Mike & The Mechanics debuted with their stellar eponymous album in 1985 which highlighted Rutherford's innovative guitar work and the vocal talents of the two Pauls, amongst other guest vocalists. Initially, the group's albums were released between Genesis albums, all three Genesis members having solo projects of their own, most notable in the huge chart success of singer/drummer Phil Collins. This ended with the disbanding of Genesis in 1998.
The classic song "The Living Years" from the album of the same name was to be the height of their critical success to date; the #1 single was written by and about the dissension between singer BA Robertson and his father, a situation that was never rectified prior to his father's death, sung with great passion by Carrack. The album also featured the song "Nobody's Perfect" which received considerable airtime as the music to a successful television advertising campaign for Tennants bitter. Their third album "Word of Mouth" followed in 1991 with less commercial and critical success although the lead single, with vocals by Paul Young, reached the Top 20. The fourth album "Beggar On a Beach of Gold" was a high watermark in the quality of their material, with both the album and first single "Over My Shoulder" charting well with many considering the album the band's best work.
After a hiatus following Young's death from a heart attack on July 17, 2000, the band reformed in 2004 as Mike & the Mechanics featuring Paul Carrack releasing the album "Rewired".
A new Mike & the Mechanics album (titled "The Road") was released in the spring of 2011, supported by a 22-date UK tour. Replacing Carrack and Young as vocalists for the group are Andrew Roachford and Canadian actor/singer Tim Hower.
Taken In
Mike & The Mechanics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wrapped around the finger of some fair-weather friend
Caught up in the promises, left out in the end
No pride, taken for a ride
You say I'm the only one when I look in your eyes
I want to believe you but you know how to lie
And if you say you understand I don't believe it
And if you say you take the blame I don't believe it
And if say that nothing's changed I don't believe it, don't believe it
Taken in, taken in again
Someone saw me coming, a fool without a friend
There's one born every minute and you're looking at him
And if you say you want me near I don't believe it
And when you're holding back the tears I don't believe it
And when you swear that you are mine I don't believe it
And it's your heart that's on the line I don't believe it, don't believe it
Taken in, taken in again
Wrapped around the finger of some fair-weather friend
Caught up in the promises, left out in the end
No pride, taken for a ride
You say I'm the only one when I look in your eyes
I'd love to believe you but you know how to lie
You say you want me near I don't believe it
And when you're holding back the tears I don't believe it
Oh, there's one born every minute, you're looking at him
Taken in, taken in again
Someone saw me coming, a fool without a friend
I want to believe you, oh
When you say you understand
When you reach out for my hand
Oh, I wish I could believe you
Taken in, taken in again
The lyrics of Mike & The Mechanics's song Taken In tell a story of a person being deceived and taken advantage of by someone they thought was a friend or a lover. The singer of the song is caught up in promises and sweet words, only to be left behind and disappointed in the end. The song speaks to the universal experience of being taken in by someone who knows how to manipulate and deceive, leaving one feeling foolish and betrayed.
The repetition of "taken in" throughout the song emphasizes the feeling of being tricked and deceived. The lyrics also touch on the theme of trust and how difficult it can be to trust someone again after being hurt. The singer is skeptical of the person's words and actions, despite wanting to believe them. The final line of the song, "Taken in, taken in again," suggests that this is not the first time the singer has been deceived, and they may continue to be in the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Taken in, taken in again
Deceived again and again
Wrapped around the finger of some fair-weather friend
Manipulated by a friend who is only present in times of benefit
Caught up in the promises, left out in the end
Fooled by empty promises and ultimately let down
No pride, taken for a ride
Feeling ashamed for being fooled over and over
You say I'm the only one when I look in your eyes
Claiming to be loyal and devoted, but the lies and deception are evident
I want to believe you but you know how to lie
Despite the desire to believe, past dishonesty makes it difficult to trust
And if you say you understand I don't believe it
Don't trust that they truly comprehend the situation
And when you reach out for my hand I don't believe it
Doubting the sincerity of their gestures of support
And if you say you take the blame I don't believe it
Don't trust that they are willing to accept responsibility
And if say that nothing's changed I don't believe it, don't believe it
Skeptical that the situation has truly improved
Someone saw me coming, a fool without a friend
Taken advantage of by someone who saw vulnerability and gullibility
There's one born every minute and you're looking at him
Implying naivety and foolishness on the part of the artist
And if you say you want me near I don't believe it
Questioning the genuineness of their desire for closeness
And when you're holding back the tears I don't believe it
Suspicious of their emotional displays
And when you swear that you are mine I don't believe it
Distrusting of their pledges of commitment
And it's your heart that's on the line I don't believe it, don't believe it
Refusing to take risks with their heart due to untrustworthiness
I'd love to believe you but you know how to lie
A desire to trust, but feeling unable due to past actions and dishonesty
Oh, there's one born every minute, you're looking at him
Feeling like a fool for being taken in by false promises and lies
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MIKE RUTHERFORD (GB), CHRISTOPHER NEIL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
toddvandell85
@Kathie Myrenaes
Funny thing, but I always believed Paul Carrack sang this song.
He and the late Paul Young definitely had similar vocal timbres.
I feel like I've heard Paul Carrack sing it, and he might have when Paul Young died and Paul Carrack took over all the lead vocal duties in Mike & The Mechanics in 2000.
I'm pretty sure that's him playing keyboards behind Mike Rutherford in this video. 🙂
Anyway.
Great song.
Paul Young left us way too soon.
R.I.P.
And yes, the great Richard Belzer co-stars in this video.
Undoubtedly playing John Munch, the character he's most known for playing on Law & Order: SVU and several other shows besides.
(Richard's John Munch currently holds the record for the most played character on the most TV series.)
In addition to his lengthy career as a comedian.
From Wikipedia's entry:
"Belzer has played Munch in episodes on seven other series and in a sketch on one talk show, making Munch the only fictional character to appear on eleven different television shows played by a single actor.
These shows were on six different networks:
Homicide: Life on the Street (NBC)
Law & Order (NBC)
The X-Files (Fox)
The Beat (UPN)
Law & Order: Trial by Jury (NBC)
Belzer's appearance on Trial by Jury, which aired April 15, 2005, made him the third actor ever to play the same character in six different prime time TV series.
The other two actors are John Ratzenberger and George Wendt, who played Cliff Clavin and Norm Peterson, respectively, in Cheers (1982–93); St. Elsewhere (1985); The Tortellis (1987); Wings (1990); The Simpsons (1994); and Frasier (2002).
Arrested Development (Fox)
The Wire (HBO)
30 Rock (NBC)
The characters are watching a Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode; a scene shot for 30 Rock
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix), in which he played a John Munch-like character on a fictional Law & Order spinoff.
In March 2016, executive producer Warren Leight announced Belzer would return to reprise the role in a May 2016 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, titled "Fashionable Crimes".
Belzer portrayed Det. Munch for 22 consecutive seasons on Homicide (7 seasons) and Law & Order: SVU (15 seasons), which exceeded the previous primetime live-action record of twenty consecutive seasons held by James Arness (who portrayed Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke from 1955 to 1975) and Kelsey Grammer (as Dr. Frasier Crane on Cheers and Frasier from 1984 to 2004)."
Luis Cavalcanti
Taken in, taken in again
Wrapped around the finger of some fair-weather friend
Caught up in the promises, left out in the end
No pride, taken for a ride
You say I'm the only one when I look in your eyes
I want to believe you but you know how to lie
And if you say you understand I don't believe it
And when you reach out for my hand I don't believe it
And if you say you take the blame I don't believe it
And if say that nothing's changed I don't believe it, don't believe it
Taken in, taken in again
Someone saw me coming, a fool without a friend
There's one born every minute and you're looking at him
And if you say you want me near I don't believe it
And when you're holding back the tears I don't believe it
And when you swear that you are mine I don't believe it
And it's your heart that's on the line I don't believe it, don't believe it
Taken in, taken in again
Wrapped around the finger of some fair-weather friend
Caught up in the promises, left out in the end
No pride, taken for a ride
You say I'm the only one when I look in your eyes
I'd love to believe you but you know how to lie
You say you want me near I don't believe it
And when you're holding back the tears I don't believe it
Oh, there's one born every minute, you're looking at him
Taken in, taken in again
Someone saw me coming, a fool without a friend
I want to believe you, oh
When you say you understand
When you reach out for my hand
Oh, I wish I could believe you
Taken in, taken in again
Christopher Baker
This was actually my favorite of their songs. I don't know why it wasn't as popular as others.
Gus Levy
Yep…
Connie Bauer
It's their best song...IMO.
James Russell
It could be because they were British musicians and a British Band. Here in the states we typically don't hear deep album cuts from British bands. I am fortunate that I have access to music resources. I picked up the "The Hits" by Mike and the Mechanics a few years ago. I think the music is uniquely sounding and maybe that is why it stands out so well in my mind. It hit me tonight June 1 2023. I like a few songs off the Hits album. "Over My Shoulder", "Another Cup of Coffee", "Nobody's Perfect" and "Nobody Knows". Maybe the two lead vocals approach helped with their sound. Paul Carrack and Paul Young.
Christopher Baker
@James Russell Are you saying that other songs by Mike and the Mechanics weren't by British musicians and a British band? Was "The Living Years" by American musicians and an American band?
James Russell
@Christopher Baker No!. My point was that maybe since they are British group that may have influenced the way the music sounded. Mike had the benefit in playing with one of the best Progressive Rock bands of any era (Genesis) through several different stages. I love there music I like a lot of UK-British Music even though I am from the states. Because of MTV and now several social media and music apps we are exposed to music from different parts of the world.
Another Brit Act Chris Rea. One of his first singles was released in the US in 1979 "Fool If You Think It's Over". I remember it well and it had heavy rotation on local radio stations in NC (Greensboro and Raleigh NC). But I never heard anymore of his songs played here in the States. But I ran into his music again about 10-12 years ago because of youtube. Then I started playing his other songs. I don't know if I would have known about his other great songs without youtube.
Walsh1502
Imagine having both Paul Young (RIP) and Paul Carrack as vocalists in the same band at the same time. Amazing.
Danilo Macalino
Beautiful song,so cool ....
Renata Coutinho
What a MASTERPIECE. It’s 2020 almost 2021 and I’m still listening. ❤️ I’m 26 yo but I miss the 80’s so freakin’ much!!! 😫 🇧🇷
edit: 2023 and I’m still listening 😆
Dallas Baseball
Me too in Texas Renata