Paul Weller (born 25 May 1958) is an English singer / songwriter, leader of… Read Full Bio ↴Paul Weller (born 25 May 1958) is an English singer / songwriter, leader of two successful bands: The Jam and The Style Council. In England, he is recognised as something of a national institution yet, because much of his songwriting is rooted in English culture, he has remained essentially a national rather than an international star.

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.

Mermaids
Paul Weller Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

She's in my head
She's in my mind
And I'm all she says
Yes she knows me well
As well as you can
She's on my side
I often hide
In her magic hair

And there I learn again, the joy of life
The wonder of it all
And this I feel, that through her I learn
Another way to be

You take my breath, I feel consumed
Take it all, I want to know
What lies behind, your smiles and shells
Wish I knew you well

Come in my head
Come in my mind

You can only love, when you open up
To be yourself

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Paul Weller's Mermaids describe a dream-like state that the singer enters when he thinks of a woman who has a profound impact on him. He feels like this woman knows him well, maybe even better than anyone else can. He seeks refuge in her hair and there he finds a joy and wonder for life that he had forgotten. He feels that through her, he learns of another way to be.

The singer feels consumed by this woman, like he is unable to breathe without her. He wants to know everything about her, to understand the person she is beyond just the surface-level smiles and shells. He invites her into his head and his mind, recognizing that in order to truly love, one needs to be open and honest about oneself.

The song seems to be about the transformative power of love, as well as the importance of being vulnerable and open in relationships. The woman in the song represents a kind of muse or inspiration for the singer, and it is through her that he is able to experience something new and exciting. The chorus communicates the idea that love can only thrive when people are willing to open themselves up completely and be true to who they are.

Line by Line Meaning

She's in my head
I can't stop thinking about her

She's in my mind
She's always on my mind

And I'm all she says
I'm completely under her spell

Yes she knows me well
She understands me better than anyone else

As well as you can
As much as anyone could

She's on my side
She's supportive of me

I often hide
I tend to keep my feelings to myself

In her magic hair
Her presence is like magic

And there I learn again, the joy of life
Being around her reminds me of the beauty of life

The wonder of it all
The awe-inspiring nature of existence

And this I feel, that through her I learn
She teaches me valuable lessons about life