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.
Angel
The Style Council Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wrap it all around you
I won't be satisfied with just a piece of your heart
Angel, you're my Angel
Dreams are Dreams and some dreams come true
I found a real dream, baby when I found you
You're so strong, but tender too
Angel, you're my Angel
Love like ours is heaven sent - each day a day to remember
I feel so safe - feel safe when I'm with you, with you
Angel, you're my Angel
You give me more, you keep right on giving
Fill me up - baby we could go on living
When things get tough, I can always turn to you
Angel, you're my Angel
I love the way we touch, I love the way it feels
Every time your near me my poor heart just won't keep still
No doubt about it that this love I feel is real
Ask me to go with you - you know that I will
Hold me near - hold me tight
Only you can make it real - only you make it alright
Just let me know that I am special to you
Angel, you're my Angel
The Style Council's song 'Angel' is a beautiful love anthem dedicated to a special someone. From the opening lyrics 'If I could I'd give you the world', the singer expresses a burning desire to make their loved one feel like they are the center of their universe. The singer pledges to wrap the world around them and not be satisfied with just a piece of their heart. The person they are singing about is their angel, who embodies qualities like strength, tenderness, and love. The singer asserts, 'Love like ours is heaven sent - each day a day to remember,' depicting a strong and fulfilling bond.
The song goes on to describe how their love is enduring and can withstand tough times as the person is their constant support system. The singer is enamored by their loved one's touch and proclaims every time they are near, their heart feels like it won't keep still. The lyrics are a testament to the fact that their love is real and special, and the singer doesn't shy away from expressing it.
Overall, 'Angel' is a beautiful ode to love and the special people in our lives that we cherish. It communicates the depth of emotions and the feeling of completeness one finds in another person. The style council will always be remembered as a band that could put a soul in every song and 'Angel' is one of their finest creations.
Line by Line Meaning
If I could I'd give you the world
If there was anything I could do to show my love, I'd do it without hesitation
Wrap it all around you
I want you to feel surrounded by love and kindness
I won't be satisfied with just a piece of your heart
I need all of you, nothing less will do
Angel, you're my Angel
You're my everything, my saving grace
Dreams are Dreams and some dreams come true
Not all dreams come to fruition, but some do and you're one of them
I found a real dream, baby when I found you
You're everything I've ever wanted in a romantic partner
You're so strong, but tender too
You embody both strength and tenderness, something I truly admire
Love like ours is heaven sent - each day a day to remember
Our love feels like it was meant to be, and every day with you is special
I feel so safe - feel safe when I'm with you, with you
Being with you makes me feel safe and secure, like nothing can go wrong
You give me more, you keep right on giving
You constantly give to our relationship and make it stronger
Fill me up - baby we could go on living
You make me feel fulfilled and content, and I believe our love will sustain us for a long time
When things get tough, I can always turn to you
I know that you'll be there for me when things get hard
I love the way we touch, I love the way it feels
Our physical connection is special and meaningful to me
Every time your near me my poor heart just won't keep still
You make my heart race and fill me with excitement whenever you're around
No doubt about it that this love I feel is real
There's no questioning the authenticity and depth of my love for you
Ask me to go with you - you know that I will
I'll follow you wherever you go, because I love you so much
Hold me near - hold me tight
I need your physical touch to feel close and connected to you
Only you can make it real - only you make it alright
You're the only one who can make things feel truly right and good for me
Just let me know that I am special to you
I need to feel validated and cherished by you, like I'm truly important to you
Angel, you're my Angel
You truly are my angel, my saving grace and my one true love
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, BALLADS BY DESIGN
Written by: Patrick L. Moten, Sandra Sully
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@michelledin2230
I love this song so much: so soft and warm especially his voice with hers and those lyrics really work.
@ronalddelrosario7405
Absolutely love The Style Council. And also Paul Weller's solo stuff. It's too bad he never really caught on outside the UK, because I think he's one of the great songwriters ever. This is one of the few covers of great songs that equals the original.
@simonespitoni3959
Well no, in the 80s The Style Council were extremely popular in Italy and Japan, and they made it even in the US
@ronalddelrosario7405
@Simone spitoni Huh, I knew they gained some popularity in Japan, but I didn't know they did in Italy. They made a tiny bit of inroads in the States, but mainly among the college crowd, definitely not mainstream. Most Americans have no clue who the Style Council are or Paul Weller or even the Jam. It's too bad. Paul Weller's body of work is amazing. I'm hoping some day soon he'll get some sort of revival like Kate Bush. :)
@kmeleounis
Very nice bass and pure Style Council; It gives me peace in my soul and reminds me of my New Wave youth.
@enc897
One of my favorite songs of all time! 😇
@jeffphillip7595
Paul Weller covers Anita Baker and turns it into a duet... fabulous. Our own DCLee’s vocals are stunning.
@jime6353
Still great after all these years.
@victorvillescas1740
Our wedding song 33yrs ago .... and still going 🥰
@FidelCastro128
Impeccable taste, brother.