Turin Brakes has been compared to many of the New Acoustic Movement's bands spawned in the late 90s such as Elbow, Starsailor, I Am Kloot (who were a support band for Turin Brakes on their Ether Song tour) and the Norwegian band the Kings of Convenience.
Their debut album "The Optimist LP" (2001) was nominated for the Mercury Prize that same year. In 2003 "Ether Song" got to #3 in the UK album charts and spawned a Top 5 single "Pain Killer". Further commercial success was not achieved. In 2005 "JackInABox" meant some sort of return to the first album, but this time with more production and a more diverse sound. Again the critics loved it, but the buying public seemed not to. It got to no. 9 in its first week (without a hit single - "Fishing For A Dream" got to #35), but had no further commercial success. This might have been the effect of the decision by the band and the record company to take the slow path (doing just a short UK tour and not doing as much promotion as they used to), so that Olly Knights (the singer) could also focus on his new family life.
In the summer of 2005 the boys toured the USA and Canada, followed by an acoustic tour taking the band to Germany, The Netherlands and Italy. 2005 ended with a longer acoustic UK tour, of which the closing night in the Palladium in London was recorded and released as a download only live album the day after. The album sold quite well on iTunes, riding the top of the download charts in several countries.
The band spent the first half of 2006 writing new songs, occasionally performing both new and old work at small gigs across the UK. The band did an intimate tour in November 2006 to try out new material. In January 2007 the band entered a small studio in London to record their 4th album with producer Ethan Johns. After three weeks the band took a break (on January 29th Gale's wife gave birth to a daughter), but the sessions were resumed several weeks later in a bigger studio (also in London). On the last day of March 2007 the band announced that they had finished the recording sessions, and recorded 17 songs.
Their 2007 album, "Dark on Fire", was preceded by a download-only single "Stalker".
The band released their 5th studio album in March 2010 titled "Outbursts".
Their sixth album, We Were Here, was released 30 September 2013, and their seventh album Lost Property (recorded at Rockfield Studios with producer Ali Staton) was released on 29 January 2016.
On 26 January 2018 the band released their eighth album Invisible Storm.
Long Distance
Turin Brakes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd swear,
This ain't our last chance,
The vultures that circle,
My head,
Are flying alongside,
The world's turning.
Long distance losing is all that I've seen,
Now there's a river
Now there's a river.
Nothing can save me,
My reserve betrayed me,
It calmed the hurricanes,
I'm burning to get there,
The middle of nowhere,
Storm warnings flicker while,
The world's turning,
I let somebody get under my skin,
Long distance losing is all that I've seen,
Now there's a river
Now there's a river.
I let somebody get under my skin,
Long distance losing is all that I've seen,
Now there's a river
Now there's a river
The lyrics of Turin Brakes' "Long Distance" convey a sense of longing and regret in the wake of a long-distance relationship that has gone awry. The opening lines set a tone of uncertainty, suggesting that the singer is aware that things might not end well but still holding out hope for a better outcome. The image of vultures circling overhead reinforces this sense of impending danger and adds an ominous tone to the song. The repetition of the line "The world's turning" throughout the song emphasizes the fleeting nature of time and the urgency of the singer's situation.
The second verse shifts focus slightly, with the singer acknowledging that they have been emotionally affected by the distance between themselves and their partner. The imagery of a river suggests that emotions are flowing freely, and that the singer is struggling to keep their head above water. The line "My reserve betrayed me" suggests that the singer has been trying to keep their emotions in check, but has failed to do so. The bridge of the song emphasizes the singer's desperation, with storm warnings and a reference to the middle of nowhere emphasizing the feeling of being lost and without hope.
Overall, "Long Distance" is a song that captures the pain and difficulty of maintaining a relationship across a great distance. The lyrics are rich with imagery and emotion, conveying a complex array of feelings that will resonate with anyone who has experienced the struggle of long-distance love.
Line by Line Meaning
Well if this gets ugly,
In case things become unpleasant,
I'd swear,
I promise,
This ain't our last chance,
We still have a chance,
The vultures that circle,
The problems that surround,
My head,
My mind,
Are flying alongside,
Are haunting me,
The world's turning.
Life goes on even when things are bad.
I let somebody get under my skin,
I allowed someone to affect me deeply,
Long distance losing is all that I've seen,
All my attempts at long distance relationships have failed,
Now there's a river
Now there's an obstacle.
Nothing can save me,
I am beyond hope,
My reserve betrayed me,
My ability to hold back my emotions failed,
It calmed the hurricanes,
It helped me through tough times,
I'm burning to get there,
I am consumed with a desire to be with someone,
The middle of nowhere,
A place where there is nothing,
Storm warnings flicker while,
There are signs of trouble,
The world's turning,
Life goes on regardless of how I feel.
I let somebody get under my skin,
I allowed someone to affect me deeply,
Long distance losing is all that I've seen,
All my attempts at long distance relationships have failed,
Now there's a river
Now there's an obstacle.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GALE PARIDJANIAN, OLIVER KNIGHTS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@NM-li2is
The Optimist is a work of art. Hopefully one day the world will wake up to the genius songs these guys write.
@nellospazio5981
this is ehter song, but ok, the concept it's ok to me.
@NM-li2is
@nello spazio ooops, well that's 2 works of art then :-). And tbh, they haven't written a "bad" album in their entire discography. The fact that these guys should be huge and they are not, says ALOT about the state humans have been in for a while.... Lolol
@stevenfraserthedogdaddy8823
Totally agree 👍
@kelseystewart3445
Criminally underrated
@fordrac1ng81
Turin brakes is one of the most underrated bands. I absolutely love their music! They will forever be one of those bands that only cool people know about :)
@LeoHarrisHeaney
I hope this blows up one day, these guys are so underrated
@lorenzor4024
This is not music, this is timeless poetry
@stevenfraserthedogdaddy8823
❤️❤️❤️👌👌
@whatthe4059
"The vultures that circle....my head," has to be one of the greatest song lyrics, ever. This song is so salient to me in so many ways; my husband is British, we were in a very long, "LONG DISTANCE" relationship for many years. I played this song in the car with my best mate as we rolled up to my wedding venue. Took a shot of some "painkiller," was almost ready! Now my mother-in-law has moved "LONG DISTANCE" because she is his only family....and so did her furniture being in storage for so long whilst she picked out the perfect house "get under her skin." Vultures circling my head, indeed.... P.S. Yes, I know "painkiller" was a different song, LOL!