Marillion are a rock band formed in Aylesbury, England . Their 30-year car… Read Full Bio ↴Marillion are a rock band formed in Aylesbury, England . Their 30-year career is marked by two distinctive phases; the early years fronted by Fish which saw their greatest commercial success, and much longer period fronted by Steve Hogarth in which the band have constantly re-invented themselves so as to continue to be relevant into the 21st century.

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.

One Fine Day
Marillion Lyrics

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When we were young we used to say
Things would be different
One fine day
The walls would crumble
Nations sing as one
We live in hope
Cause so far it hasn't come

Listening to the pouring rain
Waiting for the world to change
Beginning to wonder if we'll wait in vain
For one fine day

Oh, how years change
The things for which we strive
A better world, or just a quiet life
What seemed so simple
Is still so far away
Don't hold you breath waiting
For one fine day

Listenin' to the pouring rain
Waiting for the world to change
Beginning to wonder if we'll wait in vain
For one fine day

Life is strange
It can seem you're high and dry
Turn around
You find there's nothing in this world you recognise
Did we fall asleep babe?
Dreaming that dream babe?

Listening to the pouring rain
Did we fall asleep babe?

Dreaming that dream babe?
One fine day

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Marillion & Positive Light's song One Fine Day reflect the youthful optimism and hope for change that many people feel when they are young. The opening line "When we were young we used to say things would be different" sets the tone for the rest of the song. The song speaks to the idea that people often believe that change will come but that it can take a lot longer to achieve than they originally thought. The chorus, "Listening to the pouring rain, waiting for the world to change, beginning to wonder if we'll wait in vain for one fine day" captures the sense of disillusionment that can come with realizing that change may not come as quickly or easily as hoped.

The second verse reflects on how people's priorities and goals can change as they get older. What was once a simple idea of a better world becomes more complex as people weigh the desire for change against the desire for stability and comfort. The line “What seemed so simple, is still so far away,” speaks to the distance between aspiration and reality, particularly as time passes. The final verse speaks to the idea that life can be unpredictable, that the world can change in unexpected ways and that progress can sometimes regress. The closing lines "Did we fall asleep babe? Dreaming that dream babe? One fine day," suggest that hope and optimism remain, but that the reality of the world has tempered some of the enthusiasm for the future.

Line by Line Meaning

When we were young we used to say
In our youth, we believed in the possibility of a better future.

Things would be different
We were convinced that change was inevitable.

One fine day
We dreamed of a specific day when everything would change for the better.

The walls would crumble
We hoped for the breakdown of barriers and division between people.

Nations sing as one
We wished for unity and harmony amongst countries and cultures.

We live in hope
Despite setbacks, we continue to have a positive outlook for the future.

Cause so far it hasn't come
Unfortunately, the desired change has not yet been achieved.

Listening to the pouring rain
In contemplation, we are aware of our surroundings, in this case, the sound of the rain.

Waiting for the world to change
We are anticipating the desired shift in society.

Beginning to wonder if we'll wait in vain
Doubts arise as to whether we will ever see the change we seek.

For one fine day
We still hold onto hope for a specific day when everything will transform for the better.

Oh, how years change
Over time, our perspective and priorities shift.

The things for which we strive
Our goals and aspirations change as we mature.

A better world, or just a quiet life
We question whether we desire peace within ourselves or peace in the world.

What seemed so simple
Our goals appeared uncomplicated during our youth.

Is still so far away
As adults, our goals often seem more daunting and less attainable.

Don't hold you breath waiting
It is unwise to expect change to happen swiftly and without effort.

Life is strange
Life often unfolds unexpectedly.

It can seem you're high and dry
At times, we may feel abandoned and helpless.

Turn around
But sometimes, all we need to do is change our perspective

You find there's nothing in this world you recognise
And we may discover that nothing is as familiar or comfortable as it once was.

Did we fall asleep babe?
We question whether we inadvertently missed out on opportunities for change.

Dreaming that dream babe?
Wondering if we held unrealistic expectations.

Listening to the pouring rain
Once again, we find ourselves contemplating the world around us.

Did we fall asleep babe?
Yet again, we question whether we missed out on opportunities for change.

Dreaming that dream babe?
Asking whether we were naive or overly optimistic about the future.

One fine day
Despite everything, hope remains for that one magical day when everything will be right in the world.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN HELMER, STEVE HOGARTH, MARK KELLY, IAN MOSLEY, STEVE ROTHERY, PETER TREWAVAS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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