Archive was formed by Londoners Darius Keeler and Danny Griffiths in 1994 and began as an electronica project. At the beginning, they mixed Bristol-style, Massive Attack, Portishead with Rap. The first album of the band, Londinium released in 1996 (with Roya Arab and Rosko John as guest vocalists). The second album, Take my Head, (which the band hates) was released in 1999 (with a new guest vocalist Suzanne Wooder), it is much more melodic than Londinium. The first song of the album, You Make Me Feel, illustrates this change in the Archive's music. After being dropped by their label and more changes in the lineup, the band seemed to hit its stride on the third album You All Look The Same To Me (2002), featuring singer Craig Walker (formerly of Power of Dreams), which took a decided turn toward more progressive music (with some Progressive Rock influences, notably Pink Floyd whose indelible influence is audible on tracks such as 'Finding it so Hard' and 'Again'), while still maintaining electronic elements. The band saw growing popularity and critical acclaim, especially in France, Greece, Germany and Poland. After recording two more artistically—but not too commercially—successful albums, Michel Vaillant (2003) and Noise (2004), Walker left the band for reasons the band and he will not talk about. The project continued on as a Collective, with new vocalists, Pollard Berrier and Dave Pen. In May 2006 they released the album Lights with Pollard Berrier on lead vocals, who is also a member/guest member of the innovative group, "Bauchklang" - a completely vocal beat-box (Vocal Groove) group based in Vienna, Austria. Archive released a live album, entitled,Live at Paris Zenith, in May, 2007 - which was recorded on January 20th, 2007 at the sold out Zentih Arena in Paris. Rolling Stone called it, "The best live album ever made." Archive continues to tour and is working on a number of forthcoming releases in the near future.
Archive are a Collective, not a band.
Black and Blue
Archive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Black and blue, I will always love you
Black and blue, black and blue,
I will always love you
I will always love you
Calm and still, cold and pale,
I will always
Calm and still
I will always need you
This is how to love you is
Rigid and stiff
This is how to love you is
Rigid and stiff
White and grey, in a daze I will always need
Bleeding on, bleeding on I will always need
Dust and bones, cold as stone I will always love
Black and blue, black and blue
I will always love you
The song "Black" by Archive is a hauntingly beautiful and melancholic piece that explores the complexities of love and loss. The repeated plea of "Bring me light, bring me light, bring me light" suggests a desire to escape from the darkness and the pain of heartbreak. However, despite this plea, the singer remains devoted to their lost love, expressed through the repeated declaration of "Black and blue, I will always love you." This repetition of "black and blue" suggests that the love was not without struggle and pain, yet the love persists despite these difficulties. The singer portrays their own vulnerability through the lines "Calm and still, cold and pale, I will always, corpse around," emphasizing their own lifelessness and dependence on the love they have lost.
The refrain "This is how to love you is, rigid and stiff" suggests an inability to truly connect or understand the lost love, emphasizing the pain and separation between the two. The song also includes imagery of death and decay, such as "dust and bones, cold as stone," adding to the sense of loss and barrenness. However, even with this sense of hopelessness and despair, the singer declares "I will always need you" and "I will always love you," indicating a refusal to let go and a deep longing for their lost love.
Overall, "Black" by Archive is a poignant reflection on the complexities of love and loss, emphasizing the struggle to let go of a love that was both painful and beautiful.
Line by Line Meaning
Bring me light, bring me light, bring me light
I am in the darkness and I am lost, I need guidance and help.
Black and blue, I will always love you
Even though you hurt me, I will always love you unconditionally.
Black and blue, black and blue, I will always love you
The pain you cause me will never change the depth of my love for you.
Calm and still, cold and pale, I will always
In the face of all that is cold and unfeeling, my love for you will remain calm and unchanging.
Corpse around
The life has gone out of me, I am only surviving through my love for you.
Calm and still, I will always need you
My longing for you will remain a constant in my life, even when everything else is uncertain.
This is how to love you is
Loving you is a difficult and unforgiving task, one that requires great effort and sacrifice.
Rigid and stiff
The emotional toll of loving you has made me hardened, calloused, and unyielding.
White and grey, in a daze I will always need
Even when everything around me is bleak and colorless, I will always need you to bring light into my life.
Bleeding on, bleeding on I will always need
My love for you is all-consuming and sometimes painful, but I cannot help but continue to need you.
Dust and bones, cold as stone I will always love
Even when I am long gone and forgotten, my love for you will forever endure.
Black and blue, black and blue, I will always love you
No matter how battered and bruised I become, my love for you will never falter.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: HOLLY ELIZA MARTIN, DANIEL THOMAS GRIFFITHS, DARIUS KEELER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MariaDiazskn
Bring me light, bring me light, bring me light
Black and blue, I will always love you
Black and blue, black and blue,
I will always love you
I will always love you
Calm and still, cold and pale,
I will always
Corpse around
Calm and still
I will always need you
This is how to love you is
Rigid and stiff
This is how to love you is
Rigid and stiff
White and grey, in a daze I will always need
Bleeding on, bleeding on I will always need
Dust and bones, cold as stone I will always love
Black and blue, black and blue
I will always love you
@MEMORIES-OF-PSYCHONAUT
This is how to love you is
Rigid and stiff
This is how to love you is
Rigid and stiff
White and grey, in a daze I will always need
Bleeding on, bleeding on I will always need
Dust and bones, cold as stone I will always love
Black and blue, black and blue
I will always love you...
@cendrinecatel3813
Apporte moi de la lumière x 3
Tuméfiée, je t’aimerai toujours
Tuméfiée, tuméfiée
Je t’aimerais toujours x 2
Calme et immobile
Froide et pale
Toujours je...
Des cadavres autour de moi
Calme et immobile
J’aurais toujours besoin de toi
T’aimer est ainsi
Rigide et raide
X 2
Blanche et grise
Dans le brouillard
J’aurais toujours besoin...
Ensanglantée x 2
J’aurais toujours besoin...
D’os et de poussière
Froide comme la pierre
J’aimerais toujours
Tuméfiée, tuméfiée
Je t’aimerais toujours
Archive <3
@katieb9292
Her voice is so full of emotion, it's been the best decision to make her a member of the collective, absolutely fantastic song...
@harrymanback5817
People come and go
@trwsmr
Underrated masterpiece.
For me, this song is a memory from timelessness, where we all are one immortal loving spirit.
I remember, and I'll be back, and I promise, that I will bring everyone else with me.
@MariaDiazskn
Bring me light, bring me light, bring me light
Black and blue, I will always love you
Black and blue, black and blue,
I will always love you
I will always love you
Calm and still, cold and pale,
I will always
Corpse around
Calm and still
I will always need you
This is how to love you is
Rigid and stiff
This is how to love you is
Rigid and stiff
White and grey, in a daze I will always need
Bleeding on, bleeding on I will always need
Dust and bones, cold as stone I will always love
Black and blue, black and blue
I will always love you
@Admete1960
Avec le monde actuel, cette chanson prends un sens incroyable, oui on a tous besoin d'amour et le monde à besoin d'Amour
@rachelross5829
Always ❤
@sabaurushadze1639
Most underrated group ever
@midnight5895
true :/
@PapunaOfficial
at last they visited out country
@EnkiTrue
Let it be