Their debut single and first hit was the 1987 release "Heart and Soul". Initially a flop in the UK, it first became a hit in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching #4 after being featured on a Pepe Jeans advertisement; it repeated the feat in the UK Singles Chart some months later. The following year, the band had their biggest hit with the ballad, "China in Your Hand", which spent five weeks at Number 1 in the UK chart, and also claimed the top slot in several European countries, although oddly the song made little impact on the Billboard Hot 100.
Their 1987 album, Bridge of Spies (the album was called T'Pau in the U.S.) was a best seller and won several British music industry awards. Bridge of Spies produced a number of smaller hits which made it to at least the UK Top 40, including the singles "Valentine" (UK #9), "Sex Talk" (a new recording of early flop single, "Intimate Strangers") (UK #23), and "I Will Be With You" (UK #14).
1988 saw the release of their second album Rage which produced the hit single "Secret Garden". A third album The Promise followed in 1991, but the band split soon afterwards. Decker re-formed the band with a new line-up in 1998, and T'Pau have in recent years continued to work live regularly.
Decker still makes appearances on TV shows, including Hit Me, Baby, One More Time; Just the Two of Us; Never Mind the Buzzcocks and The Weakest Link. Former Guitarist Ronnie Rogers is currently in the band The Ronaldos. Guitarist Dean Howard has toured and recorded with Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan.
In 2007, marking the 20th anniversary of T'Pau's initial success, Ron Rogers and Carol Decker released the new single, "Just Dream", exclusively as an internet download. In 2008, as part of the "Here and Now" 80s tour, Carol performed at her home town of Shrewsbury for the first time since the 1980s in front of a crowd of over 9,000.
Only the Lonely
T´Pau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That never connect at the same time
Heaven help the lonely ones
As another day older we get, and here we go
Spending our money
Filling the house with things we hope
Will bring us happiness again
And then we cover empty hearts up
Lying for love, we're dying for more
Well you can have anything these days I'm sure
Making your mind up
It never did anyone no good
For how do you touch what you can't have
You cover the hurt
Pretend you don't care
It's living I guess but it hardly compares
Gimme some time
Lend me a hand
Reach into the dark and you'll understand
Only the lonely know
Would you go anywhere
Do anything
Falling so low that you see
What the lonely know
Hiding your poor heart
You wouldn't think could be so hard
From the roaring giant of love
Oh but he won't leave
And so you keep silently screaming
Filling your head with a love song
That no-one will ever want
And yes we are keeping up resistance
To a good time in case we fall
Put up a wall you can't overcome
Well I believe every home should have one
Fortunes, persistence
It never did anyone no good
When a taste is worse than none at all
It opens the hurt
Makes you so scared
I see a world that is empty out there
Gimme some time
Lend me a hand
Reach into the dark and you'll understand
Only the lonely know
Would you go anywhere
Do anything
Falling so low that you see
What the lonely know
We cover our empty hearts up
With a full smile
But it has no joy
Put up a wall you can't overcome
To cover the hurt
Pretend you don't care
I see a world that is empty out there
Gimme some time
Lend me a hand
Reach into the dark and you'll understand
Only the lonely know
Would you go anywhere
Do anything
Falling so low that you see
What the lonely know
Only the lonely know
The song ''Only the Lonely'' by T'Pau illustrates the idea that people tend to hide their emotions behind a facade of happiness. The opening lines, "We run in circles that never connect at the same time, heaven help the lonely ones," highlights the problem of people failing to make genuine connections with others whilst struggling with loneliness. Therefore, many individuals resort to filling their homes with objects that they hope will bring happiness, putting up a front with a smile while their hearts remain empty. The song highlights that society encourages the suppression of negative emotions, which makes it difficult for people to address feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Throughout the lyrics, the lead singer urges people to come together and express their vulnerability. She advocates supporting each other through the difficult times, rather than suffering in silence. It is hard to reach out and ask for help, but only those who are lonely understand the true nature of isolation. Conclusively, the song is a poignant call for compassion and empathy, a reminder to all that everyone is fighting their unique battles in this world, and it would be great to reach out to one another with a hand of kindness.
Line by Line Meaning
We run in circles
We go around and around without ever truly connecting
That never connect at the same time
Our paths don't cross in a meaningful way
Heaven help the lonely ones
May those who are alone receive divine aid
As another day older we get, and here we go
We continue on in our routine day after day, growing ever more aged
Spending our money
Buying things we think will make us happy
Filling the house with things we hope
Filling our home with possessions that we think will bring us joy
Will bring us happiness again
As if happiness were something we could find again, rather than create anew
And then we cover empty hearts up
We pretend our hearts aren't empty
With a full smile that has no joy
We put on a fake smile that doesn't truly express happiness
Lying for love, we're dying for more
We deceive ourselves and others in the quest for love, always wanting more but never satisfied
Well you can have anything these days I'm sure
We may have everything we want materially, but it doesn't bring us true happiness
Making your mind up
Deciding on something
It never did anyone no good
Making decisions doesn't always lead to good outcomes
For how do you touch what you can't have
Sometimes we desire things we can't attain and it leaves us feeling unsatisfied
You cover the hurt
We hide our pain
Pretend you don't care
Act like you're not affected by what hurts you
It's living I guess but it hardly compares
Living this way is an existence, but it doesn't compare to truly living fully
Gimme some time
Give me some time
Lend me a hand
Help me out
Reach into the dark and you'll understand
Go beyond what's visible or immediately present to gain an understanding
Only the lonely know
Those who are alone can truly understand certain things
Would you go anywhere
Would you travel to anywhere
Do anything
Would you do anything to get what you desire
Falling so low that you see
Sinking down to a low point that allows you to see something you couldn't before
What the lonely know
What those who are alone know
Hiding your poor heart
Concealing a hurt or broken heart
You wouldn't think could be so hard
It may not seem like it would be difficult to hide a broken heart, but it is
From the roaring giant of love
Protecting oneself from the intense power of love
Oh but he won't leave
Love can be persistent and hard to shake
And so you keep silently screaming
Internalizing the pain and yelling inside one's self instead of expressing it outwardly
Filling your head with a love song
Fixating on love and romantic notions
That no-one will ever want
A love that may never be reciprocated
And yes we are keeping up resistance
We are purposely resisting something
To a good time in case we fall
Avoiding having too much fun, so we don't get hurt or let our guard down
Put up a wall you can't overcome
Building a barrier that can't be broken down, creating a permanent separation
Well I believe every home should have one
Sarcasm indicating that having a permanent emotional barrier is not a good thing
Fortunes, persistence
Power and persistence in pursuit of what one desires
It never did anyone no good
Strong desire and persistence don't always lead to success or satisfaction
When a taste is worse than none at all
Sometimes having even a small amount of something is worse than having nothing at all
It opens the hurt
Inviting something into your life that will cause emotional pain
Makes you so scared
Filling you with fear and apprehension
I see a world that is empty out there
Perceiving the world as devoid of meaning or substance
We cover our empty hearts up
Putting on a facade to hide our emotional emptiness
But it has no joy
The facade provides no true happiness or fulfillment
To cover the hurt
Using the facade to hide emotional pain
Pretend you don't care
Act as if you're not emotionally affected
Only the lonely know
What it's like to be alone and experience certain emotions
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CAROL ANN DECKER, RONALD PHILLIP ROGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
80s Music
One of the best observed songs on loneliness there is with insightful lyrics, superb playing and first class vocals by Carol Decker. T'pau were seriously underrated by public and critics alike and should have had a longer career. The Nightmare mix of this is even better and well worth a listen or several. Only the Lonely was from the difficult second album but it is a coherent album with some excellent moments.
Judith J
Along the loneliness theme, I always think it goes well with "No Man is an Island" too.
80s Music
+Andy Harrison It is great. The deluxe version of 'Bridge Of Spies' is out soon with some alternative mixes but oddly does not include the Nightmare mix even though it is one of their most powerful remixes.
Andy Harrison
I still have the Nightmare Mix on vinyl, it sounds fantastic through a decent hifi!
ANOTHER TOWN
I have the original 3" CD single of this song, and the "Nightmare Mix" is just the best! I crank it up in the car all the time! Best song ever!!
Debbie T
Saw T'pau play at the NEC in '88. I remember her singing this song - couldn't get over how amazing her voice was; even better live than recorded ^_^!!!
Roger Clarke
Just heard this great song for the first time 33 years after it came out!
0886Damo
Love this song and amongst their best! It also reminds of AHa- Stay On These Roads crossed with Duran Duran- Ordinary World crossed with Belinda Carlisle- Summer Rain crossed with Gloria Estefan- Don't Wanna Lose You!
Cade Buchanan
@ronnor10 I got mine, started watching the DVD last night, the nostaglia was overwhelming, SO SO good seeing them re-visit the flat they lived in back when trying to get a record deal and seeing Carol and Ronnie back in the same room together.
David Roberts
She was so hot back in the day.Great voice, music and band.