You're Gone is the

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

from

Marillion Marillion are a British neo-prog band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becoming the mo ...

's 13th studio album ''

Marbles A marble is a small spherical object often made from glass, clay, steel, plastic, or agate. These toys can be used for a variety of games called marbles, as well being placed in marble runs or races, or created as a form of art. They are ofte ...

'', released in 2004. The song marked a comeback for the band, ''Marbles'': Allmusic review/ref> reaching number 7 on the UK Singles Chart and becoming their first top ten hit since 1987's " Incommunicado". It also made number 8 on the

Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 () is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore radio, offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" ...

Background and release

In the studio, singer

Steve Hogarth Steve Hogarth (born Ronald Stephen Hoggarth, 14 May 1956), also known as "h", is an English musician. Since 1989, he has been the lead singer of the rock band Marillion, for which he also performs additional keyboards and guitar. Hogarth was f ...

was inspired by a chord sequence generated on a computer by guitarist

Steve Rothery Steven Rothery (born 25 November 1959) is an English musician who is the original guitarist and the longest continuous member of the progressive rock band Marillion. Outside Marillion, Rothery has recorded two albums as part of the duo The Wis ...

, and was able to fit a pre-written lyric around it. Hogarth has said, "It's a simple song. It's about losing a great light in your life and living in the shadow of it, and yet rejoicing in the fact that it was ever there – and it still is there, somewhere." "You're Gone" has been characterised as an address of "romantic disappointment". Although the band's mainstream popularity had dissipated in the late 1990s, they retained a strong

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

. Three versions of the single (two CD versions and a DVD version) were promoted to mailing list subscribers, and the song's commercially friendly sound – including its then-current, U2-like feel – made it more accessible to mainstream audiences than previous Marillion singles. Despite "You're Gone" becoming the second-highest new entry of the week and generating renewed media interest in the band, they were denied an appearance on the BBC's flagship chart television show ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

'', and were, according to Steve Rothery, dismissed by then-BBC presenter

Jonathan Ross Jonathan Stephen Ross (born 17 November 1960) is an English broadcaster, film critic, comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He presented the BBC One chat show '' Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' during the 2000s and early 2010s, hosted his ow ...

as "a prog rock band that sing about goblins". Rothery criticised Ross's archaic perception of the band, saying: "We recorded ''

Script for a Jester's Tear ''Script for a Jester's Tear'' is the debut studio album by British neo-prog band Marillion, released in the United Kingdom on 14 March 1983 by EMI Records. The album reached number seven and spent 31 weeks in the UK Albums Chart, eventual ...

'' 22 years ago. I think that was when Ross had his own hair." The single included a live rendition of "Faith," an all-new song that was written during the sessions for ''Marbles'' but not released on an album until its follow-up ''Somewhere Else.''

Music video

A basic music video was created for the single, directed by The Boom Boom Boys. It largely features Hogarth delivering the song, with occasional shots of the band and minimal effect overlay.Marillion – You're Gone

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

. Retrieved 24 July 2012.

Charts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:You're Gone (Marillion song) Marillion songs 2004 singles Rock ballads 2004 songs Songs written by Steve Hogarth Songs written by Steve Rothery Songs written by Mark Kelly (keyboardist) Songs written by Pete Trewavas Songs written by Ian Mosley