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 KieĆlowski 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 SiĂšcle 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.
Tonight We Fly
The Divine Comedy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Over the houses
The streets and the trees
Over the dogs down below
They'll bark at our shadows
As we float by on the breeze
Tonight we fly
Skylights and slates -
Looking into all your lives
And wondering why
Happiness is so hard to find
Over the doctor, over the soldier
Over the farmer, over the poacher
Over the preacher, over the gambler
Over the teacher, over the rambler
Over the lawyer, over the dancer
Over the voyeur,over the builder and the destroyer,
Over the hills and far away
Tonight we fly
Over the mountains
The beach and the sea
Over the friends that we've known
And those that we now know
And those who we've yet to meet
And when we die
Oh, will we be
That disappointed
Or sad
If heaven doesn't exist
What will we have missed
This life is the best we've ever had
The Divine Comedy's "Tonight We Fly" is a song about escaping reality and experiencing the world from a new perspective. The lyrics paint a picture of flying over houses, streets, and trees, looking down on the people living their everyday lives. The singer wonders why it's so hard to find happiness in life, as they soar over doctors, soldiers, farmers, preachers, gamblers, and more. The imagery is dreamlike, as the singer floats by on the breeze and takes in the beauty of mountains, beaches, and the sea.
The song's chorus, "Tonight we fly," is a declaration of freedom, a moment of pure escapism. The singer longs to escape the confines of ordinary life and experience something extraordinary. The line "If heaven doesn't exist, what will we have missed?" suggests a yearning for something more, for a life beyond what we can see and touch.
The song speaks to our innate desire to seek out new experiences and explore the world around us. It encourages us to take risks, to step out of our comfort zones, and to embrace the unknown. It's a reminder that life is short and we should make the most of every moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Tonight we fly
We are taking off on a journey tonight
Over the houses
Flying high above the houses in the neighborhoods
The streets and the trees
We are soaring over the winding streets and the tall trees
Over the dogs down below
Even the dogs will catch a glimpse of us and hear us fly by
They'll bark at our shadows
The dogs will bark at our shadows, as we pass over them
As we float by on the breeze
We're moving through the sky, enjoying the wind currents
Over the chimney tops
We are now flying above the chimney tops of the houses
Skylights and slates -
Continuing to observe the rooftops, skylights, and shingles
Looking into all your lives
We see everything, including the lives of those we're flying over
And wondering why
We're pondering the reason why this is such a difficult world to find happiness in
Over the doctor, over the soldier
We're flying over the places where the doctors and soldiers work
Over the farmer, over the poacher
Our flight path takes us over the farmers and those causing destruction to wildlife
Over the preacher, over the gambler
Flying above religious leaders and those who indulge in gambling
Over the teacher, over the rambler
We pass over the educators and hikers wandering through nature
Over the lawyer, over the dancer
Further flying over the lawyers and the ballet performers
Over the voyeur,over the builder and the destroyer,
Flying over the peeping toms and those who are either creating or destroying objects
Over the hills and far away
Our journey takes us over hills, and far from where we started
Tonight we fly over the mountains
Continuing onward, we soar over towering mountain ranges
The beach and the sea
Now on to the clear beaches and open sea
Over the friends that we've known
Flying above old friends that we have kept in touch with
And those that we now know
Hovering over the people we have recently met
And those who we've yet to meet
Contemplating the individuals we have not crossed paths with yet
And when we die
Eventually, when we pass away
Oh, will we be
We wonder if we will be
That disappointed
Let down by the fact that we may never fly again after death
Or sad
Or will simply be sorrowful for what we missed in life
If heaven doesn't exist
If the afterlife does not exist in heaven
What will we have missed
What will we have lost out on by living life to the fullest
This life is the best we've ever had
This life is our best, and only given opportunity
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NEIL HANNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SteffanBrunner
[Verse 1]
Tonight we fly
Over the houses
The streets and the trees
Over the dogs down below
They'll bark at our shadows
As we float by on the breeze
[Verse 2]
Tonight we fly
Over the chimney tops
Skylights and slates
Looking into all your lives
And wondering why
Happiness is so hard to find
[Bridge]
(We'll fly)
Over the doctor, over the soldier
Over the farmer, over the poacher
Over the preacher, over the gambler
Over the teacher, over the writer
Over the lawyer, over the dancer
Over the voyeur
Over the builder and the destroyer
Over the hills and far away
[Verse 3]
Tonight we fly
Over the mountains
The beach and the sea
Over the friends that we've known
And those that we now know
And those whom we've yet to meet
[Verse 4]
And when we die
Oh, will we be that
Disappointed or sad
If heaven doesn't exist
What will we have missed
This life is the best we've ever had
@didoma73
What a song...what a man...what a genius. His voice and his lyrics are remarkably beyond his years. Let's hope Neil Hannon continues to grace us for many, many years to come.
@lochlanira2589
i guess Im asking randomly but does any of you know of a trick to log back into an Instagram account??
I was stupid lost the password. I would love any tips you can offer me!
@brooksmaddox1706
@Lochlan Ira instablaster =)
@lochlanira2589
@Brooks Maddox Thanks so much for your reply. I found the site on google and Im in the hacking process now.
Seems to take quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.
@lochlanira2589
@Brooks Maddox it did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy!
Thank you so much you really help me out :D
@brooksmaddox1706
@Lochlan Ira Happy to help =)
@SM-je3dh
Over the doctor, over the soldier, over the farmer, over the covid. This life is the best we'll ever have thanks to your divine music Mr Neil Hannon
@RighteousBrother
I find this song incredibly moving
@Hurley684
Neil Hannon is unfortunately one of the worlds best keept secrets
@alejandromagyaroff1222
Just perfection in a song:
And when we die, Oh, will we be
That disappointed or sad
If heaven doesn't exist, what will we have missed?
This life is the best we've ever had.