Porcupine Tree started out as a "fake" band, the only real member being multi-instrumentalist Steven Wilson. Wilson's first two releases, Tarquin's Seaweed Farm (1989) and The Nostalgia Factory (1990), were both released on cassette tapes. In addition to the band's trademark psychedelic sound, these two tapes also contained heavy ambient and pop influences. Wilson's favorite tracks were then compiled into the CD On the Sunday of Life... (1991), while the more ambient-leaning tracks were also collected in Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape (1994). The first of these two featured many new versions of songs.
Wilson then went on to release Voyage 34 (1992) and Up the Downstair (1993), which refined the sound of the previous albums and removed the pop influences. Both of these were later re-released, the first as Voyage 34: The Complete Trip (2000), which included an extra two remixes (a total of four), while Up the Downstair was remastered at 2005 with real drums added in place of the drum-machine beats.
The Sky Moves Sideways (1995), often considered the band's best album by long-time fans, largely uses the spacey nature of previous albums. By the time of Signify (1996) Wilson had a full band at his disposal: Chris Maitland (drums), Colin Edwin (bass), and Richard Barbieri, formerly of Japan, on keyboards.
The band's next two albums, Stupid Dream (1999) and Lightbulb Sun (2000), saw them take on a more alternative rock-oriented sound, while still drawing influence from as far back as Up the Downstair. During this period, the band garnered increasing recognition, both in their home country and abroad. Finally, they were signed to Lava Records (a major American record label) in time for the release of In Absentia, with Gavin Harrison replacing Chris Maitland on drums. This album shows high metal influences, due in part to Wilson's work with Opeth on their album Blackwater Park. The band continued this sound for their 2005 release, Deadwing, which has the heaviest and most noticeable metal influences.
In April 2007, the band released Fear of a Blank Planet, an album clearly influenced by the post-rock genre, but also sees them expanding the metal side of their music, yet still remaining true to older facets of the band's sound.
In April, 2007, the band embarked on a six-month world tour in support of Fear of a Blank Planet, one that included Europe, the U.S., Japan, and Australia. The new album was featured, and the show featured the films and projections by the band's long-time visualist Lasse Hoile.
Fear of a Blank Planet is already the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful album of the band's career, charting high in most countries (even giving the band their first top-forty album in their home country). Porcupine Tree spent most of 2007 on tour promoting the album, and a new EP Nil Recurring containing material left over from the album-writing sessions was released on the band's own label Transmission in September.
The band started recording their tenth studio album The Incident in February 2009. This was confirmed by the band, posting this message on their official website: "Writing for the next PT studio record is well underway, with the band recently spending two weeks scheduled in the English countryside working on new tracks. Recording of these pieces and a new 35 minute SW song cycle were due to start in February..." A tour was announced on the band's website and MySpace, along with dates, following release of the new album. Around March and April, Wilson commented the 35-minute song kept evolving and now it has become a 55-minute song, occupying the entire disc.
On 20 May 2010, Porcupine Tree released their second live concert film on DVD and Blu-ray, titled Anesthetize. It was recorded live on 15 and 16 October 2008 in the Netherlands at the 013 Tilburg venue.
On 17 June 2010, the band announced on their website that a new live album titled Atlanta, recorded during the tour of Fear of a Blank Planet at the Roxy theatre, Atlanta, on 29 October 2007, would be released in a near future. This album was released via online distribution only, without any class of physical format; all the sale proceeds were donated to Mick Karn for his treatment against cancer.
In June 2012, Wilson re-emphasised his continued focus on his solo career.
On November 1st, 2021, the band announced their eleventh studio album Closure / Continuation, to be released in June 2022 on Music For Nations, along with their first single in over 12 years, Harridan. The release is the first without bassist Colin Edwin since he joined the band in 1993.
Shallow
Porcupine Tree Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Did something in my past create a hole?
Don't use your gender
To drive a stake right through my soul
I live to function
On my own is all I know
No friends to mention
Shallow, shallow
Give it to me, give it to me
Scissors cutting out your anger
Shallow, shallow
No good to me, not if you bleed
Bite your tongue ignore the splinter
This city drains me
Maybe it's the smell of gasoline
The millions pain me
It's easier to talk to my PC
I live to function
On my own is all I know
No friends to mention
No distraction, nowhere to go
Shallow, shallow
Give it to me, give it to me
Scissors cutting out your anger
Shallow, shallow
No good to me, not if you bleed
Bite your tongue ignore the splinter
(I just wanna say)
Shallow, shallow
Give into me, give it to me
Scissors cutting out your anger
Shallow, shallow
No good to me, not if you bleed
Bite your tongue ignore the splinter
The lyrics of Porcupine Tree's "Shallow" talk about the singer's loneliness, isolation, and inability to form real and lasting relationships with people. The lines "I live to function, On my own is all I know. No friends to mention, No destruction, nowhere to go" perfectly convey the sense of detachment and lack of meaningful connections. It's as if the person has created a shell around themselves, and while they may function superficially in society, they feel a profound emptiness inside.
The chorus of the song, "Shallow, shallow, Give it to me, give into me Scissors cutting out your anger, Shallow, shallow, No good to me, not if you bleed, Bite your tongue ignore the splinter" seems to be a reference to the personal pain and conflicts that can arise in relationships. The singer may be expressing a desire for something deeper and more meaningful, but they also seem hesitant to open themselves up to real emotional vulnerability.
The song has a generally melancholic and introspective tone, and the ethereal and haunting melody amplifies the sense of sadness and yearning expressed in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't remember
I cannot recall
Did something in my past, create a hole.
Did something that happened before leave me with an emotional void or emptiness?
Don't use your gender.
Don't try to harm me using my gender as a weapon.
To drive a stake right through my soul.
To cause me deep emotional pain or trauma.
I live to function,
I exist purely to go through the motions of life.
On my own is all I know.
I have never really had companionship or support from others.
No friends to mention,
I have no true friends to speak of.
No destruction, nowhere to go
I have avoided the pain of loss or failure, but I also lack direction or purpose.
Shallow, shallow,
Superficial and insincere.
Give it to me, give into me
Let me have what I want, let me control the situation.
Scissors cutting out your anger
Cutting away negative emotions to avoid pain or confrontation.
No good to me, not if you bleed
You are useless to me if you are suffering or vulnerable.
Bite your tongue ignore the splinter
Endure the pain and ignore the truth to avoid conflict or discomfort.
This city drains me,
The urban environment is depleting my energy and spirit.
Maybe it's the smell of gasoline.
Perhaps the pollution or toxicity of the city is affecting me negatively.
The millions pain me,
The sheer number of people or the vastness of society is overwhelming and distressing.
It's easier to talk to my PC.
Interacting with technology is more comfortable and familiar than interacting with people.
Seasons caught in a triangle,
Trapped in a cycle of monotony or confusion, unable to move forward or progress.
Bite your tongue end on a splinter
Endure the pain and frustration of a situation that cannot be resolved or is beyond your control.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Colin Edwin Balch, Gavin Richard Harrison, Richard Barbieri, Steven Wilson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind