Music and British Identity: Echo & The Bunnymen


Primary members: Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant, Peter de Freitas, Les Pattinson
Band Biography
Albums of focus: Crocodiles (1980), Heaven Up Here (1981), Porcupine (1983)
Songs for study:

 

"Rescue" - Ian McCullough discusses inspiration for "Rescue" (June 2008)

McCullough mentions where he grew up, in "the now infamous" Norris Green council housing in Liverpool. One commentator noted: "Norris Green – like many similar estates – had become (or was seen as) a ‘no-go area’ – rife with drug-dealing, gangs, car crimes and muggings. If crime was a potent factor in impoverishing its residents’ lives, fear of crime was equally so."

 

"Rescue" - from Crocodiles (1980)
If I said I'd lost my way
Would you sympathize?
Could you sympathize?
I'm jumbled up
Maybe I'm losing my touch
I'm jumbled up
Maybe I'm losing my touch
But you know I didn't have it anyway

Won't you come on down to my
Won't you come on down to my
Rescue

Things are wrong
Things are going wrong
Can you tell that in a song?
I don't know what I want anymore
First I want a kiss and then I want it all

Won't you come on down to my
Won't you come on down to my
Rescue

Things are wrong
Things are going wrong
Can you tell that in a song?
Losing sense of those harder things

Is this the blues I'm singing?....

 

"Show of Strength" - from Heaven Up Here (1981)
Realistically
It's hard to dig it all too happily
But I can see
It's not always that real to me
A funny thing
It's always a funny thing
And those sadly things
Just get in the way

Open to suggestion
Falling over questions

Hopefully
But that's as well as maybe
A shaken hand
Won't transmit all fidelity
Your golden smile
Would shame a politician
Typically
I'll apologize next time

Bonds will break and fade
A snapping all in two
The lies that bind and tie
Come sailing out of you

Realistically
Hard to dig it all too happily
But I can see
Not always that real to me
A funny thing
Is always a funny thing
And those sadly things
It's always a sadly thing

Bonds will break and fade
A snapping all in two
The lies that bind and tie
Come sailing out of you

A show of strength
Is all you want
You can never set it down
Guts and passion
Those things you can't
Even set down
All those things
You think might count
You can never set them down
Don't ever set them down
Never set them down

Hey I came in right on cue
One is me and one is you
Hey I came in
Right on cue
One is me
And one
Is
You

"The Disease" - from Heaven Up Here (1981)
My life's the disease
That could always change
With comparative ease
Just given the chance

My life is the earth
'Twixt muscle and spade
We wait for the worth
Digging for just one chance

As prospects diminish
As nightmares swell
Some pray for Heaven while
We live in hell

My life's the disease
My life's the disease

If you get yours
From Heaven
Don't waste them...

 

"All My Colours" - from Heaven Up Here (1981)
Flying
And I know I'm not coming down
You're trying
But you know you must soon go down
All my colours turn to clouds
All my colours turn to clouds

Zimbo...

What d'you say
When your heart's in pieces?
How d'you play
Those cards in sequence?
That box you gave me burned nicely
That box you gave me burned nicely

Zimbo...

Flying down
Flying down
All my colours turn to clouds...

Hey, I've flown away
Hey, I'm blown away

 

"Clay" - from Porcupine (1983)

Am I the half of half-and-half
Or am I the half that's whole?
I've got to be one with all my halves
It's my worthy earthly goal
It's my worthy earthly goal
It's my worthy earthly goal

Are you the heavy half
Of the lighter me
Are you the ready part
Of the lighter me

When I came apart
I wasn't made of sand
When you fell apart
Clay crumbled in my hands
Long way a life load
Statues and haloes

Am I the half of half-and-half
Or am I the half that's whole?
Am I the half that's whole
Am I the half that's whole

Are you the wrongful half
Of the rightful me
Are you the mongol half
Of the cerebral me

When I came apart
I wasn't made of sand
When you fell apart
Clay crumbled in my hands
When I came apart
I wasn't made of sand
When you fell apart
Clay crumbled in my hands
If we exercise just some control
When we exercise our sum control
Oh isn't it nice
When your heart is made out of ice?
Oh isn't it nice
When your heart is made out of ice?

Are you the heavy half
Of the lighter me
Are you the ready part
That has entered me

Am I the "shall" in po-ten-tial
Or am I the "suck" in "cess"?
Pools of delusion
Deluge me
Am I the more or less?
Am I the more or less?
Am I the more or less?
When I came apart
I wasn't made of sand
When you fell apart
Clay crumbled in my hands
When I came apart
I wasn't made of sand
When I was the cain
You were the abel
When I came apart
Clay crumbled in my hands

 

"Heads Will Roll" - Live in Spain (1984)
Partly politic
Heads will roll
Mostly politic
God must call
'Til the winning hand does belong to me

What if no one's calling
God then must be falling

If I ever met you
In a private place

I would suck you
You into my mouth
That's how I'd articulate

 

The value of my face
The value on my face
What if no one's calling
God then must be falling

What if no one's calling
God then must be falling
What if no one's calling
God then must be falling

What if no one's calling
God then must be falling

 

 

"In Bluer Skies" - from Porcupine (1983)
What needs must be
I realized
I'm walking out
From blackened skies

You say belief
Is in our eyes
But how can i believe
In blind lies

I'm counting
On your heavy heart
Could it keep me
From falling apart

Have we been born to follow
Tied to a bitter rein
Or will we begin to grow
Bound by this simple chain

Will we evolve tonight
Sparkle like brittle stars
Can we dissolve tonight
Held by your hungry arms

I'm counting
On your heavy heart
Could it keep me
From falling apart

 

I would be ready
Ready to go
Was your heart heavy
Heavy with sorrow

Had you been heavy
We could have both been grown
Now your hearts heavy
Heavy with sorrow

I'm counting
On your heavy heart
Could it keep me
From falling apart

What needs have been
You'll realize
I've found myself
In bluer skies

I know belief
Is in your eyes
We can't believe
In blind light

I'm counting
On your heavy heart
To keep me
From falling apart