The Only Ones reformed in 2007 after their biggest hit "Another Girl, Another Planet" was used in a Vodafone ad campaign in 2006, and picked up as the introduction theme to Irish DJ Dave Fanning's radio show. The band completed a comeback UK tour in June 2007, and continued touring throughout 2008 and 2009. New material was recorded in 2009 and played live, but has yet to be released.
The Only Ones were originally formed in August 1976 in South London by Peter Perrett. Perrett had been recording demos since 1972, and in late 1975 he was looking for a bass player. He was introduced to John Perry as a possible candidate, but Perry wanted to concentrate on playing guitar instead. By August 1976, Perry and Perrett had found drummer Mike Kellie (ex-Spooky Tooth) and bass guitarist Alan Mair, who previously had success with the Scottish band The Beatstalkers. Their first single, "Lovers of Today", self-released on the Vengeance record label, was immediately made "record of the week" by three of the four main music papers. A year later they signed to CBS. Their next single "Another Girl, Another Planet" became a popular and influential song, and remains the band's best-known song. It is often featured on various musical box-sets featuring a punk rock or new wave theme. After its inclusion on the 1991 compilation album The Sound of the Suburbs, it was re-released as a single and reached no. 57 in the UK singles chart.
The band released their debut studio album The Only Ones in 1978, which was well received by both reviewers and fans. The band's follow-up album, Even Serpents Shine, was released the following year. A year later, they released their final studio album, Baby's Got a Gun. In the summer of 1980, they supported the Who on their tour of the United States, and in 1982 the band officially disbanded. In subsequent years, the Only Ones gained a fierce cult following and its posthumously-released records – live performances, BBC Television and radio shows, and compilation albums – now outnumber their studio albums. Unusually, The Only Ones' discs were never deleted from the CBS catalogue and remain in-print to-date.
In an interview published in the 10 November 2006 issue of the tabloid newspaper, The Daily Record, Alan Mair commented that he was set to reform The Only Ones after their Summer 2006 Vodafone advertisement generated interest. On 21 February 2007, Perry confirmed via his MySpace page that the band would reform for a five-date UK tour in June. Besides these dates, they played a number of festivals, debuting at All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Minehead, England, on 27 April. During the summer, they also played at the two-part Wireless Festival in Hyde Park, London, Harewood House, (near Leeds), and the Connect Music Festival at Inveraray Castle in Scotland on 1 September.
News of the tour prompted coverage in several UK national newspapers and the dates were met with positive reviews. During these gigs, the band played a new song called "Dreamt She Could Fly".
The press also reported that three of the band were keen to record a new studio album following the tour, but that Perrett seemed hesitant. In April 2008, the band were seen on Later... with Jools Holland performing their song, "Another Girl, Another Planet", and a new song entitled "Black Operations". The band also played other new songs including "Is This How Much You Care" and "Magic Tablet" live on a Canal+ TV special in Paris and an acoustic/unplugged session for Radio 6 Queens of Noize. A live DVD of the Shepherds Bush Empire show was released in March 2008. Other rumoured releases included DVDs from a show on the band's last US tour, and a re-release of Faster Than Lightning, which was released on VHS in 1991 and on DVD in 2012.
All three CBS studio albums, remastered by Alan Mair, were re-released with bonus tracks in February 2009. "Another Girl, Another Planet" was used in the film D.E.B.S. (2004), as well as in the 2010 hit film Paul. Sony BMG announced a January 2012 release date for an Only Ones box set in the "Original Album Classics" series. The set comprised the three remastered studio albums, plus various B-sides and out-takes. The Only Ones topped the bill at the 2012 Rebellion Festival in Blackpool on 4 August of that year.
In late 2014 the Only Ones (minus Mike Kellie) played some gigs in Tokyo, co-headlining with the Flamin' Groovies. In August 2014 Perrett began playing solo shows (Felipop festival, Spain) using his sons' band Strangefruit, followed by more dates in 2015 (Hebden Bridge, Bristol, London etc.) with the same formation. This, combined with a series of interviews in which he spoke scathingly about former Only Ones members, fuelled speculation that the Only Ones had split up again.
The band members' musical proficiency distinguished them from most of their peers. Their dominant drug-related lyrical themes on songs such as "Another Girl, Another Planet," and "The Big Sleep," also fit in with the Zeitgeist of the era on both sides of the Atlantic. Perrett and Kellie caught the eye of Johnny Thunders, founding member of the New York Dolls and the Heartbreakers, and worked as sidemen on Thunders' solo debut album, So Alone, notably appearing together on the classic "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory". However, drug addiction, particularly heroin use, derailed their career, and singer/guitarist/songwriter Perrett has only sporadically been heard from since the band split in 1982. He briefly resurfaced in the mid 1990s with the album, Woke Up Sticky.
Lead guitarist Perry went on to play as an active session guitarist for artists including The Sisters of Mercy, Evan Dando and Marianne Faithfull. More recently, he has written several well received music biographies on the Who's seminal hits compilation Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy, the Rolling Stones' double album Exile on Main Street and in 2004, Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland. During 2005-2006, he played and recorded with singer-songwriter Freddie Stevenson.
The Only Ones have been influential on the indie rock and alternative rock scenes ever since their initial success, on bands such as The Replacements, Blur, Nirvana, and more recently The Libertines. Several bands have covered their song "Another Girl, Another Planet", including The Libertines (at London Forum with Perrett guesting), The Replacements and Blink 182. Their song "The Whole of the Law" was covered by Yo La Tengo on their album, Painful.
Mike Kellie (24 March 1947 – 18 January 2017)
Discography
Studio albums
The Only Ones (1978)
Even Serpents Shine (1979)
Baby's Got a Gun (1980)
The Only Ones formed in 1976 in London, England. The band broke up in 1982 and reunited in 2007.
Someone Who Cares
The Only Ones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You will find everything that you’ve heard is right
You’ll never return to the home you knew
Leave it all behind, it’s up to you
Who wants to be happy for ever? Up to you
You know that fate brought us together
And when time has left you too weak to resist
We survived the cold winter’s nights, last year
Anytime now my heart could melt with fear
I'm scared of losing the most precious thing I own
Wake up one day to find the bird has flown
We could have been happy for ever and ever, I’m all alone
Remember that fate brought us together
Shattered dreams have left you scarred beyond repair
I hope you find someone who cares
Someone who cares
Someone who cares
And when time has left you too weak to resist
I hope you will remember this
The song 'Someone Who Cares' by The Only Ones is a melancholic ballad that expresses the fear of losing someone you love and the longing for finding someone who cares. The lyrics of the song reflect the emotion of a person who is trying to come to terms with the fact that the relationship they once had has faded away, and the fear that they might never find someone who made them feel the way they did before. The first verse of the song seems to be talking to the person the singer loved and asking them to leave, to forget everything they knew about them or their relationship. The singer is implying that this person has nothing left to hold onto, and it's up to them if they want to forget and move on. The chorus holds a certain irony because it asks a question, "Who wants to be happy forever?" and then answers it, stating that it's up to the person what choices they make.
In the second verse, the singer recalls the bond they shared, but they are afraid of losing it. There is a sense of helplessness and pessimism, which the singer portrays through his words. The final verse of the song is addressing the person, letting them know that they hope they find someone who cares for them, as the singer once did. The chorus returns with the same question, but this time it becomes rhetorical. The song's tone is bittersweet, and the lyrics are introspective, painting a picture of a life where one is left with memories of what was, and the hope of what could have been.
Line by Line Meaning
If you try to follow me home tonight
If you attempt to pursue me tonight
You will find everything that you’ve heard is right
All the rumors you have heard are true
You’ll never return to the home you knew
You will never go back to your old life
Leave it all behind, it’s up to you
It's your decision to abandon everything
Who wants to be happy forever? Up to you
It's your choice to pursue eternal happiness
You know that fate brought us together
Our meeting was destined
And when time has left you too weak to resist
When you're too frail to fight back time
I hope you will remember this
I hope you can recall this moment
We survived the cold winter’s nights, last year
We made it through the freezing winter nights of last year
Anytime now my heart could melt with fear
I am constantly anxious and petrified
I'm scared of losing the most precious thing I own
I am afraid of losing my most valuable possession
Wake up one day to find the bird has flown
One day, I might wake and find it gone
We could have been happy forever and ever, I’m all alone
We could have had a timeless happiness, but I am now by myself
Remember that fate brought us together
Please bear in mind that destiny united us
Shattered dreams have left you scarred beyond repair
Broken aspirations have irreversibly hurt you
I hope you find someone who cares
I genuinely hope that you encounter someone who loves you
Someone who cares
Someone who genuinely desires your well-being
Someone who cares
Someone who truly cares for you
And when time has left you too weak to resist
And when you have no strength left to fight time
I hope you will remember this
I wish for you to recall this piece of advice
Contributed by Isaac J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@alexcutionman4569
Man I wish I was alive to see them perform live
@Ollie00000008
Perrett is such a spitting image of Syd Barrett. Partially a reason why these Only Ones are basically my favourite band. It's like if Syd played punk music with Jimmy Page like guitars. I might get a lot of guff for this but, I think a lot of the other "punk" bands from that era disregarded a lot of popular music from the 60s and 70s, not these guys, they truly had respect for the music itself and came up with some very one of a kind records.
@Maltloaflegrande
Two of them came from the earlier era. I remember seeing Mike Kellie on the telly (Oops, poetry!) in '69 with Spooky Tooth.
@ClaydenLee
this song is almost too beautiful to exist.
@wastenottingham3958
Most overlooked pop band of all time.
@alcy0ne1
Waste Nottingham
1,000 %
@lucalone
they should have looke for a proper singer.
@TheNeverists666
@lucalone Peter Perrett's voice is unique and distinguishable from other singers, singing isn't about having a perfect voice, it has a lot more to do with being able to convey a song and having a vocal signature than it is about hitting each note perfectly.
@lucalone
@Simon Williams I know that, but it would be nice if Peter would hit at least a few of them notes...
@TheNeverists666
@lucalone he does though, he's not actually out of key or anything for the most part, he's flat here and there especially in the verses but it adds something to the song that would be missing if he was perfectly singing every note, the emotion is there, however on parts of the chorus he's hitting some notes perfectly, weirdly the higher notes in his register he seems to hit easier. which is strange, if you go back and listen to the bridge "and if time has left you to weak to resist" he's perfectly on pitch.