In 1993, the start of the turnaround occurred. Paul Weller invited the band to support him on some dates of his tour. On the back of these performances, Weller invited guitarist Steve Cradock to play on one of his singles, and vocalist Simon Fowler to sing on his album, Wild Wood. Cradock was asked to play live with Weller on his tour, and the money Cradock made kept the band afloat during this time.
Britpop fame (1995–2000)
The band recorded a demo that was sent to various industry figures. After hearing this tape, Noel Gallagher invited the band to play with Oasis on their 1995 tour. This support slot brought OCS to the attention of more record labels, and eventually in late 1995, the band signed with MCA Records. With the explosion of the Britpop scene, OCS's music became nationally and internationally known. Their second album Moseley Shoals was released to mixed-to-positive reviews, containing four hit singles and reached No. 2 in the UK Albums Chart. They also played at one of the concerts at Knebworth House supporting Oasis in August 1996.
Marchin' Already, the follow-up to Moseley Shoals, went to No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart, displacing Oasis' Be Here Now at the top of the charts in 1997. In 1998 they headlined their own arena tour in support of Marchin' Already and played three sold out nights at Stirling Castle, Scotland.
One from the Modern was released in 1999, and peaked in the UK Albums Chart at No. 4. The record spawned three top 40 singles, "Profit in Peace", "So Low" and "July". A Greatest Hits album, Songs for the Front Row, was released in 2001.
Post-Britpop (2001–2008)
After splitting with bassist Damon Minchella, the band continued to record and perform. Releases in 2001 (Mechanical Wonder), 2003 (North Atlantic Drift), 2005 (A Hyperactive Workout for the Flying Squad) and 2007 (On the Leyline) continued the trend of releasing new material every two years.
2004 saw the band release their first live album, Live: One for the Road. The album was a compilation of nineteen live tracks taken from various concerts. In 2006 the band released a live acoustic album, Live at the Jam House, which consisted of fifteen live tracks and also contained four new songs in "Great Man in Waiting", "The Word", "Still Trying" and "Matilda's England".
The band also released a live album in December 2006, which was recorded at Birmingham Academy and spread over two discs. People attending the gig were able to purchase the recording straight afterwards.
Recent years (2009–present)
In 2009, the band went into the studio with producer Gavin Monaghan, known for his work with Editors, Scott Matthews and The Twang, to work on a new album, Saturday, with a release date of 1 February 2010 to mark the 21st anniversary of the band. The album had a working title of 'Rockfield', named after the studios where it was recorded, but it was released as Saturday - both "Rockfield" and "Saturday" being tracks thereon.
On 2 November 2009, the band released a free downloadable version of a new song, "Mrs Maylie". "Magic Carpet Days", the first single from Saturday, was released on 25 January, followed by the album a few days later. The album charted at No. 35 on the UK Albums Chart. A second single, "Saturday", was released in May 2010 but it failed to chart. On 24 July 2010 they performed at the Wickerman Festival.
On 11 October 2010, the band released a 4-CD box set, 21, to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the band. It included many previously unreleased tracks and a brand new song entitled "Twenty One".
In March 2011, the band released a 15th anniversary special edition of their 1996 hit album Moseley Shoals. It consisted of the full album, b-sides and live tracks. The band played a full UK tour in support of the re-release. December saw the limited edition release of a double CD/DVD release of the band's Moseley Shoals gig at O2 Academy Birmingham, which was filmed on 26 February 2011. They performed an acoustic set at Lanford Live in 2011 for the Teenage Cancer Trust. In December 2012, the band announced the forthcoming release of their tenth studio album, Painting, which was released on 11 February 2013. They also played at V-festival where Inbetweeners actor James Buckley performed "The Circle" with them in Chelmsford and at The Electric Picnic Festival in Stradbally, Ireland.
In 2014 a special edition of Marchin' Already was released on a 2 CD edition and a special deluxe 4 disc box set which included a DVD of their live performance at Stirling Castle in 1998. Early 2015 saw the band celebrate their 25th anniversary with some acoustic concerts around the UK. They released a double CD live album which was recorded at the Manchester concert on the tour.
The following year, in 2016, the band announced several special concerts around the UK to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their 1996 hit album Moseley Shoals. They also played several dates in Australia for the first time in their career.
On 22 June 2016, the band officially announced that Scottish musician Raymond Meade would be joining the band permanently on bass, following the departures of both Dan Sealey and Andy Bennett. Meade had already played live with the band since the start of the year.
In November 2018 the band unveiled their first new material in five years since the release of Painting. The four track EP was released on 10" vinyl and available only at the band's Christmas shows. The EP received a 5 stars rating from Flick of the Finger, with the publication stating that 'Lushly textured, these four compelling and diverse new offerings are nothing short of brilliant.' In 2023 the band released a career-spanning box set entitled Yesterday, Today 1992–2018, which contained all their studio albums and 5 bonus CDs, totalling 230 tracks. The set also came with a 72-page book. A companion vinyl box set was also released, covering their first three studio albums from 1992–1997. In May, a follow-up vinyl set was released, covering the three studio albums released between 1999-2003. August saw the release of the final box set, covering the remaining four albums, 2005-2013.
Studio albums
Ocean Colour Scene (1992)
Moseley Shoals (1996)
Marchin' Already (1997)
B-Sides: Seasides & Freerides (1997)
One from the Modern (1999)
Mechanical Wonder (2001)
North Atlantic Drift (2003)
A Hyperactive Workout for the Flying Squad (2005)
On the Leyline (2007)
Saturday (2010)
Painting (2013)
Don't Get Me
Ocean Colour Scene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See my face, it's nothing new
There's no-one here when there's no-one there
So much you go for but no-one cares
Don't get me high don't get me fooled
Don't get me wrong on nights with you
The locks are cold when there's no-one there
I'd make them a bit stronger but we don't care
Ba ba ba ba, ba ba baa
You still don't care but if you had to choose
Something so small could break this in two
People like to say "people get stronger"
Just before they fall out of their heads
"Breaking up can make things seem much longer"
Tell you "what you give is what you get"
Ba ba ba ba, ba ba baa
And what you need is what we share
When we go home and it's just not there
Ba ba ba ba, ba ba baa
Ba ba ba ba, ba ba baa
The first verse of the song talks about the singer getting ready and looking presentable despite feeling like there is no one around to see him. He also acknowledges how people tend to go after so much in life, but in the end, no one really cares. He then warns against being fooled or taking him for granted and explains how the locks are cold when there’s no one to share it with. However, he admits that they don't seem to care about it as much as they should.
The chorus of the song expresses the singer’s desire to not be taken for granted or underestimated by his partner. He warns his partner about the danger of taking small things that matter for granted, as it can break them apart. The singer acknowledges how people often say 'breakups make us stronger,' but he disagrees and cites how people say this only before falling out of their head. He then goes back to the chorus, stating how they both need each other, but what they share seems to be missing, and it’s not just about the physical space.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll check my hair, and get my shoes
I'm taking care of my appearance and preparing for what comes next.
See my face, it's nothing new
I'm the same person I always am, nothing has changed.
There's no-one here when there's no-one there
When I'm alone, there's no one around to keep me company.
So much you go for but no-one cares
I try to achieve so much but no one seems to notice or care.
Don't get me high don't get me fooled
Don't try to manipulate or deceive me by getting me high.
Don't get me wrong on nights with you
I don't mean to offend or misinterpret our nights together in any way.
The locks are cold when there's no-one there
The doors and locks feel useless when there's no one to protect me or keep me safe.
I'd make them a bit stronger but we don't care
I could try to make myself more secure, but ultimately it doesn't matter because we don't really care.
You still don't care but if you had to choose
You still don't seem to care but if you had to make a choice...
Something so small could break this in two
One small issue could be the thing that ultimately ruins our relationship.
People like to say 'people get stronger'
People often like to give advice, like saying that people become stronger after going through tough times.
Just before they fall out of their heads
But sometimes these words of wisdom don't really sink in or don't make sense in the moment of crisis.
Breaking up can make things seem much longer
The aftermath of a breakup can make time feel like it's lengthened out.
Tell you 'what you give is what you get'
People often say that you'll get back what you put into something.
And what you need is what we share
What's important to me is what we share together.
When we go home and it's just not there
When we're alone again, something seems to be missing.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OSCAR LLOYD HARRISON, SIMON GEOFFREY FOWLER, STEPHEN JOHN CRADOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind