That's interesting, FosterWPL! If it is in any way related to Take That or Robbie, I think you're probably right - I never saw it that way before. Overall it could be about a conviction he had (at the time of writing) that either Take That would reform or that he'd become as sucessful as they'd been, and that he's kind of clutching at straws for it (he's not necessarily desperate, he just can't seem to shake the belief).
I agree that a 'friend' is very likely just himself, or at least, a little part of him that's [possibly guiltily and probably secretly] believing something is going to happen when it's not likely, whereas he himself, the 'real' him, is being more realistic and knows it won't, hence the 'think he's had his time, think he's lost his mind'. I think songwriters use the 'friend' thing alot, sometimes with good reason but sometimes I think simply because it looks and sounds better than just saying 'I, I, I' all the time. And in this case I do think he'd be talking about just one part of himself, and labelling that 'a friend' seems the most straightforward way about it.
That's interesting, FosterWPL! If it is in any way related to Take That or Robbie, I think you're probably right - I never saw it that way before. Overall it could be about a conviction he had (at the time of writing) that either Take That would reform or that he'd become as sucessful as they'd been, and that he's kind of clutching at straws for it (he's not necessarily desperate, he just can't seem to shake the belief).
I agree that a 'friend' is very likely just himself, or at least, a little part of him that's [possibly guiltily and probably secretly] believing something is going to happen when it's not likely, whereas he himself, the 'real' him, is being more realistic and knows it won't, hence the 'think he's had his time, think he's lost his mind'. I think songwriters use the 'friend' thing alot, sometimes with good reason but sometimes I think simply because it looks and sounds better than just saying 'I, I, I' all the time. And in this case I do think he'd be talking about just one part of himself, and labelling that 'a friend' seems the most straightforward way about it.