By the time their third record, "Regular Urban Survivors" was released in 1996, Briptop was firmly established in the mainstream, but perhaps surprisingly Terrorvision thrived. Single "Perseverance" charted at number five (It's awesome "Whales and Dolphins" hook proving irresistable to daytime radio and indie dancefloors alike) and the album was a commercial and critical hit. In many ways a bigger, widescreen sequel to HTMFAIP (with a couple of songs suspiciously close to re-makes - Bad Actress = Middleman, Celebrity Hitlist = Discotheque Wreck...) the cover featured the band larking around as spoof filmstars and was ostensibly a soundtrack to a fictional film - an idea reflected in songs such as "Didn't Bleed Red" (sci-fi) and "Dog Chewed the Handle" (An implausible murder mystery) The band still got in a few digs in at the Briptop elite, with "Superchronic" taking a few swipes at Oasis.
The odd man out, though, of Terrorvision albums is without doubt 1998's "Shaving Peaches", a curiously restrained record which in hindsight sounds like an ill-founded attempt to gain a mainstream audience which in truth they probably already had. Basically, TV forgot how to rock. Despite the album selling poorly, it ironically spawned their biggest hit, "Tequila". Admittedly it was a Mint Royale remix of the track which reached number 2, but in truth it didn't differ that much from the original, adding only an irresistably immediate speed-mariachi tempo. The band took this in their stride - where other, cooler bands would have turned their nose up at such psuedo-success, Terrorvison cheekily just learned to play the remix live instead.
Dropped from major label EMI after "Shaving Peaches", Terrorvision finally returned in 2001 with the independently released "Good To Go". Probably knowing it would be their final record, it is very much a return to 'classic' Terrorvision and in many ways a return to form. Whilst the record lacks some of their prime period sparkle, the choruses are undeniably huge and the album brims with the band's trademark good time party vibes. "Friends And Family", in particular went down a storm at festivals, with its joyously profane "Party Over Here, Fuck You Over There!" refrain.
Terrorvision played their 'final' gig in October 2001, in their hometown of Bradford - a riotous celebration of all things TV which was eventually released as a double live album, "Take The Money And Run".
Since Terrorvision split there have been a number of side projects including Tony Wright's Laika Dog, Leigh Marklew's Malibu Stacey and Mark Yates's Blunderbuss and Boomville. Tony Wright has also released two solo albums and one country album with Ryan Hamilton, and tours with Milton "Milly" Evans performing acoustic versions of Terrorvision songs as well as his own material.
Ultimately Terrorvision were a wonderful oddity - despite coming from a undeniably Heavy Metal background, the band took the genre, (Which, lets not forget, was in terminal decline during the mid 90s) stripped away the po-faced seriousness, and fashioned a rock party band from the ashes. Often dismissed as a novelty act, TV in truth simply loved what they did, and never once considered being too cool to show it. Mark Yates's urgent, exciting guitars anchored the band musically, but it's Tony Wright's hyper-go-go vocals which truly make the band, delighting in rolling his Yorkshire vowels around wordplay which lyrically is sometimes closer to rap than rock. They never hid behind the too-common pretence of disliking success - Terrorvision celebrated every foray into the mainstream and were never afraid to show it. At the same time, they surely gave a generation of Britpop kids a taste what rock delights could await them - witness the bands cover versions of Iggy Pop's "The Passenger", Cheap Trick's "Surrender", Free's "Wishing Well" or perhaps most bizzarely, their lounge-blues version of Iron Maiden's "Take Your Daughter To the Slaughter". They even dabbled with Paul Oakenfold remixes and their very own handbag-house-rock foray, B-side "Too Stoned To Dance". All hail Terrorvision then, Bradford' finest (and most proud) musical export.
While they have never returned to music full-time, Terrorvision have reformed numerous times since their initial split. The first time was for a 'one week only' tour in 2005, for which a live album and DVD were recorded, followed by a performance at Scarborough Castle later that year.
In 2007, the band announced that they were reforming again for a small number of gigs, this time without bassist and founding member Leigh Marklew. Danny Lambert, member of Mark Yates' band Blunderbuss, stood in for Leigh. The following year Leigh returned to the band and the original lineup performed on several short tours and festival appearances over the next few years, including a tour celebrating the 15th anniversary of "How To Make Friends and Influence People", for which two live albums were made available - one recorded from the Manchester show, and one from the London show.
In 2010, drummer and founding member Ian "Shutty" Shuttleworth retired from the band and was replaced by Cameron Greenwood. Terrorvision announced that they were working on a new album, their first new music since 2001. The album, "Super Delux", was released in February 2011. The band continued to tour and make festival appearances, performing at Download Festival in 2012, their highest profile gig in some time.
The band went on hiatus from 2013-2016, returning for a one-off 'Alternative Valentines' show on the 14th of February. Later that year they embarked on a UK tour supporting Thunder, and announced a headline tour at the end of the year for the 20th anniversary of "Regular Urban Survivors". A live album was released, recorded at the Manchester Ritz, as well as a behind-the-scenes DVD film, "Wired Up and Scary".
Since 2016 the band have continued to perform on an annual basis, including a novel triple-headline tour in 2018 with Reef and The Wildhearts called "Britrock Must Be Destroyed", where the order of the bands would rotate from one gig to the next, and a 25th anniversary tour for "How To Make Friends and Influence People" in 2019.
Also in 2019, Terrorvision released their first new material since "Super Delux" eight years prior - the Christmas single "Our Christmas Song", as well as a pre-order exclusive download track "By My Side". The band have indicated their intention to release more new music during 2020, though whether this takes the form of an album, EP or individual tracks is currently unknown.
Wishing Well
Terrorvision Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know you ain't goin' anywhere.
Spend all your time singin' your blues.
You know you ain't goin' anywhere.
You've always been a good friend of mine,
But you always say farewell.
And the only time that you're satisfied,
Is with your feet in the wishing well.
Throw down your gun, you might shoot yourself.
Or is that what you're tryin' to do?
Put up a fight you believe to be right,
And one day the sun will shine through.
You've always got somethin' to hide.
Somethin' you just can't tell.
And the only time that you're satisfied,
Is with your feet in the wishing well.
In the wishing well.
But I know what you're wishing for.
Love in a peaceful world.
Love in a peaceful world.
Love in a peaceful world.
Hm, hm-m-m-m.
You've always been a good friend of mine,
But you always say farewell.
And the only time that you're satisfied,
Is with your feet in the wishing well.
In the wishing well.
In the wishing well.
Everybody's got a dream
And they take it to the wishing well.
Everybody's got a dream,
Wishing well.
The song "Wishing Well" by Terrorvision is about a person who is constantly unsatisfied and unfulfilled in their life. The lyrics convey the idea that the person is always searching for something more, but can never find it. They spend all their time feeling sorry for themselves and singing the blues, but never take action to make a change. The wishing well is a metaphor for the person's desire for something they can't have. It represents the idea that they have unrealistic expectations and are always reaching for something just out of their reach.
The song is also about the power of hope and persistence. The lyrics encourage the person to put down their gun (symbolizing giving up) and continue fighting for what they believe is right. The song suggests that if they keep trying, eventually the sun will shine through and they will find happiness.
Ultimately, the song is optimistic and hopeful, despite its somewhat melancholic tone. It acknowledges the struggles and difficulties of life, but encourages people to keep trying and never give up on their dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
Take off your hat, kick off your shoes.
Relax and let go of your worries.
You know you ain't goin' anywhere.
You feel stuck or unmotivated.
Spend all your time singin' your blues.
You focus on the negative instead of seeking solutions.
You've always been a good friend of mine,
I appreciate our relationship.
But you always say farewell.
You tend to distance yourself from me.
And the only time that you're satisfied,
Your happiness is short-lived and fleeting.
Is with your feet in the wishing well.
You turn to unrealistic hopes and dreams to find fulfillment.
Throw down your gun, you might shoot yourself.
Give up harmful behaviors before they cause harm.
Or is that what you're tryin' to do?
Are you intentionally hurting yourself?
Put up a fight you believe to be right,
Stand up for what you believe in.
And one day the sun will shine through.
In time, your efforts will pay off and things will improve.
You've always got somethin' to hide.
You keep secrets or have hidden motives.
Somethin' you just can't tell.
There are things you feel unable or unwilling to share.
But I know what you're wishing for.
I understand your deepest desires.
Love in a peaceful world.
You long for love and a harmonious environment.
Hm, hm-m-m-m.
Musical interlude
Everybody's got a dream
Everyone has aspirations.
And they take it to the wishing well.
They turn to fantasy to fulfill their dreams.
Everybody's got a dream,
Repeating the idea that everyone has hopes and wishes.
Wishing well.
Repeating the title of the song and emphasizing its main theme.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN DOUGLAS BUNDRICK, SIMON FREDERICK ST. GEORGE KIRKE, PAUL FRANCIS KOSSOFF, PAUL BERNARD RODGERS, TETSU YAMAUCHI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind