The band showed a diversity of musical styles. Singles "Speak Like a Child" (with its loud soul-influenced style), the extended funk of "Money-Go-Round", and the haunting synth-ballad "Long Hot Summer" all featured Talbot on keyboards and organ. Near the end of 1983, these songs were compiled on Introducing The Style Council, a mini-album initially released in Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States only. The Dutch version was heavily imported to the United Kingdom.
In 1984, the single "My Ever-Changing Moods", backed with the Hammond organ instrumental "Mick's Company", reached #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The song remains Weller's greatest success on the American charts (including his efforts in The Jam and as a solo artist), while the group reached the peak of its success in the United Kingdom with the 1985 album Our Favourite Shop.
To Weller's fans, the decision to split up The Jam at the height of their commercial success was met with considerable controversy[citation needed]. Weller deliberately distanced himself from The Jam's sound and style, with his use of new musical arrangements and instruments in a much slicker, more heavily produced style. In the place of the Bruce Foxton-Rick Buckler rhythm section were drum and bass parts done entirely on synthesisers.
Structurally, many of the band's early singles were not far removed from The Jam's latter-day soul-pop efforts such as "Town Called Malice" and "Beat Surrender", but they were often criticised as overproduced, despite Weller's impressive songwriting[citation needed]. Also, many observers saw even the early albums as indulgent and overly experimental; Trouser Press called Café Bleu "too schizophrenic to be a good album".
The Style Council took a more overtly political approach than The Jam in their lyrics, with tracks such as "Walls Come Tumbling Down", "The Lodgers", and "Come To Milton Keynes" being deliberate attacks on 'middle England' and Thatcherite principles prevalent in the Eighties. Weller was also instrumental in the formation of Red Wedge with Billy Bragg. However, he later said that this began to detract from the music: "We were involved with a lot of political things going on at that time. I think after a while that overshadowed the music a bit"
In 1986, the band released a live album, Home and Abroad, and, in 1987, the album The Cost of Loving was launched, followed later in the year by the upbeat non-album single "Wanted", which reached #20 in the United Kingdom. However, Confessions of a Pop Group, released a year later, sold poorly. This led to their record label Polydor rejecting their final album (Modernism: A New Decade), which was heavily influenced by the contemporary house scene. A greatest hits album, appropriately called The Singular Adventures of The Style Council, was released internationally in 1989; it included the non-album single "Promised Land", which had reached #27 in the United Kingdom earlier that year.
In 1989 members of The Style Council went under the name of King Truman to release a single on Acid Jazz titled "Like A Gun". This was unbeknown to Polydor and the single was pulled from the shops only 3 days prior to release. Acid Jazz founder Eddie Piller said "The pair offered to make a single for my new label, which I'd just started with Radio 1 DJ Gilles Peterson as a side project. Mick and Paul took pseudonyms Truman King and Elliott Arnold." [1]
The Style Council broke up in 1989. The cover of "Promised Land" (originally by Joe Smooth) was the only release which surfaced from the Modernism sessions at the time; however, the entire album was released in 1998, both independently and in a 5-CD box set, The Complete Adventures Of The Style Council. After the split, Weller embarked on a successful solo career (still featuring Steve White on drums, who had left The Style Council by the time Confessions of a Pop Group was released, having only played on a few of its tracks). Talbot and White released two albums as Talbot/White — United States of Mind (1995) and Off The Beaten Track (1996). More recently, Mick Talbot and Steve White have formed The Players with Damon Minchella and Aziz Ibrahim.
All of The Style Council's UK releases (including singles, 12" maxis, albums, compact discs and re-issues thereof) featured the work of graphic designer Simon Halfon, who often collaborated with Weller to hone his ideas into a graphic form. Weller and Halfon began working together at the end of The Jam's career, and continue to work together to this day on Weller's solo material.
Since 2007, the song "Walls Come Tumbling Down" has been used as the theme song for the German TV series Dr. Psycho – Die Bösen, die Bullen, meine Frau und ich.
A Man Of Great Promise
The Style Council Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I saw the obituary
And I read of how you died in pain
Well, I just couldn't understand it
If I could of changed that
Then Lord knows I'd do it now
But there is no going back
But you were always chained
And shackled by the dirt
Of every small town institution
And every big town flirt
And I think of what you might have been
A man of such great promise
Oh but, you seem to forget the dream
And the more you saw you hated
But let's not talk of blame
For what is only natural
Like a moth going to a flame
You had a dangerous passion
But you were always chained
And shackled by the dirt
Of every small town institution
And every big town flirt
All the things that you might have been
But who am I to say? Still I wonder
If it's the cold earth you prefer to lay
If it's the cold earth, you prefer to stay
The Style Council's song "A Man of Great Promise" opens on a somber note with Paul Weller lamenting the death of someone who once had the potential to achieve so much. The singer reflects on the deceased's life and his failed aspirations. He regrets that the deceased individual was never fully able to realize his potential, and that they never got to see their dreams come true. The song seems to express frustration and sadness, perhaps even some level of guilt or regret for not being able to help the individual in life, but at the same time recognizing that some people are fated to fall short of their potential.
The lyrics paint a picture of the individual being held back and controlled by various societal institutions, both small-town and big-city, and unable to escape the dirt that comes along with them. The message of the song seems to be that, while the individual was hindered by external factors, they also played a role in their own downfall. Their passion is described as "dangerous," and the singer acknowledges that it's natural to be drawn to one's own demise, like "a moth going to a flame." In the end, the singer resigns himself to the fact that the deceased had made their choice, and that perhaps they were more comfortable resting in the cold earth than trying and failing again.
Line by Line Meaning
I bought the paper yesterday
I purchased a newspaper recently
And I saw the obituary
While reading said newspaper, I observed a section dedicated to obituaries
And I read of how you died in pain
In that obituary section, there was a report of the circumstances surrounding your painful death
Well, I just couldn't understand it
Unfortunately, I was unable to comprehend why this happened
If I could of changed that
If it were possible for me to alter the past in some way
Then Lord knows I'd do it now
I would certainly take advantage of that opportunity without any hesitation
But there is no going back
Of course, it is not actually feasible to go back in time
And what's done is done forever
Therefore, we must accept that events in the past cannot be undone or altered
But you were always chained
It seems that throughout life, you never had the freedom to do as you pleased
And shackled by the dirt
You were weighed down by the negative aspects or circumstances of many places and people
Of every small town institution
This includes the strict regulations and customs present in small towns
And every big town flirt
As well as the alluring but dangerous distractions of big city living
And I think of what you might have been
It's hard not to ponder what you could have achieved and become
A man of such great promise
Considering your impressive potential and character, you had a very bright future ahead of you
Oh but, you seem to forget the dream
Sadly, it seems that you lost sight of your aspirations and goals
And the more you saw you hated
Furthermore, as you became more aware of your surroundings, you were filled with negative feelings
But let's not talk of blame
However, it is valuable to avoid assigning fault or guilt
For what is only natural
As it is common for people to be side-tracked from their original intentions
Like a moth going to a flame
Just as a moth is attracted to the light of a flame even though it may cause its demise
You had a dangerous passion
You also harbored a risky and intense desire or interest in something
All the things that you might have been
Once again, it's worth imagining all the possibilities that could have arisen for you
But who am I to say? Still I wonder
Although it would be presumptuous of me to speculate about this so confidently, I can't help but continue thinking about it
If it's the cold earth you prefer to lay
Although it's not preferable to contemplate, it's possible that you would have chosen death over suffering and loneliness
If it's the cold earth, you prefer to stay
Perhaps death and the subsequent release from pain were the only escape from your troubles
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Immaculate Heart
Those were mine and Paul Wellers wedding bells. Decades later I'm still in love with this whole album.
Robert Johnson
It's hard to choose between Cafe Bleu and Our Favourite Shop from where this wonderful nostalgic song is from. Takes me back to when the world seemed less complicated. Essential to your music collection.
Chris Davies
An absolute beauty of a song .
Sakusakura
私は英語を話せないから
歌詞の意味を知ったのは最近だけど
人生で一番好きな曲。
Great song!
Nigel Gibson
Again i love the juxtaposition of the sombre, tragic story of this song with its uplifting, bouncy beat. Very very very good songwriting!
Themanwhocameback2
Inspired by the Kinks song. ''Did You See His Name?"
eddiecouncil
Under rated??? This is their best album from far
Hans Tun
This is one massively under rated and under played song.....
Nigel McDonald
quality I presume and very much HOPE!
Kevin Harkens
underrated by whom exactly?. Or do you just mean you think it's quality...