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.
Painkiller
Turin Brakes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can feel it creeping its making me old,
You give me so much love it blows my brain cells
You need something better than the Pick and the mix,
The creaking in the walls and the banging in the bed,
You give me so much that it blows my brain cells.
Summer rain, drifting down your face again,
Take the painkiller, cycle on your bicycle
Leave all this misery behind
My love giving me head,
feeling very guilty breaking the bread
losing my attention I'm taking the world on,
Batter up the hatches Here comes a cold
I can feel it creeping its making me old,
You give me so much love it blows my brain cells.
Summer rain, drifting down your face again,
Summer rain praying someone feels the same,
Take the painkiller, cycle on your bicycle
Leave all this misery behind
My love,
My love,
My love,
My love,
Summer rain, drifting down your face again,
Summer rain praying someone feels the same,
Take the painkiller, cycle on your bicycle
Leave all this misery behind
Summer rain, drifting down your face again,
Summer rain praying someone feels the same,
Take the painkiller, cycle on your bicycle
Leave all this misery behind,
Leave all this misery behind,
Leave all this misery behind
leave all this misery behind.
The lyrics to "Painkiller" by Turin Brakes are a mix of melancholy and hope. The first stanza sets the scene for an impending cold that the singer can feel creeping up on them. However, they find solace in the love that they receive, which "blows my brain cells." The second stanza includes a vivid image of summer rain and the wish for someone to understand the pain that the singer is going through. The chorus repeats the idea of taking a painkiller and cycling away from their troubles, leaving the misery behind.
The next stanza includes a hint of guilt, as the singer admits to not fully attending to their partner while feeling overwhelmed by the world around them. The final repetition of the chorus provides a message of hope, that despite the rain and pain, there is the option to find relief and escape.
The song's meaning is open to interpretation, but it seems to be about finding a way to cope with difficult emotions or situations. The imagery used in the lyrics is powerful, creating a vivid picture of rain and the comfort of someone's love. Overall, "Painkiller" is a song that speaks to feelings of vulnerability and the search for a way to find peace.
Line by Line Meaning
Batter up the hatches Here comes a cold
Prepare for tough times ahead; something unpleasant is approaching.
I can feel it creeping its making me old,
The ominous feeling is taking a toll on me and wearing me out.
You give me so much love it blows my brain cells
Your love overwhelms me and makes it difficult to think straight.
You need something better than the Pick and the mix,
You deserve something more fulfilling and satisfying than something mundane and ordinary.
The creaking in the walls and the banging in the bed,
The unsettling and disturbing sounds, possibly from the environment or the mind, disrupt my peace of mind.
Summer rain, drifting down your face again,
The tears on your face are like the gentle summer rain that falls from the sky.
Summer rain praying someone feels the same,
I hope someone else can understand and relate to your pain, like the way summer rain touches everyone equally.
Take the painkiller, cycle on your bicycle
Finding a way to cope, like taking a painkiller, and moving forward with determination, like cycling on a bicycle, can dull or even remove the pain.
Leave all this misery behind
It's time to let go of the emotional distress and start anew.
My love giving me head,
The affectionate actions, possibly of a sexual nature, from my partner.
feeling very guilty breaking the bread
Despite enjoying the intimacy, I feel guilty about something.
losing my attention I'm taking the world on,
Feeling distracted from my day-to-day responsibilities, possibly due to my relationship or other personal issues.
My love,
Expressing affection to a loved one.
Summer rain, drifting down your face again,
Repeating the earlier lines to emphasize the sadness and pain.
Summer rain praying someone feels the same,
Repeating the earlier lines to emphasize the hope for understanding and empathy.
Leave all this misery behind
Repeating the earlier line to emphasize the need to move on from the misery.
leave all this misery behind.
Final words reiterating the importance of leaving behind the distress and starting anew.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GALE PARIDJANIAN, OLIVER KNIGHTS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@leeshOxox
My dad used to listen to Turin Brakes when I was little. I’m 21 now and whenever I hear them I feel so nostalgic❤️ they’re honestly so underrated. Simply amazing.
@aldozilli1293
Thanks for making me feel old
@martinperlstam9389
Haha! Your dad? Now I feel I lost time.
@MarkWilson-xs7wt
They were the reason I went to my first festival in 2001 aged 36. 45 festivals done now, many as a steward. Seen TB 12+ times. Own everything they've ever done and had the pleasurenof meeting them on three occasions. Best band and nicest guys in the world.
@adriantyler6911
@@MarkWilson-xs7wt Been there since the start like you, fabulous band, seen them so many times. Went to Olly's house and bought his reel to reel off him that he used on his solo album, what a gent!
@modernchampionmusic81
@@adriantyler6911 reely?
@WildMike1234
Genuinely one of my favourite songs of all time. Just terrific.
@TheSuperpek
You wont get any X-factor winners producing quality music like this! Fab song.
@philallon9079
This song is truly the bees knees. Too underrated if you ask me. Brings back memories of late summer 2002, when I used to hear it on the radio.
@jakefisher2676
Well it came out in early 2003