| Sex Pistols – Anarchy in the U.K. Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Sid Vicious wasn't even in the band when this song was written and recorded. A lot of ignorant people commenting on this song. | |
| Symphony X – Church of the Machine Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| It reminds me of the Hyperion Cantos book series and the Church of Final Atonement that was therein as the primary antagonist. Don't know if that was deliberate or not. | |
| Symphony X – Accolade II Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| One thing that I find interesting is the abrubt change in tone from Accolade to Accolade II. The original was hopeful and kind of serene in its tone in spite of the tragic ending. Accolade II, on the other hand, is bitter and angry in its tone. Keep that in mind, it might be important. | |
| Queensrÿche – Empire Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I'm fairly certain he's saying "A sixth of a percent", not "6 percent". He does pretty clearly say "billion" in stead of million, so the math all checks out. So the only question left is "Can't you feel it coming?" |
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| Queensrÿche – Eyes Of A Stranger Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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It's an introspective on Nikki's character that provides the climax for the Mindcrime story. Basically, Nikki is looking into a mirror, and realizing that he doesn't recognize the person he's become. The ultimate depths of depression, leaving Nikki broken and utterly alone. And it ends, of course, with an audio montage of the entire album. It's themes are smashed together, and then out of the cacophany you find the single most important thread: redemption. |
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| Queensrÿche – The Needle Lies Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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There's more to it than just his drug addiction. As you can clearly see by the lyrics "Wet and raving/ The needle keeps calling me back/ To bloody my hands forever", Nikki's heroin addiction is also the means by which Dr. X controls Nikki. The way I see it is that X has conditioned Nikki's mind to simulate heroin withdrawls through the use of the Mindcrime codeword. This leaves Nikki very susceptible to suggestion. Furthermore, his heroin addiction is a safety: should he leave, he'll be cut off. The literal of drug addiction controlling someone merges with the figurative level of one man utterly dominating another. |
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| Queensrÿche – Spreading The Disease Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Quite frankly, nothing on Mindcrime "just advances the story". That's what makes it so great, the different layers of meaning. I really love the working-class revolutionary theme that the album develops, and this song in particular focuses on the commodification of sex and religion in our capitalist society. |
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| Iron Maiden – Afraid To Shoot Strangers Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I've always interpreted this song as a soldier rationalizing away actions that in his heart he knows are wrong. It seems to be the internal dialogue that the young man goes through, an expression of his cognitive dissonance. Even though he tries to rationalize it away though, he's still afraid to shoot strangers. |
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| AC/DC – The Razor's Edge Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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It's pretty clearly an anti-war song. particularly an anti-nuclear song. "There's fighting on the left/There's marching on the right" refers directly to the political situation. Leftists remain divided and ineffectual while the right-wing, in spite of their best efforts, keeps marching closer to fascism. "Don't look up in the sky/ You're gonna die of fright" seems to refer to nuclear weapons being the source of our eventual annihilation. The general theme is that we are standing on the figurative razor's edge. If we slip a little, it's game over. |
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| Living Colour – Cult of Personality Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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"Look in my eyes, what do you see? Cult of personality" This seems to say that the potential for a cult of personality lies within all of us. We're all susceptible to both becoming part of such a cult as well as becoming a cult. "I know your anger, I know your dreams I've been everything you want to be I'm the cult of personality" People tend to reflect what they see in themselves in the leaders that they worship. There is a perversely personal relationship between a devotee and the person they worship in this way. This is what makes the followers of any cult so prone to manipulation. They become appendages of the leader they follow. " Like Mussolini and Kennedy I'm the cult of personality" I love this line a lot. Here two different cults of personality are thrown violently together. One we view very favorably, and the other as a complete villain. Yet, at the fundamental level, both served the exact same function. "Neon lights, Nobel Prize When a mirror speaks, the reflection lies" While we ultimately do reflect parts of ourselves in the leaders we love, this lyric here shows us the awful truth. We are deceiving ourselves into thinking that rulers have anything in common with the people they rule, or that they view their followers as anything more than objects to be exploited. "You won't have to follow me Only you can set me free" It's ultimately our choice to follow. Leaders are only powerful because they have followers who are willing to do what the leader wants. Only we can set their egos free upon the world. Without a mass of followers, Hitler would not even be a footnote in history. "I sell the things you need to be I'm the smiling face on your TV I'm the cult of personality" These lyrics here are particularly interesting, IMO. They show us the curious duality in our leaders. Most often, they are in control of not just our spiritual needs of being connected of a greater whole, but also quite often in control of the material things we need to live. We make ourselves dependent to them in more than one way. "I exploit you, still you love me I told you one and one make three I'm the cult of personality" With dependency comes exploitation, both on the material and spiritual level. And with this dependency any objective meaning of truth is destroyed. 1 plus 1 literally becomes three if we are not willing to question those who would presume to lead us. This is a clear homage to George Orwell's book 1984. "Like Joseph Stalin and Gandhi I'm the cult of personality" It's hard to find a saint more revered than Gandhi or a villain more evil that Josef Stalin. Yet, just like before, both had equal potential for good or evil. Gandhi could have just as easily become the greatest villain in the history of humanity. "Neon lights, a Nobel Prize A leader speaks, that leader dies" We follow leaders because of the ideas they preach. Yet, in the act of leading, the corruption of power can very easily undo all of the greatness that they had in innocence. The leader we once knew as a great person truly has died. What remains has far too often been twisted into very thing that leader had once opposed. Those who truly do prove incorruptible more often than not meet with physical death from an assassin's bullet. "You won't have to follow me Only you can set you free" We don't have to follow. The only person who can guarantee the collective freedom of the people is the people themselves. "You gave me fortune You gave me fame You gave me power in your God's name I'm every person you need to be I'm the cult of personality" Fortune, fame and power are the trappings of rulers everywhere. Cults of personality grant individuals with all of three. "Cult of Personality" at its heart is a very anarchistic song. That's part of what I find so compelling about it. It flies in the face of most music that you find out there, which preeches a message of blind conformity and obedience. Indeed, most musicians are cults of personality in themselves. In short, this song says only one thing: think for yourself, and don't follow blindly. |
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