The band released their debut album, Good Feeling (1997), to moderate success where it debuted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart and was later awarded a silver certification from the BPI in January 2000. The band gained greater success with their second album, The Man Who (1999), which spent nine weeks at number one on the UK Albums Chart, totalling 134 weeks in the top 100 of the chart. In 2003, The Man Who was certified 9× platinum by the BPI, representing sales of over 2.68 million in the UK alone. Following this success, the band released their third effort, The Invisible Band (2001) album. The Invisible Band went on to match the success found with their previous album, where it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and spent a total of four weeks at the top spot, fifteen weeks in the top ten, and a total of fifty-five weeks in the top 100 chart, as well as peaking at thirty-nine on the US Billboard 200 album chart, spending a duration of seven weeks in the Billboard 200 chart. A year following the release of The Invisible Band, the BPI awarded Travis with a 4× platinum certification for the album.
In recent years, the band's discography has included studio albums 12 Memories (2003), The Boy with No Name (2007), Ode to J. Smith (2008), Where You Stand (2013), Everything at Once (2016) and 10 Songs (2020). In 2004, the band released their first greatest hits album, Singles, which spent nineteen weeks in the top 100 of the UK albums chart. Travis have twice been awarded best band at the BRIT Awards and were awarded the NME Artist of the Year award at their 2000 ceremony, and in 2016 were honoured at the Scottish Music Awards for their outstanding contribution to music. The band are widely said by the media to have paved the way for other bands such as Keane and Coldplay to go on to achieve worldwide success throughout the 2000s, particularly with the success of The Man Who.
Craft Recordings celebrated the 20th anniversary of Travis' breakthrough year with two simultaneous releases: Live at Glastonbury '99, plus expanded editions of The Man Who – both of which were released on 21 June 2019.
09 She's So Strange
Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And she wore a black mustache
And pilfered all the petty cash
She went to Birmingham
She'll soon be in the can
She's so cruel
And she knew what just what to do
And while the cats were all sniffing glue
They played their silly games
And now they'll take the blame
What she'd done
And she didn't know quite what she did
And they told her that she better had
So now she starts to cry
Without a reason why
She's so poor
And only now she's looking back
Sees her story on a paperback
What will become of her
There's not much left for her
The song "She's So Strange" by Travis talks about a woman who is eccentric and cruel, yet manages to evoke sympathy from the listeners. The opening verse describes her physical appearance, including a black mustache, and her tendency to steal money from petty cash. She then heads to Birmingham, where she ends up in jail. The second verse reveals that the woman is manipulative, and she knows how to play mind games with others. As the people around her were sniffing glue, she used their distraction to her advantage. However, she ends up getting caught, and as the reality of her situation sets in, she breaks down in tears without any apparent reason.
The chorus tells us that she is now poor and looking back at her life, realizing that there is not much left for her. The final fate of the woman is left unknown, and the song ends on a melancholic note. The lyrics have been left open to interpretation, but they may suggest that the woman's eccentric behavior and cruelty were veiled attempts at coping with her bleak life.
Line by Line Meaning
She's so strange
This woman's behavior is unusual and abnormal
And she wore a black mustache
She isn't afraid to be different or subvert gender norms
And pilfered all the petty cash
She stole small amounts of money
She went to Birmingham
She traveled to this city for some reason
She'll soon be in the can
She's going to jail soon for her crimes
She's so cruel
Her actions have caused harm and pain to others
And she knew just what to do
She was aware of the consequences of her actions
And while the cats were all sniffing glue
Other people were distracted or not paying attention
They played their silly games
They engaged in childish or foolish behavior
And now they'll take the blame
Others will be held responsible for what happened
What she'd done
She did something wrong or illegal
And she didn't know quite what she did
She wasn't fully aware of the consequences of her actions
And they told her that she better had
Others informed her of the severity of her actions
So now she starts to cry
She's feeling emotional about her situation
Without a reason why
She doesn't understand why she's feeling this way
She's so poor
She doesn't have much money or resources
And only now she's looking back
In hindsight, she's reflecting on her past
Sees her story on a paperback
Her life is now a publicized story
What will become of her
She's unsure of her future
There's not much left for her
Her options are limited at this point
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FRANCIS HEALY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Felipe C.
I discovered Travis this year, I cant believe how good they are.
rattyroland
She went to Birmingham. The notes for this segment was taken from my favourite song Slight Return by the Bluetones (all this will fade away). I love the fact that each song on the album has a riff or lyric taken from the other Britpop bands at the time. Pure genius
Cadoxton Conner
Pure genius ? Or maybe a band with not much to say slagging off other bands that do.
Andrew Munn
I'm going to listen again and work it out for each track - there is no design for life or wonderwall to climb
🦋 Love Conquers All 143
You're right, and I never noticed that! Lol. Thank you!! 💜💖💜
DIAZ PEDRO
Même à ce jour, cette chanson est dans mon top 5...!
Carl Reeder
great track..... nuff said
grissolanito
Que buena rola travis forever ☺☺☺☺☺
The sound like chameleons
A classic. C '23
Alpha TV
2022.. Same Vibe