The original line-up consisted of Indian born lead singer and principal songwriter Bid (real name Ganesh Seshadri), Canadian guitarist Lester Square (real name Thomas W.B. Hardy), drummer John D. Haney, and bassist Charlie Harper. The band went through several bassists in the next few years, including Jeremy Harrington, and Andy Warren of the Ants, a childhood friend of Bid.
Experimental filmmaker Tony Potts began collaborating with the band in 1979, designing lighting and stage sets with film projections for their live appearances. The band's early persona was defined by the shadowy, uncertain stage images created by the films to such an extent he is often described as being the band's "fifth member."
They released several singles for the Rough Trade label before recording their debut album, "Strange Boutique", produced by Bob Sargeant, for Virgin Records' imprint DinDisc in 1980, as well as their follow-up effort, Love Zombies, produced by Alvin Clark and the band later that same year. John Haney left the band in 1981 and was replaced by Lexington Crane.
In 1982, the band switched labels to Cherry Red to release their third full-length album, Eligible Bachelors, produced by Tim Hart. Lester Square and Lexington Crane left soon afterwards, and were replaced by keyboardist Carrie Booth and drummer Nicholas Weslowski. This line-up recorded 1982 single Cast a Long Shadow, for Cherry Red before Booth was in turn replaced by new lead guitarist James 'Foz' Foster.
In 1983, Cherry Red released Volume, Contrast, Brilliance... sessions & singles vol. 1, a retrospective of the band's early Rough Trade singles, BBC and Capital Radio sessions, and other unreleased early sessions.
In 1985, with the same line-up as on Cast a Long Shadow, The Monochrome Set recorded the relatively mainstream album The Lost Weekend for major label Warner Bros. Records. The Lost Weekend failed commercially, and after a few singles, the band officially broke up, though they served as Jessica Griffin's backing band on the first album by the Would-Be-Goods, The Camera Loves Me.
In early 1990, Bid, Lester Square and Andy Warren reformed the band, with the addition of keyboardist Orson Presence and drummer Mike Slocombe (who was quickly replaced by Trevor Ready). The new band toured extensively--especially in Japan, where Bid had become a major star.
The band released several low-key albums for Cherry Red Records during the 1990s, and went on hiatus from 1998 to 2008 though during that off time Bid recorded a number of albums with another band, Scarlet's Well.
The band reunited on 8 October 2008 for a one-off performance at Cherry Red's 30th Anniversary party at Dingwalls, London. It also marked the 30th year of The Monochrome Set. Bid, Andy Warren and Lester Square were joined by Jennifer Denitto (drums) and Sian Dada (keyboards) of Scarlet's Well, and performed 13 songs.
Band reformed in 2010.
All Over
The Monochrome Set Lyrics
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Little voices in her head
When the sun is up
She flies around in a supercar
When the moon is full
She's down to earth like a falling star
I feel so ill, don't want you to touch me, touch me
All over, all over
Everyone is Mr. Sleepy
Everything is deeply red
When the sun is up
She slips around like a pool of oil
When the moon is full
She's cleaning up little bits of foil.
I feel so good, don't want it to stop now, stop now
I feel so fine and I'd better take another now it's
All over, all over
Tiny cells go every minute
Little days go off the end
When the sun is up
She spins around like a racing wheel
When the moon is hill
She eats a little kitten meal
I feel so ill, don't want you to hate me, hate me
I feel so nothing and I'd rather take another now it's
All over, all over
The Monochrome Set’s song “All Over” is a surreal exploration of the human psyche, utilizing metaphors and vivid imagery to convey the singer’s experience. The song’s opening lines describe “tiny angels on her body” and “little voices in her head,” suggesting the presence of both innocence and inner turmoil. When the sun is up, “she flies around in a supercar,” representing a free and wild spirit, but when the moon is full, “she’s down to earth like a falling star” and “cleaning up little bits of foil,” suggesting a descent into mundanity and perhaps drug addiction.
The mood of the song shifts as the chorus begins, with the singer expressing physical illness and a need to take another dose of something to feel better. The chorus is repeated twice, adding to its importance in the song’s meaning. In the second verse, the imagery is even more surreal, with everything appearing as “deeply red” and the woman slipping around “like a pool of oil.” The singer feels good and doesn’t want it to stop, but also feels nothing and would rather take another dose, as it’s “all over.”
Through its use of vivid, sometimes bizarre imagery, “All Over” explores themes of both freedom and confinement, addiction and pain. It provides a somewhat abstract exploration of the complexities of human emotion, urging the listener to consider the various facets of their own psyche.
Line by Line Meaning
Tiny angels on her body
She has small tattoos all over her body
Little voices in her head
She hears voices in her mind
When the sun is up, She flies around in a supercar
During the day, she drives her fancy car around
When the moon is full, She's down to earth like a falling star
At night, she's more grounded and less showy
I feel so ill, don't want you to touch me, touch me
I don't feel well and don't want to be touched
I feel so sick, I'd better take another now it's All over, all over
I feel so sick, I need to take medicine before it's too late
Everyone is Mr. Sleepy
Everyone is sleepy
Everything is deeply red
Everything has a reddish hue
When the sun is up, She slips around like a pool of oil
During the day, she moves smoothly like oil
When the moon is full, She's cleaning up little bits of foil
At night, she's doing small, mundane tasks
I feel so good, don't want it to stop now, stop now
I feel really good and don't want it to end
I feel so fine and I'd better take another now it's All over, all over
I feel fine, but I need to take more medicine before it's too late
Tiny cells go every minute
Cells in the body are constantly dividing
Little days go off the end
Days pass quickly
When the sun is up, She spins around like a racing wheel
During the day, she's constantly moving quickly
When the moon is hill, She eats a little kitten meal
At night, she has a small, light meal
I feel so ill, don't want you to hate me, hate me
I feel really sick and hope no one hates me for being unwell
I feel so nothing and I'd rather take another now it's All over, all over
I don't feel anything and need to take more medicine before it's too late
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ORSON PRESENCE, GANESH SESHADRI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind