Blue Öyster Cult have been described as heavy metal, light metal, psychedelic rock, occult rock, acid rock, and progressive rock. They have also been recognized for helping pioneer genres such as stoner metal and speed metal.
The band is influenced by artists such as Alice Cooper, Grateful Dead, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, MC5, The Blues Project, Jimi Hendrix, and Black Sabbath.
While Blue Öyster Cult has been noted for heavy rock, they would often add their own tongue-in-cheek style. Keeping with their image, the band would often include out-of-context fragments of Pearlman’s The Soft Doctrines of Imaginos into their lyrics, giving their songs cryptic meanings. Additionally, the band would keep a folder of Meltzer’s and Pearlman’s word associations to insert into their music.
Blue Öyster Cult's longest-lasting and most commercially successful lineup included Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (lead guitar, vocals), Eric Bloom (lead vocals, "stun guitar," keyboards, synthesizers), Allen Lanier (keyboards, rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Joe Bouchard (bass, backing vocals), Albert Bouchard (drums, percussion, backing vocals). The band's current lineup includes Roeser and Bloom, as well as Danny Miranda (bass, backing vocals), Jules Radino (drums, percussion) and Richie Castellano (keyboard, rhythm guitar, backing vocals).
Lips in the Hills
Blue Öyster Cult Lyrics
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Have I slipped or have I merely fell
I've been tricked, my senses telling lies
I've been (stiffened?) by serpent's soundless cries
Up in the hills, an apparition
Filling me with superstition
A fiery night, the night that I saw,
the night that I saw,
Lips in the hills, lips in the hills
Lips, Lips, Lips Lips in the hills
I'm so lonely, stabbed by beating claws
I've been tripped, I'm crawling on all fours
I've been stripped the insulation's gone
Wish I slept to waken in the morn
Up in the sky, beyond the chasm
My eyes behold, a rare phantasm
The godless night, the night that I saw (repeat as above)
I am gripped, by what I cannot tell
Have I slipped or have I merely fell
I've been tricked, my senses telling lies
I've been (stiffened?) by serpent's soundless cries
Up in the hills, an apparition
Filling me with superstition
The godless night, the night that I saw (repeat as above 4 times)
The song "Lips in the Hills" by Blue Oyster Cult tells the story of a mysterious and unsettling experience that the singer has had. They are unsure whether they have fallen, been tricked, or if their senses are lying to them. They describe feeling lonely and vulnerable, as if they have been clawed and stripped of their protection. The repeated line "Lips in the hills" refers to an apparition that the singer encounters while up in the hills. This apparition fills them with superstition, and they describe the night that they saw it as fiery and godless.
The lyrics create a sense of unease and uncertainty, as if the singer is caught in a nightmare. The serpent's soundless cries and the rare phantasm that the singer sees up in the sky add to the eerie and otherworldly atmosphere of the song. The repeated phrases, particularly "Lips in the hills" and "the night that I saw," reinforce the singer's fixation on this haunting experience, as if they are unable to shake its hold on them.
Overall, "Lips in the Hills" is a haunting and atmospheric song that captures the sense of unease and fear that can come with encountering something inexplicable and mysterious.
Line by Line Meaning
I am gripped, by what I cannot tell
Unable to comprehend what has me captivated
Have I slipped or have I merely fell
Uncertain whether my current state is my own fault or not
I've been tricked, my senses telling lies
Deceived by my own perception of reality
I've been (stiffened?) by serpent's soundless cries
Paralyzed or immobilized by an unseen force, represented by the serpent's cries in the distance
Up in the hills, an apparition
A supernatural entity has manifested itself in the hills
Filling me with superstition
Creating an intense fear and belief in the supernatural within me
A fiery night, the night that I saw,
A night full of chaos, destruction and fear, specifically the night that brought forth the apparition in the hills
Lips in the hills, lips in the hills
A mysterious set of lips belonging to the apparition in the hills
Lips, Lips, Lips Lips in the hills
Reinforcing the mysterious nature of the lips in the hills
I'm so lonely, stabbed by beating claws
Feeling abandoned and attacked by an unknown entity
I've been tripped, I'm crawling on all fours
Brought down to a primal state by an unknown force
I've been stripped the insulation's gone
Stripped of protection and safety
Wish I slept to waken in the morn
Longing for safety and normality of a new day
Up in the sky, beyond the chasm
Another supernatural entity or phenomenon observed in the sky
My eyes behold, a rare phantasm
My vision is met with a surreal and rare spectacle
The godless night, the night that I saw (repeat as above)
Reiteration of the chaotic and unearthly events witnessed by the artist
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BLOOM, MELTZER, ROESER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind