An independent alternative band formed in 1995 by former members of the underground Gothic/Punk band, The New York Room.
After years of club performances, theatrical, avant garde concerts, bLuE daHLia has created five arresting studio releases and continues to create a hybrid mix of world fusion and adult alternative. Recent comparisons include David Byrne. PJ Harvey, The Decemberists, The Talking Heads, Supreme Beings of Leisure, The Cocteau Twins, the Church, Echo & The Bunnymen, Dead Can Dance, etc...........
In 1999, bLuE daHLia began a decade of visual arts collaboration when they received their first commission from the Sound of Silents Film Festival. Not unlike the Alloy Orchestra and Devil Music Ensemble, bLuE daHLia's work with vintage film eschews the traditional and melodramatic for a modern approach to film scoring, as found in today's independent and major film releases. Using a broad range of instrumentation and style, bLuE daHLia has developed a repertoire of over 11 silent film scores for live performance. Varying in emotional tenor from slapstick romantic comedies to drama and horror, these intricately orchestrated works are forging connections with great films, music, and generations of audiences everywhere.
In the tradition of independent groups creating music for visual media, Blue Dahlia has contributed to composed music soundtracks or penned their own original scores for silent film and independent films including an Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge--CINE Golden Eagle award and official selection at The Palm Beach International Film Festival. Further tracks provided for Londinium Productions film-- Kalamazoo? and various indie shorts, i.e. Abductees among others.
Royal Caribbean, Whirlpool, Cunard Cruise Lines, and The Lincoln Center's Education for the Arts program are among many who have commissioned Blue Dahlia's works for commercial and artistic licensing.
bLuE daHLia offers a diverse catalog of finished music which can be licensed through Jerusalem Cherry Publishing/BMI, New York. bLuE daHLia publicity is provided by Jerusalem Cherry Publishing/Egg Media, Radio promotion provided by broadcast and satellite media agency, Peter Hay/Twin Vision, New York. Booking controlled by "ALL THINGS HORSE & DRUM". Technical recording, live mixes, and video coordination by Egg Media and the Kalamazoo Recording Company.
Fate
Blue Dahlia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Surrounded by visions of my past
I want to put it all to rest.
Another day goes slowly by
but I can't leave it all behind.
You're telling me to wake up,
I long for peace of mind,
control over space and time.
I long to unravel the rhyme
that binds me tightly inside.
You're trying to trust me.
It takes more than you'll ever know.
Far from day or night
my fears are swept aside.
Eager to be free
of this reality.
My heart beats fast and I can't escape
this tangled web, this fantasy of fate.
I cannot cry, I cannot break the spell.
I pray for mercy but it brings me hell.
The repeated phrase "it's a wheel in a wheel" in Blue Dahlia's song "Fate" is an allusion to the biblical passage in the book of Ezekiel, which recounts a vision of four winged creatures riding on chariots, each with a wheel within a wheel. The line suggests that life and fate are cyclical, with one event leading to another, much like the wheels of a chariot.
The rest of the lyrics reflect on the struggles of letting go of the past and trying to gain control over one's life. The singer is haunted by their past and cannot fully move on, even as time passes by. They long for peace of mind and to break the "rhyme," or pattern that keeps them trapped in their own thoughts.
The singer's plea for freedom is juxtaposed with their fear of the unknown, as they are hesitant to fully trust the person telling them to wake up and see things differently. The refrain of being caught in a tangled web of fate and praying for mercy but receiving hell highlights the theme of being trapped in one's own psyche.
Overall, "Fate" is a song that grapples with the notion of fate and how much control humans truly have over their own destinies.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a wheel in a wheel, it's a wheel in a wheel. (repeated)
The complexity of life and fate can be compared to multiple wheels moving within each other.
Surrounded by visions of my past
The memories of past experiences constantly surround and haunt me.
I want to put it all to rest.
I desire to find closure and move on from the past.
Another day goes slowly by
Time feels stagnant and unfulfilling.
but I can't leave it all behind.
Despite wanting to move on, I struggle to let go of the past.
You're telling me to wake up,
Someone is urging me to face reality and see things as they truly are.
see how things really are.
To gain a new perspective on the situation and gain understanding.
I long for peace of mind,
I yearn for a state of mental calm and clarity.
control over space and time.
The desire to have power over one's environment and ability to manipulate time.
I long to unravel the rhyme
I deeply desire to understand the pattern and meaning of my experiences.
that binds me tightly inside.
I feel trapped and constrained by my circumstances or emotions.
You're trying to trust me.
Someone is attempting to place faith in me or build a relationship of trust.
It takes more than you'll ever know.
It will require a significant amount of effort or understanding for them to truly trust me.
Far from day or night
In a state of uncertainty or unknown circumstances.
my fears are swept aside.
My anxieties and worries momentarily disappear or become less intense.
Eager to be free
Desperately wanting to escape from current circumstances or emotional turmoil.
of this reality.
The current state of existence is unbearable and escape is desired.
My heart beats fast and I can't escape
Feeling trapped or overwhelmed, unable to remove oneself from the situation.
this tangled web, this fantasy of fate.
A metaphorical web of circumstances or events, leading to the belief that destiny is already predetermined.
I cannot cry, I cannot break the spell.
Feeling powerless or unable to change the circumstances or emotions that one is experiencing.
I pray for mercy but it brings me hell.
Attempting to escape one's circumstance, but ultimately finding only more pain and hardship.
Contributed by Madelyn W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.