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.
Underdog
Turin Brakes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Put one foot on the road now where the cyborgs are driving,
With the WD-40 in their veins the screeching little brakes complain.
With the briefcase empty and the holes in my shoes,
I try to stay friendly for the sugary abuse.
So tell my secretary now to hold all of my calls,
I believe I can hear through these walls.
Oh please save me, save me from myself.
I can't be the only one stuck on the shelf.
You said you'd always fall for the underdog.
Well I've been dreaming of jet streams and kicking up dust,
A thirty seven thousand foot wonderlust
And with skyline number 9 ticked off in my mind,
Oh can you hear me screaming out now through the telephone lines.
Oh please save me, save me from myself.
I can't be the only one stuck on the shelf.
You said you'd always fall for the underdog
"Underdog" by Turin Brakes is a deeply introspective and reflective song about the feeling of being trapped in a life that is not fulfilling. The opening lines of "Two black lines streaming out like a guidance line. Put one foot on the road now where the cyborgs are driving, With the WD-40 in their veins the screeching little brakes complain." paint a picture of being on a journey, where one is unsure of the destination and is surrounded by people who feel like robots, lacking emotion and humanity. The WD-40 in their veins adds to the idea that they are machines, driven only by productivity and efficiency. The screeching little brakes refer to the sound of the brakes complaining, potentially symbolising the singer's internal dialogue and frustration.
The second verse talks about trying to maintain positivity despite personal struggles, "With the briefcase empty and the holes in my shoes, I try to stay friendly for the sugary abuse." The briefcase being empty and the holes in the shoes are signs of financial and personal struggles. The singer tries to stay positive for the sake of others, even though it's hard to do so. The bridge of "Oh please save me, save me from myself. I can't be the only one stuck on the shelf. You said you'd always fall for the underdog." expresses the singer's deep desire to be saved from the life they feel stuck in. They want to be seen as someone worth saving even though they feel like an underdog.
The final verse is about the singer's aspirations and dreams, "Well I've been dreaming of jet streams and kicking up dust, A thirty seven thousand foot wonderlust And with skyline number 9 ticked off in my mind, Oh can you hear me screaming out now through the telephone lines." The jet streams represent travel and adventure, the singer wants to leave their current life behind and explore the world. The reference to "skyline number 9" could be a reference to a particular city or experience the singer wants to have. The final line of the song, "Oh please save me, save me from myself. I can't be the only one stuck on the shelf. You said you'd always fall for the underdog." repeats the theme of wanting to be saved from their current life and feeling like an underdog.
Line by Line Meaning
Two black lines streaming out like a guidance line.
The two dark marks on the road seem like they are guiding the way for him.
Put one foot on the road now where the cyborgs are driving,
He steps onto the road which is full of cars and it looks like a futuristic scene.
With the WD-40 in their veins the screeching little brakes complain.
The cars move but make noises due to the friction, which seems like the cars have WD-40 instead of blood.
With the briefcase empty and the holes in my shoes,
He has nothing in his briefcase and his shoes have holes, indicating that he is broke.
I try to stay friendly for the sugary abuse.
In hopes of getting something sweet from someone, he tries to be friendly.
So tell my secretary now to hold all of my calls,
He asks his secretary to not take any of his calls.
I believe I can hear through these walls.
He believes that he can hear things through the walls.
Oh please save me, save me from myself.
He is asking for help and wants someone to save him from his own problems.
I can't be the only one stuck on the shelf.
He thinks that he is not the only one struggling and feeling stuck.
You said you'd always fall for the underdog.
Someone once said that they always root for the less successful one, the underdog.
Well I've been dreaming of jet streams and kicking up dust,
He has been dreaming of traveling fast in a jet and raising dust behind him.
A thirty seven thousand foot wonderlust
He is longing for an adventurous feeling, an inexplicable desire to roam far and wide.
And with skyline number 9 ticked off in my mind,
He remembers seeing eight other skylines, and now has witnessed the ninth one.
Oh can you hear me screaming out now through the telephone lines.
He realizes that nothing can substitute for expressing thoughts directly and wishes to connect with someone without any barriers.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GALE PARIDJANIAN, OLIVER KNIGHTS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@GT--BTS
Two black lines streamin' out like a guidance line
Put one foot on the road now where the cyborgs are driving
With the WD40 in their veins
The screeching little brakes complains
With the briefcase empty and the holes in my shoes
I try to stay friendly for the sugary abuse
So tell my secretary now to hold on all my calls
I believe I can hear through these walls
Oh, please save me, save me from myself
I can't be the only one stuck on the shelf
You said you'd always fall for the underdog
Well, I've been dreamin' of jet streams and kickin' up dust
A thirty seven thousand fool wanderlust
And with skyline number 9 ticked off in my mind
Oh, can you hear me screamin' out now through the telephone lines?
Oh, please save me, save me from myself
I can't be the only one stuck on the shelf
You said you'd always fall for the underdog
Save me, save me, save me, save me
@LeoHarrisHeaney
I can’t believe this band wasn’t bigger than it was
@samblackcrow
I just adore the guitar solo in this. Gale is a master, so under-rated.
@robertwithers960
Absolutely fantastic. Sounds as fresh now as it did at the time it was released. I have seen them in concert many times and they sound as good live as on CD. British music at it's finest.
@leeshOxox
Spot on ❤️
@scottmckay67
Beautiful track. And emergency 72.
@gorideher
Flashback!
It's been years since I've heard this, it popped up on my suggestions list.
And bam.
Suddenly it's 2002, it's summer in Worcestershire. Wimbledon, Big Brother and chill. I still know all the words.
Just what I needed to hear and think of on a cold November night 20 years later. Happiness is...... 😊
@teresalanham2678
Such a fantastic song, I'd forgotten how good this band is. Seriously underrated
@samyates3789
saw them live yesterday at Victorious Festival and rapidly remembered why i fell in love them all those years ago. First time i saw them they were the support act opening for James at the MEN.
@MrRoblester
God this reminds me of being young! Love love love this album!!!
@psychofred2
Under 200 thousand views for this masterpiece? Society sucks.