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.
The Great Escape
Marillion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Heading for the rave
Heading for the permanent holiday
Heading for the winter trip
Heading for the slide
Heading for the dignified walk away
Heading for the open road
Heading for the automatic overload
Standing in the open boat
Standing in the swing
Waiting for the ringing and the bright light
Waiting to be recognised
Quiet applause will do
They shower you with flowers when they bury you
You're holding on, you're holding on ...
I. The Last of You
Just when I thought I'd seen the last of you
You come here scratchin' at my door
Your pain and anger's in the howling dark
Of every corridor I walk
So tell me more about the love that you rejected
Tell me more about the trust you disrespected
I still don't know, why did you hurt the very one
Why did you hurt the very one
That you should have protected?
Heading for the great escape
Heading for the rave
Heading for the permanent holiday
Heading for the high cloud-nine
Heaven number seven
Heading for the long goodbye
Uncurl the fingers that hold
Summon the strength to let go
Out of the tired world
Out of the upset
Into the sunset
The first verse of the song The Great Escape by Marillion describes a person who is desperate to escape from their current situation. The person has different options for the escape, starting from a rave, a permanent holiday or a winter trip, which implies that they just want to get away from their daily routine or their monotonous life. The next part of the verse describes the person's yearning for freedom and autonomy, symbolized by the open road that lies before them. The line "Goodbye to all that" indicates that they want to leave everything behind and start fresh. However, this desire for escape can also be a symptom of a larger issue or feeling trapped in their current situation. The automatic overload refers to the excess of stimuli or sensory overload that can lead to the person's burnout.
The second verse is more introspective and describes the feeling of alienation and isolation that the person feels. They are standing in a swing or an open boat, waiting for recognition or attention, but the "ringing and the bright light" never come. The line "quiet applause will do" reveals that the person is not seeking attention and recognition but rather wants to be understood and recognized by themselves, and the desire to be appreciated will come after death in the form of flowers. The last two verses of the song describe a relationship that has ended badly, with one partner causing harm to the other. The lyrics ask the person who caused the pain to explain what happened and why they hurt the one they should have protected. The song ends with the person's realization that they need to let go of their past and leave the tired and the upset world behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Heading for the great escape
I'm trying to escape from the stressful world I'm in
Heading for the rave
I'm seeking excitement and fun
Heading for the permanent holiday
I'm done with work and responsibilities and want to relax forever
Heading for the winter trip
I'm seeking a change of scenery and a break from monotony
Heading for the slide
I'm ready for some adventure and thrill
Heading for the dignified walk away
I'm walking away from a situation with confidence and pride
Heading for the open road
I'm seeking freedom and adventure
Goodbye to all that
I'm leaving everything behind and starting fresh
Heading for the automatic overload
I'm heading towards a state of overload or exhaustion without thinking about it
Standing in the open boat
I feel vulnerable and exposed
Standing in the swing
I'm waiting for something to happen, unsure of what it is
Waiting for the ringing and the bright light
I'm waiting for something exciting or life-changing to happen
Waiting to be recognised
I want recognition or validation for something I've done
Quiet applause will do
I don't need a big show, just some acknowledgement will suffice
They shower you with flowers when they bury you
People often show appreciation for someone when it's too late
You're holding on, you're holding on ...
You're not letting go of something, or someone
Just when I thought I'd seen the last of you
I thought I was done with you, but you keep coming back
You come here scratchin' at my door
You keep bothering me, even though I don't want you here
Your pain and anger's in the howling dark
You're in a dark and troubled place and you're taking out your pain on me
Of every corridor I walk
Your negative energy follows me everywhere I go
Tell me more about the love that you rejected
Explain to me why you rejected someone's love and hurt them
Tell me more about the trust you disrespected
Explain to me why you disrespected someone's trust and betrayed them
I still don't know, why did you hurt the very one
I'm still confused by your actions and don't understand why you hurt someone
That you should have protected?
You should have been protecting this person, not hurting them
Heading for the high cloud-nine
I'm very happy and euphoric
Heaven number seven
I feel like I'm in heaven, at the highest point of bliss
Heading for the long goodbye
I'm prolonging the goodbye because I don't want to leave
Uncurl the fingers that hold
Let go of what you're holding onto
Summon the strength to let go
You need to find the strength to move on and let go
Out of the tired world
I'm leaving behind a world that exhausts me
Out of the upset
I'm leaving behind my emotional turmoil and upset
Into the sunset
I'm leaving behind my problems and heading towards a better future
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: IAN MOSLEY, JOHN HELMER, MARK KELLY, PETE TREWAVAS, STEVE ROTHERY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cudaguy74
How in the world does one band put out so many awesome songs for so many years and so many people are still in the dark as to how incredibly brilliant Marillion truly is.
@davegarciaofficial
I’ve been saying it for years and years and will always maintain that H is one of the most emotional singers of all time.. even with a slightly “aged and weathered” voice here his delivery is just astonishing. Who sings like this anymore????
@whitehousefarmbarnandcarav1839
This is proper music. Unfortunately it’s not popular any more. Love this band!
@jaywalsh9150
@@whitehousefarmbarnandcarav1839 That's fine. Means that when concerts are a thing again, it won't be hard to get tickets. ;)
@1838isfake
Absolute agreement, not entering into debate, I'm a fish-head but the band were fortunate to have someone who was prepared to step into large shoes, hogarth has a fantastic voice, lovely on the ear and full of power. Splendid
@tracyferrier9268
Couldn’t agree more 💜
@tracyferrier9268
Heartfelt Dave...... gives me goosebumps every time I hear this x
@maugonzalez6359
This song alone is better than most current bands whole discography.
Long live Marillion!
@thejonnygator
so true
@Prieens
And they just sold out The Royal Albert Hall!!!