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.
Fear
Travis Lyrics
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I would like to see you in the morning
Rolling over just to have you there
Would make it easy for a little bit longer
But here
Closer every year
So near
My dear
The fear is here
Hottest summer in a hundred years
But summer didn't bother
Getting up this morning
And so all the trees forgot to wake
They were dropping all their leaves
On the ground below them
But here
Closer every year
So near
The fear is coming clear
My dear
The fear is here
All I wanted was the chance to say
I would like to see you in the morning
Rolling over just to have you there
Would make it easy for a little bit longer
Make it easy for a little bit longer
Make it easy for a little bit longer
Make it easy for a little bit longer
Make it easy for a little bit longer
Make it easy for a little bit longer
"The Fear" by Travis is a melancholic song about the fear of the unknown and the fear of losing someone. The lyrics are full of beautiful and poetic metaphors that bring a sense of longing and sadness to the song. The opening lines, "All I wanted was the chance to say, I would like to see you in the morning" shows the vulnerability of the singer, who wants to share his feelings but is too scared to do so. The line "Rolling over just to have you there" is a beautiful image of waking up next to someone you love, and the sense of comfort that brings. The singer wishes for this comfort to last longer, but knows that the fear of the unknown is always there.
The chorus, "But here, closer every year, so near, the fear is coming clear, my dear, the fear is here" speaks to the singer's realization that the fear of losing someone they love is getting stronger every year. They are afraid of what the future holds, and the uncertainty of it all. The line "my dear, the fear is here" shows the close relationship the singer has with their fear.
The second verse brings a change in tone, with the line "Hottest summer in a hundred years, but summer didn't bother getting up this morning". The personification of summer not bothering to wake up is a metaphor for the singer's depression and lack of motivation. The trees dropping their leaves add to the melancholic mood of the song.
Overall, "The Fear" by Travis is a beautiful and powerful song that speaks to the fear we all have of losing those we love.
Line by Line Meaning
All I wanted was the chance to say
I just wanted the opportunity to express my desire
I would like to see you in the morning
I want to wake up next to you
Rolling over just to have you there
I want to feel your presence beside me
Would make it easy for a little bit longer
It would make everything less difficult for a short amount of time
But here
Despite my desires,
Closer every year
I'm getting closer to a realization
So near
The realization is near
The fear is coming clear
I'm starting to understand my fear
My dear
My beloved
The fear is here
I'm now facing my fear
Hottest summer in a hundred years
It's been an extremely hot summer
But summer didn't bother
Despite the heat, nothing really affected me
Getting up this morning
Waking up this morning
And so all the trees forgot to wake
The trees lost their leaves due to the summer heat
They were dropping all their leaves
The falling leaves symbolize loss or change
On the ground below them
The fallen leaves have now hit the ground
Make it easy for a little bit longer
I want things to stay easy for just a bit longer
Make it easy for a little bit longer
I really need things to stay easy for just a bit longer
Make it easy for a little bit longer
I'm pleading for things to stay easy for just a bit longer
Make it easy for a little bit longer
I'm desperate for things to stay easy for just a bit longer
Make it easy for a little bit longer
I'm ending the song with my plea to maintain stability
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FRANCIS HEALY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind