The La's formed in 1984, with original member Mike Badger stating that the band name occurred to him in a dream, as well as it being Scouse for "lads", and having obvious musical connotations. The band existed briefly as an arthouse/skiffle-type outfit with a few tracks released on local compilations. Lee Mavers joined in 1984 as rhythm guitarist, eventually gaining songwriting prominence and emerging as the band's enduring figurehead. Longtime bassist John Power joined the group in 1986, having met Badger on a local council-run musicianship course. Badger however left the group in late 1986, to form The Onset.
The band attracted the attention of several record labels after a series of performances in their home town in 1986, and demo tapes copied from a session at the Flying Picket rehearsal studio in Liverpool began circulating. One of these demo tapes was sent to Underground Magazine. A journalist there with the task of reviewing unsigned bands gave the cassette to Andy McDonald at Go! Discs. Several record labels later became interested in signing the band. The band chose to sign with Go! Discs.
The band's first single Way Out was mixed with producer Gavin MacKillop. When it was released in October 1987, it broke in to the top 100 and was praised by The Smiths' frontman Morrissey in the music magazine Melody Maker, but attracted little notice. The band continued to perform around the UK and gained success as a live act, drawing comparisons to The Beatles due to their origins, vaguely Merseybeat sound, and Mavers' expressive lyrics.
There She Goes was released in 1988 with the B-sides "Come In Come Out" and "Who Knows". The song garnered moderate attention and airplay, but performed poorly in the charts. The music video for "There She Goes" features The La's scampering through run-down Liverpool streets and was filmed in an afternoon on a handheld camera. It was later re-released a number of times, the earliest being 1990's Steve Lillywhite mix. After working with producer Jeremy Allom at the Pink Museum Studio in Liverpool in May 1989, the band were set to release "Timeless Melody" as a single. While test pressings had been sent out for review, and was nominated for "record of the week" in the NME, Mavers was reportedly unhappy with the production and the single release was scrapped.
The La's then spent two years fruitlessly recording and re-recording their intended album, with a constantly changing band lineup, where only the core of Mavers and Power remained the same. Discarded producers included The Smiths' producer John Porter, as well as John Leckie and Mike Hedges. Both Leckie and Hedges in interviews have been very complimentary about the band's songs and their respective sessions.
The previously volatile band lineup settled in 1989 with Lee's brother, Neil Mavers on drums, and Peter "Cammy" Camell as lead guitarist. The group then entered London's Eden Studios in December 1989 to again record their debut album with Simple Minds and U2 producer Steve Lillywhite. Despite this lineup being arguably the most stable, and press interviews from the time painting them as extremely confident, the sessions still did not satisfy Mavers. In one instance Mavers was reported to have rejected a vintage mixing desk, claiming it did not have the right sound because "it hasn't got original Sixties dust on it" although this claim has since been revealed as apocryphal. The Eden sessions with Lillywhite would become the band's final attempt at recording the album. The frustration of not achieving the right sound and mood in their songs, as well as increasing friction with Go! Discs, who had spent a considerable sum of money on recording sessions for the album, led to them simply giving up on the sessions. Lillywhite pieced together the recordings he had made with the group into what became the eventually released album. The band, particularly Lee Mavers, were not pleased with this decision.
Among the band's complaints were that Lillywhite used vocal guide tracks on the LP and that he did not "understand" their sound. Mavers would later go on to claim that the band had played poorly deliberately during the sessions in the hope that the material would not be released, as they did not gel with Lillywhite from day one.
However, recognition, at least critically, came for The La's in 1990 when the self-titled album, The La's, was released. The album reached #30 in the UK charts and received a Silver certification, but the album did not fare as well overseas. The album only reached #196 on the Billboard 200 and to date has sold fewer than 50,000 copies in the U.S.
The album included, among new material, re-recorded versions of all the previous singles, including a remixed version of "There She Goes" which was then re-released as a single. This time around, the song reached number 13 in the UK singles chart and remains the most visible and enduring of all the band's songs.
Additional singles from the album included the LP versions of Timeless Melody and Feelin'. Both sold reasonably well, reaching chart placings around the top 40. A short promotional tour proceeded, accompanied by television appearances on shows such as Top of the Pops. Press interviews conducted during this period were generally confused in tone, owing to the fact the critics generally adored the album yet Mavers was assuring journalists that he "hated" the album and it was "like a snake with a broken back".
1991 promotional tour dates were fulfilled in the UK and Europe including a few festivals, a well-received US tour. Bassist John Power left the group on the 13 December 1991, frustrated with having played essentially the same set of songs since 1986, and resurfaced a year later with his band Cast. The remainder of the 1991 concerts were performed with James Joyce on bass as well as a handful of 1992 dates. The band stopped touring and rehearsing in 1992 until further short-lived reunions, with various line-ups, throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
The band disbanded in 1992, with Mavers restarting the band various times in the years since (one between 1994 and 1996 and again in 2005). The band reunited in June 2011 as a duo consisting of Mavers and bassist Gary Murphy.
Failure
The La's Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you don't look after - you gonna look back
No you can't hurry forward, it's holding you back
In the grip of an onset you run for a cover
To hide from your mother and your sister, your brother
Through you long to tell of the stone that remains
You can't move a muscle
You're wrapped up in chains
To talk with the skeleton in the closet
So you waited for days
And you walked in the maze and you lay on your bed
With your head in a daze
And high in a corner in a cupboard on a shelf
You turn a corner and walk into yourself
And you check your condition
And your shape and your health
So you open the door with a look on your face,
Your hands in your pockets and your family to face
And you go downstairs and you sit in your place
The lyrics of The La's song "Failure" send a message about the inevitability and gravity of failure. The singer advises the audience that they cannot simply brush failure off their shoulders and pretend it never happened. Failure follows individuals, and if they do not take care of their mistakes, they will eventually have to confront them. The lyrics also suggest that rushing to move past failure can actually hinder progress, as individuals need to take the time to analyze and learn from their mistakes before moving forward.
The verses describe running from consequences and hiding from loved ones out of shame or embarrassment. However, the chorus points out that this behavior will not erase or solve the problem. The lyrics convey the idea that failure can be paralyzing, leaving individuals feeling trapped like they are "wrapped up in chains." The song describes a journey of self-exploration, where the singer spends time alone to confront their own inner demons and come to terms with their failures. The song concludes with the singer returning to their family and their place at the table, indicating that they are ready to move forward and face the consequences of their actions.
Line by Line Meaning
No you can't throw failure over your shoulder
You can't simply forget about your failures and mistakes
If you don't look after - you gonna look back
If you don't take care of yourself and your problems, they will come back to haunt you
No you can't hurry forward, it's holding you back
Trying to rush through life and move on too quickly can actually prevent you from moving forward
In the grip of an onset you run for a cover
When facing difficulties, you may try to find a way to escape or hide from them
To hide from your mother and your sister, your brother
You may try to avoid confronting those closest to you about your problems
Through you long to tell of the stone that remains
You may have a desire to reveal the struggles that you are still facing but feel unable to
You can't move a muscle
You feel stuck and unable to take action
You're wrapped up in chains
You feel weighed down and restricted by your problems
So you wait in your room - bound to the doom
You may stay isolated in a place of negativity and despair
To talk with the skeleton in the closet
You may confront the dark secrets and inner demons that you have been hiding from
So you waited for days
You may wait for a long time in hopes of things getting better
And you walked in the maze and you lay on your bed
You may feel lost and confused, retreating to a place of rest and reflection
With your head in a daze
You may feel mentally overwhelmed and confused
And high in a corner in a cupboard on a shelf
Your problems may be hidden away, out of sight but still present
You turn a corner and walk into yourself
You may confront yourself and your emotional state head-on
And you check your condition
You assess your physical and emotional state
And your shape and your health
You evaluate your overall well-being
So you open the door with a look on your face,
You may approach the challenges you face with determination and resolve
Your hands in your pockets and your family to face
You confront the issues that involve those closest to you
And you go downstairs and you sit in your place
You face the situation and take action, despite the difficulties involved
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LEE MAVERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nigel johnson
The opening is the best. And just the sound of his voice is the reason why I love this so much.
Kelly MacLeod
My favorite La's song from a lyrics standpoint.
Elephantstone
Such relation to this. Felt like this for ten years on the gear growing up. Still partake once every couple a years. Sit in your place.
zatoichiche
Love the lyrics in this, propper trippy
Oliver B
iconique . Meilleur album popbrit pour toujours ..........
HamptonInjuryLawyer
awesomeness
astro boi
true but given that he is one of the greatest songwriters to ever come out of the UK i think he is entitled to talk a lil bit o' bollocks lol
Joe Stunner Music
Could the bass-line growl any harder? I don't think so...
Gareth H
Tune!!!!
TheMerseyBoy
Boss song about Failure - end of story!