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.
Someone
The Divine Comedy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Told someone like you
"Love is just a word"
Now I'm not so sure that's true
Someone made me see
How someone like me
Needn't be so closed
I need to be someone's somebody
Someone heard my call
When I was all at sea
Someone rescued me
When my life was all but through
Someone made me feel
Like someone really cares
I hardly even dare
To believe it's real, it's really true
I need to be somebody's somebody
The Divine Comedy's song, Someone, is a heartfelt acknowledgment of the importance of interpersonal relationships, particularly that of romantic love. The song begins with the singer relaying the disbelief he feels regarding the idea that 'love is just a word.' The gravity of his emotion is evident in the repetition of the word 'someone.' The singer believes that love is far more complex than a mere word and subsequently recognizes how he might have been mistaken about a particular aspect of it.
Throughout the song, the singer expresses gratitude for the people who helped him in his life. They helped him be a better version of himself and overcome his insecurities. They have made him understand that he does not need to be closed off to others, just because he was hurt previously. He acknowledges that he needs to be someone's somebody, and this realization highlights the importance of the human connection in our lives.
The song is characterized by the use of spare instrumentation, with only a piano accompanying the vocals. The simplicity of the melody enhances the evocative lyrics' emotional weight and Ronan Keating's vocals, which effectively capture the vulnerability and sincerity of the song. It is a lyrical masterpiece that conveys the importance of love and human relationships in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Someone I once knew
The singer is referring to a person they were once acquainted with
Told someone like you
This person relayed a message to someone similar to the current listener
"Love is just a word"
The message conveyed was that love is only a superficial concept
Now I'm not so sure that's true
The artist is expressing their newfound uncertainty in this statement about love
Someone made me see
Another person helped the artist to gain a new perspective
How someone like me
The singer is referring to themselves as someone who is relatable to the listener
Needn't be so closed
The singer was not previously open-minded
Just 'cause they once chose to be
The artist is acknowledging their past behavior
I need to be someone's somebody
The artist desires to be an important person in someone's life
Someone heard my call
The artist received help when they asked for it
When I was all at sea
The singer was lost or confused
Someone rescued me
The person who helped the artist saved them from a difficult situation
When my life was all but through
The singer's life was in danger or at its end
Someone made me feel
The singer experienced a certain emotion due to another person
Like someone really cares
That emotion is the feeling of being cared for
I hardly even dare
The artist is tentative or hesitant to believe this emotion is genuine
To believe it's real, it's really true
The artist wants to trust that they are truly cared for
I need to be somebody's somebody
The singer reiterates their desire to be an important person in someone's life
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NEIL HANNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Klaas Vos
Someone I once knew
Told someone like you
"Love is just a word"
Now I'm not so sure that's true
Someone made me see
How someone like me
Needn't be so closed
Just 'cause they once chose to be
I need to be someone's somebody
Someone heard my call
When I was all at sea
Someone rescued me
When my life was all but through
Someone made me feel
Like someone really cares
I hardly even dare
To believe it's real, it's really true
I need to be someone's somebody
tmmvds
Yes, one of my top 5 Divine Comedy songs. Long live Neil Hannon indeed!
Dave Bosworth
He has an eccentric orbit does Neil Hannon but sometimes gets it superbly and beautifully right.
SHINee_junkie
An all time favourite song....truly magnificent!!!
David Buchanan
What a song,it’s brilliant.powerful.
joda2004
What a Beautiful composition.
Klaas Vos
Someone I once knew
Told someone like you
"Love is just a word"
Now I'm not so sure that's true
Someone made me see
How someone like me
Needn't be so closed
Just 'cause they once chose to be
I need to be someone's somebody
Someone heard my call
When I was all at sea
Someone rescued me
When my life was all but through
Someone made me feel
Like someone really cares
I hardly even dare
To believe it's real, it's really true
I need to be someone's somebody
Gwen Adams
Love it - Encore Encore!!
Ruben Dario Fernandez
esto es una maravilla
Andrew Mallon
I love this song,beautiful.xxx
Steven Edwards
modern day scott walker - fantastic