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.
The Big Screen
Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm just a bit part in the scene
Sitting in the dark in the back row
Nobody's watching me
The lights all come on
And life carries on
I still love you
On the big screen
This won't turn out like the movies
Cause actors wash off their bruises
Believing all the madness
We're over the gallows they nailed me on
They cut from the scene
And wake from the dream
And I still love you
On the big screen
Ohh, on the big screen
The big screen's aflame with desire
While we're fighting fire with fire
What did I just say?
Nobody to care of carry me home
The plans that we make
The last serenade
The roles that we take
The electric parade
I still love you
On the big screen
Ooh, on the big screen
The song "The Big Screen" by Travis is a reflection on the discrepancies between the grandiose, glamorous portrayals of life in movies and the mundanity and realities of everyday life. The opening lines of the song speak directly to this idea, as front man Fran Healy sings, "Life doesn't fit on the big screen / And I'm just a bit part in the scene." Healy is acknowledging that the complexity, messiness, and unpredictability of real life cannot be condensed and romanticized in the way that movies often do. The singer is positioned as an observer in the back row of the theater, away from the action and without an audience to witness them. Nevertheless, despite the grandiosity of the screen, the singer still loves someone, and this is an important anchor amidst the chaos and confusion of life.
The second verse furthers this theme of the disjuncture between the screen and reality. Healy sings, "This won't turn out like the movies / 'Cause actors wash off their bruises." Here, he is pointing out that, unlike in films, real people don't have the luxury of editing out their flaws and rough edges. Life is hard, and it leaves its marks. The metaphor of the "gallows" in the next line reinforces this idea of life's mercilessness. Nevertheless, the sentiment that "I still love you / On the big screen" remains intact.
The final verse takes a turn towards the surreal. The image of a "big screen's aflame with desire" is jarring and powerful, and in this context, it feels like a heightened version of the grandiosity and romanticism that movies often traffic in. The line "While we're fighting fire with fire / What did I just say?" is disorienting and vaguely ominous, unsettling the listener and leaving them unsure of what will come next. The repetition of the chorus reasserts the singer's love, but the unresolved tension of the last verse leaves the song with a haunting, ambiguous feeling.
Line by Line Meaning
Life doesn't fit on the big screen
The complexities and challenges of life cannot be simplified and portrayed on a movie screen.
And I'm just a bit part in the scene
I feel insignificant in the grand scheme of things, just like a small part in a film.
Sitting in the dark in the back row
I am alone, unnoticed, and hidden from the light like someone watching a movie in the back row.
Nobody's watching me
There is no one paying attention to me, just like no one is paying attention to my character in a film.
The lights all come on
And life carries on
I still love you
On the big screen
Ohh, on the big screen
Despite the fact that life cannot be reduced to something as simple as a film, my love for you still endures even in the face of the harsh reality of life.
This won't turn out like the movies
Real life is unpredictable and cannot be handled in the same way that movies are made.
Cause actors wash off their bruises
Actors can easily recover from the physical injuries they receive on set, but in real life, wounds can be permanent.
Believing all the madness
Despite how irrational it may seem, I still believe in the chaos and confusion of life.
We're over the gallows they nailed me on
I have overcome the obstacles that once held me back and brought me down, even though it was difficult and painful.
They cut from the scene
And wake from the dream
And I still love you
On the big screen
Ohh, on the big screen
Just like how a film ends, life moves on and people wake up from their dreams, but my love for you remains constant and unwavering.
The big screen's aflame with desire
While we're fighting fire with fire
What did I just say?
The passionate and intense emotions on the big screen contrast with the struggles and challenges we face in reality, which can make things confusing and difficult to understand.
Nobody to care of carry me home
The plans that we make
The last serenade
The roles that we take
The electric parade
I still love you
On the big screen
Ooh, on the big screen
Despite the fact that there is no one to support me and life can be overwhelming, the plans we make, the various roles we play, and the parades of life continue on, but my love for you remains constant and unwavering.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FRANCIS HEALY, ANDREW THOMAS DUNLOP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
xamer71
Life doesn't fit on the big screen
And I'm just a bit part in the scene
Sitting in the dark in the back row
Nobody's watching me
The lights all come on
And life carries on
I still love you
On the big screen
Ohh, on the big screen
This won't turn out like the movies
Cause actors wash off their bruises
Believing all the madness
We're over the gallows they nailed me on
They cut from the scene
And wake from the dream
And I still love you
On the big screen
Ohh, on the big screen
The big screen's aflame with desire
While we're fighting fire with fire
What did I just say?
Nobody to care of carry me home
The plans that we make
The last serenade
The roles that we take
The electric parade
I still love you
On the big screen
Ooh, on the big screen
Fabio Masami
Great idea with this scenario in action. Children, the light, the clouds, the environment in general with the musical rhythm are perfects. Congratulations to the band for this album and thanks for this great gift to us.
xamer71
Life doesn't fit on the big screen
And I'm just a bit part in the scene
Sitting in the dark in the back row
Nobody's watching me
The lights all come on
And life carries on
I still love you
On the big screen
Ohh, on the big screen
This won't turn out like the movies
Cause actors wash off their bruises
Believing all the madness
We're over the gallows they nailed me on
They cut from the scene
And wake from the dream
And I still love you
On the big screen
Ohh, on the big screen
The big screen's aflame with desire
While we're fighting fire with fire
What did I just say?
Nobody to care of carry me home
The plans that we make
The last serenade
The roles that we take
The electric parade
I still love you
On the big screen
Ooh, on the big screen
Rodrigo ramos ferrete Dark
Muito boa banda post rock internacional
Nicolás Sosa Sánchez
GENIAL !!! una de las Mejores canciones de Travis !!!
Keith Brueton
Fantastic Album boys it's been a long time coming. TRAVIS ARE SIMPLY THE BEST
ligia rios
lejos una de las mejores del disco.
Cara L.
I can't stop listening to this. The track will burn because I repeat it too much lol
Andvier
I love this album
Pato
I loved the whole album, definitely gonna buy it.
Sinem Ulukaya
i really love it!