The most familiar line-up included Eve Graham, Lyn Paul, Marty Kristian, Peter Doyle and Paul Layton. In addition to having several big hits, the group represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 1972, finishing in second place. Author & Historian John Kennedy O'Connor notes in The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History, that they got the biggest cheer of the night from the live audience in Edinburgh. They were hot favourites to represent the UK again in 1980 (albeit with only Paul & Marty still in the line up) with the song "Tell Me" but it was disqualified shortly before the televised final of A Song for Europe. Had they appeared in the 1980 UK contest, the group would have been up against their former lead singer Danny Finn who had recently married Eve Graham and was now the lead singer of the winning group Prima Donna. In addition, Mick Flynn and Donna Jones, two members of the current (2007) line up of The New Seekers were also in the field, competing under the group name Pussyfoot.
Their hit single "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing", adapted from an advertising jingle for Coca-Cola, appeared 81st on the list of the UK's best-selling singles issued in 2002. It sold just under one million copies in the United Kingdom alone. The version used in the Coca-Cola television commercials was credited to The Hillside Singers, as many people of various backgrounds and cultures sang the song, holding Coca-Cola bottles on a hillside in the commercial. "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" was so firmly connected with the Coca-Cola product that it eventually became known as "The Coke Song". The song was relaunched in Coca-Cola commercials in 2005.
Other hit singles by The New Seekers included "Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma", "Beautiful People" and "The Nickel Song", all of which were written by Melanie Safka. The New Seekers went on to sell over 35 million records worldwide, equalling the eight UK Top Twenty entries by The Seekers. Indeed, they released four albums during 1972 alone.
They also performed the title track to the now-legendary Marlo Thomas television special, "Free to Be... You and Me", a landmark program designed to teach kids how to express themselves and be independent through a series of vignettes which was rebroadcast on the cable network TV Land in late 2006 as a special add-on to their initial run of the classic series, THAT GIRL. Since the special was first broadcast in 1973 the song itself has since become a pop cult classic in its own right.
The New Seekers have continued to perform over the decades with an inevitable personnel changes which included Peter Oliver, Danny Finn, Caitriona Walsh, Nicola Kerr and Vikki James. The New Seekers toured in 2006 and 2007 with the established line up of: Paul Layton, Donna Jones, Francine Rees, Mick Flynn and Mark Hankins. A CD of the 2006 tour was released which includes all of the group's hits along with covers of 'Reflections', 'Run to Me' and 'Strangest Dream'. 2006 was completed with a Royal Variety performance at St. James Palace, London for HRH Prince of Wales and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and an appearance on ITV's This Morning. The group are currently managed by Nic Culverwell.
The group's official website is at www.thenewseekers.com and myspace at www.myspace.com/thenewseekersofficial
It's the Real Thing
The New Seekers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It is the real thing
The essence of the soul
The perfect moment
That golden moment
I know you feel it too
It is the real thing
You can't refuse the embrace...
NO!
It's like the pattern beneath the skin
You gotta reach out and pull it all in
And you feel like you're too close
So you swallow another dose
The pinnacle of happiness
Filling up your soul
You don't think you can take any more
You never wanna let go
Cause it's the root of experience
The most basic ingredients
To see the unseen glitter of life
And feel the dirt, grief, anger and strife
Cherish the certainly of now
It kills you a bit at a time
Cradle the inspiration
It will leave you writhing on the floor...
This is so unreal,
What I feel,
This nourishment,
Life is bent,
In to a shape,
I can hold,
A twist of fate,
All my own,
Just grit your teeth,
And make no sound,
Take a step away
And look around,
Just clench your fist,
And close your eyes,
Look deep inside,
Hypnotize,
The whisper is,
But a shout,
That's what it is,
All about,
Yes, the ecstasy,
You can pray,
You will never let,
It slip away,
Like the sacred song that someone sings through you
Like the flesh so warm that the thorn sticks into
Like the dream you know one day will come to life
Try to hold on just a little longer, longer, stronger
It's the jewel of victory
The chasm of misery
And once you have bitten the core
You will always know the flavor
The split second of divinity
You drink up the sky
All of heaven is in your arms
You know the reason why
It's right there, all by itself
And what you are, there is nothing else
You're growing a life within a life
The lips of wonder kiss you inside
And when it's over the feeling remains
It all comes down to this
The smoke clears, I see what it is
That made me feel this way...
I know the feeling
It is the real thing
The essence of the soul
The perfect moment
That golden moment
I know you feel it too
I know the feeling
It is the real thing
You can't refuse the embrace...
This is so unreal,
What I feel,
Flood, sell your soul,
Feel the blood,
Pump through your veins,
Can't explain,
The element that's everything,
Just clench your fist,
And close your eyes,
Look deep inside,
hypnotize
Yes, the ecstasy,
You can pray
You will never let it slip away
Yes, the ecstasy,
You can pray,
You will never let it slip away
You will never let it slip away
You will never let it slip away
Like the echoes of your childhood laughter, ever after
Like the first time love urged you to take it's guidance, in silence
Like your heartbeat when you realize you're dying, but you're trying
Like the way you cry for a happy ending, ending...
I know the feeling
It is the real thing
The New Seekers song "It's the Real Thing" is about experiencing the ultimate happiness and essence of life. The lyrics talk about a feeling that is indescribable, but still present, and it talks about cherishing the moment and letting it stay with you forever. The lyrics suggest that this emotion is something that can't be ignored or rejected, and that it is a natural part of life. The song compares this feeling to different things like a golden moment, the most basic ingredients of life, the pinnacle of happiness, and a split second of divinity. The lyrics also suggest that this feeling is something that can heal grief, anger, and other forms of discomfort.
Overall, "It's the Real Thing" portrays a sense of overwhelming, all-encompassing joy that can change a person's life, making them feel alive and aware of the beauty of the world that surrounds them. The lyrics encourage the listener to embrace this feeling and take it all in, as it is the "essence of the soul" and "the real thing".
Line by Line Meaning
I know the feeling
The deep emotion that runs through my soul is familiar to me
It is the real thing
This emotion is genuine and authentic
The essence of the soul
The fundamental nature of my being
The perfect moment
The moment where everything is in its rightful place
That golden moment
The moment of utmost happiness that is priceless
I know you feel it too
I know that you also experience this powerful emotion
You can't refuse the embrace...
You cannot turn away from this comforting feeling
It's like the pattern beneath the skin
It's like something that is deeply ingrained or inherent
You gotta reach out and pull it all in
You have to fully immerse yourself in this feeling
And you feel like you're too close
The feeling can be overwhelming
So you swallow another dose
To sustain the feeling, you need more of it
The pinnacle of happiness
The highest point of joy or bliss
Filling up your soul
It satisfies the deepest desires of your being
You don't think you can take any more
It's almost too much to handle
You never wanna let go
You want to hold onto the feeling forever
Cause it's the root of experience
This emotion is the foundation of human experience
The most basic ingredients
It is made up of the simplest, most essential components
To see the unseen glitter of life
It allows us to see the hidden beauty in the world
And feel the dirt, grief, anger and strife
It also allows us to experience the harsh realities of life
Cherish the certainty of now
Appreciate the present and embrace the moment
It kills you a bit at a time
Every moment that passes is fleeting
Cradle the inspiration
Hold onto the inspiration that comes with this emotion
It will leave you writhing on the floor...
It has the power to move you to the core
This is so unreal
This is almost too good to be true
What I feel
The strong emotions that I am experiencing
This nourishment
This emotion is fuel for the soul
Life is bent
The experience of life is constantly changing
In to a shape
Taking on a form that is unique to each individual
I can hold
This feeling is something tangible
A twist of fate
This feeling is something that is unpredictable and unexpected
Just grit your teeth
This feeling can be intense and require endurance
And make no sound
This is an internal, personal experience
Take a step away
To distance oneself from everything else in the world and just feel
And look around
Take in the surroundings and appreciate the moment
Just clench your fist
Tighten your grip on this feeling
And close your eyes
Let the other senses take over
Look deep inside
Explore the depths of the emotion
Hypnotize
Become lost in the feeling
The whisper is
The sound is faint but exists
But a shout
The feeling is powerful and significant
That's what it is
This is the essence of the feeling
All about
This describes the entirety of the experience
Yes, the ecstasy
This is euphoria
You can pray
You can hope to never lose this feeling
You will never let it slip away
You will hold onto this feeling forever
Like the sacred song that someone sings through you
This feeling is a form of divine communication
Like the flesh so warm that the thorn sticks into
This feeling can be painful, yet full of passion
Like the dream you know one day will come to life
This is a feeling of hope for the future
Try to hold on just a little longer, longer, stronger
Hold onto the feeling for as long as possible, with all your strength
It's the jewel of victory
This feeling is the ultimate win
The chasm of misery
This feeling is also the deepest despair
And once you have bitten the core
Once you've experienced this feeling, you will never forget it
You will always know the flavor
You will recognize this feeling whenever it manifests
The split second of divinity
This feeling connects us to something greater than ourselves
You drink up the sky
It's like having the world at your fingertips
All of heaven is in your arms
In this moment, everything is perfect
You know the reason why
You understand the meaning of life
It's right there, all by itself
This feeling is something that exists in its own right
And what you are, there is nothing else
This feeling is unique to each individual and cannot be replicated
You're growing a life within a life
This feeling is giving you renewed purpose and passion
The lips of wonder kiss you inside
This feeling is an all-encompassing experience
And when it's over the feeling remains
Even after the moment has passed, the feeling lingers
It all comes down to this
This feeling is the essence of life
The smoke clears, I see what it is
Once everything else fades away, this feeling remains
That made me feel this way...
This feeling is the reason for this moment of intense emotion
NO!
An emphatic refusal to let go of this feeling
Flood, sell your soul
To fully experience this feeling, one must be willing to give up everything else
Feel the blood
This feeling is visceral and intense
Pump through your veins
This feeling is coursing through your entire being
Can't explain
This feeling is indescribable
The element that's everything
This feeling is the most important thing in the world
Yes, the ecstasy
This is the ultimate, blissful feeling
You can pray
You can hope that this feeling will always be with you
You will never let it slip away
You will hold onto this feeling forever
You will never let it slip away
You will never let go of this feeling
Like the echoes of your childhood laughter, ever after
This feeling is reminiscent of the pure joy of childhood
Like the first time love urged you to take it's guidance, in silence
This feeling is like being in love for the first time, when words aren't needed
Like your heartbeat when you realize you're dying, but you're trying
This feeling is like the intense, almost painful realization of mortality
Like the way you cry for a happy ending, ending...
This feeling is like the longing for a movie-style happy ending
Contributed by Caden I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.