The band had their first UK Top 30 hit in 1985 with the piano-based #30 single "You Are My World". The following year they had their biggest hit with an energetic cover version of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' soul classic "Don't Leave Me This Way" (in a version inspired by Thelma Houston's cover) which spent four weeks at number one and became the UK's biggest selling single of 1986. It also made the US Top 40. It featured Sarah Jane Morris as co-vocalist, taking advantage of the contrast between Morris' deep and rounded contralto and Somerville's soaring falsetto. Morris performed both backing and co-lead vocals on many of the Communards' other recordings, and appeared in group photos as an unofficial third member.
Later that year The Communards had another UK Top 10 hit with the single "So Cold the Night," which reached number 8. In 1987, they released an album titled Red, which was partly produced by Stephen Hague. Red featured a cover version of the Jackson 5's hit "Never Can Say Goodbye" (in a version inspired by Gloria Gaynor's cover), which the Communards took to Number 4. Their last released single was "There's More to Love Than Boy Meets Girl" in 1988, which reached Number 20 and was, consequently, their final Top 20 hit.
They split in 1988 and Somerville began a solo career. Coles followed his Christian leanings and, after periods as a journalist for the Times Literary Supplement and Catholic Herald, he was ordained in the Church of England, spending time as the curate of St Botolph's (The Stump) in Boston, Lincolnshire. He is now the assistant priest at St Paul's Knightsbridge and Chaplain to the Royal College of Music and is a frequent contributor to BBC Radio 4.
Lovers And Friends
The Communards Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
enfolded in my arms,
breathing slow and sweet.
I never understood
how it would prove to be
such a luxury to feel
your hand, warm in my hand
your kiss onmy cheek.
Lovers and friends
are all that matter.
You'll never know how much it
came to mean to me
to have you by my side
in battles lost and won.
And now I understand
these things can never be
guaranteed.
I wish I could recall
each mundane tenderness,
remember every look, each word,
preserve every breath,
each kiss, each caress.
Lovers and friends
are all that matter.
I never thought that I would
watch you drowning
far from any sea, on crumpled sheets,
white sand in your eyes.
Lovers and friends
are all that matter.
And now when all I have of you
is a memory,
I raise my hand to touch my cheek,
imprinted with your love.
The lyrics of The Communards' song "Lovers and Friends" can be interpreted as a reflection on the profound impact that a lover and friend can have on one's life. The singer speaks of a night spent with their partner, enveloped in each other's arms, feeling the warmth of their hand and the sweetness of their breath. The singer expresses gratitude for the simple moments of tenderness and affection that they shared with their lover, recognizing that these small moments came to mean so much to them in the end. As they reflect back on the relationship, the singer regrets not having fully appreciated all of the mundane moments of love that they shared with their partner, wishing that they could have remembered every look, every word, and every caress.
The chorus reinforces the theme that lovers and friends are all that matter. This sentiment is echoed when the singer talks about battles lost and won, suggesting that their partner was a source of support and comfort in difficult times. The final lines of the song reveal that the relationship has come to an end, perhaps due to death, with the singer left with only memories of their loved one. The image of the singer raising their hand to touch their own cheek, which bears the imprint of their partner's love, is a poignant reminder of the profound impact that love and friendship can have.
Line by Line Meaning
All night you'd lay asleep
Throughout the night, you would sleep peacefully.
enfolded in my arms,
Wrapped securely in my embrace,
breathing slow and sweet.
Taking deep, calming breaths.
I never understood
I didn't fully comprehend
how it would prove to be
what it would come to mean
such a luxury to feel
what a great privilege it was to experience
your hand, warm in my hand
the sensation of your hand and its warmth in mine
your kiss on my cheek.
The feeling of your kiss on my face
Lovers and friends
Those whom we're romantically intimate with and those who we share a strong bond of friendship with
are all that matter.
They are the most valuable things in life.
You'll never know how much it
You'll never fully grasp how significant it was
came to mean to me
in terms of what it represented to me.
to have you by my side
Having you close to me
in battles lost and won.
Through both the victories and the defeats.
And now I understand
But now I finally comprehend
these things can never be
these things cannot possibly exist
guaranteed.
with the assurance of certainty.
I wish I could recall
If only I could remember
each mundane tenderness,
each and every little act of affection,
remember every look, each word,
remind myself of every expression, every spoken phrase,
preserve every breath,
keep an archive of every breath you took,
each kiss, each caress.
as well as each and every kiss and caress you performed.
And now when all I have of you
But now, when all that remains of you
is a memory,
is a recollection of the past,
I raise my hand to touch my cheek,
I raise my hand and touch my face,
imprinted with your love.
which bears the impression of your affection.
watch you drowning
Witnessing you struggling
far from any sea, on crumpled sheets,
while lying on crumpled, rumpled linens, nowhere close to the ocean,
white sand in your eyes.
as tiny particles of sand enter your eyes.
Contributed by Olivia M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@SequentialCircuitProphet5
One of the best emotive Communards song. My favorite of their small discography.
@thomasetienne6081
Je vous aime Jimmy et Richard.
@darrenbanks2602
One of the greatest albums ever - a masterpiece
@felinefanII
They kind of remind me of early Alan Parsons Project here or perhaps even more so the '70s prog band Gentle Giant, when they did ballads something like this wouldn't sound foreign to them at all, the vocals and violin.
@Koshirozation
<3