Their first release (January 1978) was the single "14th Floor / Oxford Street W1". Their second release, the EP Where's Bill Grundy Now? features one of their best-known songs, "Part Time Punks".
The Television Personalities' first album And Don't the Kids Just Love It was released in 1981. It set the template for their subsequent career: neo-psychedelia, an obsession with youth culture of the 1960s, a fey, slightly camp lyrical attitude, and the occasional classic pop song. Their second album Mummy Your Not Watching Me [sic] demonstrated increased psychedelic influences. Their third album, ironically entitled They Could Have Been Bigger Than The Beatles showed Treacy's sense of irony: the TVPs (as they are affectionately known) were never to have any major commercial success. The first three albums featured Treacy and schoolmate Ed Ball; Ball left the band to found The Times, but rejoined in 2004.
The 1985 album The Painted Word was unexpectedly dark in content, reflecting Treacy's despair at Thatcherite Britain and his personal circumstances.
Various line up changes prevented their next album (Privilege) from appearing until 1990. Their next album Closer to God was a combination of fey sixties style pop and darker material, similar in tone to The Painted Word.
The album Don't Cry Baby, It's Only a Movie was released in 1998. Since then Treacy has battled mental health problems, and his addictions to heroin, amphetamine and alcohol. He has been homeless on various occasions and was briefly arrested and imprisoned in 2003/2004. However, since his release, Treacy has attempted to get his life back together and in February 2006 a new TVPs album My Dark Places was released. Despite their small sales the TVPs were very influential on British music in the 1980s, especially the so-called C86 generation and many of the bands on Creation Records.
In an article in The Guardian on April 24 2006, it was implied that Dan Treacy is in some way behind the Arctic Monkeys, although this is based on little more than a perceived similarity between their lyrical style and that of Treacy, and the fact that the lead singer of Arctic Monkeys is mysteriously not credited with their songwriting.[1]
Mysterious Ways
Television Personalities Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You believe what you want to believe
But you're the one who's got more need
So don't bother lighting a candle for me
Faith in something
Faith in something
You'll see the error of your way
Send for your membership form today
Faith in something bigger they say
In an empty room I cried alone
With a bottle of wine and a handful of pills
I was too scared to call for you
I was afraid you wouldn't hear
Faith in something
Faith in something
Well I'm so ashamed I laughed at you
But you reached out to hold my hand
Communication is the key
Candle burn brightly for me
A bomb's gone off at the BBC
The headlines say at half past three
But no one's claimed responsibility
For the twenty two bodies in the mortuary
God acts in mysterious ways
God acts in mysterious ways
God acts in mysterious ways
God acts in mysterious ways
The first verse of Television Personalities' song Mysterious Ways touches on the idea of belief and faith. The singer believes in what they see, while acknowledging that others are entitled to believe in what they want. However, the singer implies that the other person's need for faith is greater than their own, telling them not to bother lighting a candle for them. The song then presents a rather cynical view of faith, suggesting that it is a form of membership and that to have faith is to be part of something bigger. The second verse deals with personal struggles and a feeling of loneliness, with the singer describing crying alone in an empty room with alcohol and pills. They were too scared to reach out for help, afraid that no one would hear them. The third verse shifts the focus from the personal to the public, referencing a bombing that has taken place at the BBC. The headlines are reporting on the event, but there is no one who has claimed responsibility for the deaths of 22 people in the mortuary. The chorus, repeated throughout the song, reinforces the idea that God acts in mysterious ways.
The song's lyrics can be interpreted as a commentary on the nature of faith, and the disconnection between personal struggles and the larger events that occur in the world. The singer seems to suggest that faith may be somewhat of a crutch, a way of finding belonging and meaning in a chaotic world. The bomb at the BBC could be seen as a metaphor for the randomness and unpredictability of life, and the idea that God's ways are mysterious highlights the unknowable and incomprehensible nature of the world we live in.
Line by Line Meaning
I believe in what I see
I trust only what I can see with my own eyes
You believe what you want to believe
You have your own beliefs and opinions
But you're the one who's got more need
You are the one who needs to have faith more than me
So don't bother lighting a candle for me
Don't offer any prayers or blessings on my behalf
Faith in something
Believing in something greater than oneself is important
You'll find yourself, if you have faith
Having faith can lead to self-discovery
You'll see the error of your way
You'll realize your mistakes
Send for your membership form today
Join some religion or faith-based group today
Faith in something bigger they say
It is said that believing in a higher power is important
In an empty room I cried alone
I was alone and sad in an empty room
With a bottle of wine and a handful of pills
I had alcohol and drugs to cope with my sadness
I was too scared to call for you
I was afraid to reach out to you for help
I was afraid you wouldn't hear
I didn't think you would listen to me
Well I'm so ashamed I laughed at you
I regret laughing at you
But you reached out to hold my hand
You offered support and comfort
Communication is the key
It's important to communicate with one another
Candle burn brightly for me
Offer me your prayers and blessings
A bomb's gone off at the BBC
A bomb has exploded at the BBC
The headlines say at half past three
The news reported this at 3:30 PM
But no one's claimed responsibility
No one has taken responsibility for the explosion
For the twenty two bodies in the mortuary
There are twenty two dead people in the morgue
God acts in mysterious ways
God's actions cannot always be explained
God acts in mysterious ways
God's actions cannot always be explained
God acts in mysterious ways
God's actions cannot always be explained
God acts in mysterious ways
God's actions cannot always be explained
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind