Their first three singles all made the Top 40 in the Britain, and their eponymously-titled 1987 debut album entered the UK album chart at number 2, and eventually sold over a million copies. The highest placed single from this album was "Ideal World", which reached number 14 in the UK singles chart.
In 1988 they released a cover of the Isley Brothers' "Harvest For The World", with all proceeds going to charity. The video for the track was an animation, created by four leading animation companies, including Aardman of Wallace and Gromit fame. The video won several awards, and the single reached number 8 in the charts.
1989 saw another charity single success, this time as performers on a version of Ferry 'Cross The Mersey, released in aid of those affected by the Hillsborough disaster, which stayed at number one for several weeks.
Their second album, Colour released in 1990, reached number one in the UK album chart, and in 1992 the follow-up, Happy in Hell charted at number 18. But none of their following singles reached the top 20.
The early 1990s saw the band continuing to tour, but declining in popularity. A "Greatest Hits" album, The Best of the Christians was released in 1993 and peaked at number 22.
Garry Christian moved to Paris in 1995 to record a solo album, effectively breaking up the band, although no formal announcement was made and the door was open to future reformation. Four years later they began to perform together again in an "unplugged" acoustic format. In 1999 they carried out a thirty six date tour of the UK, with a similar tour undertaken in 2000.
By 2001 The Christians began to write songs for a 'comeback' album, Prodigal Sons, which was released in 2003. This was also supported by a UK tour in October 2003 and further promotion in France, Spain and UK throughout 2004.
In 2005 Russell Christian decided he no longer wished to tour, and a decision was made to return to a full band format, rather than the 4-man “unplugged” line-up that had been touring since 1999.
This new 'band' (comprising Garry Christian /vocals, Henry Priestman/keys,accordion, Neil Griffiths/acoustic guitar/backing vocals, Stewart Boyle/electric guitar, Bobby Kewley/bass, and Craig Connet/drums) was unveiled on the autumn 2005 tour. The same version of the original band is currently preparing for their next tour in 2006.
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
The Christians Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies.
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly,
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes.
Cellophane flowers of yellow and green
Towering over your head.
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds, ah, ah
Follow her down to a bridge by the fountain
Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies.
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
That grow so incredibly high.
Newspaper taxis appear on the shore
Waiting to take you away
Climb in the back with your head in the clouds
And you're gone.
Picture yourself on a train in a station
With plasticine porters with looking glass ties,
Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile,
The girl with kaleidoscope eyes.
The Christians' version of Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds captures the surreal and dreamlike quality of the original Beatles' song. The lyrics transport the listener to a whimsical and mysterious land where the sky is filled with diamonds and the trees are made of tangerine. The opening line "Picture yourself in a boat on a river" invites the listener to create a vivid picture in their mind's eye of a peaceful setting that is anything but ordinary. The use of colorful imagery such as "Cellophane flowers of yellow and green" and "rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies" further adds to the dreamlike quality of the song.
The lyrics are full of enigmatic characters such as "the girl with kaleidoscope eyes" who appears and disappears throughout the song. Her presence is tethered to the bridge and the fountain where she can be found along with the "newspaper taxis" waiting to take the listener away. The song concludes with the image of the girl appearing suddenly at a turnstile, leaving the listener to wonder what the significance of her role in the surreal landscape of the song might be. The lyrics of Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds leave many questions unanswered, and the imaginative world created through them is one that the listener will return to again and again to unravel its mysteries.
Line by Line Meaning
Picture yourself in a boat on a river
Imagine yourself in a calm and peaceful place
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies.
Everything around you is filled with vibrant colors.
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly,
Even though someone is trying to get your attention, you are not fully present in the moment.
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes.
You meet someone who appears to have a unique and ever-changing personality.
Cellophane flowers of yellow and green
There are beautiful, yet artificial things surrounding you.
Towering over your head.
These artificial things seem to be overpowering and all-consuming.
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes
Try to find someone who radiates positivity and happiness.
And she's gone.
But this person is hard to hold onto and fleeting.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy, the person mentioned earlier, seems to be in a kind of dreamlike state - or on drugs.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
This line is repeated to emphasize that Lucy is the focus of the song.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds, ah, ah
The repeated line continues to emphasize the dreamlike state of Lucy's world.
Follow her down to a bridge by the fountain
Try to keep up with Lucy - she seems to always be on the go.
Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies.
Lucy seems to be drawn to childlike and imaginative places and people.
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
Lucy is surrounded by people who are carefree and happy-go-lucky.
That grow so incredibly high.
These surroundings are almost surreal in how idyllic they are.
Newspaper taxis appear on the shore
Suddenly, something jarring and out of place enters the scene.
Waiting to take you away
This new thing seems like it wants to take control of Lucy.
Climb in the back with your head in the clouds
Lucy gives in and decides to go along with it, despite being out of touch with reality.
And you're gone.
The experience of being swept up and taken away is overwhelming.
Picture yourself on a train in a station
The song suddenly shifts to a new setting to disorient the listener.
With plasticine porters with looking glass ties,
There are more surreal and artificial things in this new setting.
Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile,
Another person appears, but their presence is jarring rather than comforting.
The girl with kaleidoscope eyes.
This person, like Lucy, is difficult to understand and ever-changing.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul Mccartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
921RLC
"I think it is you." Nice!