Simple Minds have achieved 24 top 40 singles on the UK Singles Chart, including eight top 10 and one number one, and 26 albums on the UK Albums Chart, including 22 top 40 albums, 12 top 10 albums and five number one albums: Sparkle in the Rain (1984), Once Upon a Time (1985), Live in the City of Light (1987), Street Fighting Years (1989), and Glittering Prize 81/92 (1992). They have sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, and were the most commercially successful Scottish band of the 1980s. Simple Minds have also achieved considerable chart success in the United States, Australia, Germany, Spain, Italy and New Zealand. Despite various personnel changes, they continue to record and tour.
In 2014, Simple Minds were awarded the Q Inspiration Award for their contribution to the music industry and an Ivor Novello Award in 2016 for Outstanding Song Collection from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors (BASCA). Other notable recognitions include nominations for both the MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction and MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" in 1985, nomination for the Brit Award for British Group in 1986 and for the American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group in 1987. "Belfast Child" was nominated for the Song of the Year at the Brit Awards 1990.
The nucleus of Simple Minds consists of the two remaining original members, Jim Kerr (vocals) and Charlie Burchill (electric and acoustic guitars, occasional keyboards after 1990, saxophone and violin). The other current band members are Ged Grimes (bass guitar), Cherisse Osei (drums), Sarah Brown (backing vocals), Gordy Goudie (additional guitar and keyboards) and Berenice Scott (keyboards). Notable former members include Mick MacNeil (keyboards), Derek Forbes (bass guitar), Brian McGee and Mel Gaynor (drums).
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Minds
Discography
Life in a Day (1979)
Real to Real Cacophony (1979)
Empires and Dance (1980)
Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call (1981)
New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) (1982)
Sparkle in the Rain (1984)
Once Upon a Time (1985)
Street Fighting Years (1989)
Real Life (1991)
Good News from the Next World (1995)
Néapolis (1998)
Our Secrets Are the Same (1999/2004)
Neon Lights (2001)
Cry (2002)
Black & White 050505 (2005)
Graffiti Soul (2009)
Big Music (2014)
Acoustic (2016)
Walk Between Worlds (2018)
Direction of the Heart (2022)
Constantinople Line
Simple Minds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm first class
Hey Waiter
Where are we now?
Am I last
Am I last
Hey Waiter
Don't talk back
A traveller's language
Caucasian talk
They're saying nothing
I see a land
As we crawl by night
I see a face
In the window in front
These stations are useful
These stations we love them
Newspaper
Encounter
Confusion
Hey Waiter
I'm first class
Hey Waiter
What state is this?
These reptiles scream
A violent party
All art and jazz
And League of Nations
I see a land
As we crawl by night
I see a face
In the window in front
The east is calling
I'm feeling nervous
I love the western
Style and change
These stations are useful
These stations we love them
These stations are useful
These stations we love them
Newspaper
Encounter
Confusion
Constantinople
Red
Red star
Red
Constantinople
Red
Red star
Red
In the song "Constantinople Line" by Simple Minds, the singer of the song is traveling on a train, and the lyrics portray the confusion and disorientation that come with traveling in a foreign place. The song begins with the singer addressing the waiter and expressing their class identity. The traveler is then uncertain of their location, wondering if they are the last person traveling. The other passengers on the train are speaking in a language that is unfamiliar to the singer, and they appear to be saying nothing to each other. As the train moves at night, the traveler looks out the window and sees a new country and a face in the window in front of them.
In the second verse, the direction of the song shifts, and the singer tries to make sense of the people and the party that they are now witnessing. The lyrics refer to "reptiles" screaming and a "League of Nations" present at the event, perhaps referring to the chaos and violence of the interwar period. Despite feeling uneasy with their unfamiliar surroundings and the "east" that is "calling," the traveler expresses their affection for the "western style and change" that they love.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey Waiter
The singer is addressing the waiter
I'm first class
The singer is stating that he is of a high status
Where are we now?
The singer is asking about the current location
Am I last
The singer is questioning if he is at the end of the line
Don't talk back
The singer is demanding respect from the waiter
These tenants speak, A traveller's language
The people around the singer are conversing in a language that is common among travelers
Caucasian talk, They're saying nothing
Despite the language being known by many, the conversation around the singer is not making sense
I see a land, As we crawl by night, I see a face, In the window in front
The singer is observing the passing landscape and the person sitting in front of him
These stations are useful, These stations we love them, Newspaper, Encounter, Confusion
The singer is appreciating the usefulness and significance of the stations and the experiences they provide such as newspapers, interesting people, and confusion
What state is this?
The singer is inquiring about the state they are currently in
These reptiles scream, A violent party, All art and jazz, And League of Nations
The singer is at a party with people he considers dangerous and loud, and they are discussing a broad range of topics including art, music, and politics
The east is calling, I'm feeling nervous, I love the western, Style and change
The singer is apprehensive about the east and prefers the style and change of the western world
Constantinople, Red, Red star, Red, Constantinople, Red, Red star, Red
The repeated phrase 'Constantinople, Red, Red star, Red' refers to the flag of the Soviet Union
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN MCGEE, MICHAEL JOSEPH MACNEIL, DEREK FORBES, JAMES KERR, CHARLES BURCHILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind