Heartland

I awoke this morning to the pounding bass in my head
and tortured lyrics of Emma < ( I know it's a cover ).

As my attention became focused I began to wonder through other
Sisters lyrics that played out in sound bytes in my head.

Is it the packaging, the drive of the music and the power of the voice
that sells it. I think not. That would be like a beautifully designed CD
case. Once you gave it's contents a listen you would quickly become
aware of it's short comings. This reminds me of a group from the mid 90's
I gave a listen to at the insistence of a friend. He was right I really liked
the music, but the lyrics were so insipid and juvenile that it made me cringe and wretch.

In the case of Eldritch's lyrics I believe he is a gifted wordsmith.
But it's the open palette and broad strokes of his writing that open
a world of interpretation. This allows the individual to interject a bit of his own life experience into the visual that begins to play out in his or her mind with each listen. Wether this be by designor simply a by product of his artistic style I find it an intensely magical experience.


"And all I know for sure
All I know for real
Is knowing doesn't mean so much"

I've never really been able to put my finger on why the lyrics as so important/moving/poignant, I just remember a eureka moment when I was fourteen, the lyrics of the Sisters, New Model Army, Joy Division, Pogues just really hit home.

It could be the emotion/passion/venom/feeling/anger that they convey?, I don't know, but they do, that's the important thing, different lyrics in different songs mean completely different things to me depending what mood I'm in, but some songs still bring a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye (soppy auld sod ), Emma, Nine While Nine soring to mind.

Having just read a particular interview with Andrew, things started to hit closer to home. In general though, the word games and cryptic crossword style are great stuff. I love songs with more to them than the basic message.

Motz wrote:In general though, the word games and cryptic crossword style are great stuff. I love songs with more to them than the basic message.

100%!

In the CD booklet to Some Girls Wander By Mistake Andrew wrote:I like to think it was the songs that made this band. I know it wasn`t. We used a lot of smoke, very few lights, stepped right back and just made a space where you could lose yourself (but more probably find yourself) in a tide of colour and noise. It sounds simple, but no-one that really wanted to be a rock`n`roll star could have done it

So it is not the ego of the people on the stage that the shows are about. It is us. They need to get inside our heads. And they give their best to do so. How many other popular bands can you list that want to get anywhere else than inside your purse? There are not many of them.
When the Sisters do a cover, they don`t immitate, they quote in their own musical language. Everything they make sounds original.
Maybe the comparison to a holographic picture is best to express how I see them. If you look at it from a different angle it changes its colour, and it shows a third dimension while it is just a flat piece of paper. You can`t actually touch it, but it still is more interesting than the others, them being action figures you can play with.

scotty wrote:I've never really been able to put my finger on why the lyrics as so important/moving/poignant, I just remember a eureka moment when I was fourteen, the lyrics of the Sisters, New Model Army, Joy Division, Pogues just really hit home.

It could be the emotion/passion/venom/feeling/anger that they convey?, I don't know, but they do, that's the important thing, different lyrics in different songs mean completely different things to me depending what mood I'm in, but some songs still bring a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye (soppy auld sod ), Emma, Nine While Nine soring to mind.

Well described and said Keith.

Same.......though I could't find those words...right now....

Venom is the word. A steel hand in a velvet glove. (insert your own cliché here)

For example, if you don't listen too closely, SKOS seems like a plaintive love song, but when you properly listen to the lyrics... ouch.

For me its simple, I first heard The Sisters when I was twelve thanks to my old man. Went from there really, being so young the lyrics didn't make sense initially so it was like a journey to realise what he was going on about. Good journey & I still don't get half of it!

's songwriting is very literate, there are lots of refernces to religion, politics and philosophy which are well done. Oh and the tunes are pretty good as well.

R. Palmer (a music critic) once said of the Rolling Stones that they confirmed two basic rock and roll truths: 1. Attitude is everything. 2. Lurics are most evocative when juuuuust short of indecipherable. Sort of remind you of trying to puzzle out "Amphetamine Logic", doesn't it.

R. Palmer on The Sisters of Mercy (not a direct quote but as I remember:"Andrew Eldritch brings to the microphone stand a deep voice and a working knowledge of the poetry of TS Eliot."

Go Figure.

I'm not a guy who thinks much of rock and roll lyrics. By and large I'd prefer it if they were in French - then at least I wouldn't be tempted to try to understand them. AE, though occasionally manages to insert enough cruel jokes and references to continental philosophy to interest me (and often enough yells out daft nonsense that sounds good, too).

I Was Wrong is the best breakup song since Carole King, and Flood II was a revelation when I finally figured it out (at an, uh, appropriate moment in my life).

[quote="GMC"]R. Palmer (a music critic) once said of the Rolling Stones that they confirmed two basic rock and roll truths: 1. Attitude is everything. 2. Lurics are most evocative when juuuuust short of indecipherable. Sort of remind you of trying to puzzle out "Amphetamine Logic", doesn't it.quote]

Well, put I agree 100% with your statement.
Except I wouldn't want my lyrics in French, I do like pondering the meaning. And is Lurics French for lyrics?

9while9 wrote:And is Lurics French for lyrics?

Most definitely not.

I was speaking typo, not french, at that point.

See your keyboard's Y key. Look juuuust to the right of it.

GMC wrote:I was speaking typo, not french, at that point.

See your keyboard's Y key. Look juuuust to the right of it.

Hence the
See ?

GMC wrote:I was speaking typo, not french, at that point.

See your keyboard's Y key. Look juuuust to the right of it.

Just some good natured ribbing GMC
I don't speak French but I'm not that stupid either, just joking around.

Perhaps this will cheer you up, Fuggy.

http://www.fuggyfuggy.com/

GMC wrote:I was speaking typo, not french, at that point.

See your keyboard's Y key. Look juuuust to the right of it.

Bizarre - the key just to the right of the Y on my keyboard is an X - lxrics? Sounds French to me...

He's singing them.

That is all.

T The Sisters Of Mercy Lyrics - Body Electric

Through the cables and the underground now

The faceless breathless calls

This is babel, sensurround now

This place is death with walls



Too much contact, no more feeling

The sound around them all

Acid on the floor so she walk on the ceiling

And the body electric flashes on the bathroom wall

And the body electric flashes on the bathroom wall

Crawling to the corners where the idiot children call

See the body flashing on the bathroom wall

Dark and twisted (and sad really) the way he takes Whitman's vibrant body/soul electric and scuttles it to the corners where the idiot children call.

I couldn't give a toss about the lyrics - I went to Sisters gigs in the '80's for ;the women,drugs,crazy colours and loud noises and there was nowt on the telly that night, usuallly!!..Amphetamine logic.?...We already knew it But they where good times. Watching girls go all gooey during Emma and the guys crazy during Floorshow..ooh happy hazy days.

my thoughts:

Mostly it's the bassline, and I am big really big on the Jim Steinman produced masterpieces.

Lyrics are secondary, when you hear the roar of the big machine.

But they do round out the package.

Last thought: Steinman and Von were genius.

DarkAngel wrote:T The Sisters Of Mercy Lyrics - Body Electric

Through the cables and the underground now

The faceless breathless calls

This is babel, sensurround now

This place is death with walls



Too much contact, no more feeling

The sound around them all

Acid on the floor so she walk on the ceiling

And the body electric flashes on the bathroom wall

And the body electric flashes on the bathroom wall

Crawling to the corners where the idiot children call

See the body flashing on the bathroom wall

Dark and twisted (and sad really) the way he takes Whitman's vibrant body/soul electric and scuttles it to the corners where the idiot children call.

And maybe I have changed my mind. Lyrics... hmmm.

GMC wrote:R. Palmer (a music critic) once said of the Rolling Stones that they confirmed two basic rock and roll truths: 1. Attitude is everything. 2. Lyrics are most evocative when juuuuust short of indecipherable.

That about hits the nail on the head for why I like TSOM: attitude, intellect, and a nice tune.

Check out 9while9's hot graphic. MMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

9while9 wrote:But it's the open palette and broad strokes of his writing that open a world of interpretation. This allows the individual to interject a bit of his own life experience into the visual that begins to play out in his or her mind with each listen.

well said.

Been in miami, south beach last weekend (springbreak time over there, lol, collins avenue...), when they asked me the other day how it's going over there, i responded with the one and only:

"this is babel. too much contact, no more feelings; the sound around them all...acid on the floor, you know"

got a puzzled look though....

cheers,