They began recording during the mid-80s, picking up the name 'Baseball Boys' as a reference from a gang of hooligans from the cult film 'The Warriors'. Changing things around to 'The Outfield', perhaps a hint of their later American success due to their affinity for U.S. culture, they released their first album, titled 'Play Deep', in 1985 through Columbia Records. Picking up critical acclaim for their melodic rock sound, the album reached #9 on the Billboard 200 list and ended up reaching triple platinum status in America. As remarked by an Allmusic reviewer, the band had a knack for making "a harmonious chorus that is overly smooth and rock savvy." Their single "Your Love" reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as #7 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, and it soon became their 'signature song. It has went on to be featured in a number of 80s-themed compilation albums, and over a thousand covers and remixes by other artists have been released physically and/or online. Other singles "Say It Isn't So" and "Everytime You Cry" also made it into the top 20 on Mainstream Rock chart.
Though possibly peaking too early, the band continued to record and tour through the 80s and then into the early 90s as the Anglo-American pop rock and power pop scenes evolved. While their second album, titled 'Bangin'', hit the top 20 on the Billboard 200 list had both singles hit the top 40 on the Mainstream Rock chart, the group began losing their popular audience by their third album, 'Voices of Babylon', came out in 1989. Though receiving critical acclaim, the rock mainstream seemed to have shifted considerably underneath them. Drummer Alan Jackman left, and, now as a duo, they recorded 'Diamond Days' in 1991. After the disappointing response to their 1992 album 'Rockeye', which represented a shift towards progressive rock and arena rock, the group essentially disbanded for much of the 90s.
They resumed touring in 1998, and thereafter the band released two live albums via their website. The group's comeback album, 'Any Time Now', was released by Sidewinder Records in March 2006 and constituted a comeback to their traditional pop rock sound. In mid-2009, the Outfield entered a London studio to begin recording their seventh studio album. Titled 'Replay', it saw a June 28, 2011 release, with the band's cult following enjoying deliberately retro sounding songs such as "California Sun". Their music popping up in various places (from Katy Perry recording a Outfield cover titled "Use Your Love" to the 'Grand Theft Auto: Vice City' video game using their music), the guys had somewhat of a resurgence of interest at the tail end of their career. Although popular interest in the band waxed and waned since their 80s musical heyday, their group maintained a devoted fan base among followers of the power pop genre for many years.
Guitarist and songwriter John Spinks died in July 2014, succumbing to liver cancer after a long and tough battle. He was 60. The group released a statement saying: “We are relieved that his passing was peaceful and painless.” After taking a few years off from music, lead singer/bassist Tony Lewis released a solo album in 2018 but died on 19 October 2020 in his house near London.
Since You've Been Gone
The Outfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's something I want to say
Since you've been gone
There's no one taking your place
Since you've been gone
I've just been foolin' around
Since you've been gone
This world's been turned upside down
Anything we started not so long ago - ain't over yet
Since you've been gone
Staring at your photograph
And I know it won't be long
An' I know you're coming back
You turned me on
Since the first time I set eyes on you
You turned me on
Ooh the things you want me to do
Don't get me wrong
'cos you're not the only girl I've ever had
But since you've been gone
Girl you know the thought of you's driving me mad
All I do is think of you I lie awake - lie awake
And no matter how I try this loneliness - you know I can't take
Since you've been gone
Staring at your photograph
And I know it won't be long
An' I know you're coming back
Since you've been gone
There's something I want to say
Since you've been gone
There's no one to stand in my way
Since you've been gone
So scared of losing this time
Since you've been gone
Girl you know that I can't get you out of my mind
Since you've been gone
Staring at your photograph
And I know that I was wrong
An' I know you're coming back
Since you've been gone
Tried my best to read between the lines
If some things are hard to say
You better tell me one more time
Since you've been gone
Since you've been gone
The Outfield's "Since You've Been Gone" is a song about a lost love, with the singer pining over the absence of his significant other. The opening verse sets the melancholic tone of the song, with the singer coming to terms with the fact that since his lover left, his world has changed dramatically. He admits to having thought that he would find someone else to love, but he has not been successful, and he is left feeling lost and alone.
Throughout the song, the singer's pain is palpable, with him admitting that he is constantly reminded of his love by staring at photographs of her. He acknowledges that he was wrong to have let her go but hopes that she will come back to him. He admits that he is willing to do whatever it takes to make her happy, even if it means sacrificing his own desires.
The chorus is an emotional outpouring, with the singer once again admitting that he is struggling to cope without his lover. He is scared of losing her forever and knows that he cannot continue living without her. The song ends with a plea for his lover to tell him one more time that she loves him and to come back to him.
Overall, "Since You've Been Gone" is a moving song that captures the pain of lost love and the desire to fix things before it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
Since you've been gone
The singer is repeating the fact that the person they love has left, and emphasizing the impact it has had on their life.
There's something I want to say
The singer has something important they need to express related to the absence of the person they love.
There's no one taking your place
No one else can replace or fill the space that the person they love has left.
I've just been foolin' around
The artist admits to engaging in meaningless activities to distract themselves from the loneliness and pain caused by the absence of the person they love.
This world's been turned upside down
The artist's life has drastically changed since the person they love has left and everything feels out of place.
Didn't think I'd find a girl that I could not forget
The singer recognizes the depth of their feelings for the person they love and how hard it is for them to move on.
Anything we started not so long ago - ain't over yet
There is unfinished business between the singer and the person they love, and they believe there is still hope for their relationship.
Staring at your photograph
The artist is fixated on images of the person they love as a way of coping with their absence and holding onto memories of them.
An' I know it won't be long
The artist is confident in their belief that the person they love will return to them soon.
You turned me on
The person they love had a powerful impact on the artist's emotions and desires.
Since the first time I set eyes on you
The singer remembers the exact moment they fell in love with the person who has now left them.
Ooh the things you want me to do
The person they love had specific desires and needs that the artist was eager to fulfill in order to please them and deepen their connection.
But since you've been gone
The singer recognizes that their relationship has changed dramatically since the person they love has left.
Girl you know the thought of you's driving me mad
The singer is consumed by thoughts of the person they love and the absence of their presence is causing them significant distress.
All I do is think of you I lie awake - lie awake
The singer is unable to sleep and instead spends their nights consumed by thoughts of the person they love.
And no matter how I try this loneliness - you know I can't take
The artist is struggling to cope with the loneliness and isolation they feel in the absence of the person they love.
There's no one to stand in my way
Without the person they love, the artist feels empowered to pursue their goals but recognizes that their love is still strong.
So scared of losing this time
The singer is afraid of making mistakes and ruining the possibility of reconnecting with the person they love when they return.
Girl you know that I can't get you out of my mind
The singer is unable to forget about or move on from the person they love, no matter how hard they try.
An' I know that I was wrong
The artist recognizes that they made mistakes in their relationship with the person they love
Since you've been gone, tried my best to read between the lines
The artist has been analyzing the situation and searching for clues about why the person they love left, as they hope to find a path forward for their relationship.
If some things are hard to say you better tell me one more time
The artist is urging the person they love to be open and honest with them about their feelings and intentions in order to move forward together.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Aretha Franklin, Ted White
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
incógnito 23
Las mejores canciones, la mejor banda y los mejores tiempos
RIP: TONY LEWIS
Mi mejor banda favorita aunque no estube en los 80 ni 90 pero me gusta mucho me hace recordar o pensar si estuviera en esos años se siente muy nostálgico y muy epico
Rafael S
PT - BR
The Outfield - Desde Que Você Se Foi
Desde que você se foi
Há algo que eu quero dizer
Desde que você se foi
Não há quem ocupe seu lugar
Desde que você se foi
Acabei de estar brincando
Desde que você se foi
Este mundo foi virado de cabeça para baixo
Não pensei que encontraria uma garota que não conseguia esquecer
Tudo o que começamos não há muito tempo - ainda não terminou
Desde que você se foi
Olhando para a sua fotografia
E eu sei que não será longo
E eu sei que você está voltando
Você me ativou
Desde a primeira vez que eu olho para você
Você me ativou
Ooh as coisas que você quer que eu faça
Não me interprete mal
Porque você não é a única garota que eu já tive
Mas desde que você se foi
Menina, você sabe que o pensamento de você está me deixando louco
Tudo o que eu faço é pensar em você. Eu fico acordado - fique acordado
E não importa como eu tente essa solidão - você sabe que não posso tomar
Desde que você se foi
Olhando para a sua fotografia
E eu sei que não será longo
E eu sei que você está voltando
Desde que você se foi
Há algo que eu quero dizer
Desde que você se foi
Não há ninguém a meu alcance
Desde que você se foi
Tão assustado de perder esse tempo
Desde que você se foi
Garota, você sabe que não posso tirar você da minha mente
Desde que você se foi
Olhando para a sua fotografia
E eu sei que eu estava errado
E eu sei que você está voltando
Desde que você se foi
Tirei o meu melhor para ler entre as linhas
Se algumas coisas são difíceis de dizer
É melhor me contar uma vez mais
Desde que você se foi
Desde que você se foi
Christian Lagreca
The Outfield is a rare case of a band that doesn't have a single bad song in all of their great discography.
Luis Stardust
I've only listened to Play Deep
And 'Talk to me' is Pretty Bad....
Is just My opinion though
Fernando Cesar dos Santos
@s b For me 'Talk To Me' is one of the best on 'Play Deep', the weakest is 'I Don't Need Her' really...
Maxus Gintus
I like all the songs on play deep, and all but one for Voices of Babylon. That would be "makin' up"
steven evans
I have the album with the "Josie's on a vacation far away", song.Every song on it is good.
Annabelle Marx
I love I Don’t Need Her.. But music appreciation is subjective.. RIP Tony Lewis.. Xx j
Thomas McNamara
Staring at a photograph, lying awake at night, not being able to stop thinking about a lost love. This is so spot on. People don’t write songs like this anymore.
Shawn Jones
How I miss 80s music. :( Best times and best music of my life. I'm 54 and play 80s music every day. It's 98 percent of my collection. This is my all time favorite Outfield song.
wolfpacak47
I'm 53 and exactly the same here lol
Jeff S.
On Friday nights MTV shows a Metal Mania all 80's videos love it👍