It was in 1978 that Duffy helped form Duran Duran with college friends Nick Rhodes and John Taylor. After recording demos and playing local gigs Duffy left the band to form Only Five Believers. This latter band evolved into The Hawks who released their sole single Words of Hope in 1980, beating his first band Duran Duran by a year.
The Hawks eventually dissolved and Duffy formed Tin Tin, a four-piece synth-led band who recorded Kiss Me (1983). This was picked up by WEA and became a major club hit on both sides of the Atlantic. Financed by Warners, Duffy moved to America for 1 year to write songs but was eventually dropped and returned to England to be signed by Virgin/10. In the meantime, he had relaunched himself as a solo artist called Stephen 'Tin Tin' Duffy. A re-recording of Kiss Me was reissued in 1985 and became a major hit followed by Icing on the Cake and the album The Ups And Downs. After this period, he dropped the Tin Tin from his name and proceeded to record as Stephen AJ Duffy. He released 3 more singles and 1 more album called Because We Love You. This marked the end of his pop phase.
Following an experimental dance album, Designer Beatnik under the alias Dr Calculus, Duffy was dropped by Virgin/10 and he returned to his folk roots and formed The Lilac Time with his brother, Nick. The band evolved into a four-piece and were picked up by Fontana. They recorded three albums and released 9 singles before they were dropped and signed to Alan McGee's Creation label. The resulting album, 1991's Astronauts was another critically acclaimed LP but also another commercial disaster. They were dropped by Creation and The Lilac Time split.
In 1993, after signing with EMI, the album Music in Colors was released. It was a collaborative effort with violinist Nigel Kennedy and featured 9 songs of Duffy and 9 instrumentals of Kennedy. It was credited to Stephen Duffy feat. Dr. Nigel Kennedy. Again, it was a commercial flop and the inevitable happened - Duffy was dropped. In 1994, he moved to Alaska and then to USA to start a record with R.E.M. and Velvet Crush producer, Mitch Easter. During this time, Duffy also started to regularly co-write songs with Steven Page of the Barenaked Ladies and their songs can be heard on various BL albums from 1994 onwards.
After reading about the Britpop boom that was occurring in Britain in late '94, he managed to secure a deal with BMG subsidary Indolent and a new album simply called Duffy was released in 1995. By this time, he had dropped the Stephen from his name and rather Morrissey-like, he was simply known as Duffy. Even though the album was mostly recorded in the US, Duffy found himself wrapped up in the Britpop wave and he recorded a one-off single called Hanging Around as Me Me Me with Alex James of Blur in 1996. Reaching the lofty heights of #17, this was the first chart action Duffy had experienced in 11 years. He started to record his 2nd album as Duffy but shortly before it was to be released, he got dropped. Again.
Major indie Cooking Vinyl picked the album up (called I Love My Friends) and released it in 1998. After this, Duffy reformed The Lilac Time with his brother Nick and original drummer Michael Giri and also added the girl, who in 2008 would become Mrs. Stephen Duffy, Claire Worrall as backing vocalist. Worrall had been working as the touring keyboardist/backing singer/guitarist for Robbie Williams live band. The resulting album Looking for a Day in the Night was released in 1999. Somehow managing to keep a deal with Cooking Vinyl, the band released the follow-up Lilac6 in 2001. Three successive albums on the same label was a major feat but inevitably he was dropped in 2002.
Following a chance meeting with old Duran Duran bandmate, Nick Rhodes, the duo started to re-record old demos Duffy had found on a cassette in the back of a drawer. After 6 weeks of recording, the album Dark Circles credited to The Devils was released on their own label, Tape Modern. Featuring old Duran songs and brand new songs written by the duo, Rhodes commented that this is how the debut Duran LP would have sounded had Duffy stayed on with them.
His next project was a new Lilac Time album and this was released on his own label, Folk Modern, in 2003 and credited to Stephen Duffy & The Lilac Time. The album wryly called Keep Going was again critically acclaimed but had little commercial success. Later that year, it was announced that Duffy was going to be new co-writer of Robbie Williams.
The following year, Duffy scored a #1 hit with the song Radio performed by Williams and produced & co-written by Duffy. The eventual fruits of their labour were realised in 2005 when the album Intensive Care was released. Duffy had major input in the album as sole producer, co-writer and multi-instrumentalist (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, programming). Also during this year a self-titled album by The Vanity Project was released. This was an alias for Steven Page of Barenaked Ladiesand the album featured 12 songs co-written by Duffy.
In 2006, Duffy embarked on a major world tour with Robbie Williams as live on-stage guitarist and "musical director". Following this recent rise in his profile, much of his back catalogue has now been reissued by all his former labels. The latest Stephen Duffy & The Lilac Time album Runout Groove was released in October 2007.
In September 2009, Duffy released his first major career retrospective, Memory & Desire - 30 Years in the Wilderness, covering both his work as a solo artist and as The Lilac Time.
Julie Christie
Stephen Duffy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You, your milky youth, wide eyes devotion and pure desire
You are open to all of my suggestions
But you are better for none of my pretensions
They get their way most times
But you'll get your way this time
You cannot stay in this hole
Warm with wayward hope
Your kisses breathless, your love divine
You left drama school for shop floor
Restless, not by design
You are tired of provincial boutique, Sundays
You want the mythical New York
And Champs Elyse
They get their way most times
But you'll get your way this time
You cannot stay in this hole
You'll get away this time
Never try to profit with fortune you can't stop it
I'm afraid you will succeed
To find what capitals are cleaner
The grass is so much greener
Please don't ever go to seed
They get their way most times
But you'll get your way this time
You cannot stay in this hole
You'll get away this time
They get their way most times
But you'll get your way this time
You cannot stay in this hole
You'll get away this time
They get their way most times
But you'll get your way this time
You cannot stay in this hole
You'll get away this time
They get their way most times
But you'll get your way this time
You cannot stay in this hole
You'll get away this time
They get their way most times
But you'll get your way this time
You cannot stay in this hole
You'll get away this time
The lyrics of Stephen Duffy's "Julie Christie" tell the story of a young woman embarking on a journey to find herself and her purpose in life. The opening lines, "You remind me of Julie Christie in Billy Liar," are a reference to the actress and the character she played in the film, who was also searching for a way out of her mundane existence. The singer of the song is similarly seeking to escape a provincial life and is drawn to the allure of cities like New York and Paris.
The lyrics also suggest a romantic relationship between the singer and the singer, who is encouraging her to pursue her dreams and break free from societal expectations. The line, "You are open to all of my suggestions, but you are better for none of my pretensions," highlights the singer's respect for the singer's individuality and refusal to impose his own desires on her.
Ultimately, the song is a message of empowerment and encouragement for those who feel trapped by circumstance or societal norms, urging them to take control of their own lives and seek out the opportunities they desire.
Line by Line Meaning
You remind me of Julie Christie in Billy Liar
You possess the same persona as Julie Christie in the movie Billy Liar
You, your milky youth, wide eyes devotion and pure desire
You have a youthful look that depicts purity and your eyes show your devotion towards something or someone
You are open to all of my suggestions
You are willing to consider all my inputs or ideas
But you are better for none of my pretensions
However, my false claims or assumptions aren't helpful to you in any way
Warm with wayward hope
Your aspirations are fueled by impulsive longing
Your kisses breathless, your love divine
Your kisses are full of passion, and your love feels heavenly
You left drama school for shop floor
You quit drama school to work in a mundane job
Restless, not by design
You are anxious, but not intentionally
You are tired of provincial boutique, Sundays
You are weary of your routine life in the provincial town on weekends
You want the mythical New York
You yearn to explore the fictional and mystical land of New York City
And Champs Elyse
Also, you desire the French avenue, Champs Elysees
Never try to profit with fortune you can't stop it
It's futile to attempt manipulating your luck for monetary gains as you can't control it
I'm afraid you will succeed
I fear that you will be successful in your endeavors
To find what capitals are cleaner
You wish to explore more and find better cities to live in
The grass is so much greener
You believe that there are better opportunities elsewhere
Please don't ever go to seed
Please don't let yourself deteriorate or lose your potential
They get their way most times
People usually manipulate situations in their favor
But you'll get your way this time
However, you will succeed in your mission this time
You cannot stay in this hole
You can't continue with an unfulfilling life
You'll get away this time
You'll break free and experience new possibilities
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DUFFY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
falconhead67
one of the most beautiful songs ever
The Mercian Meanderer
What a beautiful song this is.
peter janackovic
Duffy's best ever song!
steve hewitt
Beautiful.
Михаил Свердлов
Thank you so much!
RiceBowlFactory
Can anyone post Sunday Supplement???! Thanks!