Initially the band had trouble getting a permanent drummer and it wasn't until August 1980 that an advert in the local paper resulted in Andy Orr joining the band. From that point on the band were ready to start doing some live work. With a set consisting of originals such as "Memories", "Gangland Warfare", "Last resort" and a smattering of covers the band played their first gig at the ford Social Club on a Sunday afternoon in November 1980. The audience was made up mainly of "flatcap" Sunday drinkers and a few Mods from Collier row that John had met up with at an 'Upset' gig at the Marquee the week before. The band got a good reaction but had to compromise their set by playing "Nights in white Satin" in order to keep the grannies happy!
At the start of 1981 the band began to attract quite a large following. Although mainly made up of mods the bands raw energy also attracted a diverse non-mod audience. Several residences at the Seabright Arms, Greyhound, Clarendon Hotel and Hope and Anchor further increased the band's popularity. One memorable gig was at the Seabright Arms, when the pub was packed to the rafters. there were three bands on that night, with Small World headlining supported by 007 and Distant Echo.
During 1981 the band headlined at several Mod All-dayer events and played numerous gigs around the country with bands such as Long Tall Shorty and The Purple Hearts. The band also started their own fan club, run by John's sister, Jacquie. The fan club reached a membership count of over 600 at its peak and was an ideal outlet for some of the early demo tapes.
1982 saw the release of the bands first single "Love Is Dead/Liberty" on Ed Ball & Dan Treacy's Whaam record label. Although the recording had a murky production. "Love Is Dead" became a popular mainstay of the Small World set. Only 1.000 copies of the single were pressed.
At the end of 1982, Andy Orr decided to leave the band (he subsequently went onto join The Scene). The band had to draft in Derwent from Long Tall Shorty in order to fulfil confirmed bookings at the Marquee and Dingwalls and a headline at the Burnley Cat's Whiskers.
In January 1983 the band recruited Paul Guidotti on drums. Paul's previous bands inclued The Staceys and The Stripes, who incidentally supported Small world at one of the early Gryhound gigs. With Paul on drums, the band's performances had a much tighter feel. During the next two years the band's popularitygrew and they played numerous gigs up and down the country, including a jaunt to Italy to play in Rome.
By the latter part of 1984, at the height of their popularity, the band split, playing a farewell gig on October 15th at the Hope and Anchor. Pissed off with the lack of major record company interes, John and Chris decided that the band had gone as far as it could go, and looked to pastures new. The combine was born. Mick went on and joined several bands including The Rage. Just prior to the split of Small World a second single was released on the band's own 'Valid' Records. 3first Impressions/Stupidity Street/Tomorrow Never Comes", recorded in 1984, had a much more professional feel than "Love Is Dead" and is a good representative of the band's 1983-1984 sound.
In September 1987, Small World reformed for a "one-off" reunion gig at the Rotherham Assembly Rooms. The gig went down a storm and the "one-off" gig turned to be a string of "one-off" gigs running betwenn 1987 and 1993.
Small World
Small World Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like you said you would
The mutual understanding
Did I meet any of those demands you made so out of this world
Should I listen
When the winds blows
Cause it's blowing in a new direction
I can't help but feel like I'm affected
So let me go (Let me go)
Somewhere where no one's ever been before
Light a fire (A burning fire)
Let it get out of control
Let me go
Somewhere where everybody breaks the mold
Paint a picture
That's bigger than your small (Your small), small sad world
Your small sad world
Do you feel it
Like I thought you would
I found you right where I left this
Never imagined your sideways preference would get out of this world
Do you see me through the looking glass
Smiling at my reflection
Came up short with your thin affection
Get me out of your small, sad world
So let me go (Let me go)
Somewhere where no one's ever been before
Light a fire (A burning fire)
Let it get out of control
Let me go
Somewhere where everybody breaks the mold
Paint a picture
That's bigger than your small (Your small), small, sad world
Your small sad world
Yeah
Minutes (Minutes)
Minutes (Minutes)
Have been changing my mind
Seconds (Seconds)
Seconds (Seconds)
I could do without your precious time
Should I listen when the wind blows?
Cause it's blowing in a new direction
Yeah it's blowing in a new direction
And I'm going...
Yeah
So let me go (Let me go)
Somewhere where no one's ever been before
Light a fire (A burning fire)
And let it get out of control
Out of control
Out of control
Somewhere where everybody breaks the mold
Light a fire
In your small, (Your small), small, sad world
So long
Goodbye
"Small World" by Small World is a song about leaving a small and suffocating world behind in order to find oneself and grow. The song is addressed to a person or a group of people who have made the singer feel trapped in their small world, and who have failed to meet their expectations. The song starts with a question: "Do you miss it, like you said you would?" The singer is wondering if the people they left behind are still clinging to their old ways or if they, like the singer, have moved on.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Let me go" and describes a desire to escape to a place where no one has ever been before. The idea of lighting a fire that gets out of control represents the wild and passionate nature of the singer's desire to break free from the constraints of the small world. The bridge of the song talks about time and how it has been changing the singer's mind. The song ends with a definitive "So long, goodbye," indicating that the singer has made a clean break from the small world and is ready to move on.
Overall, "Small World" is a powerful and anthemic song that encourages listeners to break free from anything that is holding them back and to pursue their dreams and desires.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you miss it
Do you miss our relationship?
Like you said you would
You promised that you would miss it.
The mutual understanding
Our understanding of each other.
Did I meet any of those demands you made so out of this world
Did I fulfill your unrealistic expectations?
Should I listen
Should I pay attention?
When the winds blows
When things change.
Cause it's blowing in a new direction
Things are changing in a new direction.
I can't help but feel like I'm affected
I can't help feeling impacted.
Get me out of this small world
I want to leave this negative environment.
So let me go (Let me go)
I want to leave.
Somewhere where no one's ever been before
Somewhere new and unexplored.
Light a fire (A burning fire)
Ignite my passion and let it grow.
Let it get out of control
Allow it to be wild and extreme.
Somewhere where everybody breaks the mold
Somewhere where everyone is unique and different.
Paint a picture
Create something new and exciting.
That's bigger than your small (Your small), small sad world
Something that goes beyond your negative environment.
Do you feel it
Do you feel the same way I do?
Like I thought you would
Just like I expected.
I found you right where I left this
I found you in the same place, doing the same things.
Never imagined your sideways preference would get out of this world
I never imagined your unusual choices would go beyond this negative environment.
Do you see me through the looking glass
Do you see me as I see myself?
Smiling at my reflection
Proud of who I am.
Came up short with your thin affection
You did not give me enough love or attention.
Get me out of your small, sad world
I want to leave your negative environment.
Minutes (Minutes)
Time is passing quickly.
Have been changing my mind
I am reconsidering.
Seconds (Seconds)
Even faster than minutes.
I could do without your precious time
I do not want to waste my time on you.
Yeah it's blowing in a new direction
Things are definitely changing for us.
And I'm going...
I am moving on with my life.
So long
Goodbye.
Writer(s): Paul Adrian Hunter
Contributed by Gianna F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.