Softley grew up in Essex near Epping Forest. His mother was of Irish origin (from County Cork) and his father had East Anglian tinker roots, going back to a few generations. Softley first took up trombone in school and became interested in traditional jazz. He was later persuaded to become a singer by one of his school teachers, and this led to him listening to Big Bill Broonzy and promptly changed his attitude to music, to the extent of him buying a mail-order guitar and some tutorial books and teaching himself to play. By 1959, Mick Softley had left his job and home and spent time travelling around Europe on his motorbike, with a friend, Mick Rippingale. He ended up in Paris, where he came into the company of musicians such as Clive Palmer, Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Wizz Jones. Here he improved his guitar skills and spent time busking with friends until his return to England in the early 1960s. He set up a folk club at The Spinning Wheel in Hemel Hempstead.
Softley began singing in 'The Cock', a pub in St Albans, which was a hang out for beatniks and hippies and attracted musicians down from London. Informal sessions were common. This was where he met a young Donovan Leitch, whom he started to teach cross-picking guitar techniques. (Leitch later cited Softley as a "major influence"). Donovan was soon snapped up by a record label and shot to stardom, but this enabled him to bring Softley to the attention of producers and record companies. His first release was the 1965 single "I'm So Confused", released by Immediate Records. He then worked with Peter Eden and Geoff Stephens, and his debut album Songs For Swinging Survivors , which was a purely folk record. The album featured only Softley and his acoustic guitar and includes the songs "The War Drags On" (covered by Donovan on his Universal Soldier EP), and Softley's own interpretations of Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit", and Woody Guthrie's "The Plains of the Buffalo".
In 1964 he opened a folk club, in the Spinning Wheel restaurant in Hemel Hempstead. It was shut down by the police after only a year, however, for "various reasons", mainly health and safety; a very small basement room, with only one way in (and out). Softley does not look back on this time favourably claiming during production he had gone "through a lot of hells and no heavens, a terrifying amount of personal pain" to the extent that he quit the music business for over four years. During this time he survived as a market trader in Hemel Hempstead, fathered two children, in 1963 and 1964 and still played gigs frequently in folk clubs around the south east. He returned to life on the road in 1968. Due to contractual issues he never received any royalties in the later years.
After his absence, Softley returned with an electric group, Soft Cloud, Loud Earth. The group was soon trimmed down to a duo consisting of Softley and Mac MacLeod called Soft Cloud. They only performed a few times before they split up and Softley went on to pursue a solo career. Meeting Donovan again, he was persuaded to record for a second time. This time Tony Cox was on board for production and Softley claimed that "everybody all along the line was really good. Totally different to what I'd been through five years before – No-one was trying to make a fast penny out of me, and they were prepared to let me do everything exactly how I wanted to". Softley recorded three albums during this period, which have a very different tone from the first album, due to the variety of instruments and styles showcased on these albums, from upbeat rock ("Can You Hear me Now?") and folk ("Goldwatch Blues") to eastern-inspired sitar pieces ("Love Colours") and skiffle ("Ragtime Mama"). In 1971 he performed on French television programme Grande Affiche.
Avoiding capitalising on the opportunity of stardom, Softley continued to travel and play for free, preferring to watch people enjoy his music than make money. He moved to County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland in 1984, eventually settling in Enniskillen. He was a well recognised character in the town and he also performed occasionally at the Belfast Folk Festival. In recent years he had concentrated on writing poetry, some of which has been published.
In 2011 Softley suffered a head injury after falling from his bicycle and spent a considerable time in hospital recovering. In an effort to counter the unfounded rumours of his passing a Facebook page was set up and it now has a following of over 1,000 friends from all around the world. In August 2011 an evening of entertainment featuring Softley's music and poetry was held in Cafe Merlot in Enniskillen with all proceeds being donated to the brain injury unit at Altnagelvin Hospital.
Mick Softley died 1 September 2017 in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland.
Albums
Songs For Swingin' Survivors (1965), Columbia – reissued on CD in 2003 by Hux Records and as part of The Folk Eve Recordings CD (2014)
Sunrise (1970), CBS
Street Singer (1971), CBS
C'est la Fête à Malataverne (1971), Expression Spontanée – one track, "Time Machine" record live in French folk festival
Any Mother Doesn't Grumble (1972), CBS
Capital (1976), Doll Records
Mensa (1978), Doll Records
War Memorials (1985), Doll Records
Note: Sunrise and Street Singer were reissued as a two-CD set on BGO Records, 2009
Time Machine
Mick Softley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I said, hey there baby, do you want to make the scene?
Aw, well, come on over baby, step into my time machine
You better jump into my action, I'm gonna' make you feel right
Aw, jump into my action, I'm gonna' make you feel right
Don't worry 'bout tomorrow 'cause I'm gonna love you tonight
Step into the front row, I'm gonna' show you how
Step into the front row, I wanna' show you how
Aw, I'm gonna give it to you
When you wanna come back, we just turn about
When you wanna come back, we just turn about
But we ain't gonna come back, till there ain't no doubt
Now don't it get good to you? Do you know what I mean?
Said, don't it get good to you? Don't you know what I mean?
Well, come on over baby, jump into my time machine
The lyrics of Mick Softley's song Time Machine can be interpreted as an invitation to a woman to enter his realm of pleasure and freedom. The singer calls out to the woman, asking her if she wants to experience something exciting and new. He then asks her to enter his time machine, indicating that it is a metaphor for his mind or his soul, his way of taking her on a journey through his perspective of the world. The singer assures the woman that in his 'machine', she need not worry about the future, as he will shower her with love and affection for tonight.
The singer takes the woman to the 'front row', a metaphor for being in the moment, and invites her to experience his way of living. He tells her not to worry about time, as they can always come back to the present. In the last two verses, the singer assures the woman that he will make her feel pleasurable, and that they do not need to come back till the moment feels right. He asks her if she understands what he means, and invites her once again, to join him in his 'machine'.
Overall, the lyrics suggest a sense of escapism, where the singer invites the woman to enter his world, devoid of stress and worries. The time machine can be interpreted as a metaphor for his world, where he aims to make her feel comfortable with his actions and emotions. The song has a sense of playfulness and freedom and showcases the desire of a man to create a world where he can be happy with his partner.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, hey there baby, do you want to make the scene?
Do you want to experience something exciting and new with me?
I said, hey there baby, do you want to make the scene?
I am asking you again if you want to come with me and try something different
Aw, well, come on over baby, step into my time machine
Come with me and let's travel through time together
You better jump into my action, I'm gonna' make you feel right
Join me and I will make you feel great
Aw, jump into my action, I'm gonna' make you feel right
I promise to make you have a good time if you come with me
Don't worry 'bout tomorrow 'cause I'm gonna love you tonight
Let's just enjoy the moment and not think about anything else, I will take care of you now
Step into the front row, I'm gonna' show you how
Let me take you to the front row so you can see everything and I will show you how to have fun
Step into the front row, I wanna' show you how
I want to teach you how to enjoy life to the fullest
Don't worry 'bout no time we can always come back to right now
You don't have to worry about time, we can always return to the present whenever you want
Aw, I'm gonna give it to you
I am going to show you something amazing
When you wanna come back, we just turn about
When you are ready to return, we can just turn around and come back
When you wanna come back, we just turn about
I will always be ready to take you back whenever you want
But we ain't gonna come back, till there ain't no doubt
But we will not return until we are both sure we have had enough fun
Now don't it get good to you? Do you know what I mean?
Isn't it great? Do you understand how wonderful this is?
Said, don't it get good to you? Don't you know what I mean?
I am asking if you are having a good time and if you understand what I am saying
Well, come on over baby, jump into my time machine
Let's continue to enjoy ourselves by traveling through time together
Contributed by Nathan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@timbodude2009
Thank God for YouTube...... You found me another masterpiece.....
@chrisbwhittle
I remember Mick very well in 69/70 me and my friends would meet up with him in the Old Kings Arms pub, old town Hemel Hempstead. He knew we were all apprentices so he made a point of singing a song about someone’s working life. I can remember some of the words “He went off for his interview on the first day of July” and the chorus went something like “Here’s a gold watch and the shackles from your chains and a piece of paper to say you left here sane and if you’re gonna die do it during tea break”
@RobbieM72
Christopher Whittle
It’s called Goldwatch Blues on his Street Singer LP
@cherryblossomgirlish
"Il était une seconde fois" brought me here....this amazing song will always remind me of Gaspard Ulliel from now on...💔😥
@AvecPoesie
Yes! The scene from that show when this played was quite incredible. Gaspard was excellent in his performance, as he always was. A true devastation his loss. 🖤
@idealfan1
Moi aussi je n’oublierai jamais Gaspard et cette scène de passion incandescente 🙏💙
@AvecPoesie
@@idealfan1 "passion incandescente"...bien dit! Oui, c'est vrai 🖤
@idealfan1
@@AvecPoesie merci !
Vous êtes Français ? Ou vous parlez très bien Anglais ?
@MuhammadMustafa-ie6cj
The scene was super
@paulmorson7402
Randomly scrolling through YouTube brought me here.
Tune.