Following the 1980 tour and with the support of John Peel, Britain’s most influential DJ, the band signed with Epic. The first two singles, Dead Pop Stars and A Day's Wait, saw the band beginning to develop their own sound. Epic wanted the band to add one more element to the mix: chart success. With this in mind they brought in producer Martin Rushent, who had an established track record of crafting left-of-centre hits with the Buzzcocks, the Stranglers, and Generation X. The addition of Rushent, along with second guitarist Jim McKinven, resulted in the single Happy Birthday, which managed to channel AI's sound in a more commercial direction without losing their distinctive sound. The remainder of the album, also titled Happy Birthday, was produced by Severin, but it was Rushent who had charted the course for the remainder of the band's career.
Rushent returned in 1982 to produce Pinky Blue, a much more upbeat album than its predecessor. The three singles released from the album, I Could Be Happy, See Those Eyes, and the frenetic Pinky Blue, all sounded more commercial than most of the band's early material, but Grogan's unique vocal style assured that AI would retain a slightly otherworldly quality. The band also contributed a cover of Del Shannon's Little Town Flirt to the Party Party soundtrack in 1982. Following Pinky Blue, the band replaced drummer Anderson and second guitarist McKinven with Steve Lironi (guitar, drums).
Production chores on the next album, 1983's Bite, were split between Tony Visconti and Mike Chapman. In an unexpected move, AI switched to a slick disco sound in an acknowledged effort to gain a wider audience. Changes in image were made as well, as the cover of Bite made clear - the black and white photo of Clare looking very sophisticated in a black evening gown was a radical switch from her previous portrayals, as well as a break with the previous tradition of featuring the entire band on album covers. In an interview with NME Clare noted that the image makeover was intentional, but would not be a new uniform: "We decided we'd have to do something pretty drastic to make people realise that I wasn't going to parade about in ra-ra skirts for the rest of the century. And I'm not going to parade about in black evening gowns on tour!" Nor on television, as the video for Don't Talk To Me About Love features Clare looking very comfortable in a sophistication-free jogging suit. Although the change in the band's sound did help them achieve greater radio exposure, with "Don't Talk To Me About Love" going Top 10, the group would not stay intact to enjoy their success. After a UK and North American tour in 1983 with added members David Wilde on drums and Jim Prime on keyboards, the group broke up.
Following the dissolution of AI, Clare returned to acting, appearing in Bill Forsyth's 1984 film Comfort And Joy, the Red Dwarf and East Enders series, and also served as the host for the Sky Movies television program. She would return to various musical endeavors from time to time, including hosting a UK video show, and recording a number of tracks in 1987 for a planned solo album called Trash Mad. Ultimately only the "Love Bomb" 12" single was released from these sessions, the rest of the tracks from the album remain unreleased. From 1989-1990 Grogan and Lironi performed occasionally under the name Universal Love School, but never released any recordings. Clare's guest appearances on other artists' recordings include "This Grudge" on Bionic in 1996 and "Night Falls Like a Grand Piano" on Hyacinths and Thistles in 2000.
After the first 2 Peel Sessions, Gerard “Caesar” McInulty went on to form The Wake.
Johnny McElhone formed the band Hipsway in 1984, which had some success with the Honeythief single from their self-titled 1986 album. Hipsway would break up following their second album, after which McElhone formed Texas, a group which would have intermittent UK success but is largely unknown in the U.S.
Steve Lironi became active in production, songwriting, and session work after AI, working with a great variety of artists including Dot Allison, Black Grape, Hanson, and Bon Jovi.
In 2002 the unexpected announcement was made that Altered Images would be reforming for a series of Christmas shows for the Here And Now 80's revival tour.
See Those Eyes
Altered Images Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fool for you
To play a game with you is all she really wants to do
It's easy with you
See those eyes, see those lies
Her aim is not to please, all she wants to do is tease
So cute for you
I'm feeling rather funny and I don't know who I am
Forget those eyes, forget those lies
You don't care about
You don't care about
That she'll forget about
That she'll forget about
See those eyes, see those lies
Her head is full of nonsense but she says her heart is true
Fool for you
I'm feeling rather funny and I don't know who I am
I'll forget for you
Forget those eyes, forget those lies
You don't care about
You don't care about
That she'll forget about
That she'll forget about
Her aim is not to please, all she wants to do is tease
So cute for you
I'm feeling rather funny and I don't know who I am
I'll forget for you
Forget those eyes, forget those lies
You don't care about
You don't care about
That she'll forget about
That she'll forget about
To play a game with you is all she really wants to do
It's easy with you
See those eyes
The lyrics of Altered Images' song "See Those Eyes" suggest a very complex situation between two people. The first verse talks about a person who claims to have a true heart but fills their head with nonsense. This person is apparently a fool for the other person and wants to play games with them, teasing them to further their own agenda. The chorus talks about how the other person is feeling funny and doesn't know who they are, but they will forget about it for the sake of the other person. The chorus also mentions seeing the lies in the other person's eyes and how the aim is not to please but to tease. The second verse again highlights the other person's behavior of wanting to play a game with the other person and how it's easy with them.
Overall, the lyrics suggest a complex and potentially toxic relationship where one person constantly plays mind games with the other. The other person, who has a true heart, seems to be getting lost in the chaos and confusion created by the first person. The lines "Her aim is not to please, all she wants to do is tease" suggest a person who enjoys playing with others' emotions rather than being sincere and genuine. However, the other person seems to be willing to forget all this and continue with the relationship, possibly because of their own feelings of attraction towards the other person.
Line by Line Meaning
Her head is full of nonsense but she says her heart is true
She may not make sense but she claims to be genuine
Fool for you
She is foolish for the listener
To play a game with you is all she really wants to do
She just wants to play games with the listener
It's easy with you
Playing games with the listener is effortless
See those eyes, see those lies
Her eyes reveal her deceitful nature
Her aim is not to please, all she wants to do is tease
She is not interested in pleasing anyone, only teasing them
So cute for you
Her teasing behavior may seem charming to the listener
I'm feeling rather funny and I don't know who I am
The singer is confused and uncertain about their identity
I'll forget for you
The singer will try to forget their confusion for the listener's sake
Forget those eyes, forget those lies
The singer advises the listener to forget the deceiver's eyes and lies
You don't care about
The singer believes the listener doesn't care
That she'll forget about
The singer thinks the deceiver will eventually forget about the listener
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANTHONY MCDAID, BRIAN KEEGAN, CLARE PATRICIA GROGAN, DAVID JAMES MCKINVEN, GERARD MCELHONE, JOHN MCELHONE, MICHAEL ANDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vetb882
The way back machine is on full effect listening to this song.
I was a lonely teenaged werewolf... Not really but I may as well have been a werewolf, I was lonely and didn't know where I belonged.
Hanging out at the Little Deli (that was the name) in New Rochelle, NY, one night I had the boombox blasting and was bored with Zep after Zep songs and stumbled on a station called WLIR from Long Island...
...a voice came over that sounded like an angel... Malibu Sue, and it felt like she was speaking only to ME. 😲☺️😊🤗🥰💞
I had finally found my tribe, THIS New Wave Wave carried new through my angry youth and adulthood.
The song that came in that hooked my Soul? this one, See Those Eyes. 😎👍🖖🏿✌🏽☝🏽💖🔥
@thecatsarse
A massive salute to both Altered images and The Prisoner! 2 Shining memories as a kid of the 80`s.Seeing whats around me i`m so grateful i got to grow up n these times!!!
@cathalssupermegahappyfunti223
My childhood in a nutshell.
@jamiefoyers2800
Ah the jangly guitar pop of the early 80's!. And early 80's pop promos...can't beat it!. Good track this...not one of their better known tracks but it's a forgotten gem...
@lordhamptonwick5320
I'm 70 years old and I think Altered Images are a great band, and as for Claire she's special.
@TheElvisDiet
Such great use of Vox guitars ♡♡♡♡
@robertmaynard4265
Hey dude California
@MampsUK
Oh yeah altered images are legendary. I remember Claire was in eastenders bk in the late 90s
@davidellis5141
This one gets overlooked. The 12" version is best. She was so cute and addictive. happy relief in bleary times.
@soulminer
I think in 1982 it was a transition between post punk gloom and a more positive outlook. This track is great representation.
@user-ok8zb1pn3s
I had this on 45rpm vinyl. Great days going into Woolworths when there were 40 boxes filled with vinyl records for each song in the charts.