Named after the 1960 short story "The Day The Icicle Works Closed" by science fiction author Frederik Pohl, The Icicle Works joined Liverpool's early 1980s 'neo-psychedelia' wave, which also propelled Echo & the Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes to stardom.
The band was founded in Liverpool by 18-year-old singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and frontman Ian McNabb. In 1980, McNabb joined up with drummer Chris Sharrock (who had been playing with McNabb on and off since he was nine) and bassist Chris Layhe (who had been recruited though a classified ad), and they began playing as The Icicle Works. By the end of 1981, the trio had recorded a six-song independently released cassette, and in 1982 they released the independent single "Nirvana". The following year, The Icicle Works were signed to the Beggars Banquet label, who issued the single Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream) on their subsidiary label Situation Two.
Later that year, The Icicle Works' would release their biggest UK hit, 1983's Love Is a Wonderful Colour. Their debut eponymous album (1984) would follow shortly thereafter, reaching number 24 on the UK charts, and also hitting the U.S. top 40. Also appearing on the U.S. top 40 singles charts at around the same time (and hitting the Canadian top twenty) was Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly), a retitled and very slightly remixed version of The Icicle Works' Situation Two release of 1983.
However, commercial success for The Icicle Works after this point was minimal. Their second album, The Small Price of a Bicycle (1985) spun off no hit singles, and wasn't even released outside the UK. Later albums If You Want to Defeat Your Enemy Sing His Song (1987), and Blind (1988) were both issued in the UK and North America, and even spun off minor hits. Nevertheless, no post-1984 Icicle Works single would chart higher than 52 in the UK, and after "Whisper To A Scream", the band never again made the US Hot 100.
Some have attributed this unfortunate commercial decline to The Icicle Works' change in sound over the years, from an initial 'new wave' feel to a more straight-ahead rock sound inspired by Neil Young, The Doors, and the Ramones, amongst others. But whatever the cause, despite critical acclaim the band was unable to consistently record hit singles. As well, by the late 1980s, tensions within the group were increasing allegedly due to McNabb's controlling ways. By 1988, in addition to writing virtually all of The Icicle Works' material, as well as singing and playing guitar, McNabb was also producing the group's records.
Accordingly, shortly after Blind was issued, drummer Chris Sharrock departed to The La's. Sharrock would later be a member of The Lightning Seeds and World Party, and would also drum for Robbie Williams, Del Amitri and Eurythmics. Around this same time, Layhe also departed, and Beggars Banquet dropped the group from their roster.
Undaunted, McNabb soldiered on under The Icicle Works banner for a while. Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr, briefly occupied the drumstool, while various keyboardists, bassists, and guitarists passed through before the band released Permanent Damage (1990), recorded for Epic/Sony. By that time, the band's lineup was McNabb, bassist Roy Corkill, former 10cc and Jethro Tull drummer Paul Burgess, keyboardist Dave Baldwin, and backing vocalist Mark Revell.
This 'second-generation' version of The Icicle Works quietly broke up after Permanent Damage failed to chart, and Epic dropped the band. Ian McNabb's solo career officially began in 1991 with the release of the single Great Dreams of Heaven; for further details on McNabb's solo career, please see the entry for Ian McNabb.
In 1992, a compilation called The Best of The Icicle Works was released, containing the best of their work from the Beggars Banquet years. Two years later, a live recording of a 1987 concert was issued.
On December 31, 2005, after having been a solo act for 15 years, McNabb announced he was reviving "The Icicle Works" name in 2006 for a series of concerts and an album. However, this version of the band would contain no original members other than McNabb.
Love Is a Wonderful Colour
The Icicle Works Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beside some burning wood,
Trading tales of places we came upon,
When the times were good,
Spoke of a girl he viewed like no other,
Whom he had come to know, I swallowed hard and listened intently,
Resigned beside the glow...
When all else falls down,
It's all around you, didn't it find you,
When you said you couldn't be found,
When love calls me, I will be running swiftly,
To find out,
Just what all the fuss is all about,
Unrelentless, deep in the strangest feelings,
Believe me,
Love is full of wonderful colour...
I insist that you pick the wrong one,
To preach your theories to,
Simmer down, we'll run for a reason,
To see what faith can do,
Love is a beacon, on the horizon,
Watch when you touch down,
Reality finds you fumbling for reasons,
when the chance comes 'round
When love calls me, I will be running swiftly,
To find out,
Just what all the fuss is all about,
Unrelentless, deep in the strangest feelings,
Believe me,
Love is full of wonderful colour...
Take my confidence to guide you,
Through the fallen hope inside you,
Love is full of wonderful colour
In "Love is a Wonderful Colour" by The Icicle Works, the singer is having a conversation with a friend by a fire, swapping stories of places and times they loved. The friend talks about a girl he has feelings for, which the singer listens to intently. The message conveyed in the song is that love is all around, even when we feel lost, and it comes with a multitude of feelings and colors. The song is continuously repeating the phrase "Love is full of wonderful colour," implying the intensity and diversity of love.
The song is characterized by its bittersweet melody and the emotive voice of Ian McNabb. The lyrics are open to interpretation, leaving a sense of melancholy and longing for love, which is prevalent throughout the song. McNabb also suggests that he is open to the idea of love but has yet to find it, just like his friend. The song urges the listener to believe in love and its incredible range of colors, which are symbolically used to express emotions such as joy, passion, and heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
My friend and I, were talking one evening,
One evening, my friend and I were engrossed in conversation.
Beside some burning wood,
Our conversation took place next to a burning firewood.
Trading tales of places we came upon,
We exchanged stories of different places we've visited.
When the times were good,
These stories were from good times.
Spoke of a girl he viewed like no other,
My friend talked about a girl he thought was unique and special.
Whom he had come to know,
He had gotten to know her.
I swallowed hard and listened intently,
I was nervous and paid close attention to what he was saying.
Resigned beside the glow...
I sat down next to the fire and resigned myself to listening.
Always there, it's standing proudly,
Love is always present and stands confidently.
When all else falls down,
When everything else crumbles.
It's all around you, didn't it find you,
Love is all around you, and it found you.
When you said you couldn't be found,
Even when you felt lost and like you couldn't be found.
When love calls me, I will be running swiftly,
When I feel love's call, I'll move quickly towards it.
To find out,
To discover what it's all about.
Just what all the fuss is all about,
To find out what all the hype is about.
Unrelentless, deep in the strangest feelings,
Love is persistent and leads to intense emotions.
Believe me,
Trust me when I say this.
Love is full of wonderful colour...
Love is a beautiful and vibrant experience.
I insist that you pick the wrong one,
I'm sure that your choice is incorrect.
To preach your theories to,
You should share your beliefs with someone else.
Simmer down, we'll run for a reason,
Calm down, we'll run towards a purpose.
To see what faith can do,
To witness the power of faith.
Love is a beacon, on the horizon,
Love shines like a guiding light in the distance.
Watch when you touch down,
Be mindful when you land and come back to reality.
Reality finds you fumbling for reasons,
As you come back, you may struggle to make sense of things.
when the chance comes 'round
When an opportunity arises.
Take my confidence to guide you,
Let my self-assurance be your compass.
Through the fallen hope inside you,
Through the despair and discouragement you may feel.
Love is full of wonderful colour
Love is a source of brightness and optimism.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@andystreet4022
I met my wife 25 years ago and we talked music and influences. We both agreed that this track was right up there. Sadly, she died 3 weeks ago at the age of 53..........love for us truly was a wonderful colour. God bless you my darling.💔
@RuthBradford-HarrisPhotography
SO very sorry for your loss Andy. You must have some wonderful memories of shared music favourites.
@rolphy4338
Sorry to hear that fella x
@therealrusspick2669
Great track and a lady with great taste. Really sorry for your loss, no age at all. Hope you’re as ok as you can be.
@richardcrook2112
I'm really sorry to hear that. Upsetting.
@MegaBerghaus
Sorry about your loss
Nobody can take your memories away from you.
Keep ye chin up feller 👍🏻
@carmie9400
Such an awesome song that stands up to this day! It takes me right back to the wonderful songs of the 80’s when I was in my 20’s - oops my age! 🤣
@mattstone5789
When music was proper music. Another classic from the early 80s. A golden era for the 45 single.
@jamesy1955
One of the greatest songs of the Eighties. A classic. 👏👏👏
@geoffreyjonathanwilson5826
That's for definite.