The music of English singer-songwriter Mike Batt has featured prominently here, though most mentions have focused on songs from his 1979 album- Tarot Suite. It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time comes from the record he did prior called Schizophonia (1977).
Whenever I hear this song – it brings a wry smile to my face. Even the title is so relatable for us mere mortals who have ‘been there and done that’ perhaps more times than we care to admit. Here Batt sings about his misfortunes on the roulette wheel in Monte Carlo. But roulette wheel could as well be ‘insert your given vice here‘. I just like it’s breezy sound and Batt’s ironic and whimsical tone.
Schizophonia is Mike Batt’s second solo album, backed with the London Symphony Orchestra. His working with the Orchestra would continue with his next record – Tarot Suite. According to Batt, Schizophonia was originally a concept album with the title The Adventures of God and His Pals, with God being like Lord Snooty from The Beano comic magazine. Having started writing songs for that album, Batt thought the theme was “a bit silly”, before imagining an Arabic story and then discovering one “about Mohammed the Fifth and the Berber Revolt in the Encyclopædia Britannica.
As alluded to above Schizophonia partly contains a theme of Arabic music, which persuaded film producer Elmo Williams to commission Batt to write the score for the 1978 film Caravans. Also in 1978 he wrote Bright Eyes sung by Art Garfunkel which became a huge hit around the World. From both his solo albums – Schizophonia and Tarot Suite he had European hit songs with Railway Hotel, Lady of the Dawn and Ride to Agadir.
Don’t ask me why I did it
It seemed like a good idea at the time
There were no other amusements or games to play
To pass the night away
Don’t ask me why I did it
I must have been lonely stupid or blind
But I know that it seemed like a good idea at the time
It was 3 a.m. in the casino
I was feeling like the Sportsman of the Year
So I blew a little money on the roulette wheel
And I taught myself to play Chemin de fer
Don’t ask me why I did it
It seemed like a good idea at the time
There were no other amusements or games to play
To pass the night away
Don’t ask me why I did it
I must have been lonely stupid or blind
But I know that it seemed like a good idea at the time
As the dawn came round on Monte Carlo
I had lost the car and safe deposit keys
The country house in Switzerland was mine no more
And the gendarme at the door sald “c’est la vie!”
Don’t ask me why I did it
I must have been lonely stupid or blind
But I know that it seemed like a good idea at the time
Reference:
1. Schizophonia (Mike Batt album) – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Unlike the album’s monumental opener “The Ride to Agadir,” I wasn’t aware of “It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time.” Like the opener it’s on the lush side, but I like Batt’s sense for melody. His other song I well remember from the radio back in Germany is “Lady of the Dawn,” another song with a beautiful melody.
I listened to ‘Rode to Agadir’ and the other songs mentioned there-in. It’s cool he got a movie soundtrack deal, because of that song. I agree “It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time” is kinda of on the ‘lush’ side and won’t win any best song awards, but when I hear it, it makes me smile. And Mike Batt’s music and I go way back to my youth where his 1979 record ‘Tarot Suite’ record was the most played in my house. ‘Lady of the Dawn’ is from that same record which did well in your native country as you alluded. That record is easily in my top 5 favourites of all time, although one could put that down more for nostalgic reasons.