1. A popular hard rock ba… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least six artists with this name:
1. A popular hard rock band from the United Kingdom
2. A death metal band from Germany
3. An alternative rock band from Poland
4. A Eurodance group
5. A thrash metal band from the Czech Republic
1. The Darkness are a hard rock band which formed in Lowestoft, England in 2000. The band consists of Justin Hawkins (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Dan Hawkins (guitar, vocals), Frankie Poullain (bass) and Ed Graham (drums). According to the Nothin's Gonna Stop Us Songfacts, Ed Graham inspired the band’s name as his youthful bleak moods were known as The Darkness.
They are widely regarded as a glam rock band, but the members disputed this and saw themselves as a classic hard-rock band. Their highly retro style of music was influenced by rock bands like Queen, AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, Aerosmith, Sparks, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, T. Rex, Def Leppard, Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy. They are best known for the soaring falsetto of their lead singer Justin Hawkins, whose departure in 2006 resulted in the dissolution of the band. In 2011, the band announced their return, with a third album, "Hot Cakes," to be released on Wind-up Records.
Dan had initially seen his brother's potential of being a frontman after Justin did an impressive recreation of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' at a New Year's Eve party in 1999, thrown by Justin and Dan's aunt in her pub The Swan at Gillingham just over the River Waveney in Norfolk, despite the fact that Justin was only miming to the original song. Playing at first only in pubs and bars, their pyrotechnic guitar solos and over the top performances soon brought them to public knowledge.
Achieving major success in the UK in 2003, The Darkness received considerable radio airplay of their singles, including I Believe in a Thing Called Love and the Christmas hit Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End). Their debut album, Permission to Land, reached number one in the UK charts and went on to sell one and a half million copies in the UK alone. The success of this album led to heavy touring for the band, which included headlining the Carling Festivals in 2004. The band won three Brit Awards in the same year, including Best Group, Best Rock Group and Best Album. They also won two Kerrang! awards for Best Live Act and Best British Band.
By late 2004 the band's huge success had led to a public backlash, and people claiming that the band were more a joke than a 'real' band became more common. The band responded to this criticism by touring the UK's top arenas on the "Winter-National Tour" tour with the Irish group Ash supporting them. One part of the show included Justin climbing upon a life-sized white tiger during "Love on the Rocks with No Ice" and being elevated around the audience whilst still playing guitar. The majority of the shows on the tour sold out.
On May 23, 2005 original bass player Frankie Poullain left the band during the recording of their second album, apparently due to "musical differences" with Justin Hawkins. Frankie has disputed this version of events, claiming he was "frozen out" and forced to leave the band by Justin and his longterm girlfriend (and the band's manager) Sue Whitehouse. On June 13 2005, The Darkness announced that Richie Edwards, formerly Dan's guitar technician, had replaced Frankie as bass player.
One Way Ticket, the first single from their second album, was released on 14 November 2005, debuting and peaking at number 8 on the UK Singles chart. The Darkness followed this with their second album One Way Ticket to Hell...And Back on November 28, 2005 to mixed reviews despite it having been produced by the well known Roy Thomas Baker whom has worked with bands such as Queen. Although it has been made platinum its sales do not come close to their debut's five-times-platinum rating and its chart peak at number eleven is a weak showing compared to Permission To Land's number one. The second single release from this album was Is It Just Me?, released on 20th February 2006 and charted at number eight. Soon afterwards Justin announced while performing live that the third single to be released from the album would be Girlfriend; and gained a mixed response. Released on 22nd May 2006, it charted at a disappointing number thirty-nine.
After having disappeared for quite some time the band announced that singer Justin Hawkins had left the band on 11th October 2006, after a battle against drugs.
On December 24, 2006, it was reported by Yahoo! News that bass player Richie Edwards would become the group's new frontman, with Toby MacFarlaine to join The Darkness and take over on bass. In blog entries on MySpace, Richie Edwards, Dan Hawkins and Ed Graham said that they had started recording a new album with Toby McFarlaine, and that they had formed a new band together.
On March 2, 2007, The Darkness' official website was changed, showing a photograph of the new, and as yet unnamed band. Links to the members individual Myspace pages were included, confirming the line-up of Richie Edwards, Dan Hawkins, Toby MacFarlaine and Ed Graham. Richie later added a message to the site, categorically confirming that the band would not continue under the name "The Darkness", saying "we are literally days away from announcing our new name".
It was announced on August 25, 2007 that the band had finished recording an album but no release dates or names, of either the band or album, had been decided. Record label and support has yet to be decided.
On November 9, 2007, it was announced on The University of East Anglia's student union website that the new band would be called Stone Gods. This name was confirmed on the official website on November 21, 2007. The line-up has been confirmed as Dan Hawkins (lead guitar), Toby MacFarlaine (bass), Ed Graham (drums) and Richie Edwards (vocals/guitar).
In March 2011, The Darkness announced on their newly updated website that they would be reforming the original line-up to play the Download Festival in Donington, Derbyshire. Songfacts reports that Nothin's Gonna Stop Us, the first new material from the band since they reconvened, was made available several months later as a free download from The Darkness’s official website.
The Darkness will be releasing "Hotcakes," their first album since reuniting, in 2012 on Wind-up Records. This album includes the singles "Every Inch of You" and Everybody Have a Good Time."
Is it just me
The Darkness Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Make the heart grow fonder
Or is it 'out of sight'
Out of mind' I wonder
And do you yearn for me
When the nights grow cold
'til death us do part
I wanna give you my love, my love, my love!
But is it just me or am I all on my own again?
You're up at John O Groats, I'm down in Land's End
On you I depend!
I see your face when I close my eyes,
And there ain't no place
Like between your thighs
Don't want a life alone
All by myself
To honor and trust
In sickness and health
I wanna give you my love, my love, my love!
But is it just me or am I all on my own again?
You're in the Taj Mahal, I'm outside Big Ben
It's driving me round the bend!
Forever and ever
And ever, amen
I wanna give you my love, my love, my love,
Is it just me or am I all on my own again?
Is it just me or am I all on my own again?
You're in the Vatican, I'm in the Yemen
And it feels like the end,
The end!
The Darkness's song "Is It Just Me?" is a romantic ballad filled with a mix of longing and insecurity about a lover's feelings. The opening lines show the singer contemplating whether the old adage "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is true or if there is more to it. The chorus reveals the singer's doubts about the relationship and whether they are the only one committed to it. The lyrics reference being apart in different locations such as Land's End and John O Groats, the Taj Mahal and Big Ben, and the Vatican and Yemen. Despite being away from their partner, the singer still yearns to be with them and to give them their love.
The lyrics in "Is It Just Me?" convey the complexities of relationships that occur when people are physically separated. The chorus suggests that despite the singer's desire to be with their partner, they are plagued by doubts about whether their love is reciprocated. This theme is further highlighted in the lines "On you, I depend!" where the singer openly admits to being emotionally reliant on their partner. It is a vulnerable position to be in and one that causes them to ask the question "is it just me?".
The song has a slow tempo and a mixture of acoustic and electric guitars, with the latter becoming more prominent in the chorus. The melody and rhythm comprise a classic rock ballad, which sets the tone for the introspective and pained lyrics. The Darkness's ability to blend rock and pop sensibilities is evident in this track, as they create a sound that is unique yet familiar. Ultimately, "Is It Just Me?" is a powerful and emotive song that captures the joys and sorrows of love.
Line by Line Meaning
I know that absence might
I understand that being away from someone can make you miss and love them more
Make the heart grow fonder
Being away from someone can make you miss and love them more
Or is it 'out of sight'
But maybe the saying 'out of sight, out of mind' is also true
Out of mind' I wonder
I contemplate whether someone who is out of sight is also out of mind
And do you yearn for me
I wonder if you also miss and long for me
When the nights grow cold
Especially when you're feeling lonely or sad
'til death us do part
The wedding vow to stay committed to each other until death
To have and to hold
And to always cherish and care for each other
I wanna give you my love, my love, my love!
I want to express and show you how much I love you
But is it just me or am I all on my own again?
I'm starting to feel like I'm alone in this relationship
You're up at John O Groats, I'm down in Land's End
You're far away from me and I feel like I'm at the opposite end of the country
On you I depend!
I rely and count on you to be there for me
I see your face when I close my eyes,
Even when you're not physically here, I still picture and think about you
And there ain't no place
There's nowhere else that I'd rather be
Like between your thighs
Than being intimately close to you
Don't want a life alone
I don't want to go through life without you by my side
All by myself
Feeling lonely and isolated is not something I desire
To honor and trust
I want to always respect and have faith in the relationship we have
In sickness and health
I want to be there for you and take care of you even when times get tough
Forever and ever
I want this love to last forever
And ever, amen
And never fade away
Is it just me or am I all on my own again?
I'm still uncertain if I'm the only one feeling this way or if you're also distant
You're in the Taj Mahal, I'm outside Big Ben
You're in another part of the world while I'm in a different country entirely
It's driving me round the bend!
It's making me go crazy and I can't handle the distance anymore
And it feels like the end,
This separation is making me feel like this relationship is ending
The end!
And I don't want it to end like this
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DANIEL FRANCIS HAWKINS, FRANCIS GILLES POULLAIN-PATTERSON, JUSTIN DAVID HAWKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@joshgibbs9377
I know that absence might
Make the heart grow fonder
Or is it "out of sight
out of mind" I wonder
And do you yearn for me
When the nights grow cold
Til death us do part
To have and to hold
I wanna give you my love, my love, my love
But is it just me or am I all on my own again
You're up at John O'Groats, I'm down in Land's End
On you I depend
I see your face
When I close my eyes
And there ain't no place
Like between your thighs
Don't want a life alone
All by myself
To honour and trust
In sickness and health
I wanna give you my love, my love, my love
But is it just me or am I all on my own again
You're at the Taj Mahal, I'm outside Big Ben
It's driving me round the bend
Forever and ever
And ever, amen
I wanna give u my love, my love, my love
But is it just me or am I all on my own again
You're in the Vatican, I'm in the Yemen
And it feels like the end
The end
@somebody4244
Justin Hawkins is one of the most underrated frontmen of all time. If not the entire band. I just feel like they deserve more success
@Lezleyannshaw
Utterly tremendous live. He makes the audience really feel part of the performance. I mean I am biased as I have a huge crush on Justin!
@PatrickPierceBateman
Drug problems and the sibling rivalry between Dan and Justin threw the band off track. They could have been huge.
@kangabangaz334
They have had more than enough recognition
@louiealcala3623
You're damn right friend
@AlpLimIndFox
Can anyone please tell me what is this song is about?
@GregGallagher
Goddamnit, why this band was never immensely popular in the US still boggles my mind. They were and still are one of the greatest acts in rock music in general. Even if this album wasn’t the same without Frankie, I’m so glad that made a comeback 10 years ago and have been consistently releasing fantastic albums. I absolutely love this band and I adore Justin Hawkins, what a great frontman and a really smart guy. His YouTube channel is one of my favorites and definitely worth checking out
@MrDMF567
These guys are absolutely hilarious. They make great music and their live show is an absolute must-see. Just an awesome group.
@AlpLimIndFox
Can anyone please tell me what is this song is about?
@squarejawpublishing
The genius of that line cannot be overstated. “Is it just me or am I on my own again”.