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.
When the Lights Go Out All Over Europe
The Divine Comedy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To deep and deeper blue
We've got an hour or two
Before it's time to go
Let's go see a movie show
Jeanne can't choose
Between the two
And Jim is cool
And so they live together
With the trees and birds
And little girls
Who play upon
Poor Jean-Claude's nerves
Till finally
He strokes Claire's knee
And when she asks
Of his ambition
Jean-Pierre replies
"My mission
Is to become eternal
And to die..."
Heaven knows the reason why...
When the lights go out
All over Europe
I forget about old Hollywood,
'Cause Doris Day could never
Make me cheer up
Quite the way those French girls always could
[French Verses]
When the lights go out
All over Europe
I forget about old MGM
'Cause Paramount
Was never Universal
And Warners went out
Way back when
Those lights go out
All over Europe
I forget about old Hollywood,
'Cause Doris Day could never
Make me cheer up
Quite the way those French girls
Always could.
The lyrics to The Divine Comedy's "When the Lights Go Out All Over Europe" are a poetic ode to the beauty and transience of life. The song begins by describing the changing colors of the sky at twilight, setting a melancholic and introspective tone. The singer suggests that there is limited time left before "it's time to go," presumably referring to the end of life or some other significant change. In light of this, the singer proposes that they "go see a movie show," to distract from the dark reality that lies ahead.
The song then transitions to a narrative about a group of people living together in a natural setting. There are tensions and romantic entanglements among them, but ultimately they seem to find happiness in each other's company. When Jean-Pierre is asked about his ambition, he replies that he wants to become eternal and die, an enigmatic goal that speaks to the human desire for immortality, but also to the inevitability of death. The chorus repeats the phrase "When the lights go out all over Europe," emphasizing the impermanence of life and the fleeting nature of happiness.
The final verse introduces a contrast between old Hollywood and European cinema, expressing a fondness for the latter. The song concludes by suggesting that the allure of French girls is more powerful than even the brightest stars of Hollywood, capturing the idea that beauty and inspiration can be found in unexpected places.
Line by Line Meaning
Twilight turns from amethyst
As the day turns into night, the sky changes color from purple to blue
To deep and deeper blue
Gradually, the sky begins to get darker and deeper blue
We've got an hour or two
Before it gets too late, we still have some time left
Before it's time to go
Before we have to leave and go back to our everyday lives
Let's go see a movie show
Let's go and watch a film to spend some time together
Jeanne can't choose
Jeanne cannot decide who she likes more
Between the two
Between Jules and Jim
'Cause Jules is hip
Jeanne likes Jules because he is fashionable and trendy
And Jim is cool
Jeanne also likes Jim because he is stylish and impressive
And so they live together
Jeanne, Jules, and Jim live together harmoniously
With the trees and birds
They live amongst nature and enjoy its beauty
And little girls
Young girls playing around them
Who play upon
Those little girls sometimes tease and annoy them
Poor Jean-Claude's nerves
Jean-Claude gets upset and annoyed easily
Till finally
Until something happens
He strokes Claire's knee
He touches Claire's knee in a flirtatious way
And when she asks
When Claire inquires
Of his ambition
About what he wants in life
Jean-Pierre replies
Jean-Pierre answers her
"My mission
"My objective
Is to become eternal
Is to be remembered forever
And to die..."
And to achieve that goal even if it means sacrificing himself in the process
Heaven knows the reason why...
No one really knows why he wants to be remembered forever
When the lights go out
When the power goes off
All over Europe
Everywhere in Europe
I forget about old Hollywood,
I stop thinking about Hollywood movies
'Cause Doris Day could never
Doris Day could never make me feel as happy
Make me cheer up
As the French girls could by just being themselves
Quite the way those French girls always could.
Those French girls have a special charm and appeal that is unique to them
[French Verses]
The song now switches to French verses
I forget about old MGM
I stop worrying about MGM movies
'Cause Paramount
Because Paramount movies
Was never Universal
Were never meant for everybody
And Warners went out
And Warner Bros. disappeared
Way back when
A long time ago
Those lights go out
When the power goes off
All over Europe
Everywhere in Europe
'Cause Doris Day could never
Because watching Doris Day movies would never
Make me cheer up
Make me feel as good
Quite the way those French girls
As much as seeing those French girls
Always could.
Always did.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: NEIL HANNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind