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]
When Emily Cries
Television Personalities Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dreams in her sleep of the boy that she loves
Letters he sent will she treasure before
Scattered in pieces on her bedroom floor
She's so sad
She's so sad
Hear her cry through the night
She's so sad
Hear her cry through the night
She'll never love again
Melanie cries in her bedroom at night
Dreams in her sleep of the boy that she loves
Letters he sent will she treasure before
Now her heart is broken she'll never love again
Love is blue
Why does it hurt?
So much pain, so much pain
Yeah love is blue
Why does it hurt so much
So much pain, so much pain
She'll never love again
Too scared to fall in love agin
She'll never love again
Too scared to fall in love again
She'll never love again
Too scared to even try again
"When Emily Cries" by Television Personalities is a poignant portrayal of unrequited love and the pain that comes along with it. The song talks about two girls, Emily and Melanie, who cry themselves to sleep over the boys they love. The letters they receive from their love interests are now just scattered pieces on their bedroom floor as they deal with the harsh reality that their love will never be reciprocated. The song speaks of the sadness, loneliness, and despair that these girls feel, as they contemplate the futility of their love.
The lyrics are simple but powerful, referencing the color blue to describe the pain of love. Love is often associated with the color red, symbolizing passion and intensity, but here the color blue is used to represent the sadness and melancholy that comes with unfulfilled love. These girls are too scared to love again, too scared to even try, as they fear another heartbreak. The repetition of the phrase "She'll never love again" emphasizes the eternal loss of love that these girls feel, trapped in their own self-imposed loneliness.
The song's melancholy tune perfectly complements the lyrics' theme, with its slow tempo and simple melody. It's stripped down instrumental sound showcases the raw emotions of the lyrics, making it a hauntingly beautiful track. The end result is a beautifully sad song that tugs at your heartstrings and makes you feel the pain of these lovelorn girls.
Line by Line Meaning
Emily cries in her bedroom at night
Emily is filled with sadness and despair and cries herself to sleep in her room at night
Dreams in her sleep of the boy that she loves
Even in her dreams, Emily can't escape the memory of the boy she loves
Letters he sent will she treasure before
Emily holds on to the letters she received from the boy she loves as a cherished keepsake
Scattered in pieces on her bedroom floor
The sadness and despair Emily feels has caused her to crumble and scatter the treasured letters on her bedroom floor
She's so sad
The depth of Emily's emotions and heartbreak is overwhelming and palpable
Hear her cry through the night
The pain Emily feels is so intense, it can be heard in her tears and cries throughout the night
She'll never love again
The heartbreak Emily feels is so deep that she can not fathom ever being able to love again
Melanie cries in her bedroom at night
Melanie also suffers from heartbreak and cries herself to sleep in her room at night
Now her heart is broken she'll never love again
Melanie's heart has been shattered to the point where she believes she will never be able to love again
Love is blue
The color blue is often associated with themes of sadness and depression, which is fitting for the song's message
Why does it hurt?
The pain of heartbreak is an all-consuming feeling that leaves one questioning why they must endure such agony
So much pain, so much pain
The repetition of this line emphasizes just how overwhelming and all-encompassing the pain of heartbreak can be
Too scared to fall in love again
The trauma of heartbreak has left these individuals too frightened to try and find love again for fear of experiencing this level of pain once more
Too scared to even try again
The feeling of being broken beyond repair has left these individuals feeling too scared and uncertain to ever put themselves in the same position again
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: TREACY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Taylor
Shame on me for never really digging deep into these guys before! Fantastic, they have a "genuine" kind of raw feel that carries a lot of weight. I read how Dan Treacy was a big fan of Syd Barrett and you can definitely hear the influence. Soooss Good!
Maximiliano Martinez Jr.
This band always surprises me. So cool! Sounds like the Moz before the Moz.
Geoff Strum
A million times better than Morrisey
Cippi
this is actually quite hilarious
Marc-André
bon sang!!
Castorp
awesome!!!
Bobby M.
Doesnt it sound similar to my pal by GOD?
Thom Nuzum
Brilliant hifi
Julius Ebola
Susan George <3
M. H
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