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.
Don't Look Down
The Divine Comedy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Through the rainbow
Every day though
You simply refuse
Old-fashioned Ferris Wheels
Are no big deal
They're just big wheels with chairs
So don't be scared
She tells me it's alright
To open up my eyes
She holds onto my hand
And the clouds float by
The couple in the car below
They wave to us and say hello
I think they understand
The way we're feeling
I don't need to say 'I love you'
When we're floating
So far up above
Everyone else's lives
Are intertwined
With yours and mine
I hope
They find the joy
That we have found
She tells me it's alright
To open up my eyes
She holds onto my hand
And the clouds race by
The couple in the car above
I suppose they think
That we're in love
I think they might be right
And without warning when we're almost at the top
The wheel that turns us all comes to a sudden stop.
The wind that's blown us dies a quick and painless death
The air gets clammy and we hold each other's breath
We get the feeling that we're not alone in this
And then a God who really ought not to exist
Sticks out a great big hand
And grabs me by the wrist
And asks me "why?" and I say
"Well God, it's like this
It may be arrogance
Or just appalling taste
But I'd rather use my pain than let it all go to waste
On some old god who tells me what I want to hear
As if I cannot tell obedience from fear
I want to take my pleasures where and how I will,
Be they disgraceful or distasteful or distilled
And to be frank I find that life has more appeal
Without a driver who's asleep behind the wheel"
Then God decides that he has taken quite enough
Of all this atheistic tosh I'm spouting off
And so he calls upon his favorite angel choir
To sing of times when men were filled with christian fire
But over-zealous angels flap their wings too fast
And cause the wind to blow and turn the wheel at last
And soon my feet are safely back on solid ground
And then I hear a voice say
"Don't look down!".
The Divine Comedy's song "Don't Look Down" is a journey taken by the singer and his lover on a Ferris wheel. The song initially describes how everyday things like birds and planes pass through the rainbow while the Ferris wheel is no different, just a big wheel with chairs. The Ferris wheel ride can be a bit scary for some, but the singer assures his lover that it's alright. The couple experiences a sense of freedom, being at a height that allows them to temporarily escape the realities of their intertwined lives. As the ride approaches the top, it suddenly stops, and the air gets clammy, adding to the already known fact that they’re not alone. God appears and confronts the singer about his position of atheism. The singer states that he prefers to make his decisions rather than blindly follow a religion that only demands obedience, citing that he would rather live his life on his own terms. The song ends with a warning to “not look down.”
The song seems to address the singer's struggle with religion and spirituality. Particularly, the lyrics depicting God confronting the singer and singing angels suggest the singer's internal conflict about the validity of religion in his life. The singer seems to express how he prefers to live his life based on his choices, even if it means taking disgraceful or distasteful paths. The song is a reminder to appreciate the moments of freedom that can be felt in simple experiences like riding a Ferris wheel, which can be an escape from the inertia of daily life, but it also confronts the existence of the divine and the human need for understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
Birds and planes go
Airborne objects frequently fly through the sky
Through the rainbow
Despite their altitude, these objects often pass through refracted light
Every day though
This spectacle occurs regularly and predictably
You simply refuse
The artist admonishes someone for avoiding what is a common phenomenon
Old-fashioned Ferris Wheels
A traditional amusement park ride consisting of passenger-filled, rotating carts attached to a wheel
Are no big deal
The singer contends that this type of ride is not especially concerning
They're just big wheels with chairs
The Ferris Wheel is simply a standard mechanism with seats
So don't be scared
The artist reassures someone that there is no need to feel fearful
Just set yourself free
Don't restrict yourself unnecessarily
She tells me it's alright
The artist hears an encouraging message from an unspecified person
To open up my eyes
This message spurs the singer to adjust their perspective
She holds onto my hand
The same person offers physical support and comfort
And the clouds float by
The singer observes the scenery around them, specifically passing clouds
The couple in the car below
Other individuals are observed nearby in a car beneath the singer's location
They wave to us and say hello
These individuals acknowledge the singer and the person with them
I think they understand
The artist intuits that these people can relate to what the artist is experiencing
The way we're feeling
Their understanding pertains to the emotions that the artist is feeling
I don't need to say 'I love you'
The singer perceives that their mutual emotions are implicit and don't require verbal expression
When we're floating
The romantic context of the scenario isn't contingent on an explicit declaration
So far up above
The distance from the ground contributes to the (literal and figurative) elevation of the experience
Everyone else's lives
The artist recognizes the world continuing unabated below their vantage point
Are intertwined
Despite this awareness of individuality, the world is also interconnected
With yours and mine
The singer draws a distinction between the experience they are sharing and the rest of the world
I hope
The artist expresses a positive wish for the people below
They find the joy
That they, too, can experience gratification and bliss
That we have found
And hopefully the singer's own joy can be contagious, in a sense
And without warning when we're almost at the top
Drawing on personal experience, the singer recalls an unexpected moment of difficulty
The wheel that turns us all comes to a sudden stop.
The previously-described Ferris Wheel encounter an abrupt mechanical issue
The wind that's blown us dies a quick and painless death
As a result, the movement and excitement of the ride field suddenly ceases
The air gets clammy and we hold each other's breath
The singer and their companion are implicated in the situation and experience a brief moment of shared tension
We get the feeling that we're not alone in this
A sense of unease originates from an ambiguous sense of being watched or evaluated
And then a God who really ought not to exist
In this heightened moment of doubt and confusion, an unexpected character is introduced
Sticks out a great big hand
The appearance of God is accompanied by a seemingly-out-of-place gesture
And grabs me by the wrist
God establishes a physical contact with the artist
And asks me 'why?' and I say
God initiates an inquiry about what the singer is thinking or doing
'Well God, it's like this
The artist responds to God's question
It may be arrogance
The singer self-reflects on their potential motivations
Or just appalling taste
The singer humorously suggests that they could simply have bad judgement
But I'd rather use my pain than let it all go to waste
The singer implies that they prefer to harness the negative aspects of life rather than wallow in them
On some old god who tells me what I want to hear
The artist critiques a caricature of religion which does not challenge or inspire but only coddles
As if I cannot tell obedience from fear
The artist resents being falsely labeled as a sheep who blindly follows authority out of fear
I want to take my pleasures where and how I will,
The singer asserts their own autonomy and desires
Be they disgraceful or distasteful or distilled
The singer doesn't wish to be judged for their personal preferences
And to be frank I find that life has more appeal
In the artist's view, liberation from dogmatic constraints allows life to be more rewarding
Without a driver who's asleep behind the wheel'
The artist metaphorically characterizes a remote deity who doesn't actively participate in human affairs as unfulfilling or worthless
Then God decides that he has taken quite enough
The artist imagines God becoming fed up with the artist's frank comments
Of all this atheistic tosh I'm spouting off
The singer dismisses the notion of 'atheistic tosh' as a dismissive and condescending remark
And so he calls upon his favorite angel choir
God summons some subordinate entities
To sing of times when men were filled with christian fire
These entities perform a praising, nostalgic musical number
But over-zealous angels flap their wings too fast
These angels become too excessive in their performance
And cause the wind to blow and turn the wheel at last
Compounded with the malfunction of the Ferris Wheel from earlier, the combined wind now drives its movement
And soon my feet are safely back on solid ground
The ride concludes and the artist brings themselves back to normalcy
And then I hear a voice say
Another new character is introduced, concluding the saga
'Don't look down!'
This voice offers a final suggestion to the singer, imbued with a metaphorical intent
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NEIL HANNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind