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)
No One At All
Ocean Colour Scene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You`re a northern soul
You`re a west-ender
You got eastern soul
But you`re no-one at all
You`re a rich man
You`re a poor man
Then you`re that man
But you`re no-one at all
You`re a liar
You`re a winner
And expert and a beginner
But you`re no-one at all
When the wind blows
That`s when you know
That your nose grows
And your face shows
That you`re no-one at all
You`re a hard rock
With your own space
You`re a disgrace
But you've got your grace
But you`re no-one at all
You`re a hard space
But you get things done
If the day is lost
Then the night is won
But you`re no-one at all
You`re a loner and
You`re an only one
You`re a red man
Then you`re a blue man
But you`re no-one at all
The lyrics to Ocean Colour Scene's "No One At All" describe a person who is difficult to categorize. The first verse lists different regional and cultural identities that this person embodies, such as being a southern man with a northern soul or a West-ender with an eastern soul. However, despite potentially having a diverse array of experiences and backgrounds, the chorus states that this person is ultimately "no one at all." The subsequent verses continue to add descriptors to this person's identity, such as being "a liar," "a winner," "an expert and a beginner," and "a hard rock." Despite these qualities, the chorus repeats the assertion that this person is "no one at all."
The latter half of the song introduces a metaphor of wind blowing and revealing the true nature of the person's identity. This includes the physical manifestation of lying, where the person's "nose grows," and the metaphorical show of one's true character, where their "face shows" that they are "no one at all." The song closes by listing more contradictory qualities, such as being a "hard space" who gets things done but ultimately still being "no one at all."
Line by Line Meaning
You`re a southern man
You hail from the southern region of a place
You`re a northern soul
Your demeanor and outlook in life is similar to those of the people living in the northern region
You`re a west-ender
You reside in the western part of a place
You got eastern soul
Your origin is from an eastern place and so you have inherited the culture and way of life of such people
But you`re no-one at all
Despite having different personalities and backgrounds, you do not have a clear identity or sense of self
You`re a rich man
You have a lot of wealth and possessions
You`re a poor man
You have little to no wealth and are financially struggling
You`re a this man
You were previously identified as one kind of person
Then you`re that man
But then, you transitioned and became another kind of person
But you`re no-one at all
Despite having different personalities and backgrounds, you do not have a clear identity or sense of self
You`re a liar
You often deceive others with your words or actions
You`re a winner
You have achieved success in a certain field or aspect of life
And expert and a beginner
You possess both experience and knowledge in a certain area but are still considered a novice in some other aspects
But you`re no-one at all
Despite having different personalities and backgrounds, you do not have a clear identity or sense of self
When the wind blows
During difficult times
That`s when you know
That is when you become aware
That your nose grows
You tend to exaggerate or lie about things even more when under pressure
And your face shows
Your facial expression reveals your true emotions and intentions
That you`re no-one at all
Despite having different personalities and backgrounds, you do not have a clear identity or sense of self
You`re a hard rock
You are a tough and resilient person
With your own space
You have your own personal area or property
You`re a disgrace
You have been judged or looked down upon by others due to your actions or behaviors
But you've got your grace
Despite being judged by others, you still maintain your dignity and composure
But you`re no-one at all
Despite having different personalities and backgrounds, you do not have a clear identity or sense of self
You`re a hard space
You are a formidable person who can handle challenging situations
But you get things done
You are efficient and productive in completing tasks and goals
If the day is lost
If things do not go as planned during the day
Then the night is won
You will find success or satisfaction in some other way during the evening or night
But you`re no-one at all
Despite having different personalities and backgrounds, you do not have a clear identity or sense of self
You`re a loner and
You often prefer to be alone
You`re an only one
You are unique and one-of-a-kind
You`re a red man
You have strong opinions and beliefs
Then you`re a blue man
But you are also capable of being flexible and adapting to different situations
But you`re no-one at all
Despite having different personalities and backgrounds, you do not have a clear identity or sense of self
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAMON MINCHELLA, OSCAR LLOYD HARRISON, SIMON FOWLER, STEPHEN CRADOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind