Promenade (The Divine Comedy album)

Concept

Promenade can be interpreted as a concept album about two lovers who spend a day at the seaside. There are many different interpretations of the story, but it may run something like this: "Bath" is about the female character taking a bath, and "Going Downhill Fast" is about the male character bicycling over to her house. "The Booklovers" is about the two discussing their favourite authors. "A Seafood Song" is about them enjoying a meal comprising different types of fish. In "Geronimo" they get caught in the rain as they head back to his place, and they go on a Ferris wheel ride in "Don't Look Down", where the thrill of the moment causes the man to announce his atheist views. Later, in "When the Lights Go Out All Over Europe" (the title alluding to the famous World War I quote "The lights are going out all over Europe") they see a French film, and in "The Summerhouse" they reminisce about their childhood. The girl almost drowns during an evening stroll in "Neptune's Daughter", they then get drunk in "A Drinking Song", and "Ten Seconds to Midnight" is about counting down to the New Year and the anniversary of the time when they first met. Finally, in "Tonight We Fly", they transcend everyone through their ecstasy.

One recurring element in Promenade is water. Water is mentioned in one way or another in the following songs: "Bath", "A Seafood Song", "Geronimo", "The Summerhouse", "Neptune's Daughter", and "Tonight We Fly". The North Sea, itself, even plays a part in the album - producer Darren Allison made field recordings on the Northumberland Coast, which can be heard at the beginning of "Bath", and again, in "Neptunes Daughter". Another recurring element is gods from mythology. Aphrodite is mentioned in "Bath". Mercury is mentioned in "Going Downhill Fast". Neptune is in the title of "Neptune's Daughter".

References to French New Wave cinema occur in two of the songs. "When the Lights Go Out All Over Europe" alludes to François Truffaut's Jules et Jim, contains excerpts of dialogue from Jean-Luc Godard's À Bout de Souffle and contains the line "and when she asks for his ambition, Jean-Pierre replies 'My mission is to become eternal and to die'", describing a scene in À Bout de Souffle in which a novelist character played by Jean-Pierre Melville replies "devenir immortel et puis, mourir". This song also contains a reference to Éric Rohmer's Claire's Knee. "The Booklovers" contains the line "Tu connais William Faulkner?", also a quote from À Bout de Souffle.

Responses

Neil Hannon sends all of his albums to Scott Walker, of whom Neil is a very big fan. After Neil sent Scott a copy of Promenade Scott sent him a letter back stating that he particularly liked "The Booklovers".

Track listing

All songs written and arranged by Neil Hannon

1. "Bath" – 4:10
2. "Going Downhill Fast" – 2:33
3. "The Booklovers" – 5:51
4. "A Seafood Song" – 3:29
5. "Geronimo" – 1:53
6. "Don't Look Down" – 4:48
7. "When the Lights Go Out All Over Europe" – 3:29
8. "The Summerhouse" – 4:15
9. "Neptunes Daughter" – 4:49
10. "A Drinking Song" – 4:37
11. "Ten Seconds to Midnight" – 2:10
12. "Tonight We Fly" – 3:01
13. "Ode to the Man"– 0:15

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.

Cover Versions

The Art Of Time Ensemble featuring (former Barenaked Ladies singer) Steven Page recorded Tonight We Fly on their 2010 album A Singer Must Die.