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.
Money-Go-Round
The Style Council Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'cause they won't shake the roots of the money tree
No good praying to the pristine alters
Waiting for the blessing with holy water
They like the same old wealth in the same old hands
Means the same old people stay old people stay in command
Watch your money-go-round; watch your money-go-round
They got it wrapped up tight, they got it safe and sound
As you fall from grace and hit the ground
Too much money in too few places
Only puts a smile on particular faces
Said too much power in not enough hands
Makes me think "get rich quick; take all I can"
They're too busy spending on the means of destruction
To ever spend a penny on some real construction
Watch the money-go-round; watch the money-go-round
They amuse themselves as they fool around
Watch your money-go-round; watch your money-go-round
Do like they say, make them vulnerable
No good looking to the empire corners,
"civilization" built on slaughter
Carrying hopes and carrying maps
The spineless ones fall in their laps
The brave and the bold are the ones to be fooled
With a diet of lies by the Kipling school
Watch your money-go-round, watch your money-go-round
But I just can't help being cynical
Watch your money-go-round, watch your money-go-round
Do like I say, make me wonderful
Their morals are clean and their clear
They bend your arm and they bend your ear
Said they bend your mind as you talk in circles
Bend over forwards, this won't hurt you
Till there's blood in your lap, blood on your hands
Watch the money-go-round, watch the money-go-round
Come spend a penny, go out with a pound
Watch the money-go-round, watch the money-go-round
As you fall from grace and hit the ground
(on the money-go-round, you wanna get on but it won't slow down)
The need your votes and you know where to send 'em
Be we don't get the choice of a public referendum
On all the real issues that affect our lives
Like the usa base to which we play midwife
Take a cruise and forget this scene
Said come back later when the slates wiped clean
Watch your money-go-round, watch your money-go-round
Born of woman, killed by man
Watch the money-go-round, watch your money-go-round
Do like they pray, make it wonderful
The good and righteous sing their hymns
The crimpoline dresses who have no sins
Christians by day, killers in war
The hypocrites who know what they're fighting for
Killing for peace, freedom and truth
But they're too old to go so they send the youth
Watch the money-go-round, watch the money-go-round
I don't think he was an astronaut
Watch the money-go-round, watch the money-go-round
I must insist, he was a socialist!
Watch your money-go-round, watch your money-go-round
They got it wrapped up tight, they got it safe and sound
Watch your money-go-round, watch your money-go-round
As you fall from grace and hit the ground
In The Style Council's song Money-Go-Round, the lyrics express frustration with the existing power structures and the grip of money on society. The singer speaks about praying to higher powers and finds that they are not able to shake the roots of the money tree. The song emphasizes the concentration of wealth in the same old hands, and how this means that the same old people stay in command. The singer urges the listener to watch their money-go-round and recognizes that it is wrapped up tight and safe in the hands of those who already have it.
Further, the song explores ways in which power is concentrated and how the focus on means of destruction rather than construction perpetuates this dynamic. The song also speaks to how democracy is limited and how real issues affecting our lives are not subject to public referendum. The lyrics touch upon the hypocrisy of those who claim morality but use violence to maintain power. The song ends with a call to watch the money-go-round and recognize how we all fall from grace as we try to keep up.
Overall, the song employs a powerful critique of the existing system of governance and wealth distribution. It highlights how wealth and power are concentrated in the same hands and how those who have it use their power to maintain their status quo. This song is a stark reminder of the importance of questioning established authority and working towards a more just and equitable society.
Line by Line Meaning
It's no good praying to the powers that be
There's no use in begging those in charge
'cause they won't shake the roots of the money tree
Because they won't disrupt their source of wealth
No good praying to the pristine alters
It's useless to pray at the clean altars of power
Waiting for the blessing with holy water
Hoping for a miracle from those in charge won't work
They like the same old wealth in the same old hands
The people in charge prefer to maintain their wealth and control
Means the same old people stay old people stay in command
This ensures the same people remain in power
Watch your money-go-round; watch your money-go-round
Monitor your money as it keeps circulating
They got it wrapped up tight, they got it safe and sound
The people in charge keep a tight grip on their wealth
As you fall from grace and hit the ground
You'll suffer the consequences of financial mismanagement
Too much money in too few places
There's a concentration of wealth among a small group
Only puts a smile on particular faces
This benefits only a select few
Said too much power in not enough hands
Concentrated power leads to problems
Makes me think "get rich quick; take all I can"
This mentality arises from a system of concentrated wealth and power
They're too busy spending on the means of destruction
Those in charge use their wealth to fund weapons and war
To ever spend a penny on some real construction
They don't invest in things that actually benefit society
They amuse themselves as they fool around
The wealthy and powerful entertain themselves while ignoring society's needs
Do like they say, make them vulnerable
We should follow the wealthy's lead and become vulnerable as a society
No good looking to the empire corners,
It's useless to seek help from those in charge
"civilization" built on slaughter
Our current society was built on violence
Carrying hopes and carrying maps
We carry dreams and aspirations
The spineless ones fall in their laps
The powerless end up serving those in charge
The brave and the bold are the ones to be fooled
The courageous get tricked by those in power
With a diet of lies by the Kipling school
They're fed lies and misinformation from the elite
But I just can't help being cynical
I can't help but view things with skepticism
Do like I say, make me wonderful
We should reject the powerful's advice and instead strive to be excellent on our own
Their morals are clean and their clear
Those in power consider themselves righteous
They bend your arm and they bend your ear
They use their influence to manipulate us
Said they bend your mind as you talk in circles
They use their power to control our thoughts and conversations
Bend over forwards, this won't hurt you
They'll force us to comply, even if it's detrimental to us
Till there's blood in your lap, blood on your hands
Their actions may lead to violence and harm
Come spend a penny, go out with a pound
They'll gladly accept any amount of money, but will always receive more than what was spent
The need your votes and you know where to send 'em
They require our votes and we know where to cast them
Be we don't get the choice of a public referendum
They don't allow us to vote on important issues
On all the real issues that affect our lives
They don't allow us to vote on issues that truly impact us
Like the usa base to which we play midwife
They don't allow us to vote on important geopolitical issues
Take a cruise and forget this scene
They'd rather we forget how things really are and focus on distractions
Said come back later when the slates wiped clean
They want us to come back once things are more favourable for them
Born of woman, killed by man
Life is given by women, but often taken by men
The good and righteous sing their hymns
The wealthy and powerful sing their praises
The crimpoline dresses who have no sins
The wealthy and powerful act innocent and pure
Christians by day, killers in war
Those who claim to be peaceful often engage in warfare
The hypocrites who know what they're fighting for
They know their true motivations are not pure
Killing for peace, freedom and truth
They claim to fight for noble causes even as they engage in violence
But they're too old to go so they send the youth
The old and powerful send young people to fight in their wars
I don't think he was an astronaut
I don't believe their stories and excuses
I must insist, he was a socialist!
I believe that they are hiding their true political leanings
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL JOHN WELLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind