In 1984 the re-named Alphaville released their debut single "Big in Japan", followed by "Sounds Like a Melody" and "Forever Young", quickly followed by the album Forever Young. Despite its success Frank Mertens left the band in the same year and was replaced by Ricky Echolette (born Wolfgang Neuhaus, in Cologne, August 6, 1960) in January 1985.
"Big In Japan" was their biggest U.S. success, shooting to #1 on Billboard's Dance chart. While they never again had a Top 20 U.S. Dance hit, several of their releases went Top 40 and Top 30 on the Dance charts. They were less successful at mainstream U.S. radio, reflected by their showing on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles charts, where "Big" only reached #66. The first U.S. release of "Forever Young" failed to scale the charts. In 1985, amid reports pop star Laura Branigan was featuring the song on her next album, Hold Me, Alphaville's "Forever Young" was re-released as a single in the U.S., and again floundered in the lower recesses of the chart. Branigan's version, though promoted on stickers adorning the album, subsequently remained an album cut in the U.S., though it was released to radio in South America. She would go on to perform the song as an encore at nearly every concert she performed, from her 1985 tour until her death in 2004. The Alphaville version was released a third time in the U.S. in 1988, to promote Alphaville: The Singles Collection, and peaked this time at #65. Their highest U.S. Singles chart showing, it was also their last. International re-releases of Alphaville's "Forever Young" followed in 1989, 1996, and 2001. Several covers have been recorded and remixed, featuring male or female vocalists often erroneously attributed to be Alphaville's Marian Gold, or Laura Branigan.
In 1986 the second album Afternoons In Utopia was released, followed in 1989 by The Breathtaking Blue. As an alternative to individual music videos, the band enlisted nine producers, among them Godfrey Reggio (Koyaanisqatsi), to create a film entitled Songlines based on the album's tracks.
The next album, Prostitute, was not released until 1994. In 1996 Ricky Echolette left the band. Salvation followed in 1997. Stark Naked and Absolutely Live was released in 2000, followed by the remix album Forever Pop in 2001. A DVD was released in 2001 documenting two concerts performed in Salt Lake City, Utah. Two box-sets have also been released; rather than being collections of previously released album tracks they are actually 12 unique albums, several live, several rarities and outtakes, and several newly recorded. The first box, of eight discs, was released in 1999 (called Dreamscapes) and the second in 2003 (called CrazyShow or Dreamscapes 9-12). All the material in CrazyShow is newly recorded.
Bernhard Lloyd did not contribute to the CrazyShow album, and shortly after its release, on March 18, 2003 he officially left the group. The current core members of Alphaville are Marian Gold (vocals), Martin Lister (keyboards), David Goodes (guitars) and Pierson Grange (drums).
" Just a note to say Bernhard Lloyd is/has/recently played live with Alphaville. I saw him at the Esbjerg Rock Festival in June of this year. They sounded absoutely brilliant. Check out the Alphaville website, it's worth a look. Added by Fletchie, 02.11.07"
Marian Gold has released two solo albums (So Long Celeste, 1992 and United, 1996) alongside his work in the band. Bernhard Lloyd also worked on a project named Atlantic Popes with singer Max Holler. In 1996 Frank Mertens started on a musical project called Maelstrom which was a combination of ambient-style music, impressionistic and colorful art in the form of paintings and sculptures, and etheric poetry. This project seems now to have been by far abandoned, though, as Mertens has not been visibly active with it. In 2006 and 2007, Alphaville appeared on the "ELEKTRISCH" vol.1 and 2 album compilations with "From Germany With Love" and "Guardian Angel".
There is another artist with the same name:
2) A spanish Synthpop/dark/post punk group born in 1981 in Madrid by José Luis F. Abel (guitar & vocal), Mendi (bass), José Carlos ‘Charles’ Sánchez (keyboards), Jose Luis Orfanel (guitar) and Juan Antonio ‘Rep’ Nieto (drums).
The independent label DRO released their first EP in April 1982, "Paisajes nocturnos", which included four tracks. Their first hit arrived some months later with the 4-tracks 12'' "Palacio de invierno". In 1983 they released the album Despues De La Derrota.
Euphoria
Alphaville Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Flooding my eyes
Flooding my eyes
Kind of armies marching through my head
Somber soldiers
From nowhere
Kind of someone's moving out of me
Have no fear
Kind of someone's moving out of me
Going somewhere
Going somewhere
Ship is leaving right on time
Empty harbor, wave goodbye
Evacuation of the isle
Caveman's paintings drowning
Famous last words on the air
I stay here and you are there
While our city softly sinks
Cavemen's paintings drowning
Drowning
Drowning
In the song "Euphoria" by Alphaville, the singer seems to be experiencing intense emotions that are overwhelming and flooding their senses. This is conveyed through the lines "Kind of thunder from my heart, flooding my eyes." The idea of armies marching through their head and somber soldiers suggests a strong internal struggle or conflict that the singer is trying to process.
As the song progresses, the theme of departure becomes prominent as the singer describes someone moving out of them and going somewhere. The metaphor of a ship leaving on time and an empty harbor wave goodbye suggests a sense of finality and loss. The line "evacuation of the isle" adds to this feeling of departure and abandonment.
The final stanza of the song is quite poignant as the singer talks about the sinking of their city and the drowning of caveman's paintings. This metaphor represents the loss of history and culture due to the departure and abandonment that has been described throughout the song. The famous last words on the air and the separation of the singer and the other person add to the poignancy of this final stanza.
Overall, "Euphoria" seems to be a song about intense emotions and separation. The metaphorical language used throughout the song adds to the depth and complexity of these themes.
Line by Line Meaning
Kind of thunder from my heart
This feeling is so intense that it feels like a thunder inside my heart
Flooding my eyes
The feeling is so overwhelming that it has even started to affect my eyes, causing them to water
Kind of armies marching through my head
The feeling is so intense that it feels like there are armies marching through my head
Somber soldiers
These armies seem serious and solemn
From nowhere
These armies seem to have come out of nowhere
Kind of someone's moving out of me
It feels like a part of me is leaving
Have no fear
Despite the loss, there is no need to be afraid
Going somewhere
The part of me that is leaving is heading to a destination
Ship is leaving right on time
The ship that is taking the part of me away is leaving at the perfect moment
Empty harbor, wave goodbye
The harbor is now empty, and I wave goodbye to the part of me that is leaving
Evacuation of the isle
It feels like the place where I am is being evacuated
Caveman's paintings drowning
Even the ancient caveman's paintings are being drowned, showing the scale of the evacuation
Famous last words on the air
There are some final words being spoken, perhaps from those who are leaving
I stay here and you are there
I am staying where I am, while others are leaving and going elsewhere
While our city softly sinks
The city we are in is slowly sinking or deteriorating
Cavemen's paintings drowning
Once again, the caveman's paintings are mentioned, emphasizing the scale of the loss
Drowning
Everything seems to be drowning or disappearing, highlighting the overall feeling of loss and sadness
Lyrics © Cloud9
Written by: BART LEROY, MARC MERTENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind