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.
Beautiful
Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't stand it
Don't feel it
Something's telling me
Don't wanna go out this way
But have a nice day
Then read it in the headlines
Put it in the background
Stick it in the bag
Stick it in the bag
For the beautiful occupation
The beautiful occupation
You don't need an invitation
To drop in upon a nation
I'm too cynical
I'm just sitting here
I'm just wasting my time
Half a million civillians gonna die today
But look the wrong way
Then read it in the headlines
Watch it on the TV
Put it in the background
Stick it in the bag
Stick it in the bag
For the beautiful occupation
The beautiful occupation
You don't need an invitation
To drop in upon a nation
Don't just stand there watching it happening
I can't stand it
Don't feel it
Something telling me
Don't wanna go out this way
But have a nice day
Then read it in the headlines
Watch it on the TV
Put it in the background
Stick in the bag
Stick in the bag
For the beautiful occupation
The beautiful occupation
Don't need an invitation
To drop in upon a nation
The beautiful occupation
The beautiful occupation
So much for an intervention
Don't call the united nations
The lyrics of Travis's song "Beautiful" are a critique of war and the media's representation of it. The opening lines urge the listener to take action instead of just "standing there watching it happening." The repetition of "Don't feel it" suggests a numbness or desensitization towards the violence of war. The singer declares that he doesn't want to go out this way, indicating a fear of being a victim of war or contributing to it. The song's chorus repeats the phrase "beautiful occupation" which may be interpreted as a sarcastic depiction of war as a beautiful or noble undertaking.
The second verse engages with the media's role in framing the events of war. The singer acknowledges his own cynicism and sense of helplessness in the face of the overwhelming death toll. The phrase "half a million civilians gonna die today" highlights the indiscriminate violence of war and the often-forgotten human cost. The chorus repeats once again, suggesting that the "beautiful occupation" is being packaged and sold to the public through the media, with an invitation to "drop in upon a nation" serving as a criticism of military interventionism.
The repetition of the final stanza emphasizes the song's message - war is not beautiful, and the media's depiction of it is misleading. The final line, "don't call the United Nations," conveys a mistrust of international organizations meant to prevent large-scale violence.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't just stand there watching it happening
Don't be passive when you see something wrong happening
I can't stand it
It's not tolerable for me
Don't feel it
Don't ignore it
Something's telling me
My conscience feels that something is wrong
Don't wanna go out this way
I don't want to end up like this
But have a nice day
Despite everything, I wish you well
Then read it in the headlines
The news will report it later
Watch it on the TV
You can see it on TV
Put it in the background
Ignore it and move on
Stick it in the bag
Forget about it
For the beautiful occupation
Referring to an oppressive situation
You don't need an invitation
It's open for anyone to see
To drop in upon a nation
To interfere in another country's affairs
I'm too cynical
I've become disillusioned
I'm just sitting here
Doing nothing
I'm just wasting my time
Not being productive
Half a million civilians gonna die today
A reference to the cost of war
But look the wrong way
It's easy to ignore the hard truths
The beautiful occupation
A repeating of the chorus
So much for an intervention
It's not working
Don't call the united nations
The situation is dire and needs more than just talk
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stuartblittley3531
i wish more people knew about Travis. 12 Memories is one of the best albums of all times
@ruxandras278
I believe people know about Travis without knowing it's actually Travis. Much love
@Yusuf-Amir
@@ruxandras278exactly, my friend just showed me and I swear I've heard the songs, never knew the band tho
@2malachi
It's still all futility. Your ideas about life, the struggle, terrible. Quiet, calm, no change, die, be gone, ideal. Life is NOT and never will be worth much of anything. Just so you know, whoever you are.
@chiffmonkey
12 Memories is a ridiculously underrated album.
@Ponchosllama
Travis and Keane are the greatest bands of our time !
@chrismorris3100
@Joe McKenzie no u
@Wakeupdream
And foo fighters
@chrismorris3100
@@Wakeupdream (_)_)==========D~~~
@FurkanC
dude come on there is a Coldplay reality...