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.
Splintering Heart
Marillion Lyrics
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Burning under her skin
And it pricks her like thorns
And it's needles and pins
And it twists in her body
And I know what it is
And I'm paying in pain
'Till the weight of the secret
And the weight of the lie
Makes my heart want to burst
Feel the ache as time goes by
Getting better and worse
Getting better and worse
And there's a screw that I tighten
As I dream of the kiss
And it twists and it cuts me
And you know what it is?
It's a fragment of love
From a splintering heart
And it tears her apart
But not as much as this
So you save up your tears
For the moments alone
'Till the splinters you gather
Leave you glass-hard and numb
And the same sun is shining
On the old and the young
On the saints and the sinners
On the weak and the strong
And there's a burning and freezing
And a cross for a kiss
So she learns to stop dreaming
And you know how it is
With these fragments of love
And this splintering heart
With the fragments
And this splintering heart
Marillion's song "Splintering Heart" is about someone suffering from heartbreak, as depicted in the lyrics which express the physical pain and emotional anguish caused by a split that tears a heart into shreds. The first two verses and chorus of the song describe the pain experienced by the lover left behind. The first verse paints the picture of a hot hard hurt that burns under her skin, pricking like thorns and needles and twisting in her body. The second verse switches perspectives to the one who got left behind and is now suffering, describing how he dreams of the kiss and tightens a screw, and how the weight of the secret and the lie feels like it will burst his heart, making the pain both better and worse.
The chorus explains how the lover left behind saves their tears for moments alone until the splinters they gather leave them glass-hard and numb. The singer describes how the same sun shines on the old and young, the strong and weak, the saints and sinners, but none are spared the pain of broken love. The final verse expresses the realization that the dreamer has learned to stop dreaming, recognizing that love brings only fragments of pain from a splintering heart.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a hot hard hurt
She is experiencing a burning intense pain
Burning under her skin
The pain is internal and is felt all over her body
And it pricks her like thorns
The pain is sharp like thorns piercing through her skin
And it's needles and pins
She feels like she is being pricked by needles and pins all over her body
And it twists in her body
The pain is causing her body to twist and contort involuntarily
And I know what it is
The singer understands what is causing her pain
And I'm paying in pain
The singer is also feeling pain
But it's the cost of the high
The pain is a result of the singer's actions or decisions
'Till the weight of the secret
The singer is keeping a secret which is causing him emotional turmoil
And the weight of the lie
The singer is being weighed down by a lie they have told or are living
Makes my heart want to burst
The emotional burden is unbearable and causing the singer great pain
Feel the ache as time goes by
The pain is persistent and only gets worse with time
Getting better and worse
The pain both improves and worsens intermittently
And there's a screw that I tighten
The singer is deliberately causing themselves emotional pain
As I dream of the kiss
The painful memories are linked to a romantic experience
And it twists and it cuts me
The memories are emotionally torturous
And you know what it is?
The person the singer is addressing understands the pain they are feeling
It's a fragment of love
The singer is holding on to a small piece of love
From a splintering heart
The love came from someone who is now brokenhearted
And it tears her apart
The experience is emotionally devastating for the person the singer is referring to
But not as much as this
The singer is feeling more emotional pain than the person they are referring to
So you save up your tears
People try to avoid showing their emotions to others
For the moments alone
They only allow themselves to cry in private
'Till the splinters you gather
The emotional pain builds up over time
Leave you glass-hard and numb
The pain eventually desensitizes you
And the same sun is shining
The world keeps going regardless of the pain someone feels
On the old and the young
Pain affects everyone regardless of age
On the saints and the sinners
Pain affects both good and bad people
On the weak and the strong
Pain affects people regardless of their strength
And there's a burning and freezing
The pain is both intense and numbing at the same time
And a cross for a kiss
The pain is a result of a sacrifice made for love
So she learns to stop dreaming
The person the singer is referring to learns not to hope for love anymore
And you know how it is
The person the singer is addressing understands what it is like to give up on love
With these fragments of love
People hold on to the smallest bits of love to keep going
And this splintering heart
People with broken hearts feel like they are being torn apart
With the fragments
People hold onto the smallest bits of love to keep going
And this splintering heart
People with broken hearts feel like they are being torn apart
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: STEVE HOGARTH, MARK KELLY, IAN MOSLEY, STEVE ROTHERY, PETER TREWAVAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind