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 Cafรฉ 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 โ 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 โ Die Bรถsen, die Bullen, meine Frau und ich.
A Solid Bond In Your Heart
The Style Council Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At least not in words that are plain
To make it easy to express
I'll try to do my best to hit you where it counts
I just wanna build up a solid bond in your heart
Yeah, a solid bond in your heart, aha
I am fueled by the idea
But it never seems to work out
And all we seem to share is doubt and misery
I just wanna build up a solid bond in your heart, heart
When you feel in your soul
And your heart begins to blow
Keep it in mind to
Keep on tryin', ooh
It's like a feeling deep inside
Please don't ever try to hide
That solid bond in your heart
Yeah, a solid bond in your heart, aha, ooh
Oh, I just wanna build up
A solid bond in your heart
It's what's missing from this life
And the trust you need to ignite
Any dream worth holding dear
When that dream is so near
You gotta try and try to get it back
Push it to the limit and build
A solid bond in your heart
Yeah, a solid bond in your heart, aha, ooh
Solid bond in your heart, ooh
Solid bond in your heart, ooh
Solid bond in your heart, ooh
Solid bond in your heart, ooh
...
In The Style Council's song "A Solid Bond In Your Heart," the lyrics speak to the desire for a deeper connection with someone, and the difficulty in expressing such a feeling. The opening line "Feeling is a word I can't explain" is a nod to the idea that sometimes emotions are difficult to put into words that truly convey the depth of what is being felt. The following lyrics express a desire to build a "solid bond in your heart," and the repetition of this phrase emphasizes the importance of this connection.
The song also touches on the struggle to find a shared sense of purpose and understanding in the world, as the line "But it never seems to work out, and all we seem to share is doubt and misery" suggests. Despite these struggles, the lyrics urge perseverance, with the line "Keep it in mind to keep on trying," and emphasize the importance of trust in igniting one's dreams.
Overall, the lyrics of "A Solid Bond In Your Heart" convey a message of hope and a desire for deeper, lasting connections in life, despite the difficulties and doubt that may arise.
Line by Line Meaning
Feelin' is a word I can't explain
I cannot put into words the sensation that I am trying to describe
At least not in words that are plain
I cannot articulate it in simple language
To make it easy to express
To simplify my explanation
I'll try to do my best to hit you where it counts
I will deliver my message in a way that resonates with you personally
I just wanna build up a solid bond in your heart
I desire to establish a deep connection with you
Yeah, a solid bond in your heart, aha
This connection is essential and meaningful to me
When you feel in your soul
When you experience deep emotion and conviction
And your heart begins to blow
And your passion bursts forth from within
Keep it in mind to
Remember to
Keep on tryin', ooh
Persist in pursuing your goals and desires
It's like a feeling deep inside
This connection is like an intense sensation within
Please don't ever try to hide
Do not conceal or suppress this emotion
That solid bond in your heart
The deep connection we share
It's what's missing from this life
This bond is essential and lacking in our existence
And the trust you need to ignite
Trust is necessary to spark this connection
Any dream worth holding dear
Any aspiration that is meaningful to you
When that dream is so near
When that goal is within reach
You gotta try and try to get it back
You must persist in pursuing that dream
Push it to the limit and build
Always strive to improve and cultivate
A solid bond in your heart
This deep and meaningful connection
Yeah, a solid bond in your heart, aha, ooh
This bond is essential and profound
Solid bond in your heart, ooh
This connection is deep and meaningful
Solid bond in your heart, ooh
This bond is profound and significant
Solid bond in your heart, ooh
This deep connection is essential
Lyrics ยฉ O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ChainNonSmoker
There was nothing stopping Paul Weller between 78-85 (from Mod Cons 'til Our Favourite Shop) that was complete full steam ahead. Incredible.
Laurel Canyon
An incredible period of music from the Woking wonder! And he found his mojo again in the early 90s, lost it for a bit and then re-emerged with 22 Dreams for a purple patch that shows no sign of stopping yet...
ChainNonSmoker
Whence the negativity, he's still written gems since, but rather occasionally compared to his youth.
Dean jones
@Robcatist nah I think some of his earlier solo stuff is some of the best work he's ever done
Robcatist
Then he was never as good again.
Robert Smith
Love The Council. Superb.๐๐.
fiBee
One of the best Style Council tracks IMO
Scott Paterson
Weller got soul man!
Kayatink
Great Song and Lyrics โฅ
Tredegar Wales
Fantastic!