Nizlopi released their first album, Half These Songs Are About You, in 2004 under FDM Records. It featured the singles "JCB" and "Girls". In 2007, Nizlopi received an 'Impala Platinum' award recognising sales of Half These Songs Are About You in Europe.
"JCB" was written about the dyslexia suffered by Luke at school and his escape to accompany his father at work, and was released as a single in June 2005, reaching number 160 in the UK Singles Chart. The single was then re-released in the UK on 12 December 2005, reaching number one the following week on 18 December 2005, selling more than twice the number of copies than their closest competitor, Westlife. Dermot O'Leary gave the track extensive airplay on his BBC Radio 2 show. Some bookmakers put it in the running for the honour of Christmas number one, but it was beaten by the winner of the second series of the UK version of The X Factor, Shayne Ward's debut single, "That's My Goal." "JCB" topped the charts for five consecutive weeks, giving them a Gold Single in the UK and a Double Platinum Single in Ireland. Both the single and video spent time at #1 on iTunes in the UK and Europe, with 100,000 plus downloads and 1,000 full track downloads to cell phones in one week.
A mini-EP containing six songs, titled ExtraOrdinary, was released on 4 September 2006. The six tracks included two that had been released before — "Helen" and "Yesterday" which were previously released on the JCB and Girls EPs respectively.
The band's second album, Make It Happen, was released on 31 March 2008. The album includes Martyn Barker (percussion/drums), Andy Simms (piano), Jonnie Fielding (violin), Jack Hobbs (vocal/scratching), Rory Simmons (trumpet), Kadially Kouyate (kors & Senegalese vocals), The Individuals Dedicated to the Ministry of Christ choir and a contribution by the poet Benjamin Zephaniah.
On 10 February 2010 an e-mail was sent out to all mailing list subscribers confirming that the band had split up after being together for 17 years. Luke Concannon stated "And that after many wild meanderings and much confusion I feel I must go on, on my own from here. That my dream is now to do another project, not Nizlopi, and to build a new life. So.this is good bye from Nizlopi. We are no more! Wow, there you go I said it. Scary as it is."
In 2012, the duo announced they would perform at the Union Chapel as a tribute to their friend Tony Moore. They officially announced their reunion in 2013, posting on their website that "Nizlopi have decided that we would love to play some shows together this year. So we are!" They have since played several festivals and headlining shows in the UK and Europe.
Girl
Nizlopi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They go being and never disappear
If you rub yourself along now
You'll get down to their kind of emotion
Straight to your heart
Sweet doll
Straight to your heart
Gotta love and forgive
Or you can't breathe
Gotta search and be with
Or you can't breathe
I got something to give
Before I leave
I can never run back
I'm smothered in, memories of you are too
What is given back, we can't unglue
All this sticks to me, some days sweet like honey
Some days tart like Marmite
Sticks to your heart
Sweet doll
Straight to your heart
Gotta love and forgive
Or you can't breathe
Gotta search and be with
Or you can't breathe
I got something to give
Before I leave
I can never run back
The croft, the croft
Old lofts and searching
The path, the path
Of always searching
All from the heart
All from the need
All from the love
All from the greed
The croft, the croft
Old lofts and searching
Right from the
Right from the heart
Old from the need
Old from the love
Old from the greed
I tell you this old heart is covered in glue
I can never run back or forget you
I tell you this old heart is covered in glue
I could never run back or forget you
Gotta love and forgive
Or you can't breathe
Gotta search and be with
Or you can't breathe
I got something to give
Before I leave
I can never run back
Nizlopi's song, "Girl," is a beautiful and emotional portrayal of love, heartbreak, and the struggle to move on. The song suggests that the main character has loved someone so deeply it has become difficult to function without them. It seems like this person has moved on, and the unrequited love leaves the main character feeling stuck in the past.
The song opens with the lines, "They go for you with their love and fear, they go being and never disappear. If you rub yourself along now, you'll get down to their kind of emotion. Straight to your heart, sweet doll, straight to your heart." This refers to how people can be deeply affected by the love and the emotions of others. This perhaps alludes to the main character's struggle in trying to forget their love, as everyone around them falls in and out of love.
The main refrain of the song, "Gotta love and forgive or you can't breathe, gotta search and be with or you can't breathe, I got something to give, before I leave, I can never run back," is a powerful message to the main character, urging them to move on and forgive themselves while there's still time.
The line "The croft, the croft, old lofts and searching, the path, the path, of always searching" is a metaphor for the journey to healing and letting go of the past. The song closes with the repeated idea of the "old heart is covered in glue," meaning that the wounds from the past are difficult to mend.
Overall, the song is an intimate and heartfelt portrayal of the pain of unrequited love, urging the listener to forgive themselves, move on, and not lose sight of their own passions and desires.
Line by Line Meaning
They go for you with their love and fear
People show both love and fear towards you.
They go being and never disappear
These emotions persist in people and are ever-present.
If you rub yourself along now
If you try to fit in with others...
You'll get down to their kind of emotion
...you'll start to feel the same way they do.
Straight to your heart
These emotions affect you deeply.
Sweet doll
An endearment for the person being addressed.
Gotta love and forgive
It's necessary to show love and forgiveness.
Or you can't breathe
Otherwise it will feel suffocating.
Gotta search and be with
You need to look for, and be with, certain people.
I got something to give
There's something I want to offer.
Before I leave
Before I move on from this situation.
I can never run back
I can't go back to the way things were before.
I'm smothered in, memories of you are too
I'm overwhelmed and consumed by memories of that person.
What is given back, we can't unglue
Once something is given, it's hard to take it back.
All this sticks to me, some days sweet like honey
These memories are sticky and can be both pleasant and unpleasant.
Some days tart like Marmite
Sometimes they're difficult to deal with.
Sticks to your heart
These emotions stay with you long-term.
The croft, the croft
Old structures or buildings.
Old lofts and searching
Places that hold memories and emotions that we seek out.
The path, the path
The journey we take in life.
Of always searching
Searching is a constant theme in our lives.
All from the heart
Everything we do is driven by emotions and feelings.
All from the need
We act on our desires and wants.
All from the love
Love is what motivates us and keeps us going.
All from the greed
Sometimes our wants become selfish and driven by greed.
Right from the heart
All of these motivations come from the heart.
I tell you this old heart is covered in glue
My heart is still stuck and associated with this person.
I can never run back or forget you
I can't go back to the way things were or forget about you.
Gotta love and forgive
Love and forgiveness are still necessary even in this situation.
Or you can't breathe
Without love and forgiveness, it's suffocating and unbearable.
I got something to give
Even in this difficult situation, there's something I want to offer.
Before I leave
Before I move on from this situation.
I can never run back
I can't go back to the way things were before.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN JAMES PARKER, LUKE RICHARD CONCANNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Izzy Smith
2021 listening! Still one of the most beautiful songs ever written in my opinion
Aline Nascimento
Yes!!!
tesoro tesoro
Yeah man just looked this track up after years ..sent a shiver up my spine from the very fist bar ,...what a song ..❤
Multifarious Studios
I love this song. 2018 still on my mind.
Jack
This is so awesome! I love how the video is all stop-motion-y. How could two people possibly dislike this?!
Gavin Roberts
Love this song really nice 🤗😁
Alex Weaver
Such a good singer (Y) Anyone know if he's got an album out??
Lee Jones
Nizlopi are quality. Half these songs are about you is a top album. (Smiler from Coventry)
lukerr87
Nizlopi wrote some depressing but good songs.
Multifarious Studios
2020 still listening