Rapture
Blondie; Yazoo Lyrics


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Toe to toe
Dancing very close
Barely breathing
Almost comatose
Wall to wall
People hypnotized
And they're stepping lightly
Hang each night in rapture

Back to back
Sacroiliac
Spineless movement
And a wild attack

Face to face
Sightless solitude
And it's finger popping
Twenty-four hour shopping in rapture

Fab Five Freddy told me everybody's fly
DJ spinnin' I said, "My my"
Flash is fast, Flash is cool
François c'est pas, Flash ain't no dude
And you don't stop, sure shot
Go out to the parking lot
And you get in your car and drive real far
And you drive all night and then you see a light
And it comes right down and it lands on the ground
And out comes a man from Mars
And you try to run but he's got a gun
And he shoots you dead and he eats your head
And then you're in the man from Mars
You go out at night eatin' cars
You eat Cadillacs, Lincolns too
Mercurys and Subaru
And you don't stop, you keep on eatin' cars
Then, when there's no more cars you go out at night
And eat up bars where the people meet
Face to face, dance cheek to cheek
One to one, man to man
Dance toe to toe, don't move too slow
'Cause the man from Mars is through with cars
He's eatin' bars, yeah wall to wall
Door to door, hall to hall
He's gonna eat 'em all
Rapture, be pure
Take a tour through the sewer
Don't strain your brain, paint a train
You'll be singin' in the rain
Said don't stop to punk rock

Well now you see what you wanna be
Just have your party on TV
'Cause the man from Mars won't eat up bars where the TV's on
Now he's gone back up to space
Where he won't have a hassle with the human race
And you hip-hop, and you don't stop
Just blast off, sure shot




'Cause the man from Mars stopped eatin' cars and eatin' bars
And now he only eats guitars, get up

Overall Meaning

The song "Rapture" by Yazoo is a mesmerizing song whose lyrics talk about dancing very close, the wall to wall of people who are hypnotized and stepping lightly, being in a state of almost comatose. The song invites the listener to enter Rapture and engage in a wild attack, and face-to-face rather than being in a state of solitude. The song's lyrics seem to take the listener on a journey, where Fab Five Freddy directs a fly DJ to spin fast, and a man from Mars who comes and eats cars and bars seems too real.


The lyrics of Rapture provide a fantastic insight into the subcultures of the early 80s, where people were finding new ways to express their identity, and a new wave of music and dance was evolving. The song is the first rap song to get a No. 1 spot in America, and it helped break new ground for rap music. The song's lyrics tell the story of the grand opening of the Rapture Club in New York City, which was a genuine location, and Debbie Harry visited it before writing the song. Fab Five Freddy, whose sample is heard in the song, was a member of a group called The Fabulous 5, who were the first DJs to bring hip hop to downtown Manhattan.Β 


The lyrics of "Rapture" were the first ever rap lyrics to be broadcast on MTV, and the song's video was one of the first to blend rap and rock. Also, one interesting fact about the song is that it references a popular hangout spot in the mid-80s called the Mudd Club, where Debbie Harry was photographed, which she later used as inspiration for the song. The song has been covered several times, including a version by UK band Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, and another by American rapper Kool Moe Dee. Despite being initially released in the UK under the name Yazoo, the song was released by Mute Records in America under the name Yaz. Here are the chords:


Chords:Β Bm, F, E, Cmaj7, Gmaj7, D7, F#m, G, A, C, A#maj7, Dmaj7, Bmaj7, D, Dmaj, Gmaj, Gmaj9, Bm7.


Line by Line Meaning

Toe to toe
Standing and dancing very closely as a couple or with a partner


Dancing very close
Engaging in dance moves which require being physically close to one another


Barely breathing
Breathing only lightly or with difficulty due to being caught up in a pleasurable experience


Almost comatose
Being in a state of extreme pleasure or excitement, almost to the point of being unconscious


Wall to wall
The room is completely full of people, with no space to move


People hypnotized
The crowd is so entranced by the music and atmosphere that they are in a trance-like state


And they're stepping lightly
The crowd is dancing with light, rhythmic steps that match the music


Hang each night in Rapture
People go to this place called 'Rapture' regularly, to have similar experiences


Back to back
Facing one another with backs touching


Sacroiliac
A type of dance move or strain that involves the sacroiliac joint


Spineless movement
Dancing in a way that is fluid and easy, with no tension or rigidity


And a wild attack
Suddenly and impulsively engaging in energetic and passionate dance moves


Face to face
Standing in front of each other, facing each other


Sadly solitude
Feeling alone or isolated, even when surrounded by others


And it's finger popping
Snapping fingers to the rhythm of the music


Twenty-four hour shopping in Rapture
Rapture is a place where you can go anytime and enjoy yourself


Fab Five Freddy told me everybody's fly
The artist heard from someone named Fab Five Freddy that everyone is fashionable and cool


Dj spinnin' I said, "My My"
The singer expresses excitement or enjoyment at the music being played by the DJ


Flash is fast, Flash is cool
Someone or something called Flash is both quick and stylish


François c'est pas, Flash ain't no dude
Flash is not like other men, and is not necessarily masculine or French


And you don't stop, sure shot
Keep going, don't slow down, you're doing great


Go out to the parking lot
Leaving the building or venue to go to the parking lot outside


And you get in your car and drive real far
Getting into a car and driving a long distance


And you drive all night and then you see a light
Driving all night until you see a bright light


And it comes right down and it lands on the ground
A mysterious and unexplained light descends from the sky and lands on the ground nearby


And out comes a man from Mars
An alien from the planet Mars emerges from the light


And you try to run but he's got a gun
Attempting to escape, but being held at gunpoint by the alien


And he shoots you dead and he eats your head
Being killed and having your head devoured by the alien


And then you're in the man from Mars
Becoming one with the alien or being controlled by it


You go out at night eatin' cars
Becoming a monster or being controlled by the alien and eating cars at night


You eat Cadillacs, Lincolns too
Eating luxurious cars like Cadillacs and Lincolns


Mercurys and Subaru
Also eating cars like Mercurys and Subarus


And you don't stop, you keep on eatin' cars
Continuing to eat cars even when there are no more left


Then, when there's no more cars you go out at night
When there are no more cars to eat, going out at night to do something else


And eat up bars where the people meet
Eating bars or nightclubs where people congregate


Face to face, dance cheek to cheek
Dancing intimately, with cheeks touching


One to one, man to man
One-on-one interaction, typically between two men


Dance toe to toe, don't move too slow
Dancing close together, with toes touching and without slowing down


'Cause the man from Mars is through with cars
The alien is no longer interested in eating cars


He's eatin' bars, yeah wall to wall
The alien is now eating bars or nightclubs, filling the space from wall to wall


Door to door, hall to hall
Moving from door to door and hall to hall, consuming everything in sight


He's gonna eat 'em all
The alien will consume every living thing or object in Rapture


Rapture, be pure
Enjoying the experience of Rapture in a wholesome, non-destructive way


Take a tour through the sewer
Going on a tour of the underground sewage system in Rapture


Don't strain your brain, paint a train
Don't worry too much or overthink things, and instead focus on creative activities like painting a train


You'll be singin' in the rain
Feeling happy and carefree, even in bad weather conditions


Said don't stop to punk rock
Urging people to keep going and not let punk rock music slow them down


Well now you see what you wanna be
Realizing your goals and aspirations


Just have your party on TV
Feeling content with watching parties and events on television, rather than attending them in person


'Cause the man from Mars won't eat up bars when the TV's on
The alien is less interested in consuming bars and nightclubs when televisions are turned on


And now he's gone back up to space
The alien has returned to his home planet of Mars


Where he won't have a hassle with the human race
Avoiding any further conflicts with humans and returning to the safety of space


And you hip-hop, and you don't stop
Enjoying hip-hop music and not allowing anything to halt your momentum


Just blast off, sure shot
Taking off with a burst of energy and confidence, sure to hit the target


'Cause the man from Mars stopped eatin' cars and eatin' bars
The alien has stopped consuming cars and bars, perhaps finding a new source of nourishment


And now he only eats guitars, get up
The alien now consumes guitars, perhaps indicating a newfound interest in music or art




Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Deborah Harry, Christopher Stein

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

James Carpenter

Gorgeous voice!!

Drew Denning

Barry, love your remixes!

discobaby795

Loving this. πŸ€©πŸ‘

Chris Young

THIS IS SO GOOD!

*Blondie and Beyond*

Nice job, Barry! x

Tyffanie Morgan

"Last night a DJ saved my life..." ooooo.. I like that sample. It's a little cheeky, totally unexpected, and beautiful! :)

everlastingcurves

Love it! Thank you!!

IntubateU

Sweet track!

mrjomaled

HAWT! Thank you Barry!!!

Nicolly Farao

This is so fabπŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘

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