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.
Boy Who Cried Wolf
The Style Council Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I lie awake at nights and, think about me
All those usual things like what a fool I've been
I curse the awful way, that I let you slip away
For what was forged in love, is now cooling down
With only myself to blame for playing that stupid game
I thought I need only call and you would run
But that day you never showed honey, well I sure learnt
That it seems I need you more each day
Heaven knows why that it goes that way,
Now it's far too late, an' I've lost this time,
Like the Boy who cried Wolf
An' yes, I know it's far too late
To ever win you back,
No tale of nightmare's at my gate,
Could make you turn,
My lost concern
And now the night falls down, upon my selfish soul
I sit alone and wonder, where did I go wrong?
It always worked before you kept the wolf from my door
But one day you never showed and honey, Now I'm not so sure,
That is seems I need you more each day
Heaven knows why that it goes that way,
Now it's far too late, an' I've lost this time,
Like the Boy who cried Wolf
The Style Council's "Boy Who Cried Wolf" is a melancholic reflection on a relationship that has ended. The song opens with the description of rain falling on the singer's "sad sweet earth," which sets a somber tone for the rest of the piece. The singer's thoughts then turn inward, as we see him awake at night, contemplating his own mistakes. He regrets playing games and taking his partner's love for granted, and now that love has cooled down. The song title itself is a reference to the fable of the boy who repeatedly falsely cried wolf, eventually causing the real danger to be ignored.
The second verse deepens the sense of regret, as the singer realizes too late that he needs his partner more than ever. There is a sense of desperation in his voice as he wonders why things had to turn out this way. The bridge section repeats the image of the boy who cried wolf, with the singer acknowledging that it is too late for him to win back his lover's affections. He is resigned to his fate, even as he is haunted by "lost concern" for what might have been.
Overall, "Boy Who Cried Wolf" is a poignant expression of regret and loss in a failed relationship. The metaphors of rain and the fable of the boy who cried wolf add depth and resonance to the lyrics, as they capture the sense of missed opportunities and the consequences of taking love for granted.
Line by Line Meaning
As the rain comes down, upon this sad sweet earth
I am currently experiencing a rainy and melancholic atmosphere.
I lie awake at nights and, think about me
During the nights, I often reflect on my own thoughts and feelings.
All those usual things like what a fool I've been
I regret my past actions and consider myself to have acted foolishly.
I curse the awful way, that I let you slip away
I am disappointed at the way our relationship ended, and blame myself for not being able to hold onto you.
For what was forged in love, is now cooling down
The love that we had between us has begun to fade away.
With only myself to blame for playing that stupid game
I accept full responsibility for my actions that led to the end of our relationship.
I thought I need only call and you would run
I believed that you would always be there for me whenever I needed you.
But that day you never showed honey, well I sure learnt
When you failed to show up for me that one day, I finally learned the truth.
That it seems I need you more each day
As time goes on, I find myself needing you more and more.
Heaven knows why that it goes that way,
I have no idea why I feel this way, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to ignore it.
Now it's far too late, an' I've lost this time,
Unfortunately, I realize that it's too late to make things right between us.
Like the Boy who cried Wolf
My repeated efforts to get your attention have now become meaningless, just like the boy who cried wolf.
An' yes, I know it's far too late
I am aware that my chance to win you back has already passed.
To ever win you back,
I have lost the opportunity to regain your love and trust.
No tale of nightmare's at my gate,
Nothing I say or do can change your mind, despite my fears and worries.
Could make you turn,
You are steadfast in your decision and cannot be convinced otherwise.
My lost concern
I am left feeling helpless and without any solutions to our problems.
And now the night falls down, upon my selfish soul
As the night drags on, I am forced to confront my own selfishness and mistakes.
I sit alone and wonder, where did I go wrong?
I reflect on my past actions and try to pinpoint where I made mistakes.
It always worked before you kept the wolf from my door
Before our relationship ended, you were always there to protect me from any potential harm or danger.
But one day you never showed and honey, Now I'm not so sure,
When you failed to show up that one day, I began to doubt whether or not you were truly committed to our relationship.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL JOHN WELLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SlaydonGreen
What a brilliant band...Weller the genius and Talbot the wonderful talent.
@loti54
"Our Favorite Shop" is probably one the best albums of all time
@SlaydonGreen
I know its one of MY favorite ones.
@sirandrelefaedelinoge
Apart from that bloody Lenny Henry shit
@kevinmassey7675
@@sirandrelefaedelinoge to be fair , it was of the time ...
@mikemccaine4229
@@kevinmassey7675 You mean that particular track was of its time? I think this track still sounds great
@kevinmassey7675
@@mikemccaine4229 The albums brilliant . I've recently given it a re-listen . Sounds better now than before .
@vittwoman
ABSOLUTELY beautiful band, voices, and killer memories.
Smooth as silk 🙌🏼💙
@pato6612
Love this song, hits straight to the heart, can't help but think of being 17 and with Heather so many years ago. She somehow found this record at the library and recorded it on cassette for me. A gift from an innocent, beautiful heart. So cheerful and full of life, beautiful Heather died of cancer a few years after that at the cruel age of 20. This song still makes me cry.
@elskar1
Oh bless xoxo