| Throwing Muses – Hook In Her Head Lyrics | 7 months ago |
| Kristen Hersch was in a car accident at 16 years old, and suffered a double concussion. Upon her recovery, she heard constant ambient noises in her head - sometimes she heard riffs, sometimes words strung together. She received a host of diagnoses for her condition, and she reportedly has synesthesia, where she hears sounds in colors. I think this song is literally about Kristen working through a hook that's stuck in her head. | |
| Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way Lyrics | 1 year ago |
| @[wayupnorth:45984] lol, true, and to add to the awkwardness, Stevie sings back-up on the chorus. Why not just have her sing harmony on the "packing up, shacking up" part? | |
| Stevie Nicks – Long Distance Winner Lyrics | 1 year ago |
| This song and "Races are Run" - these two seem to have set up some kind of competition between themselves early on! And it has lasted until this day. I obvs don't know them, but can how you be lovers and in competition at the same time? | |
| Stevie Nicks – After the Glitter Fades Lyrics | 1 year ago |
| @[BlueCrystalMirror:45192] True - and funny enough, this track was written in 1972, way before she became famous | |
| Buckingham Nicks – Frozen Love Lyrics | 1 year ago |
| This is a terrific song, and one of their few dual writing credits. I'm guessing Lindsay wrote the verses and Stevie wrote the chorus. Created when they were first starting out, during those difficult early years we all have. The lyric the stands out to me - "hate gave you me for a lover" - hints at the drama to come. | |
| The Sugarcubes – Hit Lyrics | 1 year ago |
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@[stentorian:44294] Not sure why you're getting thumbs down. The pregnancy imagery is there ("You put a seed inside me ...") Even if you think this is meant to be metaphorical, look at the single sleeve: there is a depiction of sperm penetrating an egg. The band was very clever, their lyrics could go to unusual places like this. |
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| The Sugarcubes – Hit Lyrics | 1 year ago |
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@[stentorian:44292] Not sure why you're getting thumbs down. The pregnancy imagery is there ("You put a seed inside me ...") Even if you think this is meant to be metaphorical, look at the single sleeve: there is a depiction of sperm penetrating an egg. The band was very clever, their lyrics could go to unusual places like this. |
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| The Sugarcubes – Hit Lyrics | 1 year ago |
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@[stentorian:44293] Not sure why you're getting thumbs down. The pregnancy imagery is there ("You put a seed inside me ...") Even if you think this is meant to be metaphorical, look at the single sleeve: there is a depiction of sperm penetrating an egg. The band was very clever, their lyrics could go to unusual places like this. |
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| Bow Wow Wow – Jungle Boy Lyrics | 1 year ago |
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McLaren ripped this music off wholesale from the Mahotella Queens - the dirty rat! (He stole that song, plus lots of others.) Not the band's fault, I still think they were all great musicians who worked good together as a band. MM always loved controversy. There's a version of this song whose lyrics go "Jungle Boy don't fear / the laws are different here / Jungle Boy come here / the laws are different here" - McLaren could be such a creep! |
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| Bow Wow Wow – Jungle Boy Lyrics | 1 year ago |
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McLaren ripped this off wholesale from the Mahotella Queens - the dirty rat! (He stole that song, plus lots of others.) Not the band's fault, I still think they were all great musicians who worked great together as a band. MM always loved controversy. There's a version of this song that goes "Jungle Boy don't fear / the laws are different here / Jungle Boy come here / the laws are different here" - he was such a creeper! |
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| Bow Wow Wow – C30, C60, C90, Go! Lyrics | 1 year ago |
| Released as the first cassette single ("cassingle") with the B-side left blank to encourage taping songs off the radio. Taping music illegally was termed "piracy" back then, so the band dressed up like actual pirates. Malcolm McLaren certainly knew how to stir up trouble and grab attention, but it's a great debut song as well - showing off all the band's strengths. | |
| The B-52's – Cake Lyrics | 4 years ago |
| Pineapple upside down cake! Are you going to kiss the pineapple upside down? Sounds delicious! | |
| The B-52's – Theme For A Nude Beach Lyrics | 4 years ago |
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Every song on this album breaks my heart, knowing that it was Ricky Wilson's last work. But every song also makes me smile at the band's humor and eccentric imagination. "You are a woman / Ah! I'm a man!" Here they imagine a nude utopia where they're free, and throw their suits into the sea. Takes on metaphysical import when you consider that Ricky knew he was dying while recording this, but kept it secret from his band mates. |
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| Nina Hagen – Dr. Art Lyrics | 4 years ago |
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This song is about Nina Hagen's lover, Juris Tjerk Emiles Ivars Vičs, a.k.a. "Dr. Rat," who was a graffiti artist in Amsterdam in the early 80s. (If you listen closely to this song, she is actually singing his street name, "Dr. Rat.') He died in 1981. I believe some of the lyrics refer to the titles of his works. Anyhoo, amidst the craziness of the album Nunsexmonkrock, this track sounds so much deeper once you know the back story ... |
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| Kate Bush – The Song of Solomon Lyrics | 4 years ago |
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A really interesting composition, with layers of sound and meaning. I like the barely audible "micro-vocals" buried deep within the mix. Kate has mentioned being inspired by Stevie Wonder in the past, but I'd never heard his influence in her music until this track. It reminds me very much of "Love's in Need of Love Today" from the Songs in the Key of Life album. |
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| Kate Bush – The Saxophone Song Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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"A surly lady in tremor / those stars that climb from her bowels / those stars make towers / of her vowels" Some fans cringe here, saying these are facile and gauche lyrics. I don't play saxophone myself, but I've played in a band next to a live sax. To me, this is a perfect description of the sexy tones of the instrument, which can sound like a deep female voice. My only gripe with this song is that the sax part (played by Alan Skidmore) sounds rather canned. It should have been recorded to sound as sensual as the lyric suggests. |
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| Kate Bush – Under Ice Lyrics | 5 years ago |
| @[Theresa_Gionoffrio:29277] Drug references are sprinkled throughout The Ninth Wave. "Cutting out little lines ... spitting snow." It was the 80's after all, and if Kate didn't partake herself, she certainly saw it up close. Lines of cocaine are often served a mirror - you see yourself peering back as you sniff your lines. This song isn't all about drugs, but the reference is clear to me. | |
| Kate Bush – The Empty Bullring Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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It's possible that the matador was injured sexually, and can no longer "perform" - why he escapes at night (and she's going out of her mind trying to keep him at home). "The throw of the rose is all you lived for, but you've lost it all." Regardless, it's a very sensitively observed song about loving someone who struggles obsessively with past demons ... I'd only add that there's a LOT going on here for such a short song - someone could make a movie from this little 2 1/2 minute tune! |
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| Kate Bush – Snowed in at Wheeler Street Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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Doomed lovers who are torn apart again and again at different points in space and time: I see the references to sci-fi and Dr. Who that others have mentioned. But to me, it could also be a reflection about reincarnation - souls being re-born until their karmic dilemma is resolved. I love the way this song fits into the overall theme of "50 Words for Snow" - a brilliant meditation on the fleeting and ever-changing nature of life. "Wheeler Street" isn't one of Kate's most innovative songs, but I could easily imagine her having turned this into an extended conceptual suite a la Ninth Wave or Sky of Honey. |
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| Kate Bush – Snowed in at Wheeler Street Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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Doomed lovers who are torn apart again and again at different points in space and time: I see the references to sci-fi and Dr. Who that others have mentioned. But to me, it could also be a reflection about reincarnation - souls being re-born until their karmic dilemma is resolved. I love the way this song fits into the overall theme of "50 Words for Snow" - a brilliant meditation on the fleeting and ever-changing nature of life. "Wheeler Street" isn't one of Kate's most innovative songs, but I could easily imagine her having turned this into an extended conceptual suite a la Ninth Wave or Sky of Honey. |
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| Fleetwood Mac – Gypsy Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| @[canda:23281] Very nice and thoughtful interpretation, canada. I disagree about the song meaning, but I can totally see where you're coming from. | |
| Patti Smith – Dancing Barefoot Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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Jeanne Hebuterne was married to a famous artist in the early 1900s. They had a child together, and she was pregnant with another. In 1920, her husband died, from either drug addiction, illness (or both). 2 days later, Jeanne threw herself off a building, killing herself and her unborn child, leaving their first child orphaned. Patti looks at this shocking story of love, loss and grief, probably through the lens of her own relationships. She grabs the cliche "Oh God, I fell for you" with both hands, and twists it into a grotesque meditation on love and death. That last line is repeated over & over while Smith recites some cryptic poetry (not included here), probably representing the last thoughts in Jeanne's mind before she died. |
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| Fleetwood Mac – Fireflies Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| I think it's about Stevie's affair with Mick, which happened around the time this song was written & recorded. Of course it's a beautiful song, ("Everyone stays close 'til the fire fades...") You an attach your own personal meaning to the song ... that's the brilliance of Stevie's songs. | |
| Fleetwood Mac – Can't Go Back Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| Is this about Lindsey working with Stevie again? Seems like it to me. Stevie used an early demo of this track to write some of her own lyrics - what eventually became "Wild Heart." Check it out on YouTube, it's awesome. Lindsey's gut reaction must have been "Hey, knock it off, we're not a songwriting duo anymore, these are MY songs now," and that's what Can't Go Back became about. Just the little soap opera in my head. | |
| Fleetwood Mac – Straight Back Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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This is such an interesting song. It seems to be mostly about the creative process, but there are so many lines that could be interpreted as romantic or even overtly sexual in meaning. The vibe is dark and eerie, and Stevie really belts with passion. Stevie has said this song was written about the conflicting emotions she felt about having to prematurely leave the promotion of her successful Bella Donna LP to work on Mirage. |
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| Fleetwood Mac – Gold Dust Woman Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| @[JamiesCrying:21708] One of the many reasons I love Stevie Nicks is that she never wrote disparaging songs about other women. (You may think that's a low bar, but it happens all the time.) Her songs about other women tended to be more anthemic and empowering. The one exception might be this song ... and I'm not entirely convinced that this song is not really more about Stevie herself. Why else the "rock on?" | |
| Fleetwood Mac – Monday Morning Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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I imagine this was written back when Lindsey & Stevie were still struggling. He'd go off to play guitar for pay, while she stayed home and waited tables to pay the bills, prolly pissed as hell at being left out of the action. Stevie's view: "What the hell am I doing waiting tables while you go off and play? I'm supposed to be a star!" Lindsey: "Hey, I love you and I'm doing everything I can to get both of us there!" Hence, this song. The harmonies on this song create goose-bumps, and I think it's a perfect first track. |
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| Fleetwood Mac – Everywhere Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| @[J:21707]-factory I think you've got it. I also think it's funny that there are so many comments on this track when the meaning is so obvious. Christine's songs are usually very direct and transparent - a huge part of their appeal. | |
| Fleetwood Mac – Sisters of the Moon Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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I also think this is Stevie writing about herself. Like lots of artists, she had to come to grips with the gap between the stage persona she created, and the public's perception of that image. "The people, they love her / but still they're the most cruel" is the one line that sums up the psychology behind the song for me. There was silly public speculation in the late 1970s that Stevie practiced witchcraft. (In case you weren't around at the time, some right-wing religious groups could get very scary with those kind of accusations on TV.) Stevie started wearing pastel colors instead of black, put her hair up in a bun, started dancing on stage instead of twirling (check out videos made during the TUSK tour) .... all to counter those silly accusations. "Sisters" IS scary and gothic-sounding. The power chords are awesome, the closest FM ever came to heavy metal. Lindsay's guitar solo sounds like a screaming voice. Stevie's confronting the public rumors about her image, and the trouble they caused for her fans and herself. It's both a defense and a rallying cry - a self-parody and an anthem. |
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| Stevie Nicks – I Can't Wait Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| Does anyone know what the voices are saying just after the 3 minute mark? I've heard a "vocals only" version of this song, where Stevie says "How will I feel ten years from now?" at the beginning ,,, but that doesn't sound like what they're singing. Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? | |
| Paul Simon – The Boy in the Bubble Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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The lyrics of this song capture the daze of new technology (science, computers, medicine) that erupted during the 1980's. The dangers and the beauty, both. But ultimately, I love this song for its musicality. The accordion, the tuba (at least, I imagine there's a tuba), the South African band sounding almost like a joyous polka. Paul Simon has composed many great lyrics, but I think think is one of his greatest musical achievements. |
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| The Bangles – Hazy Shade Of Winter Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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I like the Bangles' version of this song as much as the original by Simon and Garfunkel. It's a great song; both versions are wonderful. The Bangles' take was a nice fit for the movie "Less Than Zerio" back in the 80's. As a side note - this song was released right before the holidays in 1987. I thought that the bridge - the "Seasons change with the scenery ..." bit - sounded almost like a Christmas carol. It really resonated with the holidays that year, and always makes me think of that specific time of my life when I hear it. Just my memory of this song. |
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| Simon and Garfunkel – Fakin' It Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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To me, this song sounds like something left off of the "The Graduate" soundtrack. (Director Mike Nichols had asked Simon to contribute new music to the film, and he wound up rejecting some songs.) It just fits the overall vibe of the movie, and the character Elaine. I think Paul Simon added the bit about the tailor for the "Bookends" album, to make it more personal. Otherwise, I don't feel like this was a confessional song about himself. |
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| Simon and Garfunkel – Bookends Theme Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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@[bwisner33:18977] As our population ages, more and more people will have to deal with parents (and other loved ones) who are losing their memories. I've always loved this song and found it incredibly simple yet profound .... only more so as time goes on. The title of the song (and album) "Bookends" (play on words: book ends) is brilliant. As another poster mentioned, there is so much conveyed in very few lines. |
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| Kate Bush – King of the Mountain Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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This song plays with urban legends about 2 well-known beings living in secrecy: Elvis and the Yeti, both still alive and hiding from humans. The title "King of the Mountain" is a playful merging of the two, with a little Citizen Kane thrown in to highlight the idea of wanting to get away from the glare of fame and fortune, It's a meditation on avoiding the traps of success, and pairs nicely with "How To Be Invisible" to address why Kate was out of the spotlight for 12 years following "The Red Shoes." Or possibly, why she avoids the media in general. I'm sure that this song was meant to be taken playfully. However, its lyrics are a little too obscure. She tackled this same theme again (with a bit more clarity) on "Wild Man." |
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| Kate Bush – Houdini Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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Kate often tackles the big themes in her music: life, death, love. But never more beautifully than in this song. Houdini, the master of escape, escapes death itself to connect with his beloved. Of course this reminds me of Wuthering Heights, Watching You Without Me, Lake Tahoe, etc. But this particular song is just so powerful. Love is stronger than death. |
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| The Smiths – Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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I always thought this was about someone who gets into a car crash while drunk driving, injuring both himself and the passenger he loves. He got drunk in the first place because he was fighting with that person. It's sort of the flip side of "Ask," - the song's chorus and title both seem to reference this idea. |
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| Sinead O'Connor – Jackie Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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I love a good ghost story, and this one is amazing. Obviously, you can read past the story and interpret this as pure grieving, longing for someone who's never coming back ... you can neither let go nor move on. As a side note, I heard a clip of this song performed live, just Sinead & her guitar. It's every bit as powerful live as it is on record. |
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| Kate Bush – The Red Shoes Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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I can't help but think that this song was Kate's rueful meditation on fame at the time (early 1990's). Kate had suffered many personal losses, yet she had to continue making music. She was even planning to tour back then. Regardless, this song came before Kate's 12-year break from releasing any new music. It's almost impossible for me to listen to this song without imagining Kate - wishing she were anywhere else but trapped inside a studio, working to complete an album. |
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| Kate Bush – And Dream of Sheep Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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@[soupie:2273] Racing "white horses" is a reference to sea waves, yes. But it could also easily be interpreted as a heroin reference - especially with "poppies" being mentioned so soon after. Not to mention the whole danger of giving into the pleasure of nodding off to sleep. imo, there are no "simple" interpretations to Kate's work - there are always multiple layers. Every listener finds their own way into Kate's music - that's one of the things that makes it so great, and enduring. |
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| Kate Bush – You Want Alchemy Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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Such a simple notion, so beautifully expressed in this song. You go through life wondering if there are miracles (mystery tour), and there it is all the while right under your nose. The bees turn the roses into gold - alchemy! And Kate sings about the obsessive bee-keeper, the one humble guy who realizes the magic & beauty of the whole thing. It's a B-side, but one of my favorite Kate Bush songs. It can really bring me to tears. |
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| Kate Bush – Pi Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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There was a rumor before Aerial came out, that an EMI record company executive had visited Kate to hear the progress on the new album she was making. Instead of playing the executive any tracks, she said "This is what I've been working on," and offered him a piece of minced meat pie. I like to think that's the missing "piece of pi" from this song. |
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| Kate Bush – Mrs. Bartolozzi Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| Yes. Amazing to think what Kate can do with just her voice, a piano, and her imagination. | |
| Kate Bush – Suspended in Gaffa Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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"That girl in the mirror / between you and me / she don't stand a chance of getting anywhere at all" This is such a powerful line of poetry, with many layers of meaning. Just one of Kate's lyrics that has continued to resonate with me over the years. |
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| Kate Bush – 50 Words for Snow Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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Another meaning of "snow" is the interference you get on a TV set, when the whole screen turns white and blurry. (As a kid, we used to look at snow on the TV, because if you stare long enough you start to see things ...) Anyway, I mention this because in 2005 Kate released "Aerial," which also refers to the device you use to get reception on a TV. Her next album, "Director's Cut," showed scissors cutting film in the artwork. Aerial - Cut - Snow. An inside joke? Maybe Kate watches a lot of TV? |
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| Kate Bush – Aerial Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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I think Kate actually turns into a bird a flies away in this song. She's up on the roof, cherishing the dawn (just like the birds), she does a call-and-response with laughter and birdsong, and in the end you can't even understand her singing anymore because she's turned into a bird! The guitar work at the end definitely sounds like flight. Only thing is, I'm not sure what's going on with that evil-sounding ha-ha-ha-ha-ha that comes in towards the end - is a falcon chasing her? If so, it sounds like it catches her at the end. |
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| Kate Bush – Egypt Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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I've always thought this song was really under-rated. Thematically, it contrasts the myths and romantic ideals in someone's head with the scary and dangerous reality. She's singing about Egypt, but she's obviously drawing comparisons with romantic love. The wailing voices at the end (to me) represent a sandstorm that slowly approaches and then overwhelms the listener. Very spooky, and it pre-sages the effect she used at the end of Running Up That Hill. I love this song, because it sounds like a "bridge" between her early, piano-based work and her artistic leaps forward on the Dreaming and Hounds of Love. In other words, this was Kate testing the waters as a producer, before she just went for it 100%. As a sonic composition, I put Egypt on par with Breathing and Lord of the Reedy River. |
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| Kate Bush – Suspended in Gaffa Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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I've been a Kate Bush fan for a long time, but I've never gotten a grip on this song. I really have only a vague idea what it's about. Still, it's one of my favorites. Someone once mentioned to me that the two sides of "The Dreaming" album reflect each other thematically: the search for wisdom (Sat in Your Lap) is answered by entering the spirit world (The Dreaming); The botched bank robbery (There Goes a Tenner) matches with the crime about to take place in "Night of the Swallow," and etc through the final tracks, "Leave it Open" vs. "Get Out of My House." If this theory is true (and it seems plausible), there may be some clues about Gaffa's meaning in the song "Houdini," about the magician contacting his wife from the afterlife. I don't know, I still can't get a handle on it, and maybe that is the point of the song? |
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| Portishead – Sour Times Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| "Nobody loves me, it's true ... not like you do." This single line has so many interpretations, it's like trying to look at yourself in a cracked mirror. I love this song, it's eerie, romantic, desperate, and somehow soothing all at once. A near-perfect piece of pop art. | |
| Kate Bush – Coffee Homeground Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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"...pictures of Crippen / lipstick smeared ..." Cora Crippen was a stage performer who openly had affairs; she even cuckolded Dr. Crippen with a border staying in their own home. Although both Dr. Crippen and his wife were unfaithful to each other, it was widely believed that Cora's affairs could have been a motive for her murder. Police found human remains buried in the cellar of Crippen's house, and Cora was believed to be the victim - although modern DNA analysis has cast doubt on this belief. Cora's stage name was "Belle Elmore" (beautiful moor). I love the gruesome word-play that follows" "Torn wallpaper / Have the walls got ears here?" I owned the cassette version of Lionheart for many years before I ever had a lyrics sheet - with Kate's affected accent, I really couldn't understand a word of this song. It was fun to finally get the lyrics years later and unravel what this weird song is about. |
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