On the surface, the song's narrator is expressing a wish that many of us have had at one (or several) points in our life. To wipe the slate clean and to leave the troubles of our old life behind. To find this elusive "new town" promises new romance adventure etc. But there is an elusive melancholy in the music and Bryan Ferry's vocals. It's as if his narrator grudgingly knows that is dreams of a better new life may be impossible to obtain in reality, or may come at some terrible price. The slow, descending minor-key piano part at the end of the song adds to this ominous mood.
On the surface, the song's narrator is expressing a wish that many of us have had at one (or several) points in our life. To wipe the slate clean and to leave the troubles of our old life behind. To find this elusive "new town" promises new romance adventure etc. But there is an elusive melancholy in the music and Bryan Ferry's vocals. It's as if his narrator grudgingly knows that is dreams of a better new life may be impossible to obtain in reality, or may come at some terrible price. The slow, descending minor-key piano part at the end of the song adds to this ominous mood.