The band's following grew fairly rapidly, with many fans sporting the "glamorous punk" image popularised by frontwoman Kate Jackson. Kate was featured in The Guardian's style section and the NME Cool Lists 2005 and 2006. When questioned about her place in the first list by The Guardian, Jackson remarked: "Probably because they didn't have enough girls. It was so overrun with boring boys, they needed someone to bring a touch of glamour."
The band originally formed through a series of chance encounters: when Kate, guitarist and songwriter Dorian, bassist Reenie, drummer Screech and guitarist / keyboardist Emma bumped into each other at public library counters, charity shop sale rails and the dancefloors of DIY club nights. The following quote appeared on their website and for many served as an introduction to the Long Blondes; "Our shared influences include the Mael Brothers, the Marx Brothers and the Bewlay Brothers. We do not listen to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors or Bob Dylan. We chose an instrument each and learnt to play it. Approximately three months after we formed, we played a victorious 25 minute set at Leeds Hi-Fi club. A success! We inherit the aesthetics of early Roxy Music. We have a lot of influences, sometimes we sound a bit like them, sometimes we sound a lot like them. Sometimes we sound nothing like them at all."
Their second album "Couples" (the quotations are apart of the title, an allusion to the David Bowie album "Heroes") was released in April 2008 featuring the singles "Century" and "Guilt". An album of early "Singles" was rush-released by former label Angular Record Corporation.
Too Clever by Half
The Long Blondes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know you're only doing what comes naturally
Oh you
You and her were pretty cruel
You both planned to leave your lovers and run off with each other
And leave us to look like fools
You said "I know I've been unkind"
And you swore blind it was the last time you'd ever leave a girl behind
But how did she know you were telling the truth?
Oh you thought you were clever
You thought you were smart
But you were just too clever by half
But you were just too clever by half
While you were making plans
I was going with her man
Then we left you to be clever
To be clever together
Oh you
You thought that you were pretty smart
But when you and her were out I would go round to his house
And I don't have to tell you what we did next
No I don't have to tell you what we did next
No I don't have to tell you what we did next
No I don't have to tell you what we did next
But you're not so clever now
Oh you thought you were clever
You thought you were smart
But you were just too clever by half
But you were just too clever by half
While you were making plans
I was going with her man
Then we left you to be clever
To be clever together
I know you're only doing what comes naturally
I know you're only doing what comes naturally
I know you're only doing what comes naturally
I know you're only doing what comes naturally
The Long Blondes’ song “Too Clever by Half” tells the story of a complicated love triangle between three people, two of whom plan to leave their current partners for each other. The singer, who is one of the partners, is aware of this plan and mocks their perceived cleverness, as they’re “just too clever by half.” The singer also reveals that she has been cheating on her partner with the man that her partner intends to leave her for. The chorus emphasizes the singer's knowledge that everyone is just acting on their primal instincts and that there’s nothing clever or unique about their situation.
The theme of the song is centered around the complexity and ironic nature of relationships. The characters in the song think they’re being smart and clever by planning ahead and making connections, yet they’re all blindly following their instincts and desires. The song is also a commentary on the society that places a lot of emphasis on intelligence and strategic thinking, yet at the end of the day, these characteristics are never enough to guide one to a perfect life.
As for the musical interpretation of the song, The Long Blondes' punk style adds to the edginess of the lyrics. The instruments, particularly the guitar and drums, work together to create a lively, upbeat sound that contrasts with the dark themes of the song. The quick pacing of the song further amplifies the anxiousness and tension of the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
I know you're only doing what comes naturally
I understand that you were following your instincts
Oh you
You and her were pretty cruel
You both planned to leave your lovers and run off with each other
And leave us to look like fools
You and that person had an intention to deceive us and elope with each other, leaving us to become a laughingstock
Oh you
You said "I know I've been unkind"
And you swore blind it was the last time you'd ever leave a girl behind
But how did she know you were telling the truth?
You said you're sorry for your behavior but it's hard for anyone to believe you're a truthful person
Oh you thought you were clever
You thought you were smart
But you were just too clever by half
But you were just too clever by half
While you were making plans
I was going with her man
Then we left you to be clever
To be clever together
You thought you outsmarted others, but actually you were foolish enough to be deceived by us, and we left you alone to use your intellect to deceive each other
Oh you
You thought that you were pretty smart
But when you and her were out I would go round to his house
And I don't have to tell you what we did next
No I don't have to tell you what we did next
No I don't have to tell you what we did next
No I don't have to tell you what we did next
But you're not so clever now
Although you believed you were intelligent enough to conceal what you were doing with that person, the truth is I visited her partner during that time and had an affair with him too, I'm not going to explain what we did together, but now you know I'm not a naive person
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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