Yesterday, I made a veiled reference to two songs on my mind at the time that I wrote Between Shadow. And while they do not exactly fit in with the criteria that I’ve set out for myself in this series (non-English, strike; new to me, strike, darkwave/coldwave/synthwave, strike), I thought that I might as well include them for readers so that the reference isn’t lost on them.
Both songs are early Mission songs (The Mission UK stateside due to another band of the same name here), from shortly before I was found embracing post-goth fashions by way of a hippie-influenced variant of gothic look (1986), and started to really cut my teeth on writing poetry and lyrics that were not all doom and gloom. Wayne Hussey (Mission) and Andrew Eldritch (Sisters of Mercy) had an outsized influence on this direction at the time, and you can probably see elements of their influence to this day — perhaps entirely forgotten about when I write or read what I wrote. Ian Curtis (Joy Division) and Robert Smith (The Cure) may be front and center of my earlier writing influences, but Wayne and Andrew took over about period.
I also first got involved in alternative religions at the time, eventually finding my way into a wiccan coven, a direction actually influenced by my love at the time for the Mission’s music, but that’s another tale…
Relevant, however, is that I met my future coven sponsor at a Mission concert, and how she gave me the label, “her troubadour” because of my predilection of writing poetry and lyrics about unrequited and courtly love inspired by my obsession with this style of post-goth music, as well as my tendency to wear peasant blouses (white as well as much louder colors), oversized cotton pants and leather.
That troubadour is largely gone these days, although he sometimes slips in for a short spell. If you ignore him, he will eventually go away. It’s better that way. In fact, I recommend it.
The first song mentioned, Over the Hills and Far Away, is responsible for the lyrics fragment that I shared that reads:
Over the hills and far away
There's a place that's heaven
Where yours was the first kiss
The everlasting kiss
Other elements that inspired me at the time were the lines:
A tangled skein
of a marriage made in heaven
Oh, why did you?
Why did you let all the flowers die?
I share this part because it still embraces some of the gothic aesthetic that attracted me in the first place. There is exquisite romance, but not everything remains happy, even in paradise.
The second reference is from Bridges Burning:
War paint, misty days and dizzy faint
Keeping the faith, spinning turning
Watch the flames of bridges burning
This has less of the romantic overtones to it, but still carried the vibes and mystical feel I was aiming for at the time. And, in yesterday’s piece, served its own purpose.
I won’t pretend that these songs aged well. I happen to like them still and pull them out on occasion (although far less often than I do the Cure or Joy Division). I still think, however, that there is still some strengths that modern music could learn from in terms of capturing an audience’s imagination and in sound engineering. Too much of modern music has a sound that lacks an organic vibrancy, something I blame on 100% digital recording. And too little of it dreams of misty days and feeling dizzy faint.
As always, I appreciate you listening and reading my little stories that go along with this series.
39 responses to “Towards the Within: Over the Hills and Far Away”
I love how you weaved your writing and it’s feeling with this music. I can certainly follow the tones of your poetry from yesterday and these inspirations. It’s a wonderful treat to get to know your mind. The next wave of goth was emo and I went that route in my 20’s while I do love goth music and aesthetic, I didn’t appreciate the Cure, however, until I was heartbroken.
Yes, these days are less raw sounds. Music got polished to death and musicians are searching for their desire and heart in their music instead of realizing it. Your taste is even more appealing to me because it’s centered in real verses a bit synthetic.
Heartbreak can draw you to The Cure, certainly. Their earlier music is a little rough on most folk’s ears — I know I was laughed at when I played an early (quite poppy) song of theirs and told people at a party: “This is the sound of the future.” “With that singing voice? C’mon!”
Those same people have since said they are sorry to have made fun of my taste in music and quite like the Cure. 😂 To be fair, they also mocked my listening to Gene Loves Jezebel and Bauhaus.
I’m glad you enjoyed the insights. It goes a long ways towards explaining who I am, even if I don’t embrace the subculture in the same way as I did back then.
Yes, with that unmistakable voice. Such angst! Oh, so they went and had a heartbreak or two. Well, it does create a special empathy in experience that opens us to greater receptivity. I don’t know those songs. I will have to take a listen. It’s part your music roots and such is always dear even if not jamming to it daily now. There are a lot bands I no longer listen to much but when I do, it’s a lovely treat for at least a little while.
Let me know what you think. I’m always interested.
Well, maybe I should add “please be kind if you hate them”. 🤣
Of course, I’d love to! Is there a specific song you like- or you can’t choose just one?
😅 Can you tell that I’ve not slept well lately? I thought you meant the above songs.
As far as earlier Cure goes, Pornography is a love-it or lump-it album that starts with the lyrics “It doesn’t matter if we all die…” and goes downhill from there. “A Strange Day” off that album is probably the more accessible sounding, but “Siamese Twins” is more my speed. I have grown to prefer the album Faith over that, and the title track is probably my favorite off that album. The album contrasts with Pornography in just how sparse it sounds.
As far as Gene Loves Jezebel, “Heartache” is probably their most accessible, but “Upstairs” is the sound I grew up listening to.
Bauhaus? Easy to listen to is their cover of “Ziggy Stardust”. Middling and one of my favorites, “The Passion of Lovers”. “Stigmata Martyr” for something a little more razor-sharp.
Really… Like, you feel like you have more energy? I haven’t been sleeping either. I get maybe 20 minutes here and there. It’s actually similar to the first I had a sort of awakening. I didn’t sleep much and felt like electricity in my cells.
Okay, I will take a listen to these. Thank you for your recommendations.
Don’t be afraid to skip anything. My tastes can be off-putting for some, especially when they discover I like Skinny Puppy.
My dreams are going through a lucid/vivid stage lately, so I haven’t been sleeping more than an hour at a shot. Sleep, wake up from an intense dream, rinse/repeat. Then wake up and not be able to get back to sleep around 3 to 4am.
Manic due to sleep deprivation. W00t!
Okay, I won’t fear skipping around. Skinny Puppy? Hmm another treasure trove. Nice! I do love The Cure: The Hanging Garden and Siamese Twins is phenomenal- actually, all back from there I like.
Yes, manic from sleep deprivation! Exactly. I keep going on whole vision quests and I write my poetry about it so as not to forget. Hmm maybe it’s the moon or all the eclipses. A lot of creative energies though.
Glad you liked those songs. That album is probably pointed to most often by hardcore old school fans. It nearly destroyed the band at the time, but you can’t say they didn’t put their everything into it.
Skinny puppy “Assimilate”, try that.
Ahh! I love Other Voices on The Cure’s Faith album and Funeral party, too, actually similarly, that whole other half of album is great. Reminds me a bit of Band of Horses. I’m sure The Cure influenced them though. they influenced most everyone’s music. I love the lyrics of Gene Loves Jezebel’s Heartache. Upstairs has a lovely creepy vibe. I love that. Yes, Bauhaus Ziggy Stardust cover is very cool. I can see how on first listen it would be like oh… this is interesting. Gods they’re very poetic. Oh wow, Skinny Puppy is lyrically and vocally like metal music. They’re pretty different.
Skinny Puppy was industrial before there really was industrial. Nine Inch Nails was greatly influenced by their sound, especially “Dig It”.
Glad you’re enjoying this. 🙂
Awe, that’s where I have heard of Skinny Puppy before. It must have been nine inch nails trivia. I love all sorts of music. I’ve been crushing on nine inch nails-teeth, lately. Nice synchronicity.
You can hear elements of “Dig It” in “Down In It” from Pretty Hate Machine. It is almost an homage.
I’ll check it out. Thank you.
That’s very cool! You really can hear it. I love that, thank you.
If you’re not careful, I will corrupt you. 🤣
Oh Dear. Lovely. Not possible. I’m alredy corrupted.
Darn. How am I to meet my quota?
Really though, glad you like the suggestions. Have fun with them.
Thank you. Very much appreciated. I will. Eh, you can add me to the quota, it’s fine. No one would guess I came pre-corrupted.
🤣 “Shows signs of corruption, but think of it as patina, adding a layer of character to your….”
Thanks for the laugh. Appreciate it.
layers is correct. Thank you, too for the smiles.
This is excellent. Thanks for sharing your inspirations. And the picture!
Those lads looked pretty cool back in the day, didn’t they?
They sure did!
🙂
And what a cool looking dude!
Always interesting to get a bit of a back story. Yes, it’s quite interesting to look back at early influences (some of which remain, some lost) and dip the toe in. Honest too to be able to admit to how your own writing was shaped by that of others – don’t you just hate it when some ‘stars’ deny their past.
Preferred Sisters to the Mission, although both were ok (although not really personal influences). Used to poke fun a bit at Hussey and his rhyming…but who else would write a song about Semolina? 😂😂😂
Still a bit of a Dreamer back then, mostly a Fool. The Dreamer was mercilessly beat out of him and only the Fool remains.
I was inspired by many folks, including the more literary Rimbaud and the Romantics, Elliott and… Later… Zen monks.
Sisters was my gateway drug to this sound. Love their first album, but felt like Eldritch was oppressive. Liked the second album, mostly. Third album can mostly rot.
I realized much later that the lyrics I heard were not the lyrics Hussey sang 🤣. They were much better the way I heard them. Or maybe seeing them written down changed how I perceived them. Some are very good. Some… Not as good as I remember them being. I think there was a bit of the Eskimo subculture influencing me more than I realized at the time.
Severina/Semolina… Potato/Potahto… Let’s call the whole thing off.
😂 Dreamer yes, and he’s still there, somewhere, in some darkened corner. Yes, I’ve misheard lyrics before, generally Imagining them to be better than they actually were! Says a lot.
Sisters? I concur.
I wish I had written some of my misheard lyrics down. I’d possibly be a lyrics god. With a worshiper of one…
😂 I’m seeing a fifty foot golden Idol reaching towards the gods. An eighth wonder…
And then everyone then barfed. Just like they will when they realize His Orangeness swindled them.
😂
Those are some great artists. Funny how they were pushed aside but have stood the test of time. My favorite is probably Eldritch. I have a fascination with him. And Ian Curtis. It was stuff no one else I knew was listening to at the time. I’ve never minded the darkness. It’s the other side of light.
I was one of the few listening to them at the time myself. There’s probably a reason I was voted most likely to die before I was thirty in underground polling at the school. Joke’s on them.
“Underground polling” is hilarious. Intentional?
It was kind of a dead pool the kids had going on in my class.
“Most likely to go to jail.”
“Most likely to come out of the closet.”
“Most likely to die before hitting thirty.”
No one polled me about the last one. From what I understand, I won by a landslide.
I love this, Michael! Thank you for sharing. And it’s great to see you, too! : )
Thanks, Stacey. 💙