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.
Romance
Alphaville Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You say stop, I say go
You say don't pay the bills
Cause you won't but I will
Do you believe in romance
The lyrics of Alphavilles's song "Romance" seems to be about a disagreement between two people. They have different views and opinions regarding various things. The first two lines suggest a conflict where one person wants to do the opposite of what the other person does. This could be interpreted as a power struggle within a relationship where neither person wants to concede. They seem to be at a standstill, which is emphasized in the next line, "You say don't pay the bills, 'cause you won't but I will". This could imply the idea of one person feeling like they are doing all the work and the other not contributing, which might cause resentment or frustration.
However, the lyrics also suggest the idea of romance and dance in a whimsical manner. The chorus asks, "Do you believe in romance, Do you believe in schemes of dance?". This could be an attempt to reconcile and find common ground, as dance and romance are often associated with passion and love. The lines seem to imply that even though they have differing opinions, they could still come together and find beauty in love.
Overall, the lyrics of "Romance" convey a complex relationship between two people who have differing views, but who might also be able to find common ground through romance and dance.
Line by Line Meaning
You say high, I say low
We have opposite opinions and perspectives on things.
You say stop, I say go
Even when we disagree, it doesn't mean that we can't coexist and move forward in our own ways.
You say don't pay the bills
You don't want to take responsibility for our finances.
Cause you won't but I will
I'll take on the responsibility of paying the bills.
Do you believe in romance
Do you believe in the power of love and relationships?
Do you believe in schemes of dance
Do you believe in creating a plan or strategy for how to navigate the complexities of relationships and romance?
Contributed by Leah Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@wendi14071992
Waiting
For a change in the weather
I'm waiting
For a shift in the air
Could we get it together, ever
Hoping for your return
Hoping for your sweet, sweet return
Hello, is this heaven calling?
Hello, hello
Is somebody there?
She must be somewhere
And then she says
Hello, hello, hello
She's really an angel
She stands in the sunshine
She's closing her eyes
She's starting to dream
She's pulling the strings
She's dreaming a strange dream
Where nothing is grey
Then she takes me away
And she's pulling the strings
When she's playing with love
Hello, hello
She's playing with love
Hello, hello
She's playing with love
Hello, hello
She's playing with love
Hello, hello
And she's playing with love
Hello, hello
She's playing with love
Hello, hello
And she's playing with love
Counting (counting, counting, counting)
I count every second
And I'm standing (standing, standing, standing)
I stand in the rain
I walk up that lane
Which leads to the sunshine
She stands in the sunshine
She's closing her eyes
Then she takes me away
And she's pulling the strings
When she's playing with love
Hello, hello
She's playing with love
Hello, hello
She's playing with love
Hello, hello
She's playing with love
Hello, hello
And she's playing with love
Hello, hello
She's playing with love
Hello, hello
And she's playing with love
@MysticDesertBreeze
In 1991 or 1992 my best friend, sister and I choreographed a dance to this song for our high school talent show. I would categorize the dance style as Lyrical.
We wore white lacey nightgowns with ballet slippers and each had a big scarf(we each had different colors)
Sadly there is no video because we didn't have a camcorder :(
I heard laughter when we walked out on stage.. Maybe they thought it was going to be ballet so it would be boring?
When we finished, there was silence for a few seconds and then screams, clapping and a standing ovation! 😁
I still can't remember if I ever looked at the audience but I will always remember that moment.
@danutakusmierczuk3165
niesamowity glos, ogromna charyzma, wyglad.... cudowny teledysk, i zero golizny....dzis nikt tak nie potrafi. uwielbiam
@vrfujundying
Came here because of a fellow who commented in tmmsoti that this band may be the one who made the most mysterious song, the voice really is extremely similar!!
@danielpierce9343
Same! I saw that comment after watching a long essay video discussing a doom mod that featured the tmmsoti
@eelamite
man it gotta be him lol.
@vessto
I'm always sure it is him. Although Romeos is closer to TMMS. You can compare the word "window" in Romeos with "wind" in TMMS. Also, TMMS is about young and restless dreamers and subways (of mind). Marian was young and restless dreamer, he left his home and lived homeless in subways for a year and half.
@nailadolan2945
Анффцф
@vessto
@@nailadolan2945 Жксжщииож
@lsanw
This song is absolute perfection! the song completely switches the tune in the middle with multiple layers of sound -- who else does that? So bold!
@LorenaLopez-il1gz
lsanw -----meeee, yay!😊
@thechief5670
More musicians than I can even think of but yes it is very awesome.