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.
Dangervisit
Archive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can you see through the haze when the writing's small?
Can you read what it means, is it make any sense?
'Cause it's all dollar bills, and pounds, and pence
Telling you what to do and what pills to take,
When your head's in your hands and your belly aches,
Where to go in the world when you need a change,
Don’t you worry about the bill, that can be arranged
Make me sad, make me sleep, make me question,
Give me things that can calm this depression
Let me know what to do when my money's spent,
Let me know how to smell and to pay the rent,
Let me know what to do when my hair is gone,
Let me know who to kill when the war is on
There's a woman of your dreams and she's on the phone,
Better send her a text when you're on your own
Make me sad, make me sleep, make me question,
Give me things that can calm this depression
So much writing on the wall,
Feel, trust, obey,
Swing your love, swing your love, swing it,
Sleep along, sleep along, sleepless
You know that they cant turn you
Don't want that dreams to waste me
Don't want the dreams to save me
High rises, killing lows
The lyrics of Archive's song Dangervisit convey a sense of overwhelming confusion and despair. The main theme of the lyrics is the idea of information overload in modern society, where there is so much information and so many choices that it can be hard to make sense of it all. The song speaks to the feeling of being lost in a world where everything seems to be shouting at you, telling you what to do and who to be.
The first two lines capture this sentiment perfectly - "So much writing on the wall, can you read it all? Can you see through the haze when the writing's small?" Here, the "writing on the wall" is a metaphor for all the messages, advertisements, and expectations that surround us - it's everywhere, and it's hard to escape. The lyrics then go on to explore different aspects of this overload, from the pressure to take pills when you're feeling down, to the constant need to know what to do with your life, to the woman of your dreams who may or may not be on the other end of a phone call.
Ultimately, the lyrics suggest that the only way to cope with this barrage of information is to find something that will "calm this depression". It's a bleak vision, but one that many people will likely relate to in our fast-paced, media-saturated world.
Line by Line Meaning
So much writing on the wall, can you read it all?
There is a plethora of information available in society, can you consume it all?
Can you see through the haze when the writing's small?
Is it possible for you to navigate through the overwhelming amount of information presented to you?
Can you read what it means, is it make any sense?
Can you interpret the information given to you and determine whether or not it has any value?
'Cause it's all dollar bills, and pounds, and pence
The information being presented to you is often focused on money or financial gain.
Telling you what to do and what pills to take,
The information presented to you often comes with directives and instructions, including what medication to take.
When your head's in your hands and your belly aches,
During times of emotional and physical discomfort, you may be more susceptible to following the instructions presented to you.
Where to go in the world when you need a change,
There may be suggestions on where to go when you feel like you need a change but don't necessarily know where to start.
Don’t you worry about the bill, that can be arranged
Even though the information being presented may come with a price tag, there is always a way to pay for it.
Make me sad, make me sleep, make me question,
People often want to be stimulated mentally, emotionally, and physically, including the experience of sadness and the chance to question the world around them.
Give me things that can calm this depression
Many people seek solace in objects or experiences that may alleviate depression or emotional distress.
Let me know what to do when my money's spent,
When someone's finances are strained, it can be helpful to have suggestions for how to face these situations.
Let me know how to smell and to pay the rent,
Adults often worry about the basics of survival, like paying rent. They also want to know how to present themselves to the world at large.
Let me know what to do when my hair is gone,
When someone is dealing with a physical change, it can be helpful to have suggestions for how to cope with it when other things are beyond one's control.
Let me know who to kill when the war is on
With a society that fosters competition & conflict, it's not uncommon for people to want to choose the side that will emerge victorious.
There's a woman of your dreams and she's on the phone,
The person on the other end of the phone may be offering a dreamscape or fantasy that can't be fulfilled in reality.
Better send her a text when you're on your own
People are increasingly more comfortable communicating from afar and in writing than in person.
So much writing on the wall,
There is a veritable flood of information all around us.
Feel, trust, obey,
People are often bombarded with messages that tell them to feel a certain way and to follow authority, even if they don't necessarily agree with it.
Swing your love, swing your love, swing it,
People can learn to trust in and commit to their romantic relationships by embracing vulnerability and risking heartache.
Sleep along, sleep along, sleepless
People's schedules can be disrupted by the demands of modern life, leading to difficulty sleeping or a lack of sleep.
You know that they cant turn you
People are stronger than they realize, and external forces can't necessarily control them or their emotions.
Don't want that dreams to waste me
Rather than allowing themselves to be led by other people's visions of the future, people want a sense of control and ownership over their own dreams.
Don't want the dreams to save me
People want their dreams to be a source of enrichment or joy, rather than a crutch to lean on to avoid difficult realities or the present moment.
High rises, killing lows
The highs in life can be as damaging as the lows if they take away from the experience of the present moment and the simpler things in life.
Lyrics © Fintage House Publishing
Written by: DANIEL GRIFFITHS, DARIUS KEELER, POLLARD BERRIER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pablo Bitho
So much writing on the wall, can you read it all?
Can you see through the haze when the writing's small?
Can you read what it means, is it make any sense?
'Cause it's all dollar bills, and pounds, and pence
Telling you what to do and what pills to take,
When your head's in your hands and your belly aches,
Where to go in the world when you need a change,
Don’t you worry about the bill, that can be arranged
Make me sad, make me sleep, make me question,
Give me things that can calm this depression
Let me know what to do when my money's spent,
Let me know how to smell and to pay the rent,
Let me know what to do when my hair is gone,
Let me know who to kill when the war is on
There's a woman of your dreams and she's on the phone,
Better send her a text when you're on your own
Make me sad, make me sleep, make me question,
Give me things that can calm this depression
So much writing on the wall,
Feel, trust, obey,
Swing your love, swing your love, swing it,
Sleep along, sleep along, sleepless
You know that they cant turn you
Don't want that dreams to waste me
Don't want the dreams to save me
High rises, killing lows
Martina Liotta
So much writing on the wall, can you read it all?
Can you see through the haze when the writing's small?
Can you read what it means, is it making sense?
'Cause it's all dollar, bills, and pounds, and pence
Telling you what to do and what pills to take,
When your head's in your hands and your belly aches,
Where to go in the world when you need a change,
Don't you worry about the bill, that can be arranged.
Make me sad, make me sleep, make me question,
Give me things that can calm this depression.
Let me know what to do when my money's spent,
Let me know how to smell and to pay the rent,
Let me know what to do when my hair is gone,
Let me know who to kill when the war is on.
There's a woman of your dreams and she's on the phone,
Better send her a text when you're on your own.
Make me sad, make me sleep, make me question,
Give me things that can calm this depression.
So much writing on the wall...
Feel, trust, obey...
Mr Puffer
This is definitely my favorite song from this album, it just carries so much weight in a way so smooth it's almost as if the lyrics were riding on a light breeze as they go by. Good stuff really.
pianote23
Constant value. They continue in the steps of Pink Floyd. Far the best modern psychedelic group. Hope to see them AGAIN in Greece.
curie78
Archive...
This.
Is.
Art.
In every way.
L' avant savage
zajebisty utwór,płyta i kapela!!!!!!!!!!!!!! chłopaki wymiatają... no i dziewczyna też ma mocny wokal, uwielbiam ich!!
Pumpa ruoya
Ils sont énorme en concert ! Je l'ai vu ya 2 jours. Avec les images qui passent derrière eux en plus, c'est nikel =)
William Nichols
No matter how many times I've heard this track, @ 5:50 man. Always makes mee feel like I'm floating free in nothingness. Never gets old.
Andrzej Janiak
One of the most powerful intros I've ever heard.
bla lala
Brilliant!One of the best tracks from the new album.
bla lala
Brilliant,one of my favorite songs from CC !
Varia umanità
Spettacolare come tutto l'album! ARCHIVE FOR EVER!