Later, he told this episode to Knack as: "When I entered the Rock Rally, I even hardly knew what that was. I thought it was a presentation of big bands that already have at least one cd. I had little material then, a few hoempapa-tunes, but my brother said : "you've got at least one song that kicks ass, take that". I then recorded a tape and sent it in, without expectations. And then I ended up becoming second in the final, I went crazy. But well, since then I've been doing my homework and I realised what has happened to all the bands that have come second in the history of the rock rally: none of them has any stature now. So it doesn't hurt to put things into perspective."
As a promotion of his one-man band, he recorded a first single in the fall of 1996 (Like her vacation), and did a number of performances, alone in clubs and on a small tour with the The Sands & Sheffield Wednesday. Somewhere in the middle of all that, he grew tired of the idea of being looked upon as a rocking troubadour (the belgian Billy Bragg, was the most often heard comparison) and realized the solo-formula had some serious limitations. "It was never my intention of remaining a solo-artist forever. I only wanted to try out the songs on my own. I was finding myself, and I know that it was not a bad idea to continue on my own in the slipstream of the rock-rally publicity. Until I grew tired of the limitations. Unless you have a very well-known repertoire, it obviously is almost impossible to keep the audience interesed for more than 10 minutes."
In March of 1997, he found in Desmond van Weddingen on drums and in Wim Janssens on the bass two "compagnons de route", and together they started working on a first CD: Tom Helsen had become a band. The attention to the song-material had remained, but with the trio-formula the sound had of course changed completely, and almost all of the songs from the solo-period had been swept overboard. As it was said in in the bio in 1998: "Gone is the Billy Bragg of the Low Countries, instead here's a band that brings you crystal clear guitarpopsongs in the rich tradition of for example Buffalo Tom". Another commenter said "nice melodic songs with a tasteful accompaniment of guitar, bass and rums. If you want to stick a label onto it, Tom Helsen is the perfect crossbreed of The Counting Crows and Buffalo Tom". Or as gvn said in Humo : "The debut of Tom Helsen is not the world-class album that will put your senses into "astonishing"-mode, but it just contains 11 fragile songs (of which at least 7 will not lose their appeal by next month), which are played with an enthusiasm that makes you suspect they will be even better live. And then you hear Tom Helsen live - that voice! - and you are certain. It's that kind of an album. At least that's something". The songs "All you broken homers" & "Great American Sex Scandal" also were released a single, but didn't cause much upheaval.
Very calmly, the band (nowa quartet with Geert Peeters on bass) continued working on a second CD, that was released with much delays in the fall of 2000. In the meantime, the only sign of life had been the beautiful single "Tom is doing Great", and that also became the title of the full-CD. The reason for the delay was that a number of the songs had been totally re-arranged with the aid and cooperation of Joost Zweegers of Novastar. The single "When Marvin Calls" had all the quality that cooperation promised, and became the breaktrough for the band. Tom about this in Humo : "Joost has taught me that I was focusing on the wrong thing in songwriting: I was writing stories with a beginning and an end, but I neglected the struchtur of the songs ... I've been making music in a very naieve way from the start : I just did it, without thinking. The best is to combine these two ways as Joost does: to make music that is very sensitive and has the goal to touch people, but also: knowing how to do that and how to bring about those effects". The result was an album with 10 storng songs with a rather melancholic undertone, and with more evidence of a unique voice than on the first cd.
The ambition : "When the first album came out, I really had the urge to score, to have success and sell a lot of records so I would be able to live off my music and do 100% what I wanted to. Now I have a part-time job so I can make music in a much more relaxed manner. If I gain something from a gig or so, it's a nice extra. ... I only would really like to have a really huge budget for my next album, to make everything sound exactly as I want it to ... I've been on a melancholic trip for the past two years, but these last times I've really felt like starting to rock again".
Band members :
- Tom Helsen (vocals, guitar, piano)
- Wim Janssens (vocals, guitar, keyboard)
- Geert Peeters (bass)
- Desmond van Weddingen (drums)
Polyester
Tom Helsen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She'll light up for no-one else and she's leaving today
And all you men are slime and anyone can tell her this
And anyone can do her with a smile
They'll turn you on and you'll do fine
They'll deceive you again
I'll beam you up and lock your door
Idealize you
Polyester breeding and polyester's out
And I,
And I'll do fine and I believe you
And I'll give you seven spaces in my house
And there's no time and no believe in ... in me
And you'll scream it out, there is no mistaking:
You are god and everyone is smaller
Just take it if you really want to drag it all the way
And I,
I am going down with you
So fake it if you really want like waters all around
Idealize you
Idealize you
Polyester breeding and polyester's out
Heart-attacks are faking and your fires are allowed
Think that I can take this, but it's getting to my head
Where all your wires are repeating and your monster-truck is bad
Idealize you
Never been so clear
I can think and I can dream her 50 miles away from here
Idealize you
Polyester
Polyester breeding and polyester's out
Heart-attacks are faking and your fires are allowed
Think that I can take this, but it's getting to my head
Where all your wires are repeating and your monster-truck is bad
Idealize you
Polyester
Idealize you
Polyester
Tom Helsen's song "Polyester" appears to be a mixture of emotions and themes- there are elements of love, obsession, envy, desperation and possibly even lust. The song's title itself has several interpretations- one could see it as an ode to the material polyester, a reference to the artificial and synthetic nature of human relationships, or even as a metaphor for the longevity of feelings and emotions that lead an individual in a particular direction. The lyrics begin with a reference to a character called Esther, who is described as being someone who possesses an aura that attracts an individual in a magnetic manner. The reference to her being a charm possibly means that she has many positive attributes that make her desirable, and that she is leaving causing an upheaval in the singer's world.
The second stanza seems to be a warning about the trials and tribulations that Esther might face when away from the singer. The singer seems to be warning Esther about the predatory nature of men and how they will only use her for their own selfish needs. The singer also promises to protect Esther and keep her safe from the evils outside. The line "Idealize you" is repeated many times, which could be an indication of the singer's reverence for Esther and placing her on a pedestal. The middle section of the song talks more about the singer's obsession with Esther- he is willing to offer her seven spaces in his house, indicating a desire to be around her always. The line "And you'll scream it out, there is no mistaking: You are god and everyone is smaller" could be interpreted in many ways- is the singer referring to Esther as a deity-like figure, or could he be referring to himself in the third person? One could also interpret the line to mean that when Esther is with the singer, she feels powerful and in control, but this could also be seen as manipulation on the singer's part.
Towards the end of the song, the singer seems to be struggling with his emotions- there is a sense of chaos and confusion as he tries to make sense of the relationship with Esther. The themes of obsession and lust become more pronounced towards the end of the song- the reference to polyester breeding and heart-attacks faking could be alluding to the artificial nature of the relationship between the singer and Esther, and how it is unsustainable in the long run. The final chorus repeats the line "Idealize you Polyester" several times, which could be interpreted as the singer being unable to let go of his feelings for Esther, even if it's clear that they're not good for him.
Line by Line Meaning
Silently repeating, Esther is my charm
Esther is someone who Tom thinks about constantly
She'll light up for no-one else and she's leaving today
Esther is special and unique but is leaving Tom today
And all you men are slime and anyone can tell her this
Tom thinks other men are disgusting and he hopes Esther realizes this too
And anyone can do her with a smile
Tom believes that Esther is easily swayed by charm or flattery
They'll turn you on and you'll do fine
Other men will try to seduce Esther but Tom thinks she will be okay
They'll deceive you again
Tom thinks that men will try to cheat on Esther
I'll beam you up and lock your door
Tom will protect Esther from other men
Bring you home again
Tom will take Esther home safely
Idealize you
Tom has an idealized view of Esther
Polyester breeding and polyester's out
Tom is rejecting artificial or fake things like polyester
And I, And I'll do fine and I believe you
Tom is confident that he can protect Esther
And I'll give you seven spaces in my house
Tom is offering Esther a place to stay and a safe haven
And there's no time and no believe in ... in me
Tom feels like he doesn't have much time left and he doubts himself
And you'll scream it out, there is no mistaking:
Tom expects that Esther will realize he's the best for her
You are god and everyone is smaller
Tom thinks that Esther is superior to everyone else
Just take it if you really want to drag it all the way
Tom wants Esther to choose him completely
I am going down with you
Tom is willing to suffer alongside Esther
So fake it if you really want like waters all around
Tom suggests that Esther should pretend to like other men to test his loyalty
Heart-attacks are faking and your fires are allowed
Tom thinks that people pretend to care and love others
Think that I can take this, but it's getting to my head
Tom feels overwhelmed by his emotions for Esther
Where all your wires are repeating and your monster-truck is bad
Tom thinks that Esther is stuck in a bad situation with manipulative people
Never been so clear
Tom is certain about his feelings for Esther
I can think and I can dream her 50 miles away from here
Tom thinks about Esther all the time and even dreams of her far away
Contributed by Jake J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.