The Kooks formed at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music, where they were all students. Lead singer and rhythm guitarist Luke Pritchard, got bassist Max Rafferty involved in a college project, which formed the base of the band. After getting lead guitarist Hugh Harris and drummer Paul Garred involved, they took their name from the song Kooks on the 1971 David Bowie album Hunky Dory. When they tried to trademark the name, they found that in the late/mid 1990s a Swedish band by the same name released an album in Sweden called Too Much is Not Enough.
The Kooks released a debut EP and played gigs around Brighton, where they were based at the time. They were signed to Virgin Records.
2. Swedish indie rock/alternative band - It consisted of members Henrik Berglund, Leo Dahlin, Michael Lohse and Josef Zackrisson, and was active between 1998 and the early 2000's. Micke Lohse and Henrik Berglund are currently members of the band Atomic Swing.
If Only
The Kooks Lyrics
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I've walked great stars through doors in my dreams
I've colored my past with warm energies
White lies
Orange eyes
Aqua marine in the mind
Cool thoughts
See future as rhyme
Delivered by a great gift of wayward brilliance
Experienced as an insane indifference to men and God
Time and narratives
False imperatives
All unbearable
A sky-like wonder realized by thunder
Resides in a storm like mind I've smothered
I'm much younger
I've died many times
Such trivial meaning defines all visions
I'm empty of significance
I won't be surprised if I die again in this life will I?
If only I could sleep
Will I show the world
This is not a dream?
From silence rises mind
Localization of spirit
Borrows like mirrors and destroys all near it
Yet purports to be great and reveals nothing
I've drank its poison and became unchosen
But a void of pain took away my choices
And contained my focus and erased my voices
I'm insane no more I've been replaced by the sun
I was someone
A seed of lies catalyzed in the mud
A breed of flies confined like a drug
Aligned to the studs of time
Stuck
But I drug my knife through a pastel scene
Of chalken eyes in charcoal dreams
Exposed my being to the art
And the seams of my heart came apart
I was broken free
If only I could sleep
Will I show the world
This is not a dream?
Tongue of fire spitting ice
Frostbite in the still white shrill of the night
Lost light in the bright hot killing of the self
Mind melting in the head spilling wealth
Revealing truth for the bold renewal
Calm flowing heat whispering through the shimmering chimes
Seen glistening deep in the wintery eyes of a saint
Burning at the stake
It takes no time to be no one
There is no one to unbecome
It takes no less than death to find your life
Through pale mornings and stale nights
I'm color and light
I've otherized thoughts
Uncovered by sudden enlightenment
Fluttering like butterflies
I wonder if I'm dreaming
If only I could sleep
Will I show the world
This is not a dream?
If only I could sleep
Will I show the world
This is not a dream?
If only I could sleep
Will I show the world
This is not a dream?
If only I could sleep
Will I show the world
This is not a dream?
If only I could sleep
Will I show the world
This is not a dream?
The Kooks’s song “If Only” is a reflection on the consequences of loneliness and what one can do to escape it. The song opens with the singer’s call to hold one's head and tongue, only saying what needs to be said. The lyrics emphasize the idea of the things we say having weight and significance, particularly in the context of relationships. The singer of the song reminisces about his childhood and movies where he dreams of holding his partner in the silver screen, and the song later speaks to the regret of not having been the man who loved his woman twice. The lyrics highlight the dichotomies between love and hate, fun and war, and the devil that overshadows one's life. These dichotomies provoke reflection on ideas such as love and loneliness, war and peace, and life and death.
The chorus of the song continues to speak on the regret that comes with loneliness. The singer longs for companionship to make life less lonely, and imagines a world where he had someone to play with instead of taking his frustration out on others, and bombing his neighbours. In the final verse, the singer reflects on the mystery of life, that its situations can’t be easily explained, and encourages listeners to be mindful of their actions to avoid becoming a victim. Overall, “If Only” is a soulful and evocative reminder of the dangers of loneliness and the power of companionship.
Line by Line Meaning
So hold your head, and hold your tongue
Be composed and careful with your words
But only say what you have to
Speak only when necessary
And as a child yes I dreamed
As a child, I had dreams
Of holding her in the silver screen
I dreamed of being with my loved one like in a movie
She loved her man and loved him twice
She deeply loved and cared for her partner
I wish I'd been that passenger
I wish I had been fortunate enough to experience that kind of love
Having fun, fly my kite
I enjoy simple pleasures like flying a kite
The devil inside won't control my life
I won't let my demons take over my life
Too much love, so little hate
I have an abundance of love in my heart and a scarcity of hate
The devil inside won't control my fate
I won't let my demons control my destiny
Oh, if only, if only
Oh, how I wish things were different
Oh, he wasn't so lonely
I wouldn't feel so alone
He'd have someone to play with
I would have someone to share life's joys with
Instead of bombing our neighbours
Instead of causing harm to others
So here I go to see the world
I am embarking on a journey to discover the world
With my eyes and with my soul
I am searching for meaning and purpose
And too much love, so little hate
I have more love than hate
The devil inside won't control my fate
I won't let my demons control my destiny
So hold your head and run my time
Stay focused and make the most of your time
The what of life no man can rhyme
The unpredictability of life cannot be expressed through words
So here we are and here we bleed
We are in this world and we suffer
To be a victim there's no need
We don't have to be victims to our circumstances
Having fun, I never fight
I prefer to have fun instead of getting into fights
The devil inside controls my life
Sometimes, my demons take over my life
Too much love so little hate
I have more love than hate
The devil inside controls my fate
I fear that my demons will control my destiny
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Nathan Hutchinson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind