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.
Clover
The Monochrome Set Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mother tattoed on his shoulder
Seen him on TV, but
Then he's very much older
I know his name and I know his address
The number of his extension
I've got a picture of him in a dress
Looking after my pension
One day a week and one hour
Goes up into her room
Comes out needing a shower
I know his name and I know his address
The number of his extension
I've got a picture of him in a dress
Looking after my pension
Young boy in a bowler hat
Pinstripe suit and no
Muscle underneath his fat
Seen it on the video
Old man in his judges robes
Black cap, gavel, and no
Underpants upon his globes
Oh, one hundred years ago
I think I would have been inventing
Ways to swallow up the soul
And writing plays with happy endings
When I am old and grey
Many years from now, boy
Will you still love to play
With all my friends and all their toys
I know your name and I know your address
The number of your extension
I've got a picture of you in a dress
Looking after my pension
Young boy in a sailor suit
Two stripes, medal and star
More stripes coming in high-heeled boots
Caught it on the camera
Old man in the red-haired wig
Tank top, stocking, and pink rah-rah
Legs are skinny and feet are big
Oh, one hundred years ago
I think I would have been inventing
Ways to swallow up the soul
And writing plays with happy endings
The Monochrome Set's song "Clover" depicts a curious narrator who knows a boy and has seen him on television when he was much younger. The boy has a tattoo of "Mother" on his shoulder, and the singer seems to have many details about him, including his name, address, and extension number. The singer even has a picture of the boy in a dress, which seems to be connected to the boy "looking after my pension." The boy in the song also has a girlfriend whom he only sees for one day a week and one hour. He goes up to her room and comes out needing a shower.
The second half of the song introduces new characters, an old man in a judge's robes and an old man with a red-haired wig, tank top, stockings, and a pink rah-rah. Interestingly, both of these characters seem to be from "one hundred years ago," which adds an element of timelessness to the song. The singer reflects on what they would have been doing if they were alive back then, saying "I think I would have been inventing ways to swallow up the soul and writing plays with happy endings." The song ends with the singer imagining himself as an old man, wondering if the boy in the sailor suit will still play with him and his friends and their toys.
Line by Line Meaning
I know a boy, he's got
Mother tattoed on his shoulder
I am familiar with a man who has a tattoo of his mother on his shoulder
Seen him on TV, but
Then he's very much older
I have seen him on television, but that was a long time ago when he was much younger
I know his name and I know his address
The number of his extension
I have his name, address, and phone number
I've got a picture of him in a dress
Looking after my pension
I possess a photograph of this man dressed in women's clothing and safeguarding my retirement funds
He's got a girl he likes
One day a week and one hour
Goes up into her room
Comes out needing a shower
He spends just one hour per week with a girl he fancies, and after visiting her room, emerges requiring a shower
Young boy in a bowler hat
Pinstripe suit and no
Muscle underneath his fat
Seen it on the video
On a video, I saw a young boy with no muscles underneath his chubby frame, who was wearing a bowler hat and a pinstripe suit
Old man in his judges robes
Black cap, gavel, and no
Underpants upon his globes
Oh, one hundred years ago
A hundred years ago, an old man who wore a judge's garments, including a black cap and gavel, and went pantless
I think I would have been inventing
Ways to swallow up the soul
And writing plays with happy endings
If I had been alive a century ago, I would have been creating methods to engulf the spirit and writing plays with cheerful conclusions
When I am old and grey
Many years from now, boy
Will you still love to play
With all my friends and all their toys
When I am old and grey, will you still enjoy playing with me and my friends' toys, several years from now?
Young boy in a sailor suit
Two stripes, medal and star
More stripes coming in high-heeled boots
Caught it on the camera
I have a camera shot of a young boy wearing a sailor suit adorned with two stripes and a medal, with more award stripes on high-heeled boots
Old man in the red-haired wig
Tank top, stocking, and pink rah-rah
Legs are skinny and feet are big
Oh, one hundred years ago
A hundred years ago, an old man with skinny legs and large feet donned a red-haired wig, a tank top, stockings, and a pink rah-rah skirt
I know your name and I know your address
The number of your extension
I possess your name, address, and phone number
I've got a picture of you in a dress
Looking after my pension
I have a photo of you in a dress, taking care of my retirement funds
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind