Their first appearance was on the soundtrack to Savage Steve Holland's first feature film "Better Off Dead". Thinkman was conceived about a year before as a 'front' for producer Rupert Hine following his three solo albums in the first half of the 1980s. The three other band members that appeared with Hine both on their videos and limited live performances were actors.
Rupert Hine and his collaborator, Jeannette-Thérese Obstoj, had originally planned a feature film that coincided with Rupert Hine's signing to Island Records. In the original script here were some 40 Thinkman in total, and their role was that of media terrorists. Reportedly the budget spiraled and it was felt prudent to put the movie on hold and start by releasing the 'soundtrack' first. The album was called 'The Formula' and it became one of Rupert Hine's best-sellers. Whilst the actors made no appearance on the album, Jamie West-Oram from The Fixx and Stewart Copeland from The Police did. Guest vocals on the title track from one of Rupert Hine's favorite artists at the time, Lisa Dalbello, from Canada.
The second album, 'Life is a Full Time Occupation', was released two years later. Accompanied by the same actors for both visuals and promotion, the album was a hybrid between the modd of 'The Formula' and a 'dance' energy arrangement. The lyrical content was also split between the 'media-terrorist' songs and something altogether lighter.
The third and final album, 'Hard Hat Zone', took several further steps away from the origins of the band and became effectively a Rupert Hine solo album. Though one video was made with the same cast, the 'look' no longer worked. Lyrically, the songs were mostly reflective of environmental issues from the title track's reference to the state of the planet to an ode to the plight of the whales entitled 'November Whale'.
The challenge
Thinkman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You must be wearing armor
Maybe you don't hear it
You must have wax in your ears
Maybe you can't see it
But you've worn that blindfold for years.
Are you anesthetized?
Are you preoccupied?
Did you believe it?
Or have you seen it all?
[Chorus:]
Love is like a mountain
If you never try the climb
There's no risk at all
Is there no challenge
Don't you know the edge where the innocents fall?
Maybe you can't hold it
But then it was never yours to hold
Perhaps you've gone crazy
Living with no one to catch your fall
Could you be hypnotized?
Have you been analyzed?
Did someone cruel tell you lies?
Did you believe it?
Or have you seen it all?
[Chorus:]
The lyrics of Thinkman's song "The Challenge" speak to someone who may be closed off or jaded, possibly due to past hurt or negative experiences. The opening lines ask the listener if they are shielded from feeling emotions, as if they are wearing armor, or if they are unable to perceive love and connection, as if they have wax in their ears or a blindfold on. The lyrics suggest that the person may have been hurt in the past, and either consciously or unconsciously chosen to shut themselves off from vulnerability, refusing to take risks or experience the challenge of opening up to love again.
The chorus compares love to a mountain, presenting it as a challenge to be faced and potentially conquered. The lyrics suggest that without taking the risk of climbing the mountain of love, one cannot truly experience it. The lyrics also maintain a sense of caution, acknowledging the possibility of falling and getting hurt. The line "Don't you know the edge where the innocents fall?" is especially poignant, expressing the risk that comes with opening up and being vulnerable, but also suggesting that the effort is worth it.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe you don't feel it
Perhaps you don't experience it emotionally
You must be wearing armor
You are protecting yourself from pain and vulnerability
Maybe you don't hear it
Perhaps you can't perceive it audibly
You must have wax in your ears
You are oblivious to its presence
Maybe you can't see it
Perhaps you are unaware of it visually
But you've worn that blindfold for years.
You are deliberately avoiding its truth
Are you anesthetized?
Are you numbing yourself to the world?
Are you preoccupied?
Are you too distracted to notice?
Did someone cruel tell you lies?
Did someone deceive you with malice?
Did you believe it?
Did you accept those lies as truth?
Or have you seen it all?
Perhaps you've experienced enough to become disillusioned
Love is like a mountain
Love is a formidable force
If you never try the climb
If you never take a chance
There's no risk at all
You won't face any danger
Is there no challenge
Is there no obstacle to overcome?
Don't you know the edge where the innocents fall?
Are you unaware of the danger that exists for even the purest among us?
Maybe you can't hold it
Perhaps it slips through your fingers
But then it was never yours to hold
Perhaps it was never meant for you in the first place
Perhaps you've gone crazy
Perhaps you've lost your mind
Living with no one to catch your fall
Existing without anyone to support you
Could you be hypnotized?
Are you under someone's control?
Have you been analyzed?
Have you undergone scrutiny or examination?
Did someone cruel tell you lies?
Did someone deceive you with malice?
Did you believe it?
Did you accept those lies as truth?
Or have you seen it all?
Perhaps you've experienced enough to become disillusioned
Lyrics © Mute Song Limited, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JEANETTE THERESE OBSTOJ, RUPERT HINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@taranga70
80‘s ♥️
@chadmiller8725
Purchased the album the week it was released and still in my collection packed away as is the turntable. Album is nowhere to be found on line. Time to pull it all out of the closet and revisit awesome vinyl sounds of many great bands I continue to listen to in my late 50s. I am now finding more and more artists are not available on YouTube music and so I am glad I kept all those albums.
@martijn130370
Knockout track from an album that also had the legendary Miami Vice track Best Adventures
@meikelr.9428
From Album The Formula. I like this
@haroldvaison
best adventure of thinkman was in Miami Vice
@JohnMartens
Anyone ever notice that three years later Phil Collins stole this song's main synth riff and used it in "Another Day in Paradise?"
@eiffe
That's funny because Phil Collins and Rupert Hine knew each other well!
@oddballsok
The Formula tops this...but yeah..I have the album on my cassette..there is a lot more to put in youtube..