1) British hardrock ba… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist with this name:
1) British hardrock band
2) Dutch guitarpop band
3) British folk group
1) Blue Murder was the hard rock brainchild of ex-Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy guitarist John Sykes. The original 1988 lineup of the band, also included ex-The Firm bass player Tony Franklin and drummer Cozy Powell (although he was almost immediately replaced by Carmine Appice). Ray Gillen was also briefly in the 1988 line-up before Sykes decided to take the vocal duties himself in addition to guitar.
Hoping to capitalize upon the success of Whitesnake's multi-platinum 1987, Geffen Records signed Sykes to form a new band. After auditioning several vocalists (including Tony Martin and Ray Gillen), Sykes was encouraged to handle vocal duties himself.
Their self titled debut did moderately well, peaking at #69 on the Billboard Top 200, and spawned the singles "Jelly Roll" (#15, Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks) and "Valley of the Kings", which received substantial airplay on MTV's Headbanger's Ball.
In 1993, the follow-up Nothing But Trouble was released. While the original lineup recorded much of the album, Sykes' hesitancy at handing the vocal chores resurfaced; he recruited Baton Rouge singer Kelly Keeling. After spending more than a year laying down the vocal tracks for the album, John was not convinced that the vocals were to his liking. He proceeded to go over the lead vocal tracks with his own until Kelly had only one lead vocal track left, "I'm On Fire".
Perhaps stemming from Keeling's ouster, Franklin and Appice left midway through the recording sessions, to be replaced by bassist Marco Mendoza and drummer Tommy O'Steen.
As Nothing But Trouble was released well after the grunge explosion of 1991, it received virtually no promotion from Geffen. The album's lead-off track "We All Fall Down" reached #35 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, but the album was a commercial failure.
A live recording, Screaming Blue Murder, was to be the band's final release before their 1992 split.
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2) Blue Murder was a Dutch band formed after the split up of Soviet Sex back in 1982. The members on the first albums are:
MAARTEN VAN DER PLOEG: voc, guitar
PHIL VAN TONGEREN: voc, synthesizer
RYU TAJIRI: voc, synthesizer
ROGIER VAN DER PLOEG: guitar
ANNEMIEK LELYVELD: bass
MONIEK VOULON: drums
Also on drums on the latter albums: Jos den Brok, and in 1986 Kors Eijkelboom. In 1987 the group falls apart. In the Amsterdam Melkweg arena was their final concert.
Blue Murder plays guitarpop, like Talking Heads.
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3) Blue Murder is an occasional folk supergroup, containing various members of Swan Arcade, Coope Boyes and Simpson, Waterson:Carthy and The Watersons.
Ptolemy
Blue Murder Lyrics
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They're turning over the stones but there's nothing here to be found
Looking to the desert in a cool moonlight
Nobody watching, there is no one out tonight
Standing in the shadow there's a real mean guy
And I don't know if I'll make it and I don't know if I'm gonna die tonight
Take a caravan to the limit of the city
Ptolemy
The dogs will howl in the market square
You'll bargain for your life but you leave their treasures there
Don't you go astray on the wrong side of the city
Fighting for your life where the people have no pity
Ptolemy
I wish I'd never listened
To that old high priest
He told me of the riches
They buried beneath
Down in the crypt where the men fear to tread
She danced the seven veils and the boy was nearly dead
Don't you go astray on the wrong side of the city
Fighting for your life where the people have no pity
Ptolemy
The lyrics of Blue Murder's song "Ptolemy" tell a story of a city with a grim underbelly, where people are buried underground and treasures are left behind in the market square. The mysterious figure of Ptolemy haunts the song, an enigmatic character who inspires both fear and curiosity in the singer. The city is depicted as dangerous and unforgiving, where one wrong turn could lead to fighting for your life against merciless people.
The lyrics also suggest a hint of exoticism and intrigue, with mentions of hookah pipes and belly dancing. The reference to the "old high priest" and the crypt add a sense of mystery and mysticism to the song. The overall tone of "Ptolemy" is one of apprehension, as the singer navigates through the treacherous city, unsure of what dangers and secrets lie ahead.
Overall, "Ptolemy" is a gritty, atmospheric song that paints a vivid picture of a dark and ominous city, featuring memorable imagery and a captivating narrative.
Line by Line Meaning
People at the city say he's buried underground
There are rumors in the city that he is buried underground
They're turning over the stones but there's nothing here to be found
People are searching for evidence, but they don't find anything
Looking to the desert in a cool moonlight
Observing the desert at night when it's cooler
Nobody watching, there is no one out tonight
There are no observers or witnesses around presently
Standing in the shadow there's a real mean guy
A dangerous person is lurking in the shadows
And I don't know if I'll make it and I don't know if I'm gonna die tonight
The singer is unsure if he will survive the night
Take a caravan to the limit of the city
Travel to the edge of the city with a group of people
Smoke the hookah pipes where the people have no pity
Smoke hookah pipes where there are no sympathetic people
Ptolemy
Repetition of the title
The dogs will howl in the market square
Dogs will bark loudly in public
You'll bargain for your life but you leave their treasures there
You will negotiate to save your life but lose your valuable belongings
Don't you go astray on the wrong side of the city
Do not stray into dangerous parts of the city
Fighting for your life where the people have no pity
Fight hard for your life where there are no merciful people
I wish I'd never listened
The singer regrets listening to someone
To that old high priest
The person they regret listening to was a priest
He told me of the riches
The priest talked about wealth
They buried beneath
The riches are buried underground
Down in the crypt where the men fear to tread
The crypt is a scary place that men avoid
She danced the seven veils and the boy was nearly dead
A woman performed a seductive dance that almost harmed someone
Fighting for your life where the people have no pity
Repetition of an earlier line
Ptolemy
Repetition of the title
Contributed by Brayden D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.