Ocean Colour Scene (often abbreviated to OCS) are an English rock band form… Read Full Bio ↴Ocean Colour Scene (often abbreviated to OCS) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1989. They have had five top 10 albums including a number one in 1997. They have also achieved seventeen top 40 singles and six top 10 singles to date. They were formed after two other bands called The Boys and Fanatics disbanded. Fanatics released an EP titled Suburban Love Songs. OCS signed to Phfftt Records in 1990. Their first single, "Sway", was released in September 1990 during the indie era. When their record label was swallowed up by larger company Phonogram their eponymous début album was remixed, against the band's wishes, to fit in with the Baggy/indie-dance musical trend of the time. The album was largely deemed a failure. Being in dispute with their label, the band were forced back onto unemployment benefits, with no real direction and being only able to write new music with no outlet for it.

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)

Mr. Brown
Ocean Colour Scene Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Mr Brown, you promised us the earth
So you can't let us down
So for what it's worth
Mr Brown
It's just the last one there
Said he didn't think it very fair
It's up to you to turn it round
So come on Mr Brown, Mr Brown

Mr Brown, come on, come on now Mr Brown

And when the whole world's screaming, scheming, cheating
Mr Brown won't care
He won't be lying, stealing, dealing, deceiving
Mr Brown's most fair

But now he's not there
Because it's you who wears the crown
But one day and it won't be fair
They will come and cut you down, Mr Brown
And we all know it's true
There's no-one who could follow you
There's no-one who can touch you
And one day we'll be after you Mr Brown

And when the whole world's screaming, scheming, cheating
Mr Brown won't care
He won't be lying, stealing, dealing, deceiving
Mr Brown's most fair
Now Mr Brown, you promised us the earth
So you can't let us down
So for what it's worth

Mr Brown Mr Brown, come on, come on
Mr Brown yeah

Overall Meaning

The song "Mr Brown" by Ocean Colour Scene is a commentary on the promise of power and the responsibilities that come with it. The titular character, Mr Brown, is someone who promised the world to his followers. However, as time passes, Mr Brown is not there, leaving others to wear the crown. The song speaks of the idea that one can achieve power but may not be able to keep it forever. The lyrics also suggest that Mr Brown was a leader who upheld certain values and principles, such as fairness and honesty.

The first verse starts with a reminder of Mr Brown's promise to deliver the earth to his followers, and the idea that he cannot let them down. The second verse further reiterates Mr Brown's characteristics, emphasizing his integrity and honesty. The chorus "And when the whole world's screaming, scheming, cheating, Mr Brown won't care, he won't be lying, stealing, dealing, deceiving, Mr Brown's most fair" highlights that Mr Brown would not compromise his values or character.

However, as the song progresses, it becomes apparent that Mr Brown is not there anymore, leaving a gap that no one else can fill. The last verse suggests that Mr Brown would have to face the consequences of his actions, eventually leading to his downfall. Overall, the lyrics speak of the challenges that come with leadership, reminding us that fairness and honesty are values worth upholding.

Line by Line Meaning

Mr Brown, you promised us the earth
Mr Brown, you made big promises to us

So you can't let us down
You must keep your promises to us

So for what it's worth
For whatever it's valued

Mr Brown
You, Mr Brown

It's just the last one there
Someone else already spoke, but one more person wants to speak

Said he didn't think it very fair
The last person who spoke said they didn't think it was fair

It's up to you to turn it round
You have the power to fix the situation

So come on Mr Brown, Mr Brown
Encouraging Mr Brown to take action

And when the whole world's screaming, scheming, cheating
When everyone is competing and acting selfishly

Mr Brown won't care
Mr Brown won't stoop to their level

He won't be lying, stealing, dealing, deceiving
Mr Brown won't engage in unethical behavior

Mr Brown's most fair
Mr Brown is very just

But now he's not there
Mr Brown is absent

Because it's you who wears the crown
Someone else is in a position of power now

But one day and it won't be fair
At some point, it won't be fair

They will come and cut you down, Mr Brown
Someone will bring Mr Brown down

And we all know it's true
Everyone is aware that it will happen

There's no-one who could follow you
No one can replace Mr Brown

There's no-one who can touch you
No one can compete with Mr Brown

And one day we'll be after you Mr Brown
At some point, people will come after Mr Brown

Now Mr Brown, you promised us the earth
Reiterating Mr Brown's promises

So you can't let us down
Again, emphasizing that Mr Brown must keep his promises

Mr Brown
Addressing Mr Brown directly

Mr Brown, come on, come on
Encouraging Mr Brown again

Mr Brown yeah
Echoing the song's title and addressing Mr Brown one final time

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OSCAR LLOYD HARRISON, SIMON GEOFFREY FOWLER, STEPHEN JOHN CRADOCK

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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