Misplaced Childhood
Encyclopedia
Misplaced Childhood is the third studio album of the neo-progressive rock
band Marillion
. It was released in 1985 and has been their most commercially successful album, reaching number one in the UK album charts in June 1985 and spending a total of 41 weeks on the chart, the longest chart residency of a Marillion album.
The album features the band's two most successful singles, the guitar-led "Kayleigh
", which reached No. 2 in the UK and was a worldwide success, and the piano-led "Lavender
", which reached No. 5. The name Kayleigh was devised by Fish
to slightly obscure the name of a former girlfriend named "Kay Lee" (with "Lee" being the middle name), who the song was mostly about.
Misplaced Childhood was the band's first full concept album
, consisting of two continuous pieces of music on the two sides of the vinyl. In live concerts preceding the album, Fish had originally claimed as a teaser
that the next album would consist of only two tracks, 'Side One' and 'Side Two'. Then, during the Misplaced Childhood tour, Fish would announce "Now there is time for one more track... the name of the track is 'Misplaced Childhood'", and the band performed the entire album in sequence.
The story has thematic elements of lost love, sudden success, acceptance, and lost childhood, along with an upbeat ending. As Fish
explains, he perceived the concept during a 10-hour acid
trip . Several of the songs and titles contain notable autobiographical references; one example is that track 2 ("Kayleigh") references past girlfriends. Another example is track 5 ("I was born with the heart of Lothian
"), which is a reference to a traditional region of Scotland
- Fish himself being from Midlothian - and a reference to the Heart of Midlothian (Royal Mile)
- a mosaic heart in the pavement of Edinburgh's Royal Mile.
A 2-CD remastered version with additional B-sides and demos was released in 1998.
The 1998 remaster has the following additional tracks on the second CD:
. Mead also appeared in the video for "Kayleigh
" and was portrayed on the sleeves for all three of the singles taken from the album, "Kayleigh
", "Lavender
" and Heart of Lothian.
magazine and came sixth in Kerrang!
magazine's Albums Of The Year 1985. The album came fourth in Classic Rock
s list of the 30 greatest concept albums of all time. In the Q
& Mojo
Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album came #17 in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums".
Neo-progressive rock
Neo-progressive rock is a sub-genre of progressive rock, developed in the UK and popular in the 1980s, although it lives on today....
band Marillion
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
. It was released in 1985 and has been their most commercially successful album, reaching number one in the UK album charts in June 1985 and spending a total of 41 weeks on the chart, the longest chart residency of a Marillion album.
The album features the band's two most successful singles, the guitar-led "Kayleigh
Kayleigh
"Kayleigh" was a number two UK hit for British neo-progressive rock band Marillion in 1985. It remains the group's most successful single in terms of chart position. The single was kept from the UK Number 1 spot by charity single "You'll Never Walk Alone" by supergroup The Crowd in the summer of...
", which reached No. 2 in the UK and was a worldwide success, and the piano-led "Lavender
Lavender (Marillion song)
"Lavender" is neo-progressive rock band Marillion's second single from their breakthrough album Misplaced Childhood. The follow-up to the big UK number 2 hit "Kayleigh", the song was their second Top 5 UK hit, entering the chart on 7 September 1985, reaching number 5 and staying on the chart for 9...
", which reached No. 5. The name Kayleigh was devised by Fish
Fish (singer)
Derek William Dick, better known as Fish, is a Scottish progressive rock singer, lyricist and occasional actor, best known as the former lead singer of Marillion.-Biography:...
to slightly obscure the name of a former girlfriend named "Kay Lee" (with "Lee" being the middle name), who the song was mostly about.
Misplaced Childhood was the band's first full concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
, consisting of two continuous pieces of music on the two sides of the vinyl. In live concerts preceding the album, Fish had originally claimed as a teaser
Teaser
A teaser is a type of gambling bet that allows the bettor to combine his bets on two different games. The bettor can adjust the point spreads for the two games, but realizes a lower return on the bets in the event of a win....
that the next album would consist of only two tracks, 'Side One' and 'Side Two'. Then, during the Misplaced Childhood tour, Fish would announce "Now there is time for one more track... the name of the track is 'Misplaced Childhood'", and the band performed the entire album in sequence.
The story has thematic elements of lost love, sudden success, acceptance, and lost childhood, along with an upbeat ending. As Fish
Fish (singer)
Derek William Dick, better known as Fish, is a Scottish progressive rock singer, lyricist and occasional actor, best known as the former lead singer of Marillion.-Biography:...
explains, he perceived the concept during a 10-hour acid
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
trip . Several of the songs and titles contain notable autobiographical references; one example is that track 2 ("Kayleigh") references past girlfriends. Another example is track 5 ("I was born with the heart of Lothian
Lothian
Lothian forms a traditional region of Scotland, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills....
"), which is a reference to a traditional region of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
- Fish himself being from Midlothian - and a reference to the Heart of Midlothian (Royal Mile)
Heart of Midlothian (Royal Mile)
The Heart of Midlothian is a heart-shaped mosaic built into the pavement near the West Door of St Giles High Kirk on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, not far from Parliament House, which was the former Parliament of Scotland, and now the site of the Court of Session and Signet Library.Together with...
- a mosaic heart in the pavement of Edinburgh's Royal Mile.
A 2-CD remastered version with additional B-sides and demos was released in 1998.
Side one
- "Pseudo Silk Kimono" – 2:14
- "KayleighKayleigh"Kayleigh" was a number two UK hit for British neo-progressive rock band Marillion in 1985. It remains the group's most successful single in terms of chart position. The single was kept from the UK Number 1 spot by charity single "You'll Never Walk Alone" by supergroup The Crowd in the summer of...
" – 4:03 - "LavenderLavender (Marillion song)"Lavender" is neo-progressive rock band Marillion's second single from their breakthrough album Misplaced Childhood. The follow-up to the big UK number 2 hit "Kayleigh", the song was their second Top 5 UK hit, entering the chart on 7 September 1985, reaching number 5 and staying on the chart for 9...
" – 2:25 - "Bitter Suite" – 7:56
- "Brief Encounter"
- "Lost Weekend"
- "Blue Angel"
- "Misplaced Rendezvous"
- "Windswept Thumb"
- "Heart of LothianHeart of Lothian"Heart Of Lothian" is the fifth song on the 1985 album Misplaced Childhood by British progressive rock band Marillion. The song was released as the third single from Misplaced Childhood on 18 November 1985 in the UK, the Netherlands, West Germany, Canada , South Africa and Australia.The 7" and 12"...
" – 4:02- "Wide Boy"
- "Curtain Call"
Side two
- "Waterhole (Expresso Bongo)" – 2:13
- "Lords of the Backstage" – 1:52
- "Blind Curve" – 9:29
- "Vocal Under a Bloodlight"
- "Passing Strangers"
- "Mylo"
- "Perimeter Walk"
- "Threshold"
- "Childhoods End?" – 4:33
- "White Feather" – 2:25
The 1998 remaster has the following additional tracks on the second CD:
- "Lady Nina" (Extended 12" Version) – 5:50
- "Freaks" (Single Version) – 4:08
- "Kayleigh" (Alternative Mix) – 4:03
- "Lavender Blue" (Lavender Remix) – 4:22
- "Heart of Lothian" (Extended Mix) – 5:54
- "Pseudo Silk Kimono" (Demo) – 2:11
- "Kayleigh" (Demo) – 4:06
- "Lavender" (Demo) – 2:37
- "Bitter Suite" (Demo) – 2:54
- "Lords of the Backstage" (Demo) – 1:46
- "Blue Angel" (Demo) – 1:46
- "Misplaced Randezvous" (Demo) – 1:56
- "Heart of Lothian" (Demo) – 3:49
- "Waterhole (Expresso Bongo)" (Demo) – 2:00
- "Passing Strangers" (Demo) – 9:17
- "Childhoods End?" (Demo) – 2:23
- "White Feather" (Demo) – 2:18
Song references
The album contains several references to song titles or lyrics by Marillion and other artists. These include:- "Home Thoughts from Abroad" by Clifford T. WardClifford T. WardClifford Thomas Ward was a popular English singer-songwriter, best known for his career as a solo artist.-Early life:...
referenced in "Kayleigh" ("By the way, how's your broken heart"/"By the way, didn't I break your heart?") - "Script for a Jester's Tear" by Marillion, referenced in "Kayleigh" ("I never did write that love song"/"I'm still trying to write that love song")
- "Love, Reign O'er MeLove, Reign o'er Me"Love, Reign o'er Me" is a song by the English rock band The Who. Written by guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend, "Love, Reign o'er Me" was released on October 23, 1973 as the second single from the band's sixth studio album and second rock opera, Quadrophenia. It is the final song on the...
" by The WhoThe WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, referenced in "Windswept Thumb" ("Rain on me" - NB not in lyric sheet) - "Ashes are Burning" by RenaissanceRenaissance (band)Renaissance are an English progressive rock band, most notable for their 1978 UK top 10 hit "Northern Lights" and progressive rock classics like "Carpet of the Sun", "Mother Russia" and "Ashes Are Burning".-Original incarnation :...
, referenced in "Lords of the Backstage" ("Ashes are burning, burning") - "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" by Van der Graaf GeneratorVan der Graaf GeneratorVan der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock band, formed in 1967 in Manchester. They were the first act signed to Charisma Records. The band achieved considerable success in Italy during the 1970s...
, referenced in "Lords of the Backstage" ("I'm so far out [and] I'm too far in") - "Lavender BlueLavender Blue"Lavender Blue," also called "Lavender's Blue," is an English folk song and nursery rhyme dating to the seventeenth century, which has been recorded in various forms since the twentieth century. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 3483...
", originally an English folk song dating to the 17th century. This song became very popular during the 1950s rock and roll era, when it was sung by Solomon BurkeSolomon BurkeSolomon Burke was an American singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, mortician, and an archbishop of the United House of Prayer For All People. Burke was known as "King Solomon", the "King of Rock 'n' Soul", and as the "Bishop of Soul", and described as "the Muhammad Ali of soul", and as "the most...
. A hit version of the song, sung by Burl IvesBurl IvesBurl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic John Rockwell said, "Ives's voice .....
, was featured in the Walt DisneyWalt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
movie "So Dear to My HeartSo Dear to My HeartSo Dear to My Heart is a 1948 feature film produced by Walt Disney, released in Chicago on November 29, 1948 and nationwide on January 19, 1949 by RKO Radio Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution. Like 1946's Song of the South, the film combines animation and live action...
".
Cover art
The boy on the front cover is Robert Mead, then a ten-year-old who lived next door to the sleeve artist Mark WilkinsonMark Wilkinson
Mark Wilkinson is best known for his detailed cover art that he created for a number of British bands, most prominently the progressive rock band, Marillion...
. Mead also appeared in the video for "Kayleigh
Kayleigh
"Kayleigh" was a number two UK hit for British neo-progressive rock band Marillion in 1985. It remains the group's most successful single in terms of chart position. The single was kept from the UK Number 1 spot by charity single "You'll Never Walk Alone" by supergroup The Crowd in the summer of...
" and was portrayed on the sleeves for all three of the singles taken from the album, "Kayleigh
Kayleigh
"Kayleigh" was a number two UK hit for British neo-progressive rock band Marillion in 1985. It remains the group's most successful single in terms of chart position. The single was kept from the UK Number 1 spot by charity single "You'll Never Walk Alone" by supergroup The Crowd in the summer of...
", "Lavender
Lavender (Marillion song)
"Lavender" is neo-progressive rock band Marillion's second single from their breakthrough album Misplaced Childhood. The follow-up to the big UK number 2 hit "Kayleigh", the song was their second Top 5 UK hit, entering the chart on 7 September 1985, reaching number 5 and staying on the chart for 9...
" and Heart of Lothian.
Reception
The album topped the 1985 readers' poll for best album in SoundsSounds (magazine)
Sounds was a long-term British music paper, published weekly from 10 October 1970 – 6 April 1991. It was produced by Spotlight Publications , which was set up by Jack Hutton and Peter Wilkinson, who left "Melody Maker" to start their own company...
magazine and came sixth in Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
magazine's Albums Of The Year 1985. The album came fourth in Classic Rock
Classic Rock (magazine)
Classic Rock is a British magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing, who are also responsible for its "sister" publication Metal Hammer. Although firmly focusing on key bands from the 1960s through early 1990s, it also includes articles and reviews of...
s list of the 30 greatest concept albums of all time. In the Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
& Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album came #17 in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums".
Personnel
- FishFish (singer)Derek William Dick, better known as Fish, is a Scottish progressive rock singer, lyricist and occasional actor, best known as the former lead singer of Marillion.-Biography:...
– vocals - Steve RotherySteve RotherySteve Rothery is the guitarist of the English rock band Marillion. He was born in Brampton, South Yorkshire, England. From the age of six he lived in Whitby, North Yorkshire.-Biography:...
- guitars - Mark Kelly - keyboards
- Pete TrewavasPete TrewavasPete Trewavas is an English musician. He joined Marillion in 1982, taking over the role of bassist, from Diz Minnett, while acting occasionally as a backing vocalist and acoustic guitarist.Although he was born in Middlesbrough, Trewavas spent much of his childhood in the Buckinghamshire town of...
- bass - Ian MosleyIan MosleyIan F. Mosley is a drummer in the progressive rock band, Marillion.Mosley joined the band in 1984 after a long search for a replacement of Mick Pointer, who had been left the band in 1983. Mosley had previously, among others, played with former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, both on two of his...
- drums
External links
More information available (on the marillion.com album page ):- Reflections from some of the band written in 1998
- More album details and song lyrics
- Kayleigh on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Lavender on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Heart of Lothian on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....