I was just watching the live version of this song on The Knife's DVD, and realised the image they projected on the backdrop during the performance is of Marble Hill House, just down the road from me in Twickenham (technically Richmond), London.
"The birth of the villa came in 1723, when the Prince of Wales -- the future George II -- settled £11,500 (the equivalent of about $2.5 million today) in trust on Henrietta for the purpose of purchasing land and building a house and formal gardens. At the time, Henrietta had been the Prince's mistress for as long as five years. For almost twice that time, she had also served as Woman of the Bedchamber to the Princess of Wales, Princess Caroline. By all accounts, it was a comfortable trio. Princess Caroline, who was both fond of and unthreatened by Henrietta, is known to have encouraged the relationship "for fear of making room for a successor whom he [the Prince of Wales] might really love and that might get the better of him." It's a statement that speaks to Henrietta's lack of political ambition and disinclination for Court intrigue -- traits that clearly served her well."
Perhaps the song explores the feelings of such a mistress, and the confused lines between being a "paid" mistress, and having genuine moments of intimacy (for the Prince/King)? Not to mention moments of intimacy with the Princess, too.
There are many details in the history of Marble Hill House that suggest links to the song.. The fact that this house was the product of a "secret" affair, and yet was a rather famous and influential building (much admired and copied - see the link above)
"The others say we're hiding
It's as forward as can be"
and particularly:
"Some things I do for money
Some things I do for free"
Another part could perhaps be spoken from the mistress Henrietta to the Princess of Wales (who approved of the relationship), as she was not only her husband's mistress but the Princess's chambermaid, another intimate relationship.
"The moment we believe that we have never met
Another kind of love it's easy to forget
When we are all alone then we do both agree
We have a thing in common this was meant to be"
Another interesting connection to Marble Hill House as the home of a later mistress is also described in the same history:
"After Henrietta's death at the age of 79 in July 1767, the house, all of its contents and the surrounding estate passed to her nephew and eventually to her grand-niece, Henrietta Hotham. While Marble Hill was in the younger Henrietta's possession, it once again became the home of a Georgian royal mistress when it was rented in 1795 by Mrs. Maria Fitzherbert. Maria had not only been the mistress of another Prince of Wales, the future King George IV, but had actually secretly married him in 1785. Since Maria was a Catholic and permission for the marriage had not been obtained from King George III, the clandestine marriage was invalid according to the Royal Marriages Act and the Act of Settlement. In any case, the year of Maria's residence at Marble Hill House also coincided with the Prince of Wales' official marriage to Princess Caroline of Brunswick."
The song even sees this future:
"On the inside of this marble house I grow
And the seeds I sow will grow up prisoners too"
So right from its construction, Marble Hill House has a history of intertwined, confused sets of relations, the love-triangle of Husband/Wife/Mistress/Maid and ideas of ownership and imprisonment — and all seem echoed in The Knife’s song…
Anyway, this may all just be coincidence, but maybe Karin visited the house once, or read a history and was inspired to write about it…
I was just watching the live version of this song on The Knife's DVD, and realised the image they projected on the backdrop during the performance is of Marble Hill House, just down the road from me in Twickenham (technically Richmond), London.
It may just be conjecture, but perhaps the song is inspired by the story of Marble Hill House (from timetravel-britain.com/articles/houses/marble.shtml):
"The birth of the villa came in 1723, when the Prince of Wales -- the future George II -- settled £11,500 (the equivalent of about $2.5 million today) in trust on Henrietta for the purpose of purchasing land and building a house and formal gardens. At the time, Henrietta had been the Prince's mistress for as long as five years. For almost twice that time, she had also served as Woman of the Bedchamber to the Princess of Wales, Princess Caroline. By all accounts, it was a comfortable trio. Princess Caroline, who was both fond of and unthreatened by Henrietta, is known to have encouraged the relationship "for fear of making room for a successor whom he [the Prince of Wales] might really love and that might get the better of him." It's a statement that speaks to Henrietta's lack of political ambition and disinclination for Court intrigue -- traits that clearly served her well."
Perhaps the song explores the feelings of such a mistress, and the confused lines between being a "paid" mistress, and having genuine moments of intimacy (for the Prince/King)? Not to mention moments of intimacy with the Princess, too.
There are many details in the history of Marble Hill House that suggest links to the song.. The fact that this house was the product of a "secret" affair, and yet was a rather famous and influential building (much admired and copied - see the link above)
"The others say we're hiding It's as forward as can be"
and particularly:
"Some things I do for money Some things I do for free"
Another part could perhaps be spoken from the mistress Henrietta to the Princess of Wales (who approved of the relationship), as she was not only her husband's mistress but the Princess's chambermaid, another intimate relationship.
"The moment we believe that we have never met Another kind of love it's easy to forget When we are all alone then we do both agree We have a thing in common this was meant to be"
Another interesting connection to Marble Hill House as the home of a later mistress is also described in the same history:
"After Henrietta's death at the age of 79 in July 1767, the house, all of its contents and the surrounding estate passed to her nephew and eventually to her grand-niece, Henrietta Hotham. While Marble Hill was in the younger Henrietta's possession, it once again became the home of a Georgian royal mistress when it was rented in 1795 by Mrs. Maria Fitzherbert. Maria had not only been the mistress of another Prince of Wales, the future King George IV, but had actually secretly married him in 1785. Since Maria was a Catholic and permission for the marriage had not been obtained from King George III, the clandestine marriage was invalid according to the Royal Marriages Act and the Act of Settlement. In any case, the year of Maria's residence at Marble Hill House also coincided with the Prince of Wales' official marriage to Princess Caroline of Brunswick."
The song even sees this future:
"On the inside of this marble house I grow And the seeds I sow will grow up prisoners too"
So right from its construction, Marble Hill House has a history of intertwined, confused sets of relations, the love-triangle of Husband/Wife/Mistress/Maid and ideas of ownership and imprisonment — and all seem echoed in The Knife’s song…
Anyway, this may all just be coincidence, but maybe Karin visited the house once, or read a history and was inspired to write about it…