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.
Lost Property
The Divine Comedy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
T-shirts and sweaters
Passports and Parkas
Mobiles and chargers
Two tennis rackets
Blue Rizla packets
A new sheep-skin jacket
I lost it all
All through my life there have been
Many rare and precious things
I have tried to call mine
But I just cannot seem
To keep hold of anything
For more than a short time
Possessions of a sentimental kind
They were mine, now they're not
Gym-kits and trainers
Asthma inhalers
Silk-cuts and Bennies
Ten-packs and twenties
C-class narcotics
Antibiotics
The holes in my pockets
I lost it all
All that I'd like is to know
Just where do those lost things go?
When they slip from my hands
Then one night in a dream
I passed through a sheepskin screen
To a green, pleasant land
I found them all piled up into the sky
And I cried tears of joy
The Divine Comedy's "Lost Property" is a melancholic ballad about the impermanence of material possessions. In the first verse, the singer recounts various items that he has lost, such as postcards, letters, t-shirts, sweaters, passports, parkas, mobiles, chargers, tennis rackets, Rizla packets, and a sheepskin jacket. It is unclear how or when he lost these possessions, but the repetition of the phrase "I lost it all" suggests a sense of resignation and regret.
In the second verse, the singer reflects on his relationship with material possessions more broadly. He describes how there have been many "rare and precious things" that he has tried to call his own, but he has never been able to keep hold of them for long. Even possessions that are "of a sentimental kind" slip through his grasp. The list of items in the second verse includes gym kits, trainers, asthma inhalers, cigarettes, drugs, and antibiotics. The final line of the verse - "I lost it all" - underscores the transience of these possessions and the futility of trying to hold onto them.
The chorus of the song shifts to a more hopeful tone, as the singer wonders where all of his lost possessions end up. In a dream, he passes through a "sheepskin screen" and discovers all of his lost items "piled up into the sky." The image is surreal and suggestive of a kind of cosmic repository for lost things. The singer's joy at the discovery of his lost possessions is tempered by the fact that they are now out of his reach, but the dream at least offers a glimpse of a higher order that might make some sense of the chaos of everyday life.
Line by Line Meaning
Postcards and letters
Memories captured in time
T-shirts and sweaters
Clothing that once gave me warmth and comfort
Passports and Parkas
Essential documents and protective clothing
Mobiles and chargers
Electronic devices that kept me connected
Two tennis rackets
Equipment for leisure and sport
Blue Rizla packets
Remnants of a past habit
A new sheep-skin jacket
A recent acquisition that signified luxury
I lost it all
Despite efforts to hold onto physical possessions, they eventually slip away
All through my life there have been
A reflection on experiences over time
Many rare and precious things
Things that were once cherished and valuable
I have tried to call mine
Attempts to maintain ownership and connection
But I just cannot seem
Realization that possession is fleeting
To keep hold of anything
A sense of impermanence and loss
For more than a short time
The fleeting nature of material possessions
Possessions of a sentimental kind
Emotionally significant items
They were mine, now they're not
A reflection on the transience of possession
Gym-kits and trainers
Articles of clothing and equipment for physical activity
Asthma inhalers
Essential medication for respiratory issues
Silk-cuts and Bennies
Past vices and indulgences
Ten-packs and twenties
A reference to cigarettes and monetary slang
C-class narcotics
Illegal drugs
Antibiotics
Necessary medication to treat infections
The holes in my pockets
The reason physical possessions slip away
All that I'd like is to know
The desire for understanding and clarity
Just where do those lost things go?
Questioning the fate of possessions no longer in my possession
When they slip from my hands
Acknowledgement that possessions are out of my control
Then one night in a dream
A surreal experience that offers insight
I passed through a sheepskin screen
An enigmatic reference to a dreamlike state
To a green, pleasant land
A welcoming and peaceful place
I found them all piled up into the sky
A vision of lost possessions that are finally found
And I cried tears of joy
A visceral emotional response to the discovery of lost possessions
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NEIL HANNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Audrey Trance
Postcards and letters
T-shirts and sweaters
Passports and Parkas
Mobiles and chargers
Two tennis rackets
Blue Rizla packets
A new sheep-skin jacket
I lost it all
All through my life there have been
Many rare and precious things
I have tried to call mine
But I just cannot seem
To keep hold of anything
For more than a short time
Possessions of a sentimental kind
They were mine, now they're not
Gym-kits and trainers
Asthma inhalers
Silk-cuts and Bennies
Ten-packs and twenties
C-class narcotics
Antibiotics
The holes in my pockets
I lost it all
All that I'd like is to know
Just where do those lost things go?
When they slip from my hands
Then one night in a dream
I passed through a sheepskin screen
To a green, pleasant land
I found them all piled up into the sky
And I cried tears of joy
nefarious gremlin
Such a strange, melancholy and beautiful song. Thanks, James Roberts.
Rewind
i don't like him.
zerombr
Did you see the mtmte trailer that uses this?
Andrew Dale
Wonderful song. Hannon is probably the best composer in modern music from the UK.
Capability Landscapes
True. Perhaps nick cave is up there
Capability Landscapes
Ah! Uk
Count Grassi
Nick Cave and Neil Hannon: so different yet each brilliant in their own way.
PeterZeeke
@Capability Landscapes nick cave is australian.
Ory
Lost Blown like seeds on the wind Everything lost Tossed like ships on the ocean And dashed on the rocks Hiding just out of reach Waiting for me
Anthony Zambra
I feel sorry for anyone that doesn't know about The Divine Comedy, when they wake up in the morning that's as good as they're going to feel all day.