second verse describes how the singer watches the rain from the window and sees it as a metaphor for the space between him and his lover. The imagery of rain and distance evokes a sense of melancholy and loneliness that permeates the lyrics.
Towards the end of the song, the singer admits that he is not able to live with himself, suggesting that he is consumed by self-doubt and insecurity. He acknowledges that he has taken all that his partner had to offer, but still wants more. The song ends on a note of ambiguity, with the singer unsure of his next move. He imagines himself as a child, one who would refuse to let go and accept the reality of the situation. The lyrics suggest a deep sense of vulnerability and emotional turmoil that anyone who has been through a painful breakup can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
If you were a baby I would take you and run
If you were defenseless and innocent, I would protect you with all my might and flee with you in my arms.
I could hide you in the folds of my heart
I would hold you so close to me that you would be safe from any harm, kept deep within my heart.
There's a truth in the madness that I can't get beyond
Despite my chaotic and irrational feelings, there is an underlying truth that I can't ignore or move past.
And a fever that won't leave me alone
There is a burning desire within me that won't diminish, no matter how hard I try to suppress it.
I don't want my heart
I don't want to feel so much love and pain because it hurts too much.
Don't want my head
I don't want to think so much about everything and analyze everything because it only makes me more confused and anxious.
Don't want my friends
I don't want my friends to try to comfort me or understand me because they can't help me overcome my struggles.
Don't want my bed
I don't want to sleep because my thoughts and emotions are too overwhelming and won't let me rest.
I can't live with myself
I am struggling to accept who I am and I feel like I'm suffocating under the weight of my own thoughts and emotions.
Can't take no help
I am resistant to accepting help or advice from others because I feel like they can't possibly understand what I'm going through.
I try to want to
But I can't get beyond you
I try to move on and forget about you, but I can't because you are constantly on my mind and in my heart.
I will stare from the window
At the shapes in the rain
As the space between us drives me insane
I will watch the rain falling and the world changing outside my window as I feel the distance between us growing, slowly driving me crazy.
Don't want no one else
I am not interested in anyone else because you are the only one I love and care about.
If I was a child
I would refuse to leave
I would sit down on the street
Kick my legs and scream
If I was a child, I would resist being separated from you and throw a tantrum, refusing to let you go.
I'm not much of a man
But I know how I am
I know this won't fade away
I will pretend and be strong
But I wonder where I belong
I'm not very confident or strong, but I know what I feel won't go away. I will try to pretend I can handle it, but I don't know where I fit in anymore.
And the feeling comes in waves
A hole in my body, aching
Like a heart dying
A soul crying
Exhausted and insecure
Took all you have and I still want more
So I reach out to hold you
But all I do is hurt you
Hurt you
My emotions overwhelm me at times, leaving me feeling empty and exhausted. Despite everything you've given me, I still need more, but when I try to be close to you, I end up hurting you instead.
And I say I don't know... But I know
And I say I'll go
You just spent the whole day
Driving away
Even though I may claim not to know what to do, deep down I do know. I say I'm leaving, but I may not be able to actually go through with it. You've been trying to get away from me all day.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEVEN THOMAS ROTHERY, MARK KELLY, PETER TREWAVAS, IAN MOSELY, STEVE HOGARTH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind