“This Is How It Feels” by Inspiral Carpets
Although the lyrics of this track are heavily dependent on metaphors, “This Is How It Feels” is very frank in its approach. And the subjects it deals with are primarily marriage woes and depression. And the way the Inspiral Carpets go about this is by featuring a couple of different narratives on the song.
The first and third verses are almost identical. And they tell the story of a nuclear family in which both parents appear to be emotionally out of control. And this reality of course is having a harrowing effect on their children.
Meanwhile the second verse is about a guy who “had it all on a plate”, meaning that he was well-to-do. Yet he was still discovered “under a train”. This points to the idea that the he committed suicide, despite coming from a background where it looks like he had absolutely no reason to do so.
But the Inspiral Carpets empathize with what these various individuals are going through. In fact to some degree, they try to give these accounts from these people’s own perspectives, thus the title of “This Is How It Feels”.
Conclusion
So it can be safely concluded that the band intended for this track to shed light on the issue of chronic depression. Moreover outside of this major theme, it is also insinuated that the victims in this song also suffer from hopelessness and disenfranchisement. And the overall implication is that these issues are more pervasive than some people may believe they actually are.
Facts about “This Is How It Feels”
This was the Inspiral Carpets’ original hit. Simply put, it was the first of their many songs to make it onto the Top 40 in their homeland of the United Kingdom.
On the original (album) version of the track, the lyrics of the second verse are slightly different than what most fans are familiar with via the single version.
The Inspiral Carpets collectively wrote and produced “This Is How It Feels”. And in the latter they were assisted by Nick Garside. That being said, it is worth highlighting that the band’s keyboard player Clint Boon is reportedly considered the primary writer of the song.
“This Is How It Feels” originally came out during March of 1990. And it was featured on the Inspiral Carpets’ maiden album. The band titled that album “Life”.
From the song’s lyrics, one of the characters apparently committed suicide due to depression. Sadly, Craig Gill (who was Inspiral Carpets’ drummer) also committed suicide in real life more than a decade after the song was released. Gill took his own life in November of 2016 after battling for years with tinnitus – a problem which caused him decades of anxiety and insomnia.
The drums on this track have a Joy Division flavor. Actually the drums (played by the late Craig Gill) are very reminiscent to the drums on Joy Division’s 1980 classic “Atmosphere“. Actually the whole song appears to be a huge nod to Joy Division’s “Atmosphere”. Even the video is pretty reminiscent to that of “Atmosphere”.
FYI, Ian Curtis (who was Joy Division’s lead singer) also died through suicide. Both Ian Curtis and Craig Gill killed themselves at their homes and in the same manner.
The song has nothing to do with domestic violence, and there’s nothing to suggest it in the lyrics.
It’s a song about depression, pure and simple, whereupon all the things which ought to matter – family, loving relationships, etc – don’t matter, no matter how hard you try to shake it.
This is what makes it such a good song, a powerful song – it strips down to the bare essentials what depression feels like, that you are alone in the world and worthless.
The song was also NOT “collectively wrote and produced” by the band. Clint Boon wrote it – indeed the majority of Inspiral Carpets’ music – but for legal reasons the song was attributed to the whole band (a common practice in the music industry by then to ensure an equal distribution of royalties).
Thanks for shedding some more light on this. Your contribution to this post is greatly appreciated.
My understanding was that the first part of the song was about premenstrual tension, which why Dad, kids and the postman had no compression of what was wrong with Mum. I’m sure that I even heard an interview with the band around the time that the song came out, explaining that they were trying to shed on the longstanding taboo which is PMT.
The woman was planning on running off with the man from the top estate. Given the death of the man / her boyfriend she could hardly confide in the husband. Hence the reason why the family could not tell why she was so despondent.
Wow. Thankyou.
I remember hearing a version of this song at the time where he sings “putting it down to PMT” but can’t find it now. Anyone know which version/ mix that was? moss dot simon @ gmail dot com if so