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.
The Deep
Alphaville Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Emitted from a secret distant star
Made out of yearning and of sweet desire
Which I would never tire of listening to like gentle ocean surf
Deep in myself
You're buried like a hidden treasure
Deep in myself
Within a chest filled up with withered comforts
On which I'm keeping ceaselessly my jealous eyes
In glaring embers and in raging ire
Deep in myself
You're resting like a heavy stone
Deep in myself
That's dragging me into the bottom of a lake
I'm sinking fast but never will I drown
And up above me I scry those little cockle boats
They cross the sky with tenderly entangled lovers
Deep in myself
Deep in myself
Deep in myself
Deep in myself
You're buried like a hidden treasure
Deep in myself
Deep in myself
Deep in myself
Deep in myself
Deep in myself
The lyrics to Alphaville's song The Deep evoke a sense of introspection and longing. The opening lines suggest that there is a presence within the singer that they can feel but that is coming from a distance, like a message from a far-off star. The singer describes this presence as being made up of yearning and sweet desire, something that they always want to hear like the gentle sound of ocean waves.
The second verse speaks of the presence being buried within the singer, like a hidden treasure. This presence is described as being heavy, like a stone, and is pulling the singer down to the bottom of a lake. Despite this, the singer refuses to drown and instead looks up to the sky, watching as lovers cross the sky in tiny boats.
The refrain of "deep in myself" is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the depth of the singer's feelings and the idea that this presence is truly buried within them.
Overall, the lyrics to The Deep paint a picture of intense emotion and a desire to connect with a presence that is both close and far away. The use of metaphors like a distant star and a buried treasure give the lyrics a dreamlike quality, emphasizing the idea that this presence is elusive and hard to grasp.
Line by Line Meaning
Deep in myself I hear you like a distant sound
I feel your presence within me, like a faint noise originating from some distant, secret celestial body
Emitted from a secret distant star
The source of this feeling lies within a hidden, faraway star
Made out of yearning and of sweet desire
This sensation is a combination of longing and strong fondness
Which I would never tire of listening to like gentle ocean surf
I could listen to this feeling endlessly, like the calming sound of the ocean waves
You're buried like a hidden treasure
Your essence is concealed within me, like a precious gem buried deep within the earth
Within a chest filled up with withered comforts
I have surrounded myself with things that no longer bring me pleasure or happiness, yet I cannot let them go
On which I'm keeping ceaselessly my jealous eyes
I constantly long for what others have, and envy their happiness and contentment
In glaring embers and in raging ire
My emotions are intense and fierce, burning like a bright flame
You're resting like a heavy stone
Your presence within me feels weighty and burdensome
That's dragging me into the bottom of a lake
Your essence is pulling me deeper into my own subconscious, like a heavy object sinking into a body of water
I'm sinking fast but never will I drown
I may be falling deeper into my own thoughts, but I will never be consumed by them
And up above me I scry those little cockle boats
As I sink deeper, I observe the happiness of others from afar
They cross the sky with tenderly entangled lovers
Couples in love symbolize the happiness that I desire yet cannot attain
Deep in myself, deep in myself, deep in myself
This feeling persists within me at the core of my being
Contributed by Bentley Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.