Arthur Russell (May 21 1951 - April 4, 1992) was a prodigious talent. Class… Read Full Bio ↴Arthur Russell (May 21 1951 - April 4, 1992) was a prodigious talent. Classically trained on cello while growing up in Oskaloosa, USA, Arthur studied with Ali Akbar Khan in San Francisco in the early 1970's.

During this period he also collaborated with Allen Ginsberg, accompanying him on cello while Ginsberg read or sang. Russell also spent time in a Buddhist commune in California; he left when they decided to collectivize his cello.

By the mid-1970's Russell relocated to New York City, where he studied at The Manhattan School of Music. He formed a band from 1975-1979, The Flying Hearts, recorded by John Hammond and featuring David Byrne, Rhys Chatham, Jon Gibson, Peter Gordon, Jerry Harrison, Garret List, Frank Pagano, Andy Paley, Leni Pickett, and Peter Zummo.

In the late 1970s Russell became enamored with the disco scene in New York. At the time it represented a liberation force, particularly for the gay scene, just a few years after the Stonewall riots. (For more see "Turn the Beat Around: The Secret History of Disco" by Peter Shapiro).

'Kiss Me Again' was Russell's first dance track. Released under the name Dinosaur L by Sirerecords, it was to be the first of many innovative dancefloor tracks released under different names and with different collaborators, such as 'Is It All Over My Face' by Loose Joints, released in 1980. In 1982, Arthur Russell and William Socolov founded Sleeping Bag records and their first release was his 24-24 Music. This featured 'Go Bang' which was re-mixed as a 12" single by Francois Kevorkian.

Arthur Russell continued to release dance singles such as 'Tell You Today' (4th and Broadway, 1983) an upbeat dance groove featuring the vocals of Joyce Bowden . 'Wax the Van' (Jump Street, 1985) with vocals by Lola Blank, wife of notorious BobTreehouse aka Bob Schoolbell (Sleeping Bag, 1986) and 'Let's Go Swimming' (Upside / Rough Trade, 1986).

At the same time, he produced more meditative works on the albums 'Tower of Meaning' (Chatham Square, 1983) and 'World of Echo' (Rough Trade, 1986), which presented many of his pop and dance compositions in solo cellist form.

Arthur Russell died of AIDS on April 4, 1992, at the age of 40. The obituary in the Village Voice wrote: "his songs were so personal that it seems as though he simply vanished into his music."

In 2004 a renewed interest in Arthur Russell saw the release of "The World of Arthur Russell" on Soul Jazz records, which compiled his best-known dance hits alongside more introspective love songs such as "Little Lost" and "Keeping Up".

In the same year Audika records reissued "World Of Echo" and produced "Calling Out Of Context", 12 unreleased songs from 1985-90. The songs were taken from an album "Corn", recorded in 1985 but never released. They showcase a set of visionary pop songs years ahead of their time, minimalist and expansive, evidence that Russell's best work was perhaps never realized before his death.

In 2006 Audika released "First Thought Best Thought", compiling Russell's out of print orchestral and instrumental works with previously unreleased material.

See Through Love
Arthur Russell Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We are a see through love
Seeing through sun and haze
I see through to the totally clear end

If you appear within the seconds of
the word imagination
If you appear the word allows a man to
see to those appearance

If you appear what's airy
sends a friend to my imagination
The kind of town where it's a sin
to be inside and outside for them
Around the side of the house where
the side that you can get up on it
When every inter-call decides a well
that's up to go off

We are a see through love
Seeing through sun and haze
I see through to the totally clear end

It's well to know that since it gives a name
you get to grow up with him
I finish all supposed where it's a good time
floating where so much up
The Kind of love that I can only find in my imagination
The Kind of heart that I can only have in my imagination

We are the see through love
Seeing through sun and haze

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Arthur Russell's song See Through Love are a poetic exploration of the power of imagination in love. The repeated phrase "we are a see through love" suggests a love that is transparent and easily seen through. This love is able to see through "sun and haze" - obstacles and challenges that may arise in a relationship - and reach the "totally clear end" of a deep and meaningful connection. The lyrics seem to imply that this love is not just a physical connection, but one that is rooted in imagination and the ability to see beyond what is immediately in front of us.

The second verse of the song continues this theme of imagination, with the idea that seeing someone in our imagination can bring them into our reality. The line "the word allows a man to see to those appearance" suggests that imagination has the power to manifest things in our lives. The following lines describe a town where it is a "sin to be inside and outside for them," which could be read as a metaphor for the pressures to conform to societal norms in a relationship. However, the lyrics seem to suggest that the imagination can provide a way out - "around the side of the house where the side that you can get up on it." This suggests that the power of imagination can transcend societal constraints and allow for a more authentic and true experience of love.

Overall, "See Through Love" is a song that celebrates the power of imagination in love. It suggests that by seeing beyond what is immediately in front of us, we can connect with another person on a deeper and more meaningful level.

Line by Line Meaning

We are a see through love
Our love is transparent and easily seen through

Seeing through sun and haze
Our love is still visible even through difficult times

I see through to the totally clear end
I can envision our love lasting forever and continuing to be transparent

If you appear within the seconds of the word imagination
If you materialize right after the thought of you appears in my mind

If you appear the word allows a man to see to those appearance
If you show up, it makes the mere idea of you seem real and tangible

If you appear what's airy sends a friend to my imagination
If you make yourself known, it sparks my imagination and creativity

The kind of town where it's a sin to be inside and outside for them
The type of place where you can never please everyone, no matter what you do

Around the side of the house where the side that you can get up on it
On the part of the house where it's easy to climb and reach the top

When every inter-call decides a well that's up to go off
When every interaction has the potential to trigger something important

It's well to know that since it gives a name you get to grow up with him
It's comforting to have a name for something you've always felt, because it becomes a part of you

I finish all supposed where it's a good time floating where so much up
I let go of all expectations and simply enjoy the moment, buoyed by the love I feel

The Kind of love that I can only find in my imagination
The type of love that seems too perfect and ethereal to exist in reality

The Kind of heart that I can only have in my imagination
The type of heart that's so pure and loving that it can only exist in the realm of the imagination

We are the see through love
Our love is transparent and easily seen through

Seeing through sun and haze
Our love is still visible even through difficult times

Contributed by Isabelle D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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