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.
Shiver
Archive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Free and happy to ignore
No no one, no one, no one
No one, no one seems to matter anymore
Anymore, anymore, anymore, anymore
Anymore, anymore, anymore, anymore
And now you really start to mess up my heart
Pretending youre calm
Sell my ...
No one, no one seems to matter anymore
Anymore, anymore, anymore, anymore
Anymore, anymore, anymore, anymore
And now you really start to mess up my heart
Pretending youre gone
Dont turn away, dont turn away
Dont turn away, dont turn away
Dont turn away, dont turn away
Dont turn away, dont turn away
Dont turn away, dont turn away
Dont turn away, dont turn away
Dont turn away, dont turn away
Dont turn away, dont turn away
Dont turn away, dont turn away
Dont turn away, dont turn away
Dont turn away, dont turn away
Dont turn away, dont turn away
Open up your heart
Share, shiver in the dark
Note down, it always leaves a saying
Feel it,...
No no one, no one, no one
No one, no one seems to matter anymore
Anymore, anymore, anymore, anymore
Anymore, anymore, anymore, anymore
Now you really start to mess up my heart
Pretending youre gone
No one seems to matter anymore
No one seems to matter anymore
No one seems to matter anymore
No one seems to matter anymore
No one seems to matter anymore
No one seems to matter anymore
No one seems to matter anymore
The song "Shiver" by Archive seems to be about the breakdown of communication and connection between two people, emphasizing the loneliness and isolation that arise from this lack of interaction. The lyrics suggest that the singer and their partner were once close and "Free and happy to ignore" others, but they have since stopped talking and "No one seems to matter anymore." The repeated use of "anymore" emphasizes the loss felt by the singer as they realize their connection has deteriorated. The line "And now you really start to mess up my heart" suggests a sense of betrayal or hurt on the singer's part, as their partner has become distant and is pretending to be calm when they are really causing pain. The repeated plea to "Open up your heart" could be the singer's attempt to reconnect, to find a way to bridge the gap between them and their partner. The final line "No one seems to matter anymore" emphasizes the sense of loneliness and disconnection that the singer is experiencing.
Overall, "Shiver" feels like a meditation on the pain of lost connection and the struggle to rebuild it. The use of repetition, both in the lyrics and the haunting melody, emphasizes this sense of isolation and loneliness. The use of "shiver" in the chorus could be interpreted as a metaphor for the physical sensation of loneliness or the emotional intensity of loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Were not talking anymore
We are no longer communicating
Free and happy to ignore
We are choosing to ignore each other with ease
No no one, no one, no one
There is no one to talk to
No one, no one seems to matter anymore
No one seems to be important or relevant anymore
Anymore, anymore, anymore, anymore
None of this matters anymore
And now you really start to mess up my heart
Your actions are affecting me emotionally
Pretending youre calm
Putting up a facade of composure
The size of silence to ignore
A deep and significant silence that is being ignored
Sell my ...
It is unclear what is being sold, suggesting something is being taken without consent
Pretending youre gone
Feigning absence or disappearance
Dont turn away, dont turn away
Stay present and engaged, don't leave me alone
Open up your heart
Be vulnerable and share your true feelings
Share, shiver in the dark
Connect deeply with each other and feel the intensity of the moment
Note down, it always leaves a saying
Remember this moment, as it will always have an impact
Feel it,...
Experience the emotions fully
No one seems to matter anymore
No one is relevant or important
Now you really start to mess up my heart
Your actions are causing emotional damage
No one seems to matter anymore
No one is important or relevant
No one seems to matter anymore
No one seems significant or relevant
No one seems to matter anymore
None of this holds any importance or relevance
No one seems to matter anymore
Nobody is of any significance
No one seems to matter anymore
The people involved do not matter
Contributed by Cooper E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.