Travis’ ‘Sing’ Was Originally About Swinging in the Park

Travis have shared “Swing,” the earliest demo of the song that would eventually come to be known as “Sing.”

It comes as the band announces plans for a 20th-anniversary reissue of The Invisible Band, which is set for release on December 3rd via Craft Recordings.

While “Sing” proved to be one of the record’s breakout hits, an early demo reveals how frontman Fran Healy originally intended for the track to be an ode to the joys of playing in the park as a child.

“It was originally about swinging when you were a little kid in a park, on the swing. That feeling that you got, everyone can totally tap into that, we’ve all done it, we’ve all swung,” he explained. “But then when I went in the next day to try to record it with the band… as I sung it I accidentally sung ‘Sing’ instead of ‘Swing’ and thought ‘Oh, that’s even better!’”

The reissue, meanwhile, gives fans the chance to access a special limited-edition 20th-anniversary box set that features the material across two CDs and two 180-gram heavyweight ultra-clear vinyl LPs cut at London’s Air Studios.

The box set also includes an extensive book with unseen session photography, handwritten lyrics, and essays from the band plus contributions from original producer Nigel Godrich.

“The Invisible Band is 20!! I hadn’t listened to the whole album for a while. It’s a lovely piece of work from the big singles like ‘Sing’ and ‘Flowers in the Window’ to ‘Afterglow’ and ‘Last Train,’” said Healy. “It sounds great at 20! We’re also taking it on the road. We’re really looking forward to playing live again”.

A limited number of hand-numbered prints, signed by all four of the band, are available via the Travis official store pre-order here.

The Invisible Band will also be reissued on standard black vinyl, available for the first time on the format since its original release. A limited green vinyl pressing is available via independent record shops, as well as a two-CD standard edition.

The band also unveiled details of their The Invisible Band in Concert tour, set for North America and the United Kingdom in April and May. It’ll be the first time the band will play the album in full alongside tracks from last year’s 10 Songs and other material. Tickets for the U.S. tour will go on sale Friday, October 8th.