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.
Can You Still Love Me?
The Style Council Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take it -
I look into your eyes and suddenly I see
The changing colours of a world of mystery
I stare so deep until I finally come 'round
Still never knowing what is up and what is down
Can you still love me?
Can you still love me?
Even when I'm down
(Oh, my - baby burn this house up - now)
I look into your heart and suddenly I feel
Those promises I made are nothing till there real
I wonder if you can, or like to be alone
A love that set me free to live my life in hope
Can you still love me?
I look into your eyes and suddenly I see
The changing colours of a world of mystery
I stare so deep until I finally come 'round
Still never knowing what is up and what is down
Can you still love me?
Oh, my - baby burn this house up - now
Can you still love me?
The lyrics to The Styles' song "Still Loving You" speak to the doubts and uncertainties that can arise in a relationship. The opening lines "I look into your eyes and suddenly I see the changing colours of a world of mystery" suggest a sense of awe and wonder in the face of the complexity of the other person. However, the following lines reveal a sense of insecurity: "Still never knowing what is up and what is down/Can you still love me?" These lines suggest that despite the intensity of the feelings between the two people, there is a fear that something could come between them or that the singer's own imperfections could be a barrier to love.
The chorus expands on this theme of uncertainty and vulnerability. The repeated question "Can you still love me?" highlights the singer's need for reassurance and affirmation that the other person's love is true and enduring. The lines "When my love breaks down/Even when I'm down" suggest that the singer may not always be able to live up to the other person's expectations, but that they still hope for acceptance and forgiveness. The final lines "Oh, my - baby burn this house up - now" could be interpreted as a call for the couple to embrace the intensity of their feelings and "burn down" any doubts or barriers between them.
Line by Line Meaning
I look into your eyes and suddenly I see
When I gaze deep into your eyes, I see an array of mysteries and unknowns that lay before us.
The changing colours of a world of mystery
The colors and emotions that surround us are always changing, creating an endless stream of uncertainty and wonder.
I stare so deep until I finally come 'round
My gaze is so intense that it takes me a while to snap out of it and back to reality.
Still never knowing what is up and what is down
Even after looking into your eyes, I am still unsure about the direction we should take.
Can you still love me?
Despite my shortcomings and failures, do you still have the capacity to love me unconditionally?
When my love breaks down
If the love that I have to offer fails or falters, will yours still remain strong?
Even when I'm down
If I find myself struggling or feeling low, will you still be there to support and uplift me?
I look into your heart and suddenly I feel
When I am able to access your innermost thoughts and feelings, I feel a sense of comfort and reassurance.
Those promises I made are nothing till there real
I understand that my pledges and oaths are meaningless until they are put into action and proven to be true.
I wonder if you can, or like to be alone
I contemplate if you desire and cherish moments of solitude, or if you would rather spend your time with me.
A love that set me free to live my life in hope
Our love is one that has liberated me to pursue my passions and desires, while still providing me with a sense of hope and purpose.
Oh, my - baby burn this house up - now
An expression of passion and intensity, indicating a desire to set everything ablaze and start anew.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DEE C. LEE, MICK TALBOT, PAUL JOHN WELLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind