Martin Fry had some underground success as a music journalist with the fanzine 'Modern Drugs', interviewing various British pop and rock groups, before he decided to join a band himself. ABC has its roots in the group Vice Versa, a Sheffield electronic music outfit formed in 1977 by Stephen Singleton and Mark White. They founded their own label, 'Neutron Records', and released an EP. Fry started off with the act as a synthesizer player. By 1980, the band had evolved into ABC, with Fry becoming the lead vocalist.
The group's first single, "Tears Are Not Enough", made the U.K. Top 20 in 1981. Soon afterwards, David Robinson left the band and was replaced by drummer David Palmer. In 1982, the band released their debut album, 'The Lexicon of Love', which reached number one in the U.K. Albums Chart. Produced by Trevor Horn, it often featured in UK critics' lists of favourite albums: it ranked 42nd in The Observer Music Monthly's "Top 100 British Albums" (June 2004) and 40th in Q magazine's "100 Greatest British Albums" (June 2000). The band had three Top 10 hits during 1982: the singles "Poison Arrow", "The Look Of Love (Part 1)" and "All of My Heart" and shot high-concept music videos.
ABC found it difficult to follow up their debut. The second album, Beauty Stab, was released in November 1983. It performed poorly in comparison to its predecessor. Gary Langan, who had engineered The Lexicon of Love, produced the effort. The first single, "That Was Then but This Is Now", briefly appeared in the UK Top 20, followed by a Top 40 showing for "S.O.S.". The band eschewed remixes for the project, and the 12" single for "That Was Then but This Is Now" featured the disclaimer "This record is exactly the same as the 7" version. The choice is yours." Stephen Singleton retired from the band in 1984.
Now a duo of Fry and White, augmented by two non-performing band members, Fiona Russell-Powell (known as Eden) and David Yarritu, ABC's chart fortunes in the UK dwindled further with the 1985 album How To Be A Zillionaire. Keith LeBlanc from Tackhead programmed much of the beatbox work for the album. The group did score its first US Top 10 hit with "Be Near Me" (which also made the UK Top 30). The album also featured the singles "(How to Be a) Millionaire", "Vanity Kills" and "Ocean Blue". ABC was one of the first bands to do video scratching" for several videos from the How to Be a... Zillionaire album, including the video for "Be Near Me".
Following a hiatus. while Fry was treated for Hodgkin's disease, ABC returned with Alphabet City. Best known for "When Smokey Sings", a tribute to Smokey Robinson, the album also spawned "The Night You Murdered Love" and "King Without a Crown" as singles. All three tracks would make the CD version of the group's first anthology.
In 1989, the duo issued Up, their fifth and final PolyGram studio album. This time experimenting with house music, ABC scored a minor UK hit with the single "One Better World". They then released another single, "The Real Thing". During this period the group worked on a couple of outside productions aimed at the house music scene. One was Paul Rutherford's (Frankie Goes to Hollywood) solo album and first single release; the other was for Lizzie Tear on the group's own Neutron label.
In 1990, the band released a greatest hits compilation album, Absolutely. This covered all of ABC's albums up until 1990, and featured all of their singles. The compilation made the UK Top 10. A video package featuring promos was also released. One new song, "The Look Of Love (1990 Remix)", was released to promote the package.
The group then moved to the EMI label (and MCA in North America), where they recorded the 1991 LP Abracadabra. "Love Conquers All", the first single, barely placed in the UK chart, though Italian production team Black Box provided remixes of "Say It" which appeared in the US dance chart.
Fry resurrected the band's name in 1997 for the album Skyscraping, an homage to several of his musical heroes, including David Bowie, Roxy Music, and the Sex Pistols. A collaboration with Glenn Gregory of Heaven 17 and Keith Lowndes, the album again was met with critical approval rather than broad commercial success. However, three singles were released, "Rolling Sevens", "Skyscraping", and "Stranger Things", complete with extra B-sides.
In 1999, ABC released their first live album, The Lexicon of Live. The album covered most of their major hits. Although Fry was the only member left, he had a backing band and adorned the album cover in his trademark gold lamé suit.
Look of Love: The Very Best of ABC was released in 2001. Although essentially a reissue of greatest hits package Absolutely (from 1990), the album featured two new songs by Fry titled "Peace and Tranquility" and "Blame". A companion DVD, along with a bonus disc of remixes, was also released.
In 2004, the VH1 show Bands Reunited attempted to get the line-up of Fry, Palmer, Singleton and White together for a reunion concert. Fry and Palmer appeared and played together (with help from Nick Beggs of Kajagoogoo) for the first time in over twenty years. Singleton and White opted not to participate.
Following a tour of the United States in May and June 2006, Fry and Palmer, together with keyboardist Chuck Kentis, put together a new ABC album, Traffic. It was released on 28 April 2008. Gary Langan, who worked on The Lexicon of Love and Beauty Stab, mixed and produced the album. The first single, "The Very First Time", debuted on BBC Radio 2 in January, was added to the station's "A" playlist for the week beginning 29 March, and was released as a download track on 1 April. ABC performed two songs from Traffic during the 2008 Regeneration Tour of the US; "Ride" and "The Very First Time".
On 1 September 2007, ABC performed a set with other 1980s acts at Retrofest at Culzean Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland. This appearance included a rendition of "Addicted to Love", with Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet and Peter Cox of Go West.
In the summer of 2008, ABC toured the US as part of the 2008 Regeneration Tour, which also featured The Human League, Belinda Carlisle, A Flock of Seagulls, and Naked Eyes.
In April 2009, ABC performed the Lexicon Of Love album live at the Royal Albert Hall, accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra. Anne Dudley of Art of Noise, who arranged and played keyboards on the original record, conducted the performance. A music review in the 13 April 2009 edition of The Independent newspaper, described the performance as a "glorious night that has placed one of the Eighties' most perfectly constructed albums back near the top of the pop pantheon".
In 2009 ABC toured the US as the headliner of the 2009 'Regeneration Tour', which also featured Terri Nunn of Berlin, Wang Chung, and the Cutting Crew.
Another Artist:
ABC also known as Grupa ABC was a Polish band playing funk, r&b and blues. It was formed in 1969 in Warsaw and disbanded in 1973.
Poison Arrow
ABC Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Would you know just what to do or where to keep it?
Then I say, "I love you", foul the situation
Hey girl, I thought we were the right combination
Who broke my heart, you did, you did
Bow to the target, blame Cupid, Cupid
You think you're smart, stupid, stupid
Shoot that poison arrow to my heart
Shoot that poison arrow
Shoot that poison arrow to my heart
Shoot that poison arrow
No rhythm in cymbals, no tempo in drums
Love on arrival, she comes when she comes
Right on the target but wide of the mark
What I thought was fire was only the spark
The sweetest melody
Is an unheard refrain
So lower your sights, yeah
But raise your aim, raise your aim
Who broke my heart, you did, you did
Bow to the target, blame Cupid, Cupid
You think you're smart, stupid, stupid
Shoot that poison arrow to my heart
Shoot that poison arrow
Shoot that poison arrow to my heart
Shoot that poison arrow
I thought you loved me, but it seems you don't care
I care enough to know, I can never love you
Who broke my heart, you did, you did
Bow to the target, blame Cupid
You think you're smart, that's stupid
Right from the start when you knew we would part
Shoot that poison arrow to my heart
Shoot that poison arrow
Shoot that poison arrow to my heart, heart, heart
Shoot that poison arrow
Heart
Shoot that poison arrow
Shoot that poison arrow
The lyrics of 'Poison Arrow' by ABC speak of a relationship that has gone terribly wrong. The song opens with a question of whether the listener can keep a secret, indicating that the singer is about to reveal something personal. He then declares his love, but immediately regrets it, realizing that he has made a mistake, and the sentiment is not reciprocated. The chorus expresses the depth of his pain, as he describes the metaphorical poison arrow that has been shot into his heart. As the song continues, the singer reflects on the relationship, which was initially promising. He had hoped for a spark and a fire, but it seems that it was never meant to be.
The bridge highlights the sad reality that sometimes the most beautiful sentiments are never expressed, as the sweetest melody is an unheard refrain. The final verse reveals that the singer has realized that his love was unrequited all along and breaks free from the toxic relationship. The chorus repeats, emphasizing the pain that he has experienced.
Line by Line Meaning
If I were to say to you, 'can you keep a secret?'
If I told you something in confidence, would you know how to keep it a secret?
Would you know just what to do or where to keep it?
Would you be able to keep my secret safe and know how to handle it?
Then I say, 'I love you', foul the situation
But if I told you that I loved you, things would get complicated.
Hey girl, I thought we were the right combination
I thought we were meant to be together and perfect for each other.
Who broke my heart, you did, you did
You broke my heart and hurt me deeply.
Bow to the target, blame Cupid, Cupid
I'm blaming Cupid, the god of love, for shooting me with his arrow and causing this pain.
You think you're smart, stupid, stupid
You may think you're clever, but you're actually foolish and hurtful.
Shoot that poison arrow to my heart
Hurt me with your poisonous words and actions.
No rhythm in cymbals, no tempo in drums
The music has no rhythm or tempo, just like our relationship has lost its spark.
Love on arrival, she comes when she comes
Love always comes unexpectedly and we can't control when or where it happens.
Right on the target but wide of the mark
Our love may have hit the target, but it missed the mark and didn't live up to our expectations.
What I thought was fire was only the spark
What started as a passionate love affair was just a brief spark that quickly fizzled out.
The sweetest melody
The most beautiful tune,
Is an unheard refrain
But if no one hears it, it will go unnoticed and unappreciated.
So lower your sights, yeah
Lower your expectations and ambitions,
But raise your aim, raise your aim
But aim higher in life and aspire for something better.
I thought you loved me, but it seems you don't care
I believed you loved me, but now it seems like you don't care about my feelings.
I care enough to know, I can never love you
I care enough to realize that I can never love someone who hurts me like you do.
Right from the start when you knew we would part
You knew all along that our relationship wouldn't work out, yet you still hurt me.
Heart
My heart, which is hurting.
Shoot that poison arrow
Inflict more pain onto my heart with your hurtful words and actions.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Martin David Fry, Mark Andrew White, Stephen Barry Singleton, Mark Christopher Lickley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind