The Divine Comedy is a baroque pop band now based in Dublin, Ireland, front… Read Full Bio ↴The Divine Comedy is a baroque pop band now based in Dublin, Ireland, fronted by Neil Hannon.

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.

Neptune
The Divine Comedy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When the last course has been consumed
They withdraw to the drawing room
Where the Schubert she plays with style
Keeps her friends happy for the while

But the memories are a burden,
So she draws back both the curtains
Stepping out into the night

As the glow from the house recedes
And their voices blend with the breeze
She is free to be who she will
Free to skip barefoot down the hill

Maybe she is Neptune's daughter
For she's drawn towards the water
Stepping out into the night

The water cold against her skin
Conceals a multitude of sins
And laughing like a little girl
She enters an enchanted world

Where seaweed girls with silver tails
Play games upon the backs of whales
They want her to come home with them
They grab her legs and drag her

Down again, down again
Into the sea he strides

And takes her in his arms
And he carries her back to shore

Overall Meaning

The Divine Comedy's song "Neptune" is a beautiful and insightful description of a woman's journey towards freedom and self-discovery. The song begins with the image of a social gathering "When the last course has been consumed" and all the guests have retreated to the drawing room to listen to the music played by the hostess, who is proficient at Schubert. The lyrics note that "the memories are a burden," hinting at the facade of happiness that the guests carry, and soon the hostess is drawn towards the water, where she finds true freedom in the company of the mythical creatures of the sea.

The song's central theme is the woman's journey towards finding her true self. The lyrics evoke a sense of liberation as the hostess took a step out into the night, away from the façade, and towards the sea. "Maybe she is Neptune's daughter" implies that the hostess feels drawn towards the sea, and the freedom it represents, which was the domain of the Roman god of the sea, Neptune. The transformation is complete when she enters an enchanted world and starts to play with seaweed girls, indicating a release from societal pressures.

The lyrics in "Neptune" are beautifully crafted, and they tell a poignant story about self-discovery and freedom. The hostess finds release in the sea, away from the social conventions, and she let go of the burden of memories to embrace a new path of self-discovery. The song points towards the transformation possible when we shed society's expectations and find true freedom.

Line by Line Meaning

When the last course has been consumed
After finishing their meal, the guests leave the dining area

They withdraw to the drawing room
The people go to another room in the house

Where the Schubert she plays with style
Schubert's music is played

Keeps her friends happy for the while
The music entertains her friends for a short while

But the memories are a burden,
She is troubled by her past experiences

So she draws back both the curtains
She opens the curtains to see outside

Stepping out into the night
She goes outside to escape her thoughts

As the glow from the house recedes
The light from the house diminishes

And their voices blend with the breeze
The sound of voices mixes with the wind

She is free to be who she will
She can be herself without judgment

Free to skip barefoot down the hill
She runs joyfully without shoes