They made one great album, Colossal Youth (1980), on Rough Trade, recorded very cheaply often using the first take. Extremely low-tech drum machine effects and home made synthesizers featured.
Alison Statton and Philip Moxham later worked as Weekend. Stuart Moxham formed The Gist. Statton also formed duos Alison Statton & Spike and Devine & Statton with ex-Ludus guitarist Ian Devine.
The original line-up reformed in 2007 (with Andrew Moxham on electronic drumkit) and have played occasional gigs since.
They disbanded in the summer 2016.
Searching For Mr Right
Young Marble Giants Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waiting up half the night
Feeling like I'll be dead
Before I'm old
Teaching myself to be
The Young Untold
Someone for you to see?
Blind as the Fate decrees
I will go on
Teaching myself to be
The Young Untold
Am I in vain tonight?
Lose you against the light
Who can you be
Mr Right?
The opening lines of the song seem to suggest that the singer is anxiously waiting for her true love to arrive. She seems to have spent a lot of time searching for that special someone who will complete her. She is feeling lonely and is unsure if she will ever find someone who will love her unconditionally. The lines "Waiting up half the night/Feeling like I'll be dead/Before I'm old" reveal her desperation to find Mr. Right.
The second stanza reveals that the singer is young and inexperienced. She is still searching for herself and learning how to be the person she wants to be. "Teaching myself to be/The Young Untold" highlights her desire to become something new and exciting. She feels that she is not yet worthy of being seen as someone who is attractive to her potential partner.
The last stanza reveals her fear of losing her prospective partner. She is uncertain if he will live up to her expectations and worries whether he is the right person for her. The song seems to be about the fears and doubts that arise when looking for that special someone, and the anxiety and uncertainty that accompany those feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Searching for Mr Right
The singer is looking for the perfect partner
Waiting up half the night
The singer is hopeful and willing to wait for Mr. Right
Feeling like I'll be dead
Before I'm old
The singer feels like they will never find Mr. Right and will die alone
Teaching myself to be
The Young Untold
The singer is trying to discover who they are and become someone unique
How can I hope to be
Someone for you to see?
The singer wonders how they can make themselves visible and attractive to Mr. Right
Blind as the Fate decrees
I will go on
Teaching myself to be
The Young Untold
The singer accepts that their fate is uncertain but will continue to develop and grow as an individual
Am I in vain tonight?
Lose you against the light
Who can you be
Mr Right?
The singer questions if their efforts are pointless and if they will continue to lose potential partners
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STUART MOXHAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind