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]
Psychedelic Holiday
Television Personalities Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's all for free
It's yours to take
It's all for free
It's yours to take
Would you like to come with me
On a psychedelic holiday?
They'll really take your breath away
It's all for free
It's all for free
It's yours to take
It's all for free
It's yours to take
It's all for free
And we can sink beneath the golden sea
And watch the waves turn into trees
And the dolphin sings a pretty tune
And he sings for you, he sings for me
It's yours to take
It's all for free
It's yours to take
It's yours to take
And if I held your hand
Then would you understand?
If I held your hand
Would you understand?
I'll be your friend
I'll be your friend
And that's all I need
It's yours to take
It's all for free
And you can come with me
And we can chase and catch
A falling star
And take it home to
Mum in a jar
And if you've seen
Half the things I've seen
You still ain't seen
Half as much as me
The lyrics of "Psychedelic Holiday" by Television Personalities is a call to embark on a trip, a psychedelic holiday that promises to be breath-taking and otherworldly. The song's repetitive chorus, "it's yours to take, it's all for free," creates an aura of irresistible allure, inviting the listener to join in on the journey. The singer, like a Pied Piper, promises to show the listener things they have never seen before that will leave them in awe. As the journey progresses, the pair gets to sink beneath the golden sea, watch the waves turn into trees, and hear a dolphin sing a pretty tune. The singer offers to hold the listener's hand, acting as their guide and friend.
The second verse of the song takes the listener on another journey. This time, they chase and catch a falling star and take it home in a jar. The final lines of the song, "And if you've seen half the things I've seen, you still ain't seen half as much as me," is a telling remark of the singer's vast and eclectic experiences. The Television Personalities capture the feeling of an adventure, a rollercoaster of emotions, and the surreal, leaving a sense of longing to experience the unique and unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
It's yours to take
This experience is available to you and you can have it.
It's all for free
The experience will cost you nothing; there are no strings attached.
Would you like to come with me
On a psychedelic holiday?
Do you want to join me on an adventure that you've never experienced before?
And I'll show you things you've never seen
They'll really take your breath away
I will introduce you to new and exciting things that will leave you speechless.
And we can sink beneath the golden sea
And watch the waves turn into trees
And the dolphin sings a pretty tune
And he sings for you, he sings for me
We can explore the underwater world together, marvel at its beauty and the music of the dolphin.
And if I held your hand
Then would you understand?
If I guide you through this experience by holding your hand, will you truly comprehend its wonder?
I'll be your friend
And that's all I need
I am offering to be your guide and companion throughout this experience, and that's all I require from you.
And you can come with me
I am extending the invitation to join me in this psychedelic journey once again.
And we can chase and catch
A falling star
And take it home to
Mum in a jar
We can embark on a magical quest to catch a falling star and take it home as a souvenir to show our loved ones.
And if you've seen
Half the things I've seen
You still ain't seen
Half as much as me
If you think you've experienced a lot, I can assure you that what I've seen, and experienced is much more than what you've been through.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: TREACY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
axelXkane
I sing this song in my head way, way to much because. " it's yours to take "