Weller's eleventh studio album, Sonik Kicks, was released on 19 March 2012. The Green Songfacts reports that it was recorded in Weller’s own Black Barn Studios in Ripley, Surrey, with co-producer Simon Dine and engineer Charles Rees.
Born John William Weller in Stanley Road, Woking, he was also a central figure in the Mod revival. As the leader of the Jam, Paul Weller fronted the most popular British band of the punk era, influencing legions of English rockers that ranged from his mod-revival contemporaries to the Smiths in the '80s and Oasis in the '90s. During the final days of the Jam, he developed a fascination with Motown and soul, which led him to form the sophisti-pop group the Style Council in 1983. As the Style Council's career progressed, Weller's interest in soul developed into an infatuation with jazz-pop and house music, which eventually led to gradual erosion of his audience — by 1990, he couldn't get a record contract in the UK, where he had previously been worshipped as a demi-god. As a solo artist, Weller returned to soul music as an inspiration, cutting it with the progressive, hippie tendencies of Traffic. Weller's solo records were more organic and rootsier than the Style Council, which helped him regain his popularity within Britain. By the mid-'90s, he had released three successful albums which were both critically-acclaimed and massively popular in England, where contemporary bands like Ocean Colour Scene were citing him as an influence. Just as importantly, many observers, while occasionally criticizing the trad-rock nature of his music, acknowledged that Weller was one of the few rock veterans that had managed to stay vital within the second decade of his career.
GREEN
Paul Weller Lyrics
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Take off my nothing inside
Green green green green
Temple, green, your simple guide
Bubble back in young beat
Glad, their rights
And this the far and
The quite time
Fake it, take it, leave it, feel it
Fake it, take it, leave it, feel it
Fake it, take it, leave it, feel it
Fake it, green, take it, green,
Leave it, green, feel it,
Green green, green, green
The lyrics of Paul Weller's song "Green" are quite cryptic and open to interpretation. The repetition of the phrase "Take off my nothing inside" suggests a desire to shed one's layers and reveal one's true self. The color green seems to symbolize both simplicity and nature, expressed through the repetition of "green green green green" and "green, temple, green, your simple guide." The lines "Bubble back in young beat / Glad, their rights" evoke a sense of youthful enthusiasm and optimism.
The chorus, which repeats the phrase "Fake it, take it, leave it, feel it" twice, seems to suggest that one should try different things, even if they may be pretending or faking it at first, in order to find what feels true and authentic. The repetition of "fake it, take it, leave it, feel it" emphasizes the importance of experimentation and trial and error in the journey towards self-discovery.
Line by Line Meaning
Take off my nothing inside
Strip me off of all my soul that was once inside
Green green green green
The vibrancy and fervor of life and being alive
Temple, green, your simple guide
A haven in the form of untouched nature guiding towards tranquility
Bubble back in young beat
Revival of hope and liveliness that makes a youthful spirit bubble to the surface
Glad, their rights
The freedom to delight in the small worldly pleasures of life that makes one happy
And this the far and The quite time
A secluded period of contemplation and retrospective examination of the individual self
Fake it, take it, leave it, feel it
It doesn't matter how you experience things, just be present in the moment
Fake it, take it, leave it, feel it
The same line repeated to emphasize the idea of being present
Fake it, green, take it, green, Leave it, green, feel it, Green green, green, green
Expressing the same idea of experiencing life, in the context of the beauty and the vibrancy of nature
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL WELLER, SIMON DINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind