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)
For Dancers Only
Ocean Colour Scene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All along the High Street wall
'Til your eyes can't see no more
Early evening in sunlight
Turns the world to shine so bright
Like a blind man given sight
Like a million neon lights
It's got my feet, it's in my soul
There is no going back it's just forward now
The silver screen it sees my gaze
I try to look beyond the haze
I could forgive it, everything is true
Just take me with you too
Out upon the empty floor
The lone dancer spinning on
Throwing caution to the wall
There's a sign behind the door
Says for dancers only sure
And the lone dancer she knows
She can never be lonely
This old town tells you to stay
Then you know you ain't getting away
There is no going back it's just forward now
These haunted halls play melodies
So sweet and tender on life's breeze
I could forgive it everything is true
Just take me with you too
There's a sign behind the door
Says for dancers only sure
And the lone dancer she knows
She can never be lonely
This old town tells you to stay
Then you know you ain't getting away
There is no going back it's just forward now
These haunted halls play melodies
So sweet and tender on life's breeze
I could forgive it everything is true
Just take me with you too
The lyrics of Ocean Colour Scene's song For Dancers Only express a feeling of nostalgia, attachment to a place and a sense of longing for something that might be out of reach. The song starts by describing a typical scene of a town's main street, with a bus stop and a high street wall. The early evening sunlight creates a beautiful atmosphere that captures the imagination of the singer. He feels like he has been given an opportunity to see things in a new way, like a blind man who can suddenly see. The scene is described as being lit up like a million neon lights, emphasizing the beauty and newness of everything around him.
The chorus reveals a sense of conflict between the singer's attachment to the past and the inevitability of moving forward. He feels as though he is trapped in this old town by its hold on his soul and feet. Although he yearns to move on, he knows that it is impossible to go back. Nevertheless, he recognizes the beauty in the town's history and is willing to forgive it for its limitations.
The second verse describes a lone dancer, who is spinning on an empty dance floor, seemingly oblivious to her surroundings. The singer describes a sign behind a door, which says "For Dancers Only," making it clear that the dance floor is meant for a select few. The dance floor, however, is described as being empty, except for one brave dancer who is throwing caution to the wall. This dancer seems to know that she can never be lonely, as if something in the music or in the atmosphere of the place makes her feel a sense of belonging. The verse echoes the theme of the first verse, with a description of a place that is both haunted and beautiful.
Line by Line Meaning
Bus stop stretching out before
The view of the street and the surroundings from the bus stop is seemingly endless
All along the High Street wall
The shops and buildings that line the High Street are present everywhere along the wall
'Til your eyes can't see no more
This view goes on until you can no longer see anything else
Early evening in sunlight
It's an early evening when the sun is still shining brightly
Turns the world to shine so bright
The sunlight transforms the world and makes it shine brightly
Like a blind man given sight
This transformation is so powerful that even a blind man would be able to recognize it
Like a million neon lights
It's as if there are millions of neon lights shining everywhere
This old town won't let me go
The town has a grip on the artist and won't allow them to leave
It's got my feet, it's in my soul
The town is an integral part of the artist's being and has taken a hold of them
There is no going back it's just forward now
The artist realizes that they can't go back, so they must move forward instead
The silver screen it sees my gaze
The singer is entranced by the sights and sounds of the town
I try to look beyond the haze
The artist tries to see through the haze and gain a better understanding of the town
I could forgive it, everything is true
The singer is coming to terms with the town and seeing it for what it truly is
Just take me with you too
The singer wants to be part of the town and its culture
Out upon the empty floor
The dance floor is empty and waiting for someone to fill it
The lone dancer spinning on
The only dancer in the room is spinning and enjoying herself
Throwing caution to the wall
The dancer is carefree and not worried about anything else
There's a sign behind the door
There is a sign that indicates that the room is only for dancers
Says for dancers only sure
The sign leaves no doubt that only dancers can enter the room
And the lone dancer she knows
The dancer knows that she is the only one in the room
She can never be lonely
Despite being alone, the dancer doesn't feel lonely because she is doing what she loves
This old town tells you to stay
The town is trying to keep the artist there
Then you know you ain't getting away
The singer knows that they won't be able to leave
These haunted halls play melodies
The artist hears haunting melodies that echo throughout the halls
So sweet and tender on life's breeze
The melodies are gentle and soothing, carried on the breeze of life
Just take me with you too
The singer still wants to be part of the town and its culture
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL JOHN WELLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Graeme Pryce
Love this tune. probably the highlight of the album for me. :-)
melgregory2008
love it, many thanks.
the world we all love
great video....great song. Where did the footage of the gig come from ? what gig was it ???
Adam East
Paul weller and coxon’s version has undoubtedly more punch...but Simon’s voice is way better than coxon’s...that’s he great if Simon sang the other version...
Louiseskybunker
nice : )