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.
My Ever Changing Moods (Acoustic]
The Style Council Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Praising the way it all works and gazing upon the rest
The cool before the warm, the calm after the storm
Oh the cool before the warm, the calm after the storm
I wish to stay forever, letting this be my food
Oh but I'm caught up in a whirlwind and my ever changing moods
Bitter turns to sugar, some call a passive tune
The hush before the silence, the winds after the blast
Oh the hush before the silence, the winds after the blast
I wish we'd move together, this time the bosses sued
Oh but we're caught up in the wilderness and an ever changing mood
Teardrops turn to children, who've never had the time
To commit the sins they pay for through, another's evil mind
The love after the hate
The love we leave too late
The love after the hate, the love we leave too late
I wish we'd wake up one day, and everyone feel moved
Oh but we're caught up in the dailies and an ever changing mood
Evil turns to statues, and masses form a line
But I know which way I'd run to if the choice was mine
The past is our knowledge, the present our mistake
And the future we always leave too late
I wish we'd come to our senses and see there is no truth, oh
In those who promote the confusion for this ever changing mood, yeah
The Style Council's song "My Ever Changing Moods" is a reflection on the ups and downs of life, and the unpredictable nature of human emotions. The lyrics describe the transitions from day to night and from bitter to sweet, from hate to love and from evil to good. The singer is caught up in a whirlwind of changing moods, unable to control his reactions to the world around him.
The first verse begins with daylight turning to moonlight, a metaphor for the daily cycles of life. The singer is at his best at night, when he can contemplate the beauty of the world and his place in it. He longs to stay in this peaceful state forever, but he is caught up in a whirlwind of emotions that he can't escape.
The second verse describes how bitterness can turn to sweetness, and how even the most terrible events can lead to new beginnings. The singer longs for unity and harmony, but the world is filled with confusion and division. He wishes that we could all wake up and see the truth, but instead we are caught up in the daily grind of life.
The final verse is a call to action, urging us to come to our senses and take control of our lives. The past may be our knowledge, but the present is our chance to make a change. The future always comes too late, so it's important to act now and create a better world for ourselves and others.
Overall, "My Ever Changing Moods" is a powerful message of hope and resilience. It reminds us that life is full of unpredictable twists and turns, but that we can still find beauty and meaning in the midst of chaos.
Line by Line Meaning
Daylight turns to moonlight, and I'm at my best
I feel my best during a transition from day to night
Praising the way it all works and gazing upon the rest
I admire the workings of the world and enjoy observing it
The cool before the warm, the calm after the storm
I enjoy the peaceful moments before and after a hectic event
I wish to stay forever, letting this be my food
I want to sustain and cherish these peaceful moments
Oh but I'm caught up in a whirlwind and my ever changing moods
Unfortunately, I am distracted by my constantly shifting emotions
Bitter turns to sugar, some call a passive tune
Situations can change from negative to positive, but some may see it as uneventful
But the day things turn sweet, for me won't be too soon
I am eagerly awaiting a positive change in my life
The hush before the silence, the winds after the blast
I enjoy the quiet moments before and after a loud event
I wish we'd move together, this time the bosses sued
I want society to work together towards a common goal, and hold those in power accountable
Oh but we're caught up in the wilderness and an ever changing mood
Unfortunately, society is distracted by the chaos of everyday life and constantly shifting attitudes
Teardrops turn to children, who've never had the time
Sorrow can cause children to grow up too quickly and miss out on a carefree childhood
To commit the sins they pay for through, another's evil mind
Innocent children may suffer due to the actions of others
The love after the hate
Love and positivity can replace hate and negativity
The love we leave too late
Unfortunately, we often realize the importance of love too late
I wish we'd wake up one day, and everyone feel moved
I hope that someday society will be inspired to make a positive change
Oh but we're caught up in the dailies and an ever changing mood
Unfortunately, the chaos of daily life and constantly shifting emotions distract us from making meaningful change
Evil turns to statues, and masses form a line
Oppressive figures can be immortalized, and people follow them blindly
But I know which way I'd run to if the choice was mine
I know which path I would choose if given the option
The past is our knowledge, the present our mistake
We can learn from our past, but often make mistakes in the present
And the future we always leave too late
We often fail to take action until it is too late to make a meaningful impact on the future
I wish we'd come to our senses and see there is no truth, oh
I hope that society will realize that there is no one absolute truth
In those who promote the confusion for this ever changing mood, yeah
We should be wary of those who seek to sow confusion in a constantly changing world
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL JOHN WELLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tredegar Wales
Daylight turns to moonlight - and I'm at my best
Praising the way it all works - gazing upon the rest
The cool before the warm
The calm after the storm
The cool before the warm
The calm after the storm
I wish to stay forever - letting this be my food
But I'm caught up in a whirlwind and my ever changing moods
Bitter turns to sugar - some call a passive tune
But the day things turn sweet - for me won't be too soon
The hush before the silence
The winds after the blast
The hush before the silence
The winds after the blast
I wish we'd move together - this time the bosses sued
But we're caught up in the wilderness and an ever changing mood
Teardrops turn to children - who've never had the time
To commit the sins they pay for through - another's evil mind
The love after the hate
The love we leave too late
The love after the hate
The love we leave too late
I wish we'd wake up one day - an' everyone feel moved
But we're caught up in the dailies and an ever changing mood
Evil turns to statues
and masses form a line
But I know which way I'd run to if the choice was mine
The past is knowledge
the present our mistake
And the future we always leave too late
I wish we'd come to our senses and see there is no truth
In those who promote the confusion for this ever changing mood
Gabri
Daylight turns to moonlight, and I'm at my best
Praising the way it all works and gazing upon the rest
The cool before the warm, the calm after the storm
Oh the cool before the warm, the calm after the storm
I wish to stay forever, letting this be my food
Oh but I'm caught up in a whirlwind and my ever changing moods
Bitter turns to sugar, some call a passive tune
But the day things turn sweet, for me won't be too soon
The hush before the silence, the winds after the blast
Oh the hush before the silence, the winds after the blast
I wish we'd move together, this time the bosses sued
Oh but we're caught up in the wilderness and an ever changing mood
Teardrops turn to children, who've never had the time
To commit the sins they pay for through, another's evil mind
The love after the hate
The love we leave too late
The love after the hate, the love we leave too late
I wish we'd wake up one day, and everyone feel moved
Oh but we're caught up in the dailies and an ever changing mood
Evil turns to statues, and masses form a line
But I know which way I'd run to if the choice was mine
The past is our knowledge, the present our mistake
And the future we always leave too late
I wish we'd come to our senses and see there is no truth, oh
In those who promote the confusion for this ever changing mood, yeah
Marcos Marcos
WHEN A PIANO TUNE SMASHES YOU RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY ! - Daylight turns to moonlight, and I'm at my best
Praising the way it all works and gazing upon the rest
The cool before the warm, the calm after the storm
Oh the cool before the warm, the calm after the storm
I wish to stay forever, letting this be my food
Oh but I'm caught up in a whirlwind and my ever changing moods
Bitter turns to sugar, some call a passive tune
But the day things turn sweet, for me won't be too soon
The hush before the silence, the winds after the blast
Oh the hush before the silence, the winds after the blast
I wish we'd move together, this time the bosses sued
Oh but we're caught up in the wilderness and an ever changing mood
Teardrops turn to children, who've never had the time
To commit the sins they pay for through, another's…
christobrown
Those first two bars lower my blood pressure, and any stress evaporates....an amazing version of a fantastic song.
sammyslam1
So good.....❤️
Joe Maxwell
The BEST version period. One of my all-time favorites.
Jaime Patron
This is one of my all-time favorite songs [original]. Growing up in the South and the Midwest, I was privileged to have a diverse array of musical influences. This version always gets me a little emotional because it's kinda like being at an old school piano lounge, reminiscing about the good times. What I wouldn't do to go back to the 80s. 😞
G F
I grew up in the Midwest also (Ohio) and I was lucky as well to have genuine musical diversity in a place that was not known for ANY kind of diversity. Weller has one of the best voices in music and lyrically this song is a powerhouse!
TheSmithDorian
This is sublime and poetic and it carries those of us who were lucky to have been young at the time of its release back on a wave of melancholy and nostalgia to days that can never be lived again and feelings that can never be felt again.....
Bonnacon
Never a truer word spoken. At least we had those times.
Bonnacon
One of the most truthful, self-empowering songs ever. A true masterpiece, particularly in this version.
sammyslam1
Unreal.....❤️
Mr Ringway
I'm 57 and knew of this song when it was released and it was... a song...
I came across it around 6 weeks ago and have to say that it is bloody brilliant!
I love it!