Following the album's release, the Screaming Jets went to the UK where they based themselves for over two years, touring there and throughout Europe with a variety of hard rock and heavy metal bands. During a series of shows with Ugly Kid Joe, Heaney was fired and replaced for the rest of the tour by one-time Judas Priest drummer Dave Holland.
The band's next album Tear of Thought, which featured Heaney's drumming, was initially slow to gain acceptance until a cover of Boys Next Door's "Shivers" saw the Screaming Jets back in the charts. Heaney was permanently replaced in the line-up by former BB Steal drummer Craig Rosevear and after a US tour with Def Leppard Lara was replaced by Melbourne musician Jimi "The Human" Hocking, who had previously fronted his own band, Jimi Human and Spectre 7, that released an album and two singles at the turn of the decade.
While the Screaming Jets remained only moderately successful overseas, in Australia they were one of the top-drawing live bands of the early-mid 1990s and perhaps the last remaining example of the pub rock acts that had ruled the country's live scene in the late 1970s - mid 1980s. While their single releases rarely scored high on the charts, they won significant airplay on rock radio and the band's tours were wildly successful. In 1995 the Screaming Jets' self-titled album made history when it became the first CD launched via live Webcast.
By the late 90s the Screaming Jets were touring less often and had not released an album of new material since 1996. Hocking had left in 1997 to be replaced by former Judge Mercy guitarist Izzy Osmanovich and after an extensive Australian tour in 2000, Rosevear left to be replaced by Col Hatchman. Although no longer the force they had once been, the Screaming Jets could still draw large crowds and in 2001 were selected to tour with Kiss and Alice Cooper; at the end of that year the band announced an extended break from all touring and recording, playing a final series of shows.
In December 2002, the Screaming Jets did another brief tour in support of a self-financed live album that had been recorded the previous year, but then did not play live again until mid-2004. Since then have continued to record and tour, though more sporadically than during the early 1990s and have also signed a record publishing deal with Universal Records.
The Only One
The Screaming Jets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is it an old mind is it there all the time?
Is there such a thing as the human race,
Brothers and sisters.
People say I live in a fantasy world,
I just do what I do.
I don't like to be told
But you don't understand.
So that's why
You look at me and tell me what do you see?
Why don't you let me be cause I'm not the only one.
Look at me and tell me what do you see,
Why don't you set me free
Well the cold hard facts of make believe.
I'm down on my knees and I'm begging please.
I reach this place and I'm off my face,
But no-one can tell me.
I know that I have to come back home,
'Cause sometimes I don't like being alone
Every now and then I need someone else,
I get tired of myself,
So tired.
You look at me and tell me what do you see,
Why don't you let me be
'Cause I'm not the only one.
You look at me and tell me what do you see,
You gotta set me free
You look at me and tell me what do you see,
Why don't you let me be.
I'm not the only one.
You look at me tell me what do you see,
Why don't you set me free?
Gotta break free
You know what makes me sick?
I see the nameless faces in empty places,
With the colourless skies above
Feeling hungry and cold why wasn't I told about all push and no shove?
Don't tell what you want me to be,
I'm not the only one
I don't care what you see in me,
I'm not the only one
So don't tell me what you want me to be
I'm not the only one.
The Screaming Jets's song The Only One is about the idea that everyone has their own unique individuality and it should be respected. The opening lines of the lyrics ask questions about senility, the human race, brothers and sisters. The song then progresses to an emotion-filled self-reflection about how people perceive the singer. The lyric "People say I live in a fantasy world, I just do what I do. I don't like to be told" is the singer's response to the world's perception of his/her reality. The chorus "You look at me and tell me what do you see, Why don't you let me be 'cause I'm not the only one" is the clearest statement of the message of this song.
The lyrics tell a story of someone who feels misunderstood, and how they struggle to reconcile their own feelings and beliefs with the way the world sees them. They feel the need to break out of their own reality from time to time and seek the company of others. The song encourages listeners to embrace their individuality, and not to let others define them. It sends a message that each person is unique and should be recognized and appreciated for who they are.
Line by Line Meaning
Is there such a thing as senility,
Is there a cognitive decline that comes with aging and if so, is it present all the time?
Is there such a thing as the human race,
Does a collective grouping of human beings truly exist?
People say I live in a fantasy world,
Others believe that I have an unrealistic perception of reality.
I just do what I do.
I act according to my beliefs and values.
I don't like to be told
I am resistant to instruction or persuasion.
Others stop and say my whole life is a dream,
Some insist that my existence is nothing but an illusory experience.
But you don't understand.
You lack comprehension of my unique perspective on life.
So that's why
Thus, this is the reason for my current situation.
Look at me and tell me what do you see?
Observe my persona and articulate your perception of me.
Why don't you let me be cause I'm not the only one.
I request that you respect my individuality because I am not alone in my views.
Well the cold hard facts of make believe.
Reality and illusion are two different things but they can overlap and this can be difficult to accept.
I'm down on my knees and I'm begging please.
I am desperate and pleading for assistance.
I reach this place and I'm off my face,
I arrive at this emotional state and become overwhelmed by it.
But no-one can tell me.
I am the only one who can determine my reality and experiences.
I know that I have to come back home,
I am aware that I must return to my usual state of existence.
'Cause sometimes I don't like being alone
There are times when being solitary is unpleasant for me.
Every now and then I need someone else,
Occasionally, I require the presence of another person.
I get tired of myself,
I become exhausted with my current state of being.
You gotta set me free
You have to give me freedom to be myself.
You know what makes me sick?
I despise this feeling or situation.
I see the nameless faces in empty places,
I perceive individuals with no clear identity in desolate settings.
With the colourless skies above
The sky lacks vivid color and appears dull or lifeless.
Feeling hungry and cold why wasn't I told about all push and no shove?
Experiencing hunger and coldness makes me question why I was not warned that life is purely a struggle.
Don't tell what you want me to be,
I reject the idea of conforming to someone else's expectations.
I don't care what you see in me,
I do not concern myself with your perception of me.
So don't tell me what you want me to be,
I refuse to conform to someone else's standards or expectations.
I'm not the only one.
I am not alone in my beliefs or experiences.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRAD HEANEY, DAVID GLEESON, GRANT WALMSLEY, PAUL WOSEEN, RICHARD LARA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Erik
Maybe my favorite song from TSJ. Awesome groove, Killer outro
the Screaming Jets, when they ROCKED, 91'- 05'.
ahhh... the memory's. \m/
Chris Campbell
Love the footage. I missed out on all that. Sucks, but at least I got the CDs.