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.
All Year Round
The Style Council Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We don't have to say much more
Lets take a chance on it
Say you'll be mine till spring
We kiss on crowded streets
We kiss everytime we meet
Who knows how it will go
Stay here till summer comes
I love you more each day God sends
Love you because you are my friend
Oh, don't say our luck has blown
Oh stick with it till autumn goes
Lets make love in the light
Sleep together every night
Oh, with dark days all about
Oh, lets stay together, see the winter out
These lyrics express a desire for a deeper connection between two people who have just met. The initial attraction is palpable as the eyes lock across the floor and a chance is taken on pursuing something more. There is a sense of urgency to this desire as the request is only to be together until spring. The two kiss often, yet there is uncertainty about where this relationship could possibly go. Even so, the singer of the lyrics wants to stay in the moment and enjoy each other's company until summer comes.
As the relationship progresses, the lyrics take on a more serious tone. The singer has come to love their partner deeply, not only for the romantic aspect but also for the friendship that has developed. The request is not to give up when things get tough and not to let the changing of the seasons dissolve the love that has been built. The winter is also metaphorical for rough patches in the relationship, and the desire to see it through shows a true commitment to the other person.
Overall, these lyrics speak of the excitement of starting a new relationship, the fear of not knowing where it will go, and the determination to see it through the good and not-so-good times.
Line by Line Meaning
Our eyes meet across the floor
We make eye contact across the dancefloor
We don't have to say much more
We both know we're interested without needing to speak
Lets take a chance on it
We should go for it and see where it leads
Say you'll be mine till spring
Commit to being together until the season changes
We kiss on crowded streets
We're not afraid to show affection in public
We kiss everytime we meet
We can't resist showing affection when we're together
Who knows how it will go
The future is uncertain and we don't know where this will lead us
Stay here till summer comes
Let's stay together until the weather changes and the season turns to summer
I love you more each day God sends
My love for you grows stronger with each passing day
Love you because you are my friend
I love you not just as a partner, but also as a close friend
Oh, don't say our luck has blown
Don't believe that our good fortune has run out
Oh stick with it till autumn goes
Let's persevere and stay together until the fall season ends
Lets make love in the light
Let's be intimate and vulnerable with each other in daylight
Sleep together every night
Let's share a bed and spend each night together
Oh, with dark days all about
Even though times may be tough and difficult
Oh, lets stay together, see the winter out
Let's stay committed to each other and get through the winter season together
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
modfather1965
I've loved this song for almost 30 years, but never knew where it came from. Just thought of it again tonight, and mighty Google pops it right up. Gotta love the internet. Fab song, Weller...