The band's initial line-up consisted of singer/bassist Julian Cope, Mick Finkler on guitar, Gary Dwyer on drums and Paul Simpson on keyboards. They were managed by Bill Drummond and signed to his Zoo label. An early version of the band, which included Ian McCulloch on vocals, was known as A Shallow Madness.
The band released their first single, Sleeping Gas in February of 1979. Soon after, Simpson left the band and was replaced by Zoo label co-owner, David Balfe. Their next single Bouncing Babies inspired a tribute song of its own: I Can't Get Bouncing Babies by the Teardrop Explodes - an ode to the difficulty of obtaining a copy of the song.
Finkler was fired by Cope during the recording of their debut album Kilimanjaro and was replaced by Dalek I Love You guitarist Alan Gill. The LP was a moderate success; it reached number 24 on the British pop charts.
In 1981, the group was at the height of its popularity. In January, they hit # 6 on the British charts with the Reward single and in April they broke the top 20 with Treason. During this period, there were numerous line up changes: Alfie Agius was brought in on bass, Jeff Hammer replaced Balfe on keyboards and Troy Tate replaced Gill on guitar.
Expectations were high for the band's second album, Wilder. The first single Passionate Friend performed reasonably well (#25 UK), but the album itself was unsuccessful, limping to 29 on the charts, disappearing shortly afterwards.
When the band reconvened to record their third album, they were reduced to the trio of Cope, Dwyer and a reinstated Balfe. Tensions were high – Cope wanted to write ballads and quirky pop songs, while Balfe was more interested in recording synth-based dance music. Cope eventually dissolved the band in 1982 in the middle of the sessions. The material was later released in 1990 under the title Everybody Wants to Shag .... The outtakes show a mix of synth/dance pop, dominated by Balfe's keyboards on songs like Count to Ten and Run for Cover and more gentle pop on songs like Soft Enough For You, that prefigure the direction of Cope's early solo career.
Colours Fly Away
The Teardrop Explodes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Smiling at the fighting once again,
Frightened of my hands,
Frightened of my friends,
Call it by a very different name.
Colours fly away from you,
Lost in valid wondering,
Angels fly their camoflage,
There's a new boy here to play our game,
Shoot my eyes out I could wake up dreaming,
This is where I score,
Wise up to my tricks,
Colour in my face and yell extremist.
Colours fly away from you,
Lost in valid wondering,
Angels fly their camoflage,
Darkness that is shattered by the dawn.
Someone's sleeping in my attic room,
Someone's watching everything I'm doing,
Harry Ranjet sings,
Save a song for me,
Heard you on the radio today.
Colours fly away!
In "Colours Fly Away", The Teardrop Explodes reveals the struggles of the singer, whose doubts about his abilities and fears of vulnerability led to confusion and unease with his companions. The opening lines, "More by luck than judgment here am I. Smiling at the fighting once again," express the singer's shock at being alive, feeling out of place, as if he were lucky to be alive but somehow did not belong in that moment. Despite his doubts and fears of hold his friends and himself accountable, he acknowledges the situation and tells himself to "wise up to [his] tricks." He worries that the darkness surrounding him is hiding something frightening, with the angels' camouflage inspiring thoughts of secrecy and cunning.
Throughout the song, the singer has an extreme aversion to his colourful identity, as he seemingly wishes to hide its shades which fly away. The colors become lyrical metaphors for the varied experiences that have shaped his life to date. Nevertheless, he is afraid he will become known as an extremist and will, therefore, be negatively perceived while he tries to hide his true identity.
Overall, "Colours Fly Away" is a song that conveys sadness and anxiety. It captures the singer's feelings of dislocation and an unfathomable future that's fraught with confusion and uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
More by luck than judgment here am I,
I ended up here by chance, not by decision.
Smiling at the fighting once again,
I'm used to seeing conflict and can't help but grin.
Frightened of my hands,
I'm scared of what I might do with my own hands.
Frightened of my friends,
I'm scared of how my friends might react or treat me.
Call it by a very different name.
I want to give a distinctive title to what's happening.
Colours fly away from you,
Your vibrant energy and spirit is disappearing.
Lost in valid wondering,
You're absorbed in questioning that has significance.
Angels fly their camouflage,
The messengers of God are hiding and evading notice.
Darkness that is shattered by the dawn.
After a time of unknown trouble, light eventually returns.
There's a new boy here to play our game,
A newcomer wants to join in our activity.
Shoot my eyes out I could wake up dreaming,
I'm willing to risk it all in order to change my reality.
This is where I score,
This is where I profit or make a difference.
Wise up to my tricks,
Figure out my clever schemes and tactics.
Colour in my face and yell extremist.
The intensity of my convictions shows in my emotions and cries.
Someone's sleeping in my attic room,
I suspect or know that someone is living secretly in my highest room.
Someone's watching everything I'm doing,
I sense or observe someone closely monitoring me.
Harry Ranjet sings,
The famous musician Harry Ranjet performs.
Save a song for me,
Dedicate one of your songs to me.
Heard you on the radio today.
I listened to your latest broadcast on the radio earlier.
Colours fly away!
Energy and liveliness quickly fade.
Writer(s): Julian Cope
Contributed by Mila I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.