Television was one of the most creative bands to emerge from New York's und… Read Full Bio ↴Television was one of the most creative bands to emerge from New York's underground scene of the mid-'70s, creating an influential new guitar vocabulary. While guitarists Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd liked to jam, they didn't follow the accepted rock structures for improvisation — they removed the blues while retaining the raw energy of garage rock, adding complex, lyrical solo lines that recalled both jazz and rock. With its angular rhythms and fluid leads, Television's music always went in unconventional directions, laying the groundwork for many of the guitar-based post-punk pop groups of the late '70s and '80s.

In the early '70s, Television began as the Neon Boys, a group featuring guitarist/vocalist Tom Verlaine, drummer Billy Ficca, and bassist Richard Hell. At the end of 1973 in New York City, New York, the group reunited under the name Television, adding rhythm guitarist Richard Lloyd. The following year, the band made its live debut at New York's Townhouse theater and began to build up an underground following. Soon, their fan base was large enough that Verlaine was able to persuade CBGB to begin featuring live bands on a regular basis; the club would become an important venue for punk and new wave bands. Television was the first punk/new wave bands to play at CBGB. That year, Verlaine played guitar on Patti Smith's first single, "Hey Joe"/"Piss Factory," as well as wrote a book of poetry with the singer.

Television recorded a demo tape for Island Records with Brian Eno in 1975, yet the label decided not to sign the band. Hell left the band after the recording of the demo tape, forming the Heartbreakers with former New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders; the following year, he began a solo career supported by the Voidoids, releasing a debut album, Blank Generation, in 1977. Hell was replaced by ex-Blondie bassist Fred Smith and Television recorded "Little Johnny Jewel," releasing it on their own Ork record label. "Little Johnny Jewel" became an underground hit, attracting the attention of major record labels. In 1976, the band released a British EP on Stiff Records, which expanded their reputation. They signed with Elektra Records and began recording their debut album.

Marquee Moon, the group's first album, was released in early 1977 to great critical acclaim, yet it failed to attract a wide audience in America; in the U.K., it reached number 28 on the charts, launching the Top 40 single "Prove It." Television supported Blondie on the group's 1977 tour, but the shows didn't increase the group's following significantly.

Television released their second album, Adventure, in the spring of 1978. While its American sales were better than those of Marquee Moon, the record didn't make the charts; in Britain, it became a Top Ten hit. Months later, the group suddenly broke up, largely due to tensions between the two guitarists. Smith rejoined Blondie, while Verlaine and Lloyd both pursued solo careers; Lloyd also played on John Doe's first solo album, as well as joined Matthew Sweet's supporting band with the 1991 album Girlfriend.

Nearly 14 years after their breakup, Television re-formed in late 1991, recording a new, self titled album for Capitol Records. The reunited band began its comeback with a performance at England's Glastonbury summer festival in 1992, releasing Television a couple months later. The album received good reviews, as did the tour that followed, yet the reunion was short-lived — the group disbanded again in early 1993. In 2001, Television again reunited for a handful of shows in the U.K., as well as an appearance at the Noise Pop Festival in Chicago.

This Tune
Television Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

She bought a wig
It was all scrunched up
Then she put it right on my shoe.
You're a crocodile,
That's what you are,
With a crooked smile
That I like so much,
You know I just can't think

No I just can't think
But I like the things we do

My partner in dismay
You don't have to feel this way,
Maybe she'll walk out on this tune,
This tune
This tune

No doubt one night the statues start to walk,
And maybe talk a little too,
We could run right out
And paint them green and gold

My partner in dismay
Don't like to feel this way,
Maybe she'll walk out on this tune,
This tune
This tune

Magic, just last night,
In a dream of course,
So sweet, you touched my knee,
I can't tell you now how good that felt

My partner in dismay
Don't like to feel this way,
Maybe she'll walk out on this tune,
This tune
This tune
My partner in dismay
Don't like to feel this way,
Maybe she'll walk out on this tune,

This tune
This tune

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Television's "This Tune" seem to be a collection of random thoughts and dream-like sequences strung together, with a focus on the singer's relationship with their partner. The first verse begins with a bizarre image- the partner has put a scrunched-up wig on the singer's shoe. This oddity is followed by the singer calling the partner a crocodile with a crooked smile, a description that they seem to find endearing. The chorus finds the singer addressing their partner as their "partner in dismay," suggesting some sort of shared anxiety or unease, but also expressing a hope that they might walk out on the tune, whatever that may mean.

The second verse introduces the idea of statues coming to life and being painted green and gold- again, a surreal and outlandish image. The pre-chorus repeats the feelings of anxiety and discomfort in the relationship, but then the final verse shifts to a moment of tenderness- the singer describes a dream where their partner touched their knee and how good it felt. The chorus repeats the pattern of referencing their partner's dismay and hoping they'll walk out on the tune, without ever fully revealing what that might mean or signify.

Overall, the lyrics to "This Tune" can be interpreted as a snapshot of a relationship with its ups and downs, whimsical daydreams, and a constant undercurrent of uncertainty.

Line by Line Meaning

She bought a wig
She bought a wig that was all scrunched up.

It was all scrunched up
The wig was all scrunched up when she bought it.

Then she put it right on my shoe.
She put the wig on my shoe.

You're a crocodile,
You have the qualities of a crocodile.

That's what you are,
That's what you embody.

With a crooked smile
Your smile is not straight.

That I like so much,
I enjoy your crooked smile.

You know I just can't think
I can't think clearly.

No I just can't think
I'm unable to think.

But I like the things we do
I enjoy doing things with you.

My partner in dismay
My partner who is also distressed.