Founded on the talents of ex-Waterboys keyboard player Karl Wallinger (19 O… Read Full Bio ↴Founded on the talents of ex-Waterboys keyboard player Karl Wallinger (19 October 1957, Prestatyn, Wales), World Party had to work hard to shrug off comparisons with the leader of his former band, Mike Scott. This was a little unjust, bearing in mind Wallinger’s quite separate, but in many ways equal, songwriting abilities. Wallinger was born the son of an architect father and housewife mother. He was brought up in North Wales on a diet of 60s ephemera, from the Supremes, through the Spencer Davis Group, to Merseybeat. His first musical experience arrived in 1976 with Quasimodo, who would eventually lose their hump to become the Alarm. Later he moved to London to become a clerk for ATV/Northern Songs, who counted the Beatles’ catalogue among their acquisitions. He delved back into performance in his own time, eventually going on to become musical director of The Rocky Horror Show in the West End of London. A short residency with funk band the Out overlapped his liaison with the Waterboys. After he split amicably from Mike Scott, Wallinger set out on a solo career that would see him sign to Prince’s management. He also helped Sinéad O’Connor on her Lion And The Cobra set.

Wallinger recorded the first two World Party albums (Private Revolution and Goodbye Jumbo) practically single-handed. The former reached the US Top 40 and the single ‘Ship Of Fools’ broke into the Top 30 (it was hastily dropped by radio in his native Great Britain because of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster). Goodbye Jumbo took equal amounts of inspiration from the eco movement and the Beatles, and the highly catchy single ‘Message In The Box’ provided Wallinger with his first UK Top 40 hit.

Wallinger’s muse, a relaxed and melancholic take on mid-period Beatles, has not so much been updated as revitalized on his subsequent, sterling work, although a minor breakthrough was made with 1993’s Bang!, which featured Wallinger’s only UK Top 20 hit to date, ‘Is It Like Today’, and reached number 2 on the album charts. On Bang!, Wallinger was joined by Chris Sharrock (drums, ex-Icicle Works) and Dave Catlin-Birch (guitars/keyboards). Some of the reviews for 1997’s Egyptology were unnecessarily cruel (especially the New Musical Express). It was by his standards another good album, which, although still locked into the Beatles’ sound (this time circa 1968), featured some great moments, notably the gentle ‘She’s The One’ and the meatier ‘Curse Of The Mummy’s Tomb’. The former indirectly gave Wallinger a worthy chart-topping single, when Robbie Williams’ cover version reached the top of the UK singles chart in November 1999 (Williams’ songwriting partner Guy Chambers (b. 12 Jan 1963, England) was at one time a member of World Party).

The next World Party album, 2000’s Dumbing Up, retreated from the ambitions of Egyptology, and found Wallinger resorting to his pick ‘n’ mix style of songwriting. He is one of the best magpie songwriters around, and the strong influence of ELO, Bob Dylan (‘Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream’ in the shape of ‘Who Are You?’) and even Rare Bird (shades of ‘Sympathy’ in ‘All The Love That’s Wasted’) could be heard, in addition to strong memories of the Beatles’ ‘Dear Prudence’ and ‘Baby You’re A Rich Man’ in ‘Another 1000 Years’.

Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin.

And I Fell Back Alone
World Party Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If we walk through each other
As we leave the room,
You don't have to tell me that it's over.
Whoever you were then,
I never really knew.
And you got no need to know me now.

You can't see the bottom from the top.

You don't see the edge before you drop.
And I fell back alone.
And I fell back alone.
And I fell.

Is love trying all the right moves
To stop the walls from coming up.
But I can't look over this at all.
I'm in some different place,
Strangers pictures on my wall.
I drew them yesterday
I never thought I'd find the time at all.

You can't see the bottom from the top.
You don't see the edge before you drop.
And I fell back alone.
And I fell.

Forever doesn't mean for ever.
It just means maybe some other time or place.
But how can two souls still eat together
When life has lost its taste.

How can we live together
In bed and face to face
And not see anyone at all.
It's time to make a wish
And let it float on down the stream
And we can cry a little
For a time that could have been

Live it all my love.
Live it well my love.
Live it long my love.
Live it all my love.

You don't see the bottom from the top.
You don't see the edge before you drop.
And I fell back alone.

And I fell back alone.
And I fell.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "And I Fell Back Alone" by World Party discusses the aftermath of a breakup. The singer initially acknowledges that they and their former lover are headed in different directions as they leave the room. The singer has no desire to know the person their lover has become, signifying a loss of familiarity and connection. The second verse discusses how love is sometimes not enough to prevent the walls from building up between individuals. The singer notes that they are in a different place from their lover and drawing pictures of strangers on their wall is now an activity they do.

In the bridge of the song, the singer highlights how forever is not guaranteed and two people eating together doesn't guarantee a deeper connection anymore. The final verse speaks of the need to live life with love and experience all that it has to offer. The chorus of the song emphasizes the idea that one cannot always predict the outcome and that sometimes we fall back alone. The song reflects on the pain of lost connections and memories but also the necessity of moving on and experiencing new things.

Line by Line Meaning

If we walk through each other As we leave the room,
When we leave the room, we no longer care about each other's feelings or acknowledge each other's presence.

You don't have to tell me that it's over. Whoever you were then, I never really knew. And you got no need to know me now.
It's unnecessary to say that we're over because we never truly understood each other, and we don't need to know each other now.

You can't see the bottom from the top. You don't see the edge before you drop. And I fell back alone. And I fell back alone. And I fell.
We're unable to see the consequences of our actions and decisions, and it led me to fall back alone.

Is love trying all the right moves To stop the walls from coming up. But I can't look over this at all. I'm in some different place, Strangers pictures on my wall. I drew them yesterday I never thought I'd find the time at all.
Love tries to prevent us from building emotional walls, but I can't overlook my current situation. I'm in a different place now, seeing stranger's faces on my wall, something I never imagined I'd have time for.

Forever doesn't mean for ever. It just means maybe some other time or place. But how can two souls still eat together When life has lost its taste.
Forever may not mean always, but some other time or place. How can two people in love be together when life has become bitter and unenjoyable?

How can we live together In bed and face to face And not see anyone at all. It's time to make a wish And let it float on down the stream And we can cry a little For a time that could have been
We share the same space, yet we're unable to see each other. It's time to let go, make a wish and let it go away. We can still mourn for the potential that we lacked.

Live it all my love. Live it well my love. Live it long my love. Live it all my love.
Live life to the fullest despite the loss of love

You don't see the bottom from the top. You don't see the edge before you drop. And I fell back alone. And I fell back alone. And I fell.
We're unable to see the consequences of our actions and decisions, and it led me to fall back alone.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KARL EDMOND DE VERE WALLINGER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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