Anderson also had this to say about the renewed partnership with Bernard Butler: “For years and years after Bernard left Suede it was me running the show, but now the stakes are raised. I feel like we are duelling with each other, in some kind of friendly competition. When we were at our best it was always like that, each trying to better each other.”
The band played their first ever live show on December 14, 2004 at the Oxford Zodiac. Things went as expected for the "new" band, and most new songs were received well by those attending the first set of shows. When asked during a concert by a fan to play the famous Suede song, The Drowners, Anderson replied saying, "Did somebody say they want us to play The Drowners? They came to the wrong gig".
Apart from relatively minor reviews of the first clutch of live shows, The Tears first press, a review of Refugees, interview with Anderson and a poster(!)was in The Sun on 15 April. The next major article was by Alex Petridis in The Guardian, which ended on an extremely optimistic note: "the pair seem artistically reinvigorated by each other's company. Anderson talks excitedly of Tears songs like the ballad Asylum, inspired by his father's struggle with depression, as having moved away from "Suede cliches or Brett Anderson cliches ... it's not, you know, opiated fop territory". There's even a hint of the old provocative flash and arrogance when talk turns to the future: Here Comes the Tears feels like a debut. It will be massively bettered. On this at least there's no hint of disagreement. "This album's like rocking the boat a bit. There's been a few splashes," nods Butler. "Next time, I want to get rid of the sails and see what happens."
From the start, Anderson and Butler were very insistent that the band would not be playing any songs by Suede. Things would change over time, however, as the band ended up playing a b-side of Suede's titled The Living Dead to an enthusiastic reception, during an encore for their show at the Sheffield Leadmill in April. On April 25, 2005, the band's first single, Refugees, was released. The single was very much a success and jumped into the top ten singles chart at number nine.
The band's debut album, Here Come The Tears followed on June 6, 2005. It was released to stellar reviews that helped solidify the duo's comeback, yet it failed to crack the top 10. In late June, the band played a set at the John Peel stage at the Glastonbury Festival. The second single from the debut album, entitled Lovers, was released on June 27. Though a significantly lower charting than the previous single, it still managed a decent spot in the top 25.
More than a month later, singer Anderson announced that he would release his long awaited solo album in between the touring and the release of the band's follow up album. After playing a few festivals and international gigs, the band announced a European tour with dates in October and November. However, to the disappointment of many fans, they later cancelled the tour in favour of beginning work on their second album. Shortly after, the band were dropped from their label most likely due to insufficient touring or low sales.
In late April of 2006, Anderson posted a message on the band's message board announcing the band were on temporary hiatus because "no one ever wanted this thing to get caught up within the drudgery of the whole tour/record/tour cycle anyway". In addition, he announced that he had completed his debut solo album and that it would see light in early 2007, hinting that the second Tears record would most likely come after that, if at all.
By the end of August 2006, their website and forum are officially closed, leaving dimmer hope for the future of the band.
In September of 2006 Butler posted on his website: ".....actually tears are the same as ever....i guess coming from the suede trajectory it would look odd to make a record and not stick to the brand name plugging away endlessly at one thing....but if you take my shocking career line over 12 years its just par for the course....im on top of the world working constantly on terrific records from 1990's the mescalitas on offs, and soon we will be making the Duffy record ....
yes i always loved more than i thought"
The Primitive
The Tears Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I want the stars and the mud and the night to define me
And sometimes I look out at the sea and I see the waves and I feel the breeze
And I want the rocks and the birds and the leaves to define me
Cos I am the insect in the jar
I am the spider in the tar
I am the worm inside your drain
And sometimes I stare out at the trees and I forget about the complexities
That scratch and scrape and hate and tease all around me
And sometimes I drift out with the wind and the silence tells me simple things
And I want my lungs and my legs and my skin to define me
Cos I am the insect in the jar
I am the spider in the tar
I am the worm inside your drain
Yes we all come back to the primitive again, oh
Cos I am the insect in the tar
I am the worm in the jar
I am the creature inside your brain
Yes we all come back to the primitive again
And we all come back to the primitive again
And we all come back to the primitive again
And we all come back to the primitive again
The Tears's song The Primitive is a contemplative and introspective track that delves into the idea of returning to the primal state of being. The lyrics talk about the desire to strip away the complexities of modern life and embrace the simplicity and purity of the natural world. The singer yearns to be defined by the stars, the mud, the rocks, the birds, and the leaves - elements that connect them to the primordial essence of their being. They long to escape the superficiality of the world and find meaning in the basic, essential things that make life worth living.
The chorus of the song further emphasizes this desire for a return to the primitive state. The singer identifies themselves as an insect in a jar, a spider in tar, or a worm in a drain - all creatures that represent a raw and rudimentary existence. They argue that despite all of our advancement, the human race ultimately comes back to its most basic form. The repetition of the phrase "Yes we all come back to the primitive again" reinforces this concept and highlights the cyclical nature of human existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh sometimes I look up to the sky and I see the clouds and I see the light
Sometimes I gaze at the sky and its natural beauty inspires me to want common things like stars, mud, and the night to describe who I am.
And sometimes I look out at the sea and I see the waves and I feel the breeze
Other times I gaze at the ocean and its natural elements like waves and breezes enrich my desire to be identified in nature, like rocks, birds and leaves.
Cos I am the insect in the jar
I feel like a helpless insect caught in a jar, with no escape, no way out from what confines me.
I am the spider in the tar
I feel like a spider stuck in tar, lost in my ways, no hope, and no light at the end of the tunnel.
I am the worm inside your drain
I feel like a worm living inside a dark hole, isolated, insignificant, unimportant and unnoticed.
Yes we all come back to the primitive again, oh
Despite our achievements and progress as humans, we always return to our primal, basic instincts in life.
And sometimes I stare out at the trees and I forget about the complexities
Sometimes I gaze at trees and forget about the complicated things that distress me and others around me.
That scratch and scrape and hate and tease all around me
The conflicts and negativity that surround me fill my mind with anxieties and weaknesses that I cannot easily overcome.
And sometimes I drift out with the wind and the silence tells me simple things
Other times I get carried away by the wind and peace and silence remind me of the purity and simplicity of life.
And I want my lungs and my legs and my skin to define me
I desire my physical being and my bodily components to be my definition of who I am, rather than intangible or social counterparts.
Cos I am the insect in the tar
I am still that helpless insect trying to escape, with no way out from what confines me, still trapped in that jar.
I am the worm in the jar
I am still that worm in the dark hole, lost in my ways, no hope and no light yet.
I am the creature inside your brain
I am like any other creature living inside someone's brain, prone to influence and determination from my environment.
And we all come back to the primitive again
As humans, we can't escape our primitive impulses and core instincts, no matter how hard we try to distance ourselves from them.
And we all come back to the primitive again
After all is said and done, we will all remain fundamentally primitive creatures driven by our desires and needs.
And we all come back to the primitive again
As humans, we will always keep coming back to our essential, animalistic nature, there is no escape, and there is no denying it.
Writer(s): Brett Anderson, Bernard Joseph Butler Copyright: Universal Music Publishing Mgb Ltd.
Contributed by Scarlett H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.