Turn It On Again

Wow, I always thought of something entirely different...An antisocial individual, possibly psychotic, who can only relate to TV personalities as his "friends." In the course of his imaginary relationships, he falls in love with a TV character. (2nd verse) Although he feels like he has an authentic relationship, he can only see her when she's on the TV. ("I get so lonely when she's not there") Similiar to Van Halen's "I'll Wait"

Comment about the lonely-ness of touring? Missing the misses, only able to see TV, or listen to the radio? Trying to find familiarity in a well known TV face, to realise the world is normal?

while all meanings have been correct before this, there is still one thing every comment i see is missing, or people just dont know, wich is why i am writing this comment

whilst it is true that he is watching tv, certain channels. he is addicted to one channel (most likely because of a character\ person on the channel). now, i find the one thing missing is that he is not only watchiing yhe person, but is now stalking them, even outside of the telavision.

i believe that my stalking theory is correct for 3 reasons. one; the title. turn it on again. the character is addicted to the one channel\ show, constantly wanting to turn it on instead of doing anything else.

two; the line "its driving me mad, its just another way of passing the day" i think this means that he wont do anything else, and just wastes his day away stalking this person on the tv, and even in real life.

three; the lyric "i get so lonely when shes not there". he has created an artificial relationship with this person on tv, and feel as if the person has an obligation to be with him at every moment

I think this song has very simple yet substantial meaning. It's about a person who only needs a TV show (which is substitute for social interaction) and radio (which provides the music that is so important in our lives - it can motivate us, it can soothe us, it can help us contemplate) and tries to comunicate that.

He is obviously not content with it thus the "down on my luck again" part, as this is repeating process.

He wants to show the world that those two things - TV and radio (music) are the two most important things in his life thus "I can show you I can show you some of the people in my life" (some of the "tv show, songs" in my life).

He knows that TV show and radio is just another way to pass your time, just like any other activity, but everything repetitive can drive person mad. More so if it's something you are not really content with.

But then when he is away from his world of TV and radio he feels lonely, he feels unhappy.

The second part of the song is when things get really interesting as he is refering to real life he wants to escape from, put it on a side for the time being.

"You're just another face that I know from the TV show" refering to people he meets in his real being not different or better than what he finds in his TV show.

"I have known you for so very long I feel you like a friend" - TV shows provide him with the social interaction or rather feelings which he can assign to people in real life. Thus "knowing them for so very long".

"Can't you do anything for me, can I touch you for a while" - he wants to interact with outside world but he knows it wont provide him with the things he wants. He wants to touch but only for a while.

"Can I meet you another day and we can fly away" - he is not ready to face the real world yet, he is pushing it away but when he will be ready he will finally escape all his problems,and madness.

So what I feel it's about an outsider, introvert who finds safe haven in the world of imagination, TV shows and music, substituting real world with these mediums. He wants to escape it, he is not truly happy with it but he is not ready it. Will he ever be ready? I don't think so as he requests to "turn it on again", and he "sees another face" he subsitutes another feeling. The vicious circle is on.

This, I think, is about someone who's got a deal with someone on tv or radio and wants to meet them. Plus this person would also want to impress the tv/radio figure to end up on tv/radio himself

i absoltely think this song is about touring and the ways that it tears you up... he's relating to a tv show host and or a radio... feeling like the tv show needs to be on all the time - thus the whole turn it on again...

That's more or less what I was thinking, slick21. It always seemed to me to be about someone who's lonely, isolated from the rest of society, whose TV and radio are really their only connections to the rest of the world. Genesis performed live on VH1 recently, starting off their set with this song, and it got me thinking, that there's more and more of our society who live exactly like that: we live alone, are "telecommuters" who work from home, and most of our interaction with the outside world is done over computers. Speaking from experience, it can be a horribly lonely, isolating lifestyle.

slick21's basically got it. My understanding is that the "Duke" album was a concept album of sorts that told sort of a life story of this character "Duke". In this chapter (Turn it On Again), Duke has basically become smitten with the host of a TV show and he is dreaming of what it would be like to tell her how he feels, introduce her to his friends, be intimate with her, etc.

Man, with a heartache all left alone, in his loneliness and isolation but hoefully with his television set for subtitution!

"I can show you I can show you some of the people in my life"

It's interesting how in the beginning, this line ios the protagonist talking about the people on the TV, who are essentially the people in his life.

However, after he begins fantasizing about the people and aspirations on the TV, he feels the need to show them some of the real people in his life. Or maybe even he could pretend that drama and adventure from the TV becomes his life when he "flies away with them."