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.
Sounds Like a Melody
Alphaville Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Two faces bathing in the screen light
She's so soft and warm in my arms
I tune it into the scene
My hands are resting on her shoulders
When we're dancing away for a while
Oh, we're moving, we're falling
We step into the fire
There's no reason to hurry
Just start the brand-new story
Set it alight, we're head over heels in love
Head over heels
The ringing of your laughter
It sounds like a melody
To once-forbidden places
We'll go for a while
The ringing of your laughter
It sounds like a melody
To once-forbidden places
We'll go for a while
It's the definite show
Our shadows resting in the moonlight
It's so clear and bright in your eyes
It's the touch of your sighs
My lips are resting on your shoulder
When we're moving so soft and slow
We need the ecstasy, the jealousy
The comedy of love
Like the Cary Grants and Kellys once before
Give me more tragedy, more harmony
And fantasy, my dear
And set it alight, just starting that satellite
Set it alight
The ringing of your laughter
It sounds like a melody
To once-forbidden places
We'll go for a while
The ringing of your laughter
It sounds like a melody
To once-forbidden places
We'll go for a while
The lyrics to Alphaville's "Sounds Like a Melody" are a romantic and dreamy description of two people falling deeply in love. The song opens with the singer describing a "trick of my mind" – a window that opens into a world of soft light and warmth where two people dance together. The singer is captivated by the ringing laughter of his partner, which he describes as sounding like a melody. The couple moves and falls, stepping into a fire and losing themselves in the moment.
The chorus repeats the line "The ringing of your laughter, it sounds like a melody, to once-forbidden places we'll go for a while." This line speaks to the transformative nature of falling in love – it takes us to new and unexpected places where we can release inhibitions and explore new territories.
The second verse continues the romantic imagery with descriptions of shadows resting in the moonlight and clear and bright eyes. The singer expresses a desire for more "tragedy, more harmony, and fantasy, my dear" as they start a "brand-new story" and "set it alight."
Overall, the lyrics to "Sounds Like a Melody" are a celebration of love as an escape from reality and a portal to new experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a trick of my mind
I am experiencing a phantasmagoria
Two faces bathing in the screen light
We are illuminated by the glow of the television
She's so soft and warm in my arms
I find comfort and tenderness in holding her
I tune it into the scene
I attune myself to our environment
My hands are resting on her shoulders
I am physically connected to her
When we're dancing away for a while
As we move in unison, time elapses
Oh, we're moving, we're falling
Our dance is graceful yet precarious
We step into the fire
We are mere mortals in love's consuming blaze
By the hour of the wolf in a midnight dream
We embark on a passionate venture amidst danger and mystery
There's no reason to hurry
We have all the time in the world
Just start the brand-new story
Let us begin a new chapter in our lives
Set it alight, we're head over heels in love
Let us ignite our passion as we are deeply enamored
Head over heels
We are uncontrollably in love
The ringing of your laughter
The sound of your joy brings me great pleasure
It sounds like a melody
Your laughter is pleasing to the ear
To once-forbidden places
We will journey to where we were once prohibited from going
We'll go for a while
We will embark on a temporary but fulfilling voyage
It's the definite show
Our love is on full display
Our shadows resting in the moonlight
Our silhouettes are cast in the pale glow of the moon
It's so clear and bright in your eyes
Your eyes reveal the clarity and brilliance of our love
It's the touch of your sighs
The sound of your sighs is a sensual caress
My lips are resting on your shoulder
I am planting a gentle kiss on your shoulder
When we're moving so soft and slow
Our movements are languid and deliberate
We need the ecstasy, the jealousy
We require intense emotions such as elation and possessiveness
The comedy of love
Love can bring about humor-filled situations
Like the Cary Grants and Kellys once before
Our love is akin to the timeless romance portrayed in classic films
Give me more tragedy, more harmony
Our love should be filled with both melancholy and harmony
And fantasy, my dear
Let us indulge in romantic fantasy
And set it alight, just starting that satellite
Let us ignite our passion and begin a journey of love
Lyrics © Budde Music Publishing GmbH, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bernard Lloyd, Frank Mertens, Marian Gold
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind