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]
Something Just Flew Over My Head
Television Personalities Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She said here put this in a pocket safe
And then she handed me a four leaf clover
And you know it really made my day
And something just flew over my head
I don't know what it was
I never saw its face
Something just flew over my head
You know you can always share my bed
But take some good advice, don't let it go to your head
Hey girl, you wouldn't recognize me in the morning
Here comes a winter's tale, you'd better take good warning
And something just flew over my head
I don't know what it was
I never saw its face
And something just flew over my head
I don't know what it was
And I wouldn't be surprised
If I opened up my eyes
And found that I was dreaming
And found that you were scheming
Think I had it once
But let it slip away
Should have kept those pennies safe for a rainy day
The lyrics in Television Personalities' song "Something Just Flew Over My Head" seem to be about a chance encounter with a girl who gives the singer a four-leaf clover and who he refers to as a "perfect stranger." The unexpected gift seems to make the singer's day until something "just flew over my head." He is unsure what it is, as he did not see its face. The song then takes a turn towards caution as he advises the girl not to let the gift go to her head and warns her that she would not recognize him in the morning. He speaks of a "winter's tale" and advises her to "take good warning." He then questions whether he is dreaming and whether the girl may be "scheming." He ends the song with regret, wishing he had saved his pennies for a rainy day.
The song leaves a lot of room for interpretation, but it seems to be about missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential. The four-leaf clover represents something rare and lucky, yet the singer lets it slip away. He advises caution, suggesting that things are not always what they seem, and that what makes us happy in the moment may not be good for us in the long run. The winter's tale may represent a darker, more foreboding version of the story, and the cautionary message seems to be to keep one's wits about them and not let their guard down in the face of seemingly good fortune.
Line by Line Meaning
She was such a perfect stranger
She was unknown to me, yet she appeared to be the ideal person
She said here put this in a pocket safe
She instructed me to keep something in my pocket securely
And then she handed me a four leaf clover
She gave me a lucky charm of a four-leaf clover
And you know it really made my day
It genuinely brightened up my mood
And something just flew over my head
I missed something important or significant that just happened
I don't know what it was
I am uncertain about the nature of this event
I never saw its face
I didn't encounter or see the source of this event
You know you can always share my bed
I'm always there for you if you need me, even intimately
But take some good advice, don't let it go to your head
However, don't become too arrogant or boastful about it
Hey girl, you wouldn't recognize me in the morning
You may not recognize me when you see me the next morning
Here comes a winter's tale, you'd better take good warning
A warning of things to come, be aware and prepare yourself
And I wouldn't be surprised
I wouldn't be shocked or astonished
If I opened up my eyes
If I widened my perception or became more aware
And found that I was dreaming
And realized that I was in fact only imagining this situation
And found that you were scheming
And discovered that you had an ulterior motive or plan for me
Think I had it once
I believe I experienced success or happiness previously
But let it slip away
However, I failed to retain or keep it, and it's now gone
Should have kept those pennies safe for a rainy day
I should have saved my resources for a time of need, instead of wasting them
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jorji Costava
One of my favourites from this legendary album