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.
Slide Show
Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For dancing and for singing
The birds in the trees and all
The bells are ringing
The sun is in the sky
Is bright as bright second light
Is bright oh god I hope I'm alright
Hold on, hold on
Slow down, slow down
You're out of touch
Out of touch
'Cause there is no design for life
There's no devil's haircut in my mind
There is not a wonder wall to climb
To climb or step around
But there is a slide show and it's so slow
Flashing through my mind
Today was the day
But only for the first time
Hold on, hold on
Slow down, slow down
You're out of touch
Out of touch
'Cause there is no design for life
There is no devil's haircut in your mind
There is not a wonder wall
To climb or step around
But there is a sideshow and it's so slow
Flashing through my mind
Today was the day
But only for the first time
I hope it's not the last time
The lyrics of Travis's song "Slide Show" are imbued with a sense of fleetingness and a desire to hold on to life's moments. The first verse sets the scene for a beautiful day filled with singing, dancing, ringing bells, and bright sunshine. However, the singer's elation is tinged with anxiety about the transience of the moment, as he hopes that everything will be alright. In the chorus, he urges himself to hold on and slow down, recognizing that he might be losing touch with the present moment. He contends that there is no blueprint for life, and no clear path to follow. Rather, life is like a slow slide show, where memories and moments flash before your eyes.
The second verse retreads the ground of the first, but there is a subtle shift in perspective. While the first verse is suffused with the singer's own feelings and experiences, the second verse addresses the listener directly, offering a more universal message. The singer reminds the listener that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to life's problems, and no mystical solution to life's great mysteries. There is no "devil's haircut" or "wonder wall" to climb, only the slow procession of the slide show as life unfolds.
Overall, "Slide Show" is a powerful meditation on the transience of life and the importance of holding onto moments of beauty and joy. The song suggests that life is not about searching for answers or following a preordained path, but rather about savoring the fleeting moments that make up our existence on this earth.
Line by Line Meaning
Today is the day
It's a time for celebration and happiness
For dancing and for singing
To enjoy and express the joy through dance and music
The birds in the trees and all
Even nature seems to be celebratory with the birds chirping in the trees
The bells are ringing
It's a time of joy and people are ringing the bells in celebration
The sun is in the sky
It's a beautiful sunny day
Is bright as bright second light
The sun is shining as bright and intense as a second light source
Is bright oh god I hope I'm alright
The brightness is making the singer worry about his own wellbeing
Cause I'm gonna cry
The emotions are so overwhelming that the artist might cry
Hold on, hold on
The artist is trying to control the emotions by telling himself to hold on
Slow down, slow down
The artist is again trying to calm himself by asking himself to slow down
You're out of touch
The singer feels disconnected from reality due to the overwhelming emotions
Out of touch
The artist again repeats that he is feeling out of touch with the current moment
'Cause there is no design for life
The singer feels that life has no pre-set purpose or design
There's no devil's haircut in my mind
The singer doesn't have any scary or sinister thoughts in his mind
There is not a wonder wall to climb
The singer doesn't have any grand goals or ambitions to achieve
To climb or step around
The artist suggests that even if there were any grand goals, they wouldn't be easy to achieve
But there is a slide show and it's so slow
The artist's mind is filled with memories which are being played in a slow-motion slideshow
Flashing through my mind
The memories are not stationary, but fleeting and quickly passing through the singer's mind
Today was the day
The day was special and memorable
But only for the first time
It was the first time something like this happened to the artist
I hope it's not the last time
The artist wants to experience this feeling again in the future
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FRANCIS HEALY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@martindoyle2150
Revisiting this after 20 years. Every lyric comes flooding back. It's easy to forget how magnificent Travis are.
@DodoFonseca
This song takes me back to 2001 and my first year on university. I used to listen this album almost every day.
@therealsazzler
This just popped into my head... no idea why! What an album
@svenschoch9835
Best Travis Album ❤️
@jhill2704
💯
@jumibeach
Oh, i am crying
@caramason56
Great album. Thank you Travis ❤️😊🎶🎶🎶🎶
@octos4843
Great tune. Miss these guys
@isaacthompson4016
There is no design for life....
@pzee33hundo40
There is if you listen to the manic street preachers