Charmed Life - The Best Of

Release Date

Feb 2022

Charmed Life is the second Best Of compilation album from The Divine Comedy featuring hit singles, fan favourites and a brand new track at the time of release.

Charmed Life When I hold you in my arms And look back on my charmed life, my charmed life I hope, I hope if nothing more That one day you'll call your life a charmed life Well I've never really worried that much About making lots of money and such And I always seem to land upon my feet And though there's been some difficult times The good times were never far behind I've snatched all of my victories from the jaws of defeat When I hold you in my arms And look back on my charmed life, my charmed life I hope, baby I hope if nothing more That one day you'll call your life a charmed life Well, the course of true love never ran smooth They broke my heart and I broke theirs too And breaking up is so very hard to do But I knew I'd find the one And sure enough she came along And not long after that along came you Well sometimes this life is like being afloat On a raging sea in a little row-boat Just trying not to be washed overboard But if you take your chances and you ride your luck And you never, never, never, never, never give up Those waves will see you safely to a friendly shore When I hold you in my arms I know that this is a charmed life A charmed life

National Express Take the National Express when your life's in a mess It'll make you smile All human life is here From the feeble old dear to the screaming child From the student who knows that to have one of those would be suicide To the family man Manhandling the pram with paternal pride And everybody sings 'ba ba ba da...' We're going where the air is free On the National Express There's a jolly hostess selling crisps and tea She'll provide you with drinks and theatrical winks For a sky-high fee Mini-skirts were in style when she danced down the aisle Back in '63 (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) But it's hard to get by When your arse is the size of a small country And everybody sings 'ba ba ba da...' We're going where the air is free Tomorrow belongs to me When you're sad and feeling blue With nothing better to do Don't just sit there feeling stressed Take a trip on the National Express

Norman And Norma Norman and Norma got married in Cromer April 1983 It could have been warmer but Norman and Norma Were happy as they’d ever been They flew to Majorca and swam in the water It felt just like having a bath The piña coladas hit Norma hard And she fell into bed with a laugh And she said… Oh, Norman, it’s never ever felt like this before And oh, Norman, I’ve never really known your kiss before Oh no, Norman, Norman… Norman and Norma had three lovely daughters Nadia, Nora and Niamh The firm Norma worked at wouldn’t take her back After maternity leave They dreamt of Majorca but couldn’t afford to go On Norman’s salary So they went to Cromer, got double pneumonia And Norma remembered when she used to say… Oh, Norman, it’s never ever felt like this before And oh, Norman, I’ve never really known your kiss before Oh no, Norman, Norman… Twenty years on and the children have gone And they’re both at a bit of a loss They’ve tried salsa classes and growing tomatoes But nothing is getting them off Then one day in Clacton there’s a re-enactment Of Normans and Saxons, and this Gets their juices flowing, before long they’re going And fighting like it’s 1066! And she says… Oh, Norman, it’s never ever felt like this before And oh, Norman, I’ve never really known such bliss before Oh no, Norman…

Something For The Weekend She said, "There's something in the woodshed And I can hear it breathing It's such an eerie feeling, darling" He said, "There's nothing in the woodshed It's your imagination End of the conversation, darling" Something in his heart told him to come clean He was not who he claimed to be Something in his genes told him to pretend 'Twas something for the weekend But she said, "There's something in the woodshed I know because I saw it I can't simply ignore it, darling" So he said, "Now baby don't be stupid Get this into your sweet head There ain't nothing in the woodshed (except maybe some wood)" Something in his heart told him to come clean He was not who he claimed to be Something in his jeans told him to pretend 'Twas something for the weekend "I'll go all the way with you If you'll only do the same for me Go and see If it's nothing like you say Then you can have your wicked way with me" He went down to the woodshed They came down hard on his head Gagged and bound and left for dead When he woke she was gone with his car and all of his money

Songs Of Love Pale, pubescent beasts Roam through the streets and coffee-shops Their prey gather in herds Of stiff knee-length skirts and white ankle-socks But while they search for a mate My type hibernate in bedrooms above Composing their songs of love Young, uniform minds In uniform lines and uniform ties Run round with trousers on fire And signs of desire they cannot disguise, While I try to find words As light as the birds that circle above To put in my songs of love Fate doesn't hang on a wrong or right choice Fortune depends on the tone of your voice So sing while you have time Let the sun shine down from above And fill you with songs of love Fate doesn't hang on a wrong or right choice Fortune depends on the tone of your voice So let's sing while we still can While the sun hangs high up above Wonderful songs of love Beautiful songs of love

The Best Mistakes I’ve thumbed the dog-eared pages of my paperback life Re-read confusing passages that never worked out right All the muddles and miscommunications that landed me here All the fights and late night conversations All the wasted tears Well I have made my fair share of mistakes I’m not an angel, but then again I’m no fake And I don’t regret a single day They were the best mistakes I’ve ever made I’ve tried to throw the past out I’ve tried to shed my skin But the days go by so fast now I kind of like remembering The young man sitting at the station in a world of his own The new sound, the overnight sensation Flying so high that I couldn’t let go Well I have made my fair share of mistakes I’m not an angel, but then again I’m no fake And I don’t regret a single day They were the best mistakes I’ve ever made They were the best mistakes I’ve ever made I did my time on the merry-go-round And if I had to choose between then and now I’d choose now All the muddles and miscommunications that landed me here All the fights and late night conversations All the wasted tears Well I have made my fair share of mistakes I’m not an angel, but then again I’m no fake And I don’t regret a single day They were the best mistakes I’ve ever made Well I have made my fair share of mistakes I’ve been a poet, a preacher, a fool, and a rake And I don’t regret a single day They were the best mistakes I’ve ever made They were the best mistakes I’ve ever made

At The Indie Disco We go down to the indie disco every Thursday night Dance to our favourite indie hits until the morning light At the indie disco, the indie disco At the indie disco, yeah We've got a table in the corner that is always ours Under the poster of Morrissey with a bunch of flowers We drink and talk 'bout stupid stuff Then hit the floor for Tainted Love You know I just can't get enough Of the indie disco, the indie disco At the indie disco, yeah Give us some Pixies and some Roses and some Valentines (We're in heaven) Give us some Blur and some Cure and some Wannadies (We'll dance forever) And now we're moving to the beat And staring at each others feet I wonder if she fancies me At the indie disco, the indie disco At the indie disco, yeah And when it's over and I'm freezing on the night-bus home I think of her and I sing the words to my favourite song (Oh Yeah) She makes my heart beat the same way As at the start of Blue Monday Always the last song that they play At the indie disco, the indie disco, at the indie disco yeah yeah yeah At the indie disco, the indie disco, at the indie disco yeah

Bad Ambassador I wanna chill, I wanna sit real still I wanna sleep like the dead on a bed of roses Me and my lovely wife We're in the prime of life I wanna feel real, I wanna free-wheel I wanna steal the show from under their noses I wanna get you off Well ain't that enough? I'm gonna abseil down my ivory tower And buy myself a Jaguar I'm a bad ambassador for that elusive place you're searching for I wanna show you so much more, but maybe some other time I wanna play with the big boys I wanna ride with the tough guys on a Japanese motorbike I wanna hold your hand Hey, what's your favourite band honey? I wanna look like they looked, I wanna shake like they shook I wanna take what they took I wanna get you high Don't ask me why It's just something I've got to do I'll try to make it up to you I'm a bad ambassador for that elusive place you're searching for I wanna show you so much more, but maybe some other time Yeah, maybe some other time I'm not the Pope And I don't wanna be the Archbishop of Canterbury I'm a bad ambassador for that elusive place you're searching for I wanna show you so much more Yeah, I could show you so much more But I'm a bad ambassador Well, maybe some other time...

A Lady Of A Certain Age Back in the day you had been part of the smart set You'd holidayed with kings, dined out with starlets From London to New York, Cap Ferrat to Capri In perfume by Chanel and clothes by Givenchy You sipped camparis with David and Peter At Noel's parties by Lake Geneva Scaling the dizzy heights of high society Armed only with a cheque-book and a family tree You chased the sun around the Cote d'Azur Until the light of youth became obscured And left you on your own and in the shade An English lady of a certain age And if a nice young man would buy you a drink You'd say with a conspiratorial wink "You wouldn't think that I was seventy" And he'd say, "no, you couldn't be!" You had to marry someone very very rich So that you might be kept in the style to which You had all of your life been accustomed to But that the socialists had taxed away from you You gave him children, a girl and a boy To keep your sanity a nanny was employed And when the time came they were sent away Well that was simply what you did in those days You chased the sun around the Cote d'Azur Until the light of youth became obscured And left you on your own and in the shade An English lady of a certain age And if a nice young man would buy you a drink You'd say with a conspiratorial wink "You wouldn't think that I was sixty three" And he'd say, "no, you couldn't be!" Your son's in stocks and bonds and lives back in Surrey Flies down once in a while and leaves in a hurry Your daughter never finished her finishing school Married a strange young man of whom you don't approve Your husband's hollow heart gave out one Christmas Day He left the villa to his mistress in Marseilles And so you come here to escape your little flat Hoping someone will fill your glass and let you chat about how... You chased the sun around the Cote d'Azur Until the light of youth became obscured And left you all alone and in the shade An English lady of a certain age And if a nice young man would buy you a drink You'd say with a conspiratorial wink "You wouldn't think that I was fifty three" And he'd say, "no, you couldn't be!

Becoming More Like Alfie Once there was a time when my mind lay on higher things And once there was a time I could find pretty words to sing But now, well now I find it saves time to say what you mean I know it seems so unrefined but it's time to let off some steam Oh come on! Everybody knows that no means yes Just like glasses come free on the NHS But the more I look through them the more I see I'm becoming more like Alfie Once there was a time when a kind word could be enough And once there was a time I could blindfold myself with love But not now - now I'm resigned to the kind of life I had reserved For other guys less smart than I You know - the kind who will always end up with the girls And besides everybody knows that No means Yes Just like glasses come free on the NHS But the more I look through them the more I see I'm becoming more like Alfie Oh come on! I'm becoming more like Alfie

Come Home Billy Bird William wakes with his clothes on The morning call has been and gone And he might not make the flight but he will try Bit by bit it comes back to him A bunch of Belgian business men And a strange drinking game, oh God why? Come home Billy Bird, international business traveller Come home Billy Bird He hails a cab but the driver sucks He drives so slowly and he talks so much That it hurts Billy Bird's aching brain He runs from the cab to the check-in desk She says, "no way??, but William begs On his knees, "Please, please, please" "Well ok" Come home Billy Bird, international business traveller Come home Billy Bird Drenched in sweat he finds his seat And with the luggage squeezed down beneath his feet He begins to think that things can't get no worse. But then a voice says, "bags that can't be stowed In the overhead locker must go below in the hold Please let go, thank-you sir" Come home Billy Bird, international business traveller Come home Billy Bird Come home William Come home He runs on past the carousel Screaming, "damn my luggage all to hell. I can buy a new shirt and tie any day" He rides from the airport into town To the high-school football ground Where his son has just begun his big football game Come home Billy Bird, international business traveller Come home Billy Bird

Have You Ever Been In Love Have you ever started dancing in the middle of a shopping mall Have you ever burst out laughing for no reason at all Have you ever noticed the rhythms in the rain And have you ever felt the ecstasy of pain Have you ever been in love Have you sung along to all the silly love-songs you hate And have you had to pinch yourself to make sure you're awake Have you ever felt like you could float into the sky Like the laws of physics simply don't apply Have you ever been in love Have you ever met somebody who could see inside your head Have you ever been so happy you've lain awake in bed Have you ever figured out the meaning of life Just by looking into someone else's eyes Have you ever been in love

Our Mutual Friend No matter how I try I just can't get her out of my mind And when I sleep I visualise her I saw her in the pub I met her later at the night-club A mutual friend introduced us We talked about the noise And how it's hard to hear your own voice Above the beat and the sub-bass We talked and talked for hours We talked in the back of our friend's car As we all went back to his place On our friend's settee She told me that she really liked me And I said "cool, the feeling's mutual" We played old 45's I said "it's like the soundtrack to our lives" And she said "true, it's not unusual" Then privately we danced But couldn't seem to keep our balance A drunken haze had come upon us We sank down to the floor and we sang A song that I can't sing any more And then we kissed and fell unconscious I woke up the next day All alone but for a headache I stumbled out to find the bathroom But all I found was her Wrapped around another lover No longer then is he our mutual friend

Generation Sex Generation sex respects the rights of girls Who want to take their clothes off As long as we can all watch that's ok And generation sex elects the type of guys You wouldn't leave your kids with And shouts "off with their heads" if they get laid Lovers watch their backs as hacks in macs Take snaps through telephoto lenses They chase Mercedes Benz' through the night A mourning nation weeps and wails But keeps the the sales of evil tabloids healthy The poor protect the wealthy in this world Generation sex injects the sperm of worms Into the eggs of field-mice So you can look real nice for the boys And generation sex is me and you And we should really all know better It really doesn't matter what you say

How Can You Leave Me On My Own How can you leave me on my own How can you leave me on my own When did you say that you’re coming home How can you leave me on my own When you leave I become a moron A beer swilling, time killing moron I surgically remove all of the green food from my diet I know I should be reading but I’m too lazy to try it I keep the TV on all day to chase away the quiet when you leave How can you leave Me on my own How can you leave me on my own How can you leave me on my own How can you leave me on my own When did you say that you’re coming home How can you leave me on my own When you leave I become a dickhead A bad smelling, couch dwelling dickhead I drink too many cups of tea and eat too many biscuits I think about going out - decide not to risk it I look at naked ladies ‘cause I’m too weak to resist it when you leave How can you leave Me on my own How can you leave me on my… oboe How can you leave me on my own How can you leave me on my own It’s not the same talking on the phone How can you leave me on my own When you leave I become a caveman A bed head, brain dead caveman I stare at all the photos and the texts that you have sent me I curl up with the dogs, I think they’re starting to resent me I wanna go to bed, but the bed is just too empty when you leave How can you leave Me on my own How can you leave me on my own How can you leave me on my own How can you leave me on my own When did you say that you’re coming home How can you leave me on my own

Perfect Lovesong Give me your love And I'll give you the perfect lovesong With a divine Beatles bassline And a big old Beach Boys sound I'll match you pound for pound Like heavy-weights in the final round We'll hold on to each other So we don't fall down Give me a wink And I'll give you what I think you're after With just one kiss I will whisk you away To where angels often tread We'll paint this planet red We'll stumble back to our hotel bed And we'll make love to each other Till we're half dead Maybe now you can see Just what you mean to me Give me your love And I'll give you the perfect lovesong Give me your word that you'll be true To me always come what may Forever and a day No matter what other people may say We'll hold on to each other Till we're old and grey

Your Daddy's Car We took your Daddy's car and drove it to the sea We fooled around for hours And then when we got tired and it got dark We found a place to park And we watched the sun set fire to the sea Can you feel the sadness in our love? It's the only kind we're worthy of Can you feel the madness in our hearts As the key turns and the engine starts? We took your Daddy's car and drove it into town We steamed into a bar And we bought the biggest bottle of champagne And driving through the rain we sang 'God bless this car, and all who sail in her!' Can you feel the sadness in our love? Well, it's the only kind we're worthy of And can you feel the madness in our hearts As the key turns and the engine starts? Engine starts We took your Daddy's car and wrapped it round a tree We didn't know what for We didn't feel like driving any more It was so good we got bored And we are driving from the day we are born Can you feel the sadness in our love? well, it's the only kind we're worthy of And can you feel the madness in our hearts As the key turns and the engine starts?

You'll Never Work In This Town Again You wanted a life of ease A world free of drudgery Everything done by machines You wanted a life of ease Now you’ll never work in this town again You’ll never work in this town again No, no Ned Ludd was a working man Things changed and it forced his hand He took a hammer and he made a stand ‘Cause Ned Ludd was a working man Now you’ll never work in this town again You’ll never work in this town again You wanted a life of ease A world free of drudgery Everything done by machines Well here it is, your life of ease That crazy algorithm has you in its sway It’s making the decisions for you every day You’re living in a prison of your own design That crazy algorithm’s making up your mind You’ll never work in this town again, girl You’ll never work in this town again You’ll never work in this town again, boy You’ll never work in this town again No, no…

Absent Friends Absent friends, here's to them And happy days, we thought that they would never end Here's to absent friends Little Jean Seberg seemed So full of life, but in those eyes such troubled dreams. Poor little Jean Woodbine Willie couldn't rest until he'd Given every bloke a final smoke before the killing Old Woodbine Willie Steve McQueen jumped the first one clean But the great escape he'd tried to make was not to be Maybe next time Steve Laika flew through inky blue Till Laika neared the atmosphere and Laika knew Laika's life was through Oscar Wilde was a lonely child He fought and won acceptance from the world They smiled, they laughed, they praised They drove poor Oscar to his grave Absent friends, here's to them, And happy days, we thought that they would never end, But they always end Raise your glasses then to absent friends

Everybody Knows (Except You) Everybody knows that I love you Everybody knows that I need you Everybody knows that I do, except you I told the stars above About the one I love I told the morning sun Yeah I'm telling everyone I told my mum and dad They seemed to understand And I'll get through to you If it's the last thing that I do Everybody knows that I love you Everybody knows that I need you Everybody knows that I do, except you Everybody knows that I live for you Everybody knows that I adore you Everybody knows that it's true, except you I told all of my friends Again and again and again I drove them round the bend So now you're my only friend I told the passers by I made a small boy cry And I'll get through to you If it's the last thing that I do 'Cause everybody knows that I love you Everybody knows that I need you Everybody knows that I do, except you I'm going crazy baby What do I have to do? You know I love you baby Maybe you love me too Everybody knows that I live for you Everybody knows that I adore you Everybody knows that it's true, except you Except you, except you, except you How come everybody knows, except you? Oh everybody knows that I love you And everybody knows that I need you Everybody knows that I do, except you

The Certainty Of Chance A butterfly flies through the forest rain And turns the wind into a hurricane I know that it will happen 'Cause I believe in the certainty of chance A schoolboy yawns, sits back and hits return While round the world computers crash and burn I know that it will happen 'Cause I believe in the certainty of chance And I believe I can see it all so clearly now You must go and I must set you free 'Cause only that will bring you back to me I know that it will happen I'm sure that it must happen Oh I know that it's gonna happen Because I believe in the certainty of chance

Sunrise I was born in Londonderry I was born in Derry City too Oh what a special child To see such things and still to smile I knew that there was something wrong But I kept my head down and carried on I grew up in Enniskillen I grew up in Inis Ceithleann too Oh what a clever boy To watch your hometown be destroyed I knew that I would not stay long So I kept my head down and carried on Who cares where national borders lie? Who cares whose laws you're governed by? Who cares what name you call a town? Who'll care when you're six feet beneath the ground? From the corner of my eye A hint of blue in the black sky A ray of hope, a beam of light An end to thirty years of night The church-bells ring, the children sing What is this strange and beautiful thing? It's the sunrise Can you see the sunrise? I can see the sunrise It's the sunrising

To The Rescue So many heartbreaks, so little time Too many tragedies, too many crimes Put on your body armour, prepare your alibis ‘Cause there is no one else gonna put it right To the rescue Down the streets and alleyways Past the Chinese takeaways Through the wind and driving rain To the rescue When the world won’t understand And government’s got other plans Take the law into your hands To the rescue Got a vigilante sleeping in my bed I looked for Marilyn, I got Che instead But I’ll march behind you wherever you may go And I’m more proud of you than you can ever know To the rescue Through the snow and freezing rain Down deserted country lanes Round the world and back again To the rescue Taking the forgotten ones The big and small, the old and young When nobody else will come They’ll come to the rescue To the rescue

Tonight We Fly Tonight we fly Over the houses the streets and the trees Over the dogs down below They'll bark at our shadows As we float by on the breeze Tonight we fly Over the chimney tops, skylights and slates Looking into all your lives And wondering why happiness is so hard to find Over the doctor, over the soldier Over the farmer, over the poacher Over the preacher, over the gambler Over the teacher Over the rambler, over the lawyer Over the dancer, over the voyeur Over the builder and the destroyer Over the hills and far away Tonight we fly Over the mountains, the beach and the sea Over the friends that we've known And those that we now know And those who we've yet to meet And when we die Oh, will we be that disappointed or sad? If heaven doesn't exist what will we have missed? This life is the best we've ever had