The group scored British and American hits in 1964 with "She's Not There". In the US, two further singles—"Tell Her No" in 1965 and "Time of the Season" in 1968—were also successful. Their 1968 album Odessey and Oracle is ranked number 100 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The Zombies were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
The Zombies signed to Decca and recorded their first hit, "She's Not There" after winning a beat-group competition sponsored by the London Evening News. "She's Not There" was released in mid-1964 and peaked at number twelve in the U.K., where it would be their only top-forty hit. It was first aired in the United States in early August 1964, on New York City rock station WINS by Stan Z. Burns, who debuted the song on his daily noontime "Hot Spot" segment during which new songs were played. The tune began to catch on in early Autumn and eventually climbed to number two.
In early 1965, "Tell Her No" became another big seller in the United States but had failed to make the Top 40 in the band's native U.K Subsequent recordings such as "I Love You" (which became a hit for People! in 1968), "Indication", "Whenever You're Ready", and "Is This the Dream" failed to achieve the success of the previous two singles.
Their first LP, Begin Here (1965), was a collection of early singles, half a dozen original songs combined with several R&B covers. The Zombies signed to CBS Records for one final LP in 1967. The resulting album, Odessey and Oracle, was one of the very first to utilise a Mellotron keyboard, as the band's budget did not allow for the hiring of session musicians. The band discovered too late that "odyssey" had been misspelled by the cover designers and were reportedly deeply embarrassed.
By the time Odessey and Oracle was released in April 1968, the band had broken up. The album sold little, and was only released in the U.S. because musician Al Kooper vouched for it. It has since gone on to be recognized as one of the greatest albums of all time, with Rolling Stone ranking it eightieth on its 500 Greatest Albums list. An album track called "Time of the Season" was released as a single. and eventually (1969) it became a huge nationwide hit (Billboard number three) after a radio DJ discovered it and put it on heavy rotation.
After The Zombies disbanded, Rod Argent formed a band called Argent; Colin Blunstone started a solo career. In1991 Blunstone, Grundy, and White briefly reunited as The Zombies with guitarist Sebastian Santa Maria, and recorded the album New World.
Iconic British psychedelic pop legends The Zombies have returned to celebrate the release of their latest Billboard-charting album, Still Got That Hunger, lead by founding and current members, vocalist Colin Blunstone and keyboardist Rod Argent, alongside bassist Jim Rodford (formerly of ARGENT and The Kinks), Rodford’s son Steve Rodford on drums, and renowned session guitarist Tom Toomey.
The band’s live performances, described by Rolling Stone as “absolutely triumphant”, take fans on a journey through time, from their early hits…their 1968 masterpiece Odessey & Oracle…post-Zombies solo favorites…right to today with Still Got That Hunger.
The second U.K. band following the Beatles to score a #1 hit in America, The Zombies infiltrated the airwaves with the sophisticated melodies, breathy vocals, choral back-up harmonies and jazzy keyboard riffs of their 1960’s hit singles “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No.” Ironically, the group broke-up just prior to achieving their greatest success – the worldwide chart-topping single “Time of the Season,” from their swan-song album Odessey & Oracle, ranked #100 in Rolling Stone’s ‘500 Greatest Albums of All Time.’ To this day, generations of new bands have cited The Zombies’ work as pop touchstones, and the band continues to be embraced by new generations of fans.
Following the break-up of the original band, lead vocalist Colin Blunstone went on to develop an acclaimed solo career (with hits including "Say You Don't Mind," "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted", and “Old & Wise” with Alan Parsons Project) and keyboardist/songwriter Rod Argent rocked ‘70’s arenas with his eponymous band ARGENT (“Hold Your Head Up,” “God Gave Rock ‘n’ Roll To You”), but the legend of The Zombies continued to take on a life of its own. By the start of the new Millennium, Blunstone and Argent were inspired to resurrect The Zombies.
The explosive release of Still Got That Hunger proved that Zombies fever is stronger than ever, with premieres at Rolling Stone, Mojo, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian Speakeasy, and Spin, alongside special broadcast performances, including Later…With Jools Holland, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and AOL Sessions. Moreover, it marked a historical moment on the Billboard charts, as The Zombies’ critically acclaimed album Odessey And Oracle re-entered the Billboard 100 forty-eight years later at the same time as Still Got That Hunger!
The Zombies look forward to an even busier 2017, with a major world tour, table-top book release and other exciting projects to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the recording of Odessey And Oracle.
Don't Go Away
The Zombies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Climbs the other side of the hill
Day light and the new light
Comes climbing up the hill
Don't go away
Don't take your love with the night
Don't go away
With the night, please stay
Through the night I can feel you love me
I know I believe it
I want to hold you tight
While the warmth of the night surrounds us
I want night to last forever
I know you'll go
Of the first light
Of the day comes into sight
You'll go from me
Through the night you'll temper my feeling
Hold me to you
I know you love me real
But the day I can't feel so sure
I want the night to last forever
I know you'll go
From the first light of the day
Comes into sight
You'll go from me
Day comes, sun comes
Climbs the other side of the hill
Day light and the new light
Comes climbing up the hill
Don't go away
Don't take your love with the night
Don't go away
With the night, please stay
Don't go away
Don't go away
Don't go away
Don't go away
The lyrics to The Zombies' "Don't Go Away" evoke the feeling of a bittersweet romance. The song speaks to the desire to cling on to a night filled with passion and the reluctance to let it end. Throughout the song, the singer pleads with their object of affection not to leave them as the "new light comes climbing up the hill." It is clear that the singer is afraid that the daylight will bring an end to their love, and they want their partner to stay with them. The lyrics express a sense of desperation, and the singer sounds like they know that their partner's love is only temporary. The verses contrast with the chorus, which is a plea for their partner to stay with them.
The lyrics are powerful and poignant, tapping into our deepest emotions. They capture the feeling of not wanting a passionate moment to end because you're afraid that the reality of the day will destroy it. We all have moments in our lives that we wish would go on forever, and this song speaks to that desire. The words convey a sense of longing and the fear of a love fading. While "Don't Go Away" is a simple song, it is emotional and touches on universal themes that we can all relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
Day comes, sun comes
Climbs the other side of the hill
Day light and the new light
Comes climbing up the hill
The day starts and the sun rises, climbing up the hill and bringing new light to the world.
Don't go away
Don't take your love with the night
Don't go away
With the night, please stay
Please don't leave me when the night ends, taking your love with you. Stay with me as the night fades away.
Through the night I can feel you love me
I know I believe it
I want to hold you tight
While the warmth of the night surrounds us
I want night to last forever
I know you'll go
During the night, I feel your love for me and I know it's real. I want to hold onto that feeling and never let go, but I know eventually you will leave.
Of the first light
Of the day comes into sight
You'll go from me
As soon as the first light of day appears, you will leave me.
Through the night you'll temper my feeling
Hold me to you
I know you love me real
But the day I can't feel so sure
During the night, you comfort me and make me feel loved. But in the light of day, I'm not so sure anymore.
Don't go away
Don't take your love with the night
Don't go away
With the night, please stay
Once again, please don't leave me when the night ends. Stay with me as the night fades away.
Don't go away
Don't go away
Don't go away
Don't go away
Repeating the plea for the loved one to stay and not leave.
Lyrics © KHARI INTERNATIONAL
Written by: KAREN HARRIS, SCOTT A III WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
on She's Not There
An excellent song by The Zombies.