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)
You've Got It Bad
Ocean Colour Scene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sitting here to reason how the world's gone wrong
And if I could listen to half the words you say
Would your pathway glisten and help you on your way
Oh you've got it bad
But you never should expect cover
Oh you've got it so bad
If I was in your shoes would it be the same
Would you sit in silence while I dish out the blame
And if the world was laughing would you close your ears
There is no creed of chanting to make the world more clear
Oh you've got it bad
But you never should expect cover
Oh you've got it so so bad
Worse than any other
If I bought you flowers would you watch them grow
Spring time is for certain to follow on the snow
And if I could hold you where would you belong
Sitting here to reason how the world's gone wrong
Oh you've got it bad
But you never should expect cover
Oh you've got it so so bad
Worse than any other
The lyrics to Ocean Colour Scene's "You've Got It Bad" explore the complexities and nuances of relationships. The song opens with the singer wondering where his partner belongs and trying to reason how the world has gone wrong. He expresses a desire to listen to half the words that she says and help her find her way. The chorus warns that she has it bad, worse than any other, and that she should not expect to be covered or shielded from the consequences of her decisions.
The second verse begins with the singer imagining himself in his partner's shoes, wondering if she would also blame him if they were to switch places. He then questions if his partner would ignore the laughter of the world if it were directed at him. He concludes that there is no set formula for making the world more clear.
The final verse raises a poetic question of whether buying flowers for his partner will help her watch them grow, implying a sense of hope and renewal. The singer then repeats the opening lines questioning where his partner belongs and trying to make sense of the world's problems.
Overall, the song offers a complex and honest perspective on relationships, acknowledging that they can be difficult and painful but also hinting at the possibility of hope, growth, and renewal.
Line by Line Meaning
And if I could hold you where would you belong
If I had the opportunity to be with you, I wonder where you would feel most at home
Sitting here to reason how the world's gone wrong
Contemplating the state of the world and trying to make sense of it all
And if I could listen to half the words you say
If only I could truly hear and understand half of what you express
Would your pathway glisten and help you on your way
Would your future look bright and promising if I could understand more of what you communicate
Oh you've got it bad
You are in a difficult situation or feeling intense emotions
But you never should expect cover
Although you may be struggling, there may not be a way to fix everything
Oh you've got it so bad
Your situation or feelings are worse than most
Worse than any other
Your challenges are more severe than anyone else's
If I was in your shoes would it be the same
If I were in your position, would I feel the same as you
Would you sit in silence while I dish out the blame
Would you remain quiet while I accuse someone or something of causing our problems
And if the world was laughing would you close your ears
If everyone was mocking or ridiculing us, would you try to block out the hurtful noise
There is no creed of chanting to make the world more clear
There is no magic formula or mantra to make the confusing world we live in any clearer
If I bought you flowers would you watch them grow
If I gave you a gift, would you appreciate and value it
Spring time is for certain to follow on the snow
No matter how cold, dark, or bleak our current situation may seem, there is hope for a new beginning
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAMON MINCHELLA, OSCAR LLOYD HARRISON, SIMON FOWLER, STEPHEN CRADOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jadebass311
I wish this band still existed!! They make meaningful lyrics and amazing melodies
Sooooo underestimated
I’ve wished them back for yrs in terms of them letting the know who they are as the world would be better for them!
This album will always be my early childhood saviour along with along morrisette lol
The words mean more the older u get they set more
So talented 😊🥰🥰🥰🥰
@Deggy3
I don't think we realise how good we had it back in 1996. Absolute quality tune that will stand the test of time!
@simoncutler5542
Totally agree with u this music brings back memories when I was in my 20s
@jasonhudson2834
Take a bow. 💙
@kevdavison8058
Totally agree
@Autumnblueskies1
Totally agree! That was an awesome time, young, carefree and happy, I miss 1996!!
@benhoughton7894
Mate.... I only heard this again today on absolute 90s it's still such an overlooked belter of tune 🍻
@andrewjohnston4076
The summer of 1996 was probably the coolest time ever and this album was being played everywhere
@sherylmac40
I saw osc in Dundee card hall back then , and still I go back for nostalgic 90,s memories and the vibe then...that's gone now.☘️♥️
@cyclingartist6827
True!
@nessiepants22
I'm in my late 40s now (sadly) but still enjoying OCS! Awesome band!