The band were founded at the University of Dundee in 1994 by Lightbody, Mark McClelland, and Michael Morrison of Shrug. After briefly using the name Polarbear, releasing the EP Starfighter Pilot (1997) and losing Morrison as a member, the band became Snow Patrol in 1997 and added Quinn to its lineup. Their first two studio albums, Songs for Polarbears (1998) and When It's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up (2001), released by the independent record label Jeepster Records, were commercially unsuccessful. The band then signed to the major record label Polydor Records in 2002.
Connolly joined Snow Patrol in 2002, and after their major-label debut album, Final Straw, the following year, with "Run", the album's biggest hit, the band rose to national fame. The album was certified 5x platinum in the UK. Their next studio album, Eyes Open (2006), and its hit single, "Chasing Cars"—reported in 2019 to be the most-played song of the 21st century on UK radio—propelled the band to greater international fame. The album topped the UK Albums Chart and was the best-selling British album of the year. In 2008, Snow Patrol released their fifth studio album, A Hundred Million Suns; then, in 2009, they released their first compilation album, Up to Now; and, in 2011, their sixth studio album, Fallen Empires, was published. The band released their seventh album, Wildness, on 25 May 2018.
During the course of their career, Snow Patrol have won seven Meteor Ireland Music Awards and been nominated for six Brit Awards and one Grammy. Final Straw, Eyes Open, and A Hundred Million Suns have sold ten million copies worldwide, combined.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Patrol
Studio albums
Songs for Polarbears (1998)
When It's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up (2001)
Final Straw (2003)
Eyes Open (2006)
A Hundred Million Suns (2008)
Fallen Empires (2011)
Wildness (2018)
You Could Be Happy
Snow Patrol Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you weren't happy the day I watched you go
And all the things that I wished I had not said
Are played in loops till it's madness in my head
Is it too late to remind you how we were?
But not our last days of silence, screaming, blur
Most of what I remember makes me sure
I should have stopped you from walking out the door
You could be happy, I hope you are
You made me happier than I'd been by far
Somehow everything I own smells of you
And for the tiniest moment it's all not true
Do the things that you always wanted to
Without me there to hold you back; don't think, just do
More than anything I want to see you, girl
Take a glorious bite out of the whole world
Snow Patrol's You Could Be Happy is a heartfelt lament from a person who has just lost their significant other. They begin by saying that their ex-partner might be happy without them, but they wouldn't know because the last time they saw them, they were not happy. The singer then goes on to regret all the things they said that they wished they could take back. The memories of their last days together torment the singer, and they wonder if it is too late to remind their ex-partner of the beautiful times they shared.
The lyrics of the chorus are bittersweet as the singer acknowledges that the person they loved could be happy without them. The emotions in the song are palpable when the singer talks about how everything they own carries a whiff of their ex-partner, and for a moment, it's almost as if they are still there with the singer. In the remainder of the song, the singer suggests that their ex-partner does all the things they always wanted to do, and they want to see them "take a glorious bite out of the whole world."
Overall, the song is about the bittersweet nature of love, its beginnings, and its ends, and how sometimes we are left with only memories of the past.
Line by Line Meaning
You could be happy and I won't know
It is possible that you are happy now, but I have no way of knowing
But you weren't happy the day I watched you go
On the day that I saw you leave, it was clear that you were not happy
And all the things that I wished I had not said
I regret saying the things that I did
Are played in loops till it's madness in my head
I cannot escape these thoughts and they are driving me crazy
Is it too late to remind you how we were?
I wonder if it is too late to remind you of the good times we had together
But not our last days of silence, screaming, blur
I do not want to remember the terrible way things ended between us
Most of what I remember makes me sure
My memories of our time together make me believe
I should have stopped you from walking out the door
I regret not trying to keep you from leaving
You could be happy, I hope you are
I hope that you are happy now
You made me happier than I'd been by far
I was happier with you than I had ever been before
Somehow everything I own smells of you
Reminders of you are everywhere, even in things that I own
And for the tiniest moment it's all not true
Sometimes it feels like you were never really here with me at all
Do the things that you always wanted to
I encourage you to fulfill your dreams and desires
Without me there to hold you back; don't think, just do
You should not let me or anyone else hold you back from pursuing your goals
More than anything I want to see you, girl
Above all else, I want to see you again
Take a glorious bite out of the whole world
I want you to experience all the world has to offer and enjoy it to the fullest
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NATHAN CONNOLLY, GARY LIGHTBODY, JONNY QUINN, TOM SIMPSON, PAUL WILSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Bty628
10 years ago next month my twin sister and I had a call completely out of the blue..informing us that our mother had endured an extremely, severe, personuable stroke.
My mother lived 100 miles away from us & by the time we got there they had resuscitated twice and she was placed on Do Not Resuscitate.
Anything can happen in a blink of an eye.
This song always makes me so many emotions ..
telling my mum
“you could be happy, I hope you are”?
Every morning think about what you have, not what you don’t have. 😊 ❤
@theejcookproductions
These (not in any specific order) are others off the top of my head. (Some may be cliché, but cliché isn't bad. They're reminders of a simpler time/happier time or even the beautifully painful and pure feeling of heartbreak.
1. Big Jet Plane - Angus &Julia Stone
2. Say Something - A great big beautiful world
3. Falling Slowly - once
4. One thousand Years - Christina Perri
5. 9 crimes - Damien Rice
6. Adam's Song - Blink 182 (simpler times/struggles with a once young depression)
7. Hopeless place - Rhianna (cheesy, but beautiful when you find peace within urself after a painful breakup)
8. Fix You - coldplay
(Other bands who are known to have music in the nostalgic category - The xx, the American rejects (before they got too poppy), etc etc.. once u start searching, you'll dig deeper and deeper into older and more indie songs that have been around forever but are underrated) These are just from the top of my head. Just my opinion, through my own personal experiences with a certain significant person or two in my past.
@HavenNirvana
You could be happy,
And I won't know.
But you weren't happy the day I watched you go.
And all the things that I wish I had not said,
All played in loops till it's madness, in my head.
Is it too late to remind you, how we were?
And not our last days of silent, screaming blur.
And most of what I remember,
Makes me sure,
I should have stopped you from walking out the door.
You could be happy, I hope you are.
You made me happier than I'd been by far.
And somehow everything I own, smells like you.
And for the tiniest moment,
It's all not true.
Do the things that you always wanted to.
Without me there to hold you back,
Don't think,
Just do.
More than anything I want to see you, girl.
Take a glorious bite out of the whole world.
@noahrodriguez9950
You could be happy and I won't know
But you weren't happy the day I watched you go
And all the things that I wished I had not said
Are played in loops till it's madness in my head
Is it too late to remind you how we were?
But not our last days of silence, screaming, blur
Most of what I remember makes me sure
I should have stopped you from walking out the door
You could be happy, I hope you are
You made me happier than I'd been by far
Somehow everything I own smells of you
And for the tiniest moment it's all not true
Do the things that you always wanted to
Without me there to hold you back; don't think, just do
More than anything I want to see you, girl
Take a glorious bite out of the whole world
@crstube
I made this video 13 years ago. The song has helped so many people through tough times in their lives and I have had the privilege to hear about their stories through the comment section of this video.
3 weeks ago my girlfriend broke up with me after 9 years of relationship. It’s so weird to listen to this song (that I have heard dozens of times before) with a broken heart. It’s like every word suddenly has even more meaning.
It is not too late for me to try to stop her from walking out that door. But I am not sure if I even should, because I think we might be happier without one another in the end. I still love her though. Life is hard sometimes. My sympathies to all of you going through tough times right now. It will get better.
@mrsugar2352
❤️ 💜
@kevinalamo4250
What a BEAUTIFUL post! Great job on the video as well! I am so sorry for what happened in your last relationship. I haven't listened to this song in years (since my last bad break-up) and here I am again, after losing a great girl... and it was my own fault. I may also be able get her back, but I don't know if that's the right thing to do. I actually considered sending her this song/ video... these decisions are tough. Thank you so very much for this. It is beautiful and cathartic.
@carsonangus4684
aw bless you, i hope you are doing okay, i love you so much chris ❤.
@Aldolador1
Much love, Christoph- you're not alone in your struggles 💜
@dylhansmith6095
What a beautiful post. I'm so sorry you are going through this. X
@jonnnnniej
Strange how a song can break your heart and at the same time heal it.
@chrisloder6837
jonnnnniej completely agree 💔❤
@kathrynfaulkner3020
i know, right?
@lukasbertonsin337
Omg, you said the words!