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.
The Summerhouse
The Divine Comedy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The way it used to be
June to September
In a cottage by the sea
Distant cousins, local kids
We climbed every tree together
And it never ever rained
That would take us so far away
From the village and the bay
And the summerhouse
Where we found new games to play
Do you remember
Sunday lunch on the lawn
Daring escapes at midnight
And costumeless bathes at dawn.
You were only nine years old
And I was barely ten
It's kind of weird to be back here again
Do you remember
The summerhouse...?
The Divine Comedy's song "The Summerhouse" is a nostalgic track that revolves around memories from childhood. The song takes the listeners on a trip down memory lane, where they visit the summers spent in a cottage by the sea. The opening lines, "Do you remember the way it used to be, June to September in a cottage by the sea," paints a picture of long summer days spent in a peaceful environment, away from the hustle and bustle of life.
As the song progresses, The Divine Comedy's lead singer, Neil Hannon, reminisces about playing with distant cousins and local kids, climbing every tree together, and never experiencing rain until they had to leave the summerhouse. The nostalgia continues with recollections of Sunday lunches on the lawn and daring escapes at midnight. The line, "You were only nine years old, and I was barely ten," showcases the innocence of childhood memories.
The chorus, "Where we found new games to play," highlights the creativity and imagination of childhood. The song raises questions about returning home and revisiting old memories, "It's kind of weird to be back here again, do you remember the summerhouse?" Overall, the song presents a wistful reflection on childhood summers, the innocence of youth, and the power of nostalgia.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you remember
Asking the listener to recall past memories
The way it used to be
Asking to remember how things once were
June to September
Referring to the summer season
In a cottage by the sea
Describing the location of the memories
Distant cousins, local kids
Describing the group of people involved in the memories
We climbed every tree together
Reflecting on a shared activity from the past
And it never ever rained
Remembering a time when it didn't rain during summer
'Til we climbed back on the train
Until the end of the summer when they had to leave
That would take us so far away
Referring to the distance they traveled on the train
From the village and the bay
Describing the location they were leaving behind
And the summerhouse
Referring to the place they stayed during the summer
Where we found new games to play
Recalling the discovery of new activities during summer
Do you remember
Repeating the opening line to emphasize the importance of memories
Sunday lunch on the lawn
Remembering a specific event from the past
Daring escapes at midnight
Reflecting on adventurous activities from the past
And costumeless bathes at dawn.
Recalling carefree moments from the past
You were only nine years old
Reflecting on the age of the listener during those memories
And I was barely ten
Reflecting on the age of the singer during those memories
It's kind of weird to be back here again
Acknowledging the strangeness of visiting the place of past memories
Do you remember
Repeating the opening line once again to reinforce the theme of the song
The summerhouse...?
Ending the song with a question, emphasizing the importance of the summerhouse and implying the desire to revisit it
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NEIL HANNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Audrey Trance
Do you remember
The way it used to be
June to September
In a cottage by the sea
Distant cousins, local kids
We climbed every tree together
And it never ever rained
'Til we climbed back on the train
That would take us so far away
From the village and the bay
And the summerhouse
Where we found new games to play
Do you remember
Sunday lunch on the lawn
Daring escapes at midnight
And costumeless bathes at dawn.
You were only nine years old
And I was barely ten
It's kind of weird to be back here again
Do you remember
The summerhouse...?
clydebear
great great song. Thanks for sharing. Neil Hannon must be one of the most underrated tune-smiths of all time....this is is there with his best.
Tony Peachment
Probably my favourite song in the whole world. Going into the funeral playlist.
Earth2Mark
You will make alot of people cry
yannis1
Musical masterpiece. Nothing less.
Henry-Wise Matthew-Kitten
The most beautiful song from the most beautiful band.
Audrey Trance
Do you remember
The way it used to be
June to September
In a cottage by the sea
Distant cousins, local kids
We climbed every tree together
And it never ever rained
'Til we climbed back on the train
That would take us so far away
From the village and the bay
And the summerhouse
Where we found new games to play
Do you remember
Sunday lunch on the lawn
Daring escapes at midnight
And costumeless bathes at dawn.
You were only nine years old
And I was barely ten
It's kind of weird to be back here again
Do you remember
The summerhouse...?
Jean-Philippe TORRE
Cette chanson ramène à l'insouciance de l'enfance. Les images arrivent l'une après l'autre, et pour bon nombre d'entre nous, on ne peut s'empêcher d'y retrouver des moments de notre propre enfance. J'adore cette chanson. Elle m'émeut à chaque écoute. Une autre réussite de Neil est "At the indie disco", là encore pleine d'images de mon adolescence. Quel talent !
Segi gise
this is one of my favorites, from the warmest, quirkest, most tender and charming bands in the world!
warmth and nostalgia, that keeps me alive actually
Ευθυμία Κόμη
Maybe my most beloved song of all times... It Is my childhood in its lyrics. Although, as a friend says, we were near by the mountain and a river, not by the sea. But it doesn't make any difference in the end, because we will always remember our Summerhouse! And we'll go back to it....with our mind's eye. Thank you Neil.
Bernios
Like some other of their songs, it virtually makes you cry. So much beauty and elegance!