Just When You’re Thinkin’ Things Over

Band: The Charlatans
Album: The Charlatans
Year: 1995
Label: Beggars Banquet Records
Status: Still going

This song, recorded in Wales and released the same week as the Blur vs Oasis Britpop nonsense, was The Charlatans’ biggest hit since The Only One I Know. Its upbeat hummable tune and nice Rob Collins piano work has an echo of the Rolling Stones.

What’s it about? A difficult time, the sun going down, needing something to cling to – but there’s nothing there. A song to someone sun-connected who doesn’t follow the line, someone in the only place that can be a home. Burn everything down and go there.

In the video Tim Burgess tried a new look as a wannabe Manchester gangster, suit and slicked-back hair, a baby-faced Nick Cave. But Tim was too charming, out of his depth, you can’t help but like him. Maybe he wanted to show that the bowlhead look wasn’t the only one he knew. It worked, and he became a heart-throb: women’s hearts were on fire for him. Its a matter of taste, yeah.

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Extract from page 293 of 2000 Tunes: A History of Manchester Music by M. H. Rees; used with permission. Read the whole series (25 extracts) here; or my summary post. Readers might be interested in my forthcoming novel about a man obsessed with Manchester music - confusingly, it is also called 2000 Tunes!