Neil Hannon, Originally from Derry, has been the only ever-present member of the band, being its founder in 1989 when he was joined by John McCullagh and Kevin Traynor. Their first album, the heavily R.E.M.-influenced and now-deleted Fanfare for the Comic Muse, enjoyed little success though. A couple of equally unsuccessful EPs - Timewatch (1991); Europop (1992) - were to follow, with newly-recruited member John Allen handling lead vocals on some tracks. After the commercial failure of the latter EP, this line-up soon fell apart.
Hannon, however, was not deterred in his efforts and re-appeared in 1993 with Liberation. Featuring a fairly diverse musical outlook that goes from the tongue-in-cheek synth pop of Europop(nearly unrecognisable from the previously-released version) to the classical stylings of Timewatching.
Indeed, it was only some minor success in France that really enabled Hannon to proceed to his second effort Promenade. Released in 1994, this was heavily driven by classical influences, with Michael Nyman's stylings clearly an influence. Hannon himself acknowledged this when he apparently sent a copy of his new album to the composer, jokingly asking him not to sue. Essentially a concept album about a day spent by two lovers, it also received similar critical acclaim to that which Liberation was afforded. Commercial success, though, was not forthcoming.
At around the same time, Hannon also wrote and performed the theme music for the TV sitcom Father Ted (which would subsequently be incorporated into the song Songs of Love on the album Casanova), and later wrote the music for the deliberately bad mock-Eurovision song My Lovely Horse for one episode. Hannon resisted widespread requests from fans to release the track as a single for the Christmas market, but it was eventually released in 1999 as the third track on the CD-single Gin Soaked Boy. This would not be the only time they would be responsible for a TV theme, as In Pursuit Of Happiness was also used by the BBC science and technology show, Tomorrow's World. Hannon also recently composed the music for the comedy series "The IT Crowd".
The album Casanova (1996), and in particular the single Something for the Weekend led to the band's first major successes, with Neil Hannon becoming a distinctive, albeit unlikely, popstar in an immaculate suit, and always appearing the elegant dandy. At the height of their commercial success, the band put out A Short Album About Love (a reference to the Krzysztof Kieślowski movie A Short Film About Love), recorded live at soundcheck with the Brunel Ensemble in preparation for a concert at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, from which several songs were released as b-sides. It was aptly released on Valentine's Day in 1997. Subsequently, the band contributed a reworking of Noel Coward's I've Been to a Marvellous Party to a compilation of covers of the writer's songs, with Hannon affecting a Cowardesque lilt (albeit interspersed with an aggressive electronic musical backing).
The foppish image, but not the suit, was ditched for the more sombre album Fin De Siècle in 1998, although its biggest hit, the jaunty National Express, a song about the national coach operators, belied its more intimate, soul-searching tone. Maintaining the balance between these poles, 1999's Secret History - the Best of The Divine Comedy included a re-recording of Liberation track The Pop Singer's Fear of the Pollen Count and two new songs (Gin-Soaked Boy and Too Young to Die) alongside the band's main hits. In the same year, the band also collaborated with Tom Jones on a cover version of Portishead's All Mine, featured on his album Reload.
A serious side to the band was also in evidence in 2000's collaboration with Ute Lemper on her album Punishing Kiss, most of which featured The Divine Comedy as Lemper's backing band.
The 2001 album Regeneration attempted to remove the band still further from its association with comedy. Hannon hired famous producer Nigel Godrich to "remake" the band. Neil ditched the suit and donned the Britrock band image. However, the album was a greater critical than commercial success, and soon after its release it was announced that The Divine Comedy were splitting up. However within a year Hannon was touring again with a revised band line-up, playing a series of joint-headline gigs in the USA, UK and Ireland featuring both The Divine Comedy and Ben Folds, who would cover The Divine Comedy's Songs of Love on his Sunny 16 EP.
Eventually a new album surfaced in the form of 2004's Absent Friends. Striking a balance between the occasionally earnest sound of the band's later material and the lighter tone of the more popular releases, it encapsulated the essence of The Divine Comedy. 2004 saw two dates of particularly acclaimed performances, one at the London Palladium (which was later released as a live DVD) and one at the Royal Albert Hall.
In January 2005, Hannon announced that he had acquired the worldwide copyrights to all of his recorded output with his former record label, Setanta Records. He declared on the band's official website that he would be launching his own record label Divine Comedy Records in order to re-release his 1990s output.
Hannon's ninth album under the Divine Comedy moniker, Victory for the Comic Muse (a reference to his debut), was released in June 2006. It is suggested by fans to be less personal and more free-approach in tone than his most recent albums. The bulk of the record was recorded in just two weeks, hence the more spontaneous sound, and features appearances from Travis bass player Dougie Payne.
Hannon collaborated with Thomas Walsh of Pugwash to create an album themed around the sport of cricket. Released under the alias The Duckworth Lewis Method, the self-titled album was released in 2009 to critical acclaim.
The following year saw the tenth Divine Comedy album and first on his own label, Bang Goes the Knighthood.
A Lady Of A Certain Age
The Divine Comedy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'd holidayed with kings, dined out with starlets
From London to New York, Cap Ferrat to Capri
In perfume by Chanel and clothes by Givenchy
You sipped camparis with David and Peter
At Noel's parties by Lake Geneva
Scaling the dizzy heights of high society
Armed only with a cheque-book and a family tree
[Chorus]
You chased the sun around the Cote d'Azur
Until the light of youth became obscured
And left you on your own and in the shade
An English lady of a certain age
And if a nice young man would buy you a drink
You'd say with a conspiratorial wink
"You wouldn't think that I was seventy"
And he'd say,"no, you couldn't be!"
You had to marry someone very very rich
So that you might be kept in the style to which
You had all of your life been accustomed to
But that the socialists had taxed away from you
You gave him children, a girl and a boy
To keep your sanity a nanny was employed
And when the time came they were sent away
Well that was simply what you did in those days
[Chorus]
Your son's in stocks and bonds and lives back in Surrey
Flies down once in a while and leaves in a hurry
Your daughter never finished her finishing school
Married a strange young man of whom you don't approve
Your husband's hollow heart gave out one Christmas Day
He left the villa to his mistress in Marseilles
And so you come here to escape your little flat
Hoping someone will fill your glass and let you chat about how
[Chorus]
The Divine Comedy's "A Lady Of A Certain Age" is a song that explores the life of a woman who was once part of the upper-class society but now finds herself alone and forgotten. The lyrics describe her glamorous past, traveling all over the world and partying with famous people in fancy clothes and expensive perfumes. She reminisces about her interactions with influential people such as David and Peter, and the lavish parties thrown by Noel by Lake Geneva. The woman is described as someone who always had the best of everything and chased the sun around the Cote d'Azur until her youth was obscured.
However, things have changed for her now. The woman had to marry someone very rich to maintain her luxurious lifestyle, but the socialists had taxed away everything she had. Her children were raised by a nanny, and now they are adults living their own lives, but not as successful as she would have liked. Her husband passed away, leaving the villa to his mistress in Marseilles. In her loneliness, she seeks companionship, hoping someone will fill her glass and let her chat about the good old days.
The song is a poignant commentary on the fleeting nature of life and the emptiness that can sometimes accompany wealth and privilege. It paints a picture of a woman who has lost everything she once held dear and is now left with nothing but her memories. The song's melody is melancholic, and the lyrics are sung with a sense of wistfulness, making it a beautiful but sad piece of music.
Line by Line Meaning
Back in the day you had been part of the smart set
In the past, you were part of the fashionable elite
You'd holidayed with kings, dined out with starlets
You enjoyed vacations with royalty and socialized with famous actresses
From London to New York, Cap Ferrat to Capri
You traveled extensively to glamorous locations
In perfume by Chanel and clothes by Givenchy
You wore luxury fashion brands
You sipped camparis with David and Peter
You drank cocktails with well-known people named David and Peter
At Noel's parties by Lake Geneva
You attended parties hosted by a person named Noel at Lake Geneva
Scaling the dizzy heights of high society
You climbed the ranks of the upper class
Armed only with a cheque-book and a family tree
You relied on inherited wealth and connections to maintain your status
[Chorus]
Refrain
You chased the sun around the Cote d'Azur
You followed the sunny coastal region of southeastern France
Until the light of youth became obscured
Until you grew old
And left you on your own and in the shade
And left you alone and forgotten
An English lady of a certain age
A middle-aged English woman
And if a nice young man would buy you a drink
If a polite young man offered to purchase you a beverage
You'd say with a conspiratorial wink
You would reply with a secretive nod
"You wouldn't think that I was seventy"
"You might not guess that I'm 70 years old"
And he'd say,"no, you couldn't be!"
And he would respond, "No, you don't look it!"
You had to marry someone very very rich
You had to marry an extremely wealthy person
So that you might be kept in the style to which
To maintain the lavish lifestyle you had been accustomed to
You had all of your life been accustomed to
You had always lived a luxurious life
But that the socialists had taxed away from you
But that the socialist government had taken away through taxation
You gave him children, a girl and a boy
You gave your spouse a daughter and son
To keep your sanity a nanny was employed
To keep your mental wellbeing, you hired a nanny to help with childcare
And when the time came they were sent away
And when they came of age, they were sent off to school
Well that was simply what you did in those days
This was common practice at that time
[Chorus]
Refrain
Your son's in stocks and bonds and lives back in Surrey
Your son works in finance and resides in Surrey
Flies down once in a while and leaves in a hurry
He visits occasionally and departs quickly
Your daughter never finished her finishing school
Your daughter did not complete her education at a prestigious school
Married a strange young man of whom you don't approve
Got married to a person you do not approve of
Your husband's hollow heart gave out one Christmas Day
Your spouse died suddenly of a heart attack on Christmas Day
He left the villa to his mistress in Marseilles
He bequeathed his mansion to his lover in Marseilles
And so you come here to escape your little flat
So you come to this place to get away from your tiny apartment
Hoping someone will fill your glass and let you chat about how
Desiring someone to refill your drink and converse with you about the good old days
[Chorus]
Refrain
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NEIL HANNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fineartphotographyvietnam
Bob Dylan once said - “I was never a good singer, but if you have a good story, then it doesn’t matter because people want to listen” This is an example of a great story with an amazing voice. 😊
@silentmovieman
Greatest song writer of a generation, doesn't get the credit he deserves
@jamesa3137
Absolutely!
@aladdinsane848
Does he want it? Think he has a good life, can take a walk inkognito. Creates great music, rises his kids.... Bingo
@ianbuick1332
Yeah baby
@mcreedle1
Took the words out of my mouth 👌
@Neil-Aspinall
Funny I've only discovered him this day in two thousand and twenty two
@marazionknight4442
They say everybody has a novel or a masterpiece inside them. This is Neil Hannons. A work of Art in music. It draws you in, hypnotised by the words, caught by the simplistic melody, and drags you to the end, enlightened and refreshed. This is a musical journey,worthy of an orchestra. But played humbly on a guitar. No frills, just emotional genius
@kerrycarter1106
marazion knight he has more than one masterpiece 😊
@allenleitch1783
Many many more where that came from!