The Bodines's debut album, Played (produced by Ian Broudie, later to enjoy success as a recording artist as the Lightning Seeds) was a fine jangly pop artifact, but it only scraped in to #94 in the album charts, in the summer of 1987. On the 23rd August 2010, The Bodines seminal album "Played" is to be reissued with 7 bonus tracks on Cherry Red label. Sadly, none of the Bodines' singles for Magnet got into the top 75. Under pressure for failing to deliver the hit record that their major label backers required, the Bodines split up, albeit temporarily. Rowland went on to play with The Rainkings.
In 1989, a reformed line-up of Ryan, Brotherton, new bassist Ian Watson, and new drummer Spencer Birtwistle released the single "Decide" on Manchester's Play Hard label and contributed a further new track to the same label's Hand to Mouth compilation. A couple of years later, Ryan reappeared with a new band called Medalark Eleven (mis-named after Harlem Globetrotters' Meadowlark Lemon), assisted by Gareth Thomas on bass and Adrian Donohue on drums. Reunited with Creation Records, they released a couple of singles ahead of Shaped Up, Shipped Out, an album of pleasant, if rather unexceptional indie pop.
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Discography
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Singles
"God Bless" 7" b/w "Paradise" Creation Records CRE 016 1986
"Therese" 7" & 12" b/w "I Feel", "Scar Tissue" Creation Records CRE 028, CRE 028T 1986
"Heard It All" 7" & 12" b/w "Heard It All", "Clear", "William Shatner" Creation Records CRE 030, CRE 030T 1986
"Therese" 7" & 12" b/w "Heard It All" Magnet Records BOD1, BODT1 1987
"Skankin Queens" 7" & 12" b/w "My Remarkable Mind" Magnet Records BOD2, BODT2 1987
"Slip Slide" 7" & 12" b/w "Naming Names", "Long Time Dead" Magnet Records BOD3, BODT3 1987
"Decide" 12" b/w "Hard On", "The Groove" Play Hard Records Dec 18 1989
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Albums
Played Magnet Records BODL 2001 1987
"Skankin Queens"
"What You Want"
"Scar Tissue"
"Tall Stories"
"Clear"
"Untitled"
"Therese"
"Slip Slide"
"The Back Door"
"William Shatner"
The Japanese release (Cat. No. VDP-1319) contained two extra tracks: "Therese" (New Extended Mix) and "Heard It All"
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Compilation appearances
NME C86 Compilation NME 22 Contributed "Therese". Free with the NME Weekly Music paper. Was also released as a 500 numbered promo was released for radio with the number NME Pro 1. It was later released with a different sleeve on Rough Trade with the number ROUGH 100. 1986
It's Different For Domeheads Creation CRELP 5 Contributed "Paradise"
Record Mirror 12". Free release with the Record Mirror Magazine on Ensign RM6. Contributed "Back Door (live)" 1986
Flowers In The Sky 1984-1987 Creation CRELP 028 CD Contributed "God Bless"
Creation Soup Volume 2 Creation CRECD 102 (on vinyl as CRELP 102) Contributed "God Bless", "Paradise"
Creation Soup Volume 3 Creation CRECD 103 (on vinyl as CRELP 103) Contributed "William Shatner"
Hand To Mouth Playhard Contributed "Hard On" and "Call Your Name"
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Other releases
"William Shatner" Canadian Live Bootleg (7") Label Unknown BODX1 This was free with BODT1
Thérèse
The Bodines Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You sat and watched in that dreamy way you keep
In when confusion mounts
That explained it never seems to count
It never
Seems to count
I've come to understand you
Although too much it never amounts
And I've found
That it knocks me to the ground
It scares the health out of me
It scares the health out of me
I'm weakening
Oh I'm shaking and rattling everything
It scares the health out of me
It scares the health out of me
You wrote the rulebook, and when I look
The balance sways in which our days
The minutes that escape me
The guilty minutes hate me
You wrote the rulebook, and when I look
the balance sways in which our days
Reminds me of when we were young
I was struck weak by a wicked sound
And I've found
That it knocks me to the ground
It scares the health out of me
It scares the health out of me
I'm weakening
Oh I'm shaking and rattling everything
It scares the health out of me
It scares the health out of me
Oh, the people that you left
It was the mark you overstepped
And once in every while I'll see through and Therese, she'll smile
The people that you left
It was the mark you overstepped
And once in every while I'll see through and Therese, she'll smile
And I've found
That it knocks me to the ground
It scares the health out of me
It scares the health out of me
I'm weakening
Oh I'm shaking and rattling everything
It scares the health out of me
It scares the health out of me
The lyrics to "Therese" by The Bodines are rich with emotion and abstract imagery. The song opens with the simple yet poignant image of a cigarette burning away in a room, setting the dreamy tone for the song. The singer describes his struggle to understand Therese, who seems to operate in a nebulous realm of confusion and indecision. He acknowledges that he has come to understand her somewhat, but that understanding never seems to amount to anything. This is a common experience for people trying to understand others who have a lot of internal conflict and uncertainty.
The chorus of the song is where the real emotional weight is felt. The singer describes feeling like he is being knocked to the ground, and that something is "scaring the health out of him." He feels like he is weakening and shaking, and the intensity of these emotions is overwhelming. The final lines of the chorus, "It scares the health out of me," are repeated multiple times, reinforcing the idea that this feeling is profound and deeply affecting.
The final verse of the song introduces a new element, as the singer reflects on the people that Therese has left behind, and the mark that she has overstepped. He sees through the confusion and the uncertainly, and he can imagine Therese smiling. The song ends with a reprise of the chorus, underscoring the intense emotional resonance that these feelings have for the singer.
Overall, "Therese" is a song about the difficulty of understanding and connecting with others, especially when there are deep internal conflicts and uncertainties involved. The singer's intense emotion and sense of being overwhelmed are palpable, making this a powerful song with a lot of emotional depth.
Line by Line Meaning
In a room, your cigarette burns away
You were in a room, smoking a cigarette which was disappearing as you kept staring blankly
You sat and watched in that dreamy way you keep
You were sitting there, watching something in a distant, detached way you usually do
In when confusion mounts
Amidst the chaos and confusion
That explained it never seems to count
No matter how much you explain, it never seems to matter or make sense
It never
No matter what
Seems to count
It doesn't seem to have any value or significance
I've come to understand you
I have finally come to comprehend you and your actions
Although too much it never amounts
But that understanding doesn't change the fact that everything still seems pointless and ineffective
And I've found
What I have discovered is
That it knocks me to the ground
It is so overwhelming that it has the power to bring me down
It scares the health out of me
It is so scary that it's affecting my physical and mental health
I'm weakening
I'm becoming weaker and more vulnerable
Oh I'm shaking and rattling everything
I'm trembling and causing everything around me to shake
You wrote the rulebook, and when I look
You established the norms and when I examine them
The balance sways in which our days
The equilibrium between us is being affected
The minutes that escape me
The time that slips away from me
The guilty minutes hate me
I regret the wasted time that I cannot get back
Reminds me of when we were young
It brings back memories of our younger days
I was struck weak by a wicked sound
I was profoundly affected by a disturbing sound
Oh, the people that you left
The ones you abandoned
It was the mark you overstepped
It was the limit you exceeded
And once in every while I'll see through and Therese, she'll smile
Occasionally, I get a glimpse of the truth and Therese, who represents happiness and peace, will smile
Contributed by Isabelle J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mancfish8049
Just been reminiscing with my brother about the golden days of Indie and jingle jangle in the late 80's which led me to look up 'Therese'. What a tune, such urgency about it and it instantly transports me back to the heady, sunny summer days of being a teenager with the new found freedom of 6th Form after leaving school, this song makes me feel alive! As other folk have said before me The Bodines were an ace band who deserved greater recognition. I still have my 12" of this and it gets a regular airing and is popular with my kids too. When I listen to this I instantly then start my own Indie Nostalgia Disco and have to play stuff by other bands of the same era such as The Railway Children, The Waltones, The Loft, The Pastels and The Mighty Lemon Drops. Daisy and Noah I always thought your Dad had the best fringe in pop, I was and still am rather jealous of that fine barnet!
@iancopestick6757
Yeah, it was a great fringe !
I was always gutted that I couldn't grow one.
My hair was too curly, and now it's gone.
@PaulAJohnston1963
There were a lot of bands of this genre at the time, the term land-fill indie was bandied about but they really have stood the test of time!
I challenge anyone who listened to this first time round to listen again and not have a big smile on their face!
@mooradchoudhry4035
Magic English guitar pop at its very best. What a fabulous song and what joyous pop. I saw them at Central London Polytechnic in 1986. So liberating, lovely nostalgia to hear it again 34 years later! God bless The Bodines...
@sensunory
the bodines are like this perfect 80s nostalgia wich isnt corny at all and still feels fresh and relevant. hits in me in the feels mann
@peterwilson1317
Fresh as an evergreen daisy! As vivid now as when I first fell in love with them whilst listening to Peel session back in1987! Is that REALLY 30 years ago? Ouch!!!
@herbieshine1312
"It scares the health out of me"
What a song.
What a memory of younger days.
Jingle jangle guitars!
@markofsaltburn
I love how videos of forgotten British Indie bands are full of excited comments from their children. I played this just now for the first time in over 30 years and it sounds great.
@nickloader9637
Love this band! Up there with The Chameleons, the Mighty Lemon Drops and The Close Lobsters. Brings back many happy childhood memories. Thank you.
@cockatoomagnet583
Nick Loader You have an awesome taste in music.One of my top favs are The Church, The Chameleons, and House Of Love.