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.
Lovely Rita
Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lovely Rita meter maid.
Lovely Rita meter maid.
Nothing can come between us,
When it gets dark I tow your heart away.
Standing by a parking meter,
When I caught a glimpse of Rita,
Filling in a ticket in her little white book.
And the bag across her shoulder
Made her look a little like a military man.
Lovely Rita meter maid,
May I inquire discreetly,
When are you free,
To take some tea with me.
Took her out and tried to win her,
Had a laugh and over dinner,
Told her I would really like to see her again,
Got the bill and Rita paid it,
Took her home I nearly made it,
Sitting on the sofa with a sister or two.
Oh, lovely Rita meter maid,
Where would I be without you,
Give us a wink and make me think of you.
The song "Lovely Rita" by Travis is a charming ballad about a man's infatuation with a meter maid named Rita. The song begins with a repetition of the title, implying the singer's amorous obsession with the character. The ultimatum "Nothing can come between us" highlights this admiration for the character, accentuating how the singer is willing to fight against all odds for her love. The lyrics then describe an encounter with the meter maid. The beauty and maturity of the woman are described, making the singer more smitten with her. The lyrics reveal that the singer took her out on a date, and the two bonded over laughter and dinner. The line "Got the bill and Rita paid it" is an interesting turn of events, as it subverts the societal expectation of men paying for dinner on a date. This depiction of a woman paying for the man's dinner is almost unheard of in traditional romance anecdotes. The song ends with the singer declaring his love for her and how she has become a significant part of his life. The final line, "Give us a wink and make me think of you," indicates that the singer is hoping for a response from Rita and that she shares the same feeling as he does.
Line by Line Meaning
Lovely Rita meter maid.
The singer expresses his adoration for Rita, the meter maid.
Nothing can come between us,
The singer feels a strong connection with Rita and believes that nothing can come between them.
When it gets dark I tow your heart away.
The singer feels a sense of romance with Rita, and when the night falls, he feels like he takes her heart away with him.
Standing by a parking meter,
The artist describes the moment when he first saw Rita standing near a parking meter.
When I caught a glimpse of Rita,
The artist saw Rita suddenly, maybe because she caught his attention with her beauty.
Filling in a ticket in her little white book.
Rita was writing tickets in her small white notebook.
In a cap she looked much older,
Rita's cap made her look more mature than her age, and maybe this gave her an authoritative or a stern look.
And the bag across her shoulder,
Rita was carrying a bag on her shoulder while working.
Made her look a little like a military man.
The artist compares Rita's appearance to that of a military man, or someone who is strict and disciplined.
May I inquire discreetly,
The artist politely asks Rita a question in a private or secretive way.
When are you free,
The singer wants to know when Rita is available to spend time with him.
To take some tea with me.
The artist invites Rita to have a cup of tea with him.
Took her out and tried to win her,
The singer takes Rita out on a date and tries to impress her.
Had a laugh and over dinner,
The singer and Rita had a good time and enjoyed each other's company over dinner.
Told her I would really like to see her again,
The singer expresses his desire to see Rita again in the near future.
Got the bill and Rita paid it,
Rita offered to pay the bill at the restaurant, which surprised the artist.
Took her home I nearly made it,
The artist almost kisses Rita while dropping her off at her home.
Sitting on the sofa with a sister or two.
The singer is sitting on a sofa with Rita and perhaps some of her female relatives or friends.
Where would I be without you,
The singer expresses his appreciation for Rita and wonders where he would be without her.
Give us a wink and make me think of you.
The artist asks Rita to wink at him, which will remind him of her.
Contributed by Callie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Fran Cotter
I like the fact that they used natural resounding sounds to make the song work
Mark DeVito
this is one of the best covers ever.
JohnSaxx CE
Y yo que pensaba que la perfección no existía
Marina Plascencia Lomeli
Just wonderfull, Travis incredible guys you are fantastic
Fran Cotter
Absolutely astounding
FSZUMELZU
The best cover that i've seen and lisened.
Tony Puddu
Bravissimi, meravigliosi
Ian Garrard
This is good.