Friction with the band's label, EMI, resulted in legal action and countersuing. Webb departed, and the band switched to Polydor for their final studio album, 1991's Laughing Stock, but split soon afterwards. Singer Mark Hollis released one solo album in 1998 before retiring from the music industry; he died in 2019. The band's founding bass player and drummer, Paul Webb and Lee Harris, played in several bands together; long-term collaborator Tim Friese-Greene continued in the business as a musician and producer.
Discography
The Party's Over (1982)
It's My Life (1984)
The Colour of Spring (1986)
Spirit of Eden (1988)
Laughing Stock (1991)
Chameleon Day
Talk Talk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it's darkness am I calling
Only of the night
My relief in it's falling
Breathe on me
Eclipse my mind
Killing time,
I cradle fire
(Chameleon days)
Chameleon day
Talk Talk's song Chameleon Day is a deeply introspective and emotive exploration of the human psyche. The lyrics express a longing for release from inner turmoil and the need for the darkness of the night as a source of relief. The singer seeks solace in the darkness and calls upon it as a source of comfort in times of confusion and chaos.
The chorus, "Chameleon Day", can be interpreted as a metaphor for the internal struggle that we all face as we try to adapt to changing circumstances and wrestle with our inner demons. The singer is tired of constantly changing and adapting to his surroundings; he craves stability and an end to the constant shifting.
In the second verse, the singer asks to be "eclipsed" by the darkness, suggesting a desire to escape from reality and the burden of the mind to find a respite. He acknowledges that his mind is in "some kind of disarray" and that he is "killing time", which can be understood as a sense of being lost and directionless. The final line, "I cradle fire", is an evocative image of the singer holding onto a flicker of hope amidst the darkness of his thoughts.
Line by Line Meaning
Only of the night
I am reaching out for the night, as it is the only time I can find relief.
And it's darkness am I calling
I am specifically seeking the darkness of the night to bring me comfort.
My relief in it's falling
I am only able to find relief when night falls and darkness surrounds me.
Breathe on me
I need someone to give me life, to breathe new energy into me.
Eclipse my mind
I need my mind to be obscured or darkened, so that I can forget my troubles and worries.
It's in some kind of disarray
My mind is in a state of confusion, and I need help to make sense of things.
Killing time
I am aimlessly passing the time, with no particular goal or purpose in mind.
I cradle fire
I am holding onto something that is both dangerous and comforting, like a flame that can both light and burn.
(Chameleon days)
These are the days where I change and adapt, like a chameleon, to try and find some peace and stability in my life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MARK DAVID HOLLIS, TIMOTHY ALAN FRIESE-GREENE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind