While Molko was brought up in a strict household that disapproved of artistic expression (his father wanted him to become a banker) he rebelled by affecting an androgynous image, wearing nail polish, lipstick and eyeliner, and listening to punk and glam rock. In his late teens, he came out as bisexual.
Molko and Stefan Olsdal both attended the International School of Luxembourg in Luxembourg, but they were never friends. When Molko moved to London to study drama at Goldsmiths College, where he graduated with a degree, he met Olsdal at South Kensington Tube Station. Molko invited Olsdal to one of his gigs in a club, which he played with Steve Hewitt. Olsdal was impressed with Molko's voice, and together they formed Ashtray Heart; eventually they changed the name to Placebo. Together with drummer Robert Schultzberg (a friend of Olsdal's from Sweden) performed together in 1996. Schultzberg did not fit in the band, however, and was soon replaced with Steve Hewitt, who played on Placebo's demo tracks.
Molko's musical influences include David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Dead Kennedys, Bad Religion, Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey, Nick Drake, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Joy Division, The Cure and The Pixies. Molko taught himself to play guitar. At the age of 16 he got a Telecaster replica as a present from his parents. Soon After, he bought a real telecaster. He plays other instruments such as bass, harmonica, keyboard, saxophone, drums and turntables. Occasionally, Molko works as a disc jockey at clubs, he's definately not very good at it. Nowadays Molko listens to electro-clash artist Peaches, his old favourite, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and many others.
Along with Hewitt and Olsdal, he had a small role in the 1998 film Velvet Goldmine, for which Placebo performed the T. Rex song 20th Century Boy. He played Malcolm, a singer of the fictional glam rock band, The Flaming Creatures.
In 2005, Molko's long-term partner, Helena Berg, gave birth to his first child, Cody. He said he named the child after his long-time friend who died in a car accident.
He has performed as a guest vocalist on tracks by:
Timo Maas - Pictures, Like Siamese and First Day
Alpinestars - Carbon Kid
Trash Palace - The Metric System, Je t'aime, moi non plus (duet with Asia Argento)
the AC Acoustics - Crush
Kristeen Young - No Other God
Dream City Film Club - Some
Jane Birkin - Smile.
He also wrote the English lyrics to 'Pink water' version 3, a song by Indochine from the album that is due to be released at the end of 2006. Molko is friends with David Bowie, with whom he sang Placebo's Without You I'm Nothing and 20th Century Boy live. He has used a Fender Jaguar, Fender Thinline Telecaster, Gibson SG in the past and currently plays Gretsch guitars .
He lives in London but frequently travels to Paris.
The April 17th, 2007 Placebo show in Omaha, Nebraska, at the Sokol Auditorium was canceled after Molko was rushed to the emergency room after fighting flu symptoms for a number of days. The band has promised to re-schedule that show near the end of the summer.
Special K
Brian Molko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On this coronary thief
More than just a leitmotif
More chaotic, no relief
I'll describe the way I feel
Weeping wounds that never heal
Can this saviour be for real?
No hesitation, no delay
You come on just like special K
Just like I swallowed half my stash
I never ever want to crash
No hesitation, no delay
You come on just like special K
Now you're back with dope demand
I'm on sinking sand
Gravity, no escaping
Gravity
Gravity
No escaping
Not for free
I fall down
Hit the ground
Make a heavy sound
Every time
You seem to come around
I'll describe the way I feel
You're my new Achilles heel
Can the saviour be for real?
Or are you just my seventh seal?
No hesitation
No delay
You come on just like special K
Just like I swallowed half my stash
I never ever want to crash
No hesitation
No delay
You come on just like special K
Now you're back in dope demand
I'm on sinking sand
Gravity
No escaping gravity
Gravity
No escaping
Not for free
I fall down
Hit the ground
Make a heavy sound
Every time
You seem to come around
No escaping gravity
No escaping gravity
No escaping gravity
No escaping gravity
Gravity
Gravity
Gravity
Gravity
Brian Molko's Special K is a song that reflects on the effects of drug addiction. The lyrics describe the feeling of being completely dependent on a specific drug, with no desire to come down from the high. The song begins with the lyrics 'Coming up beyond belief, on this coronary thief, more than just a leitmotif, more chaotic, no relief,' which illustrates the consequences of drug use on the human body. The use of the word 'coronary' suggests how heart disease can be a possible side effect of long-term drug abuse.
As the song progresses, the lyrics highlight the shame and guilt that often follows addiction. Molko describes the wounds that never heal, showing the pain caused by drug dependency. The use of 'seventh seal' in the lyrics is a biblical reference that refers to the opening of a book of prophecies in the Book of Revelation. The seal is a symbol of the end of the world, suggesting that the singer may feel they are spiralling out of control.
The chorus of the song, 'Just like I swallowed half my stash, I never want to crash,' highlights the importance of the drug that provides a temporary escape from reality. The repetitive 'no hesitation, no delay' shows the eagerness to indulge in the addiction with no thought to the consequences. The song ends with the lyrics 'no escaping gravity', showcasing the heaviness of addiction and the impossibility of breaking free from its grasp.
Line by Line Meaning
Coming up beyond belief
I am experiencing something that is beyond my previous knowledge or expectations
On this coronary thief
This overwhelming sensation is slowly taking over my heart, like a thief stealing something of value
More than just a leitmotif
This feeling is not just a recurring theme in my life, but something more intense and consuming
More chaotic, no relief
Instead of providing comfort and reassurance, this sensation is causing chaos and leaving me with no sense of peace or relief
I'll describe the way I feel
I will try to articulate the emotions that I am experiencing right now
Weeping wounds that never heal
I am hurting deeply, and the pain seems to persist without any signs of improvement
Can this saviour be for real?
Is it possible that something or someone can save me from the hurt that I feel?
Or are you just my seventh seal?
Or is this feeling just a symbol of a greater problem, like the opening of the seven seals in the Book of Revelation?
No hesitation, no delay
There is no time wasted when it comes to feeling the impact of this sensation
You come on just like special K
This feeling is as intense as taking the club drug 'Special K'
Just like I swallowed half my stash
The intensity of this emotion is comparable to consuming a large amount of a drug
I never ever want to crash
I never want this feeling to stop or come to an end
Now you're back with dope demand
This sensation has resurfaced and is calling out for me to experience it once again
I'm on sinking sand
I feel like I am on unstable ground, unsure of what will happen next
gravity, no escaping
The force of this feeling is unrelenting, like gravity that cannot be escaped
Not for free, I fall down
There is no easy way to deal with this sensation, and it causes me to fall down and struggle
Hit the ground, make a heavy sound
The impact of this feeling is profound and can be felt physically
Every time you seem to come around
Whenever this sensation resurfaces, it has a powerful effect on me
You're my new Achilles heel
This emotion has become a new weakness or vulnerability for me
No hesitation, no delay
Once again, the feeling hits hard and fast without any delay
Now you're back with dope demand
The desire to feel this emotion again is strong and almost addictive
I'm on sinking sand
I feel like I am slipping further away from stability while experiencing this sensation
No escaping gravity
There is no escaping the overpowering force of this feeling, much like gravity itself
Contributed by Jackson E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@yainshidae
Coming up beyond belief
On this coronary thief
More than just a leitmotif
More chaotic, no relief
I'll describe the way I feel
Weeping wounds that never heal
Can this saviour be for real?
Or are you just my seventh seal?
No hesitation, no delay
You come on just like special K
Just like I swallowed half my stash
I never ever want to crash
No hesitation, no delay
You come on just like special K
Now you're back with dope demand
I'm on sinking sand
Gravity, no escaping
Gravity
Gravity
No escaping
Not for free
I fall down
Hit the ground
Make a heavy sound
Every time
You seem to come around
I'll describe the way I feel
You're my new Achilles heel
Can the saviour be for real?
Or are you just my seventh seal?
No hesitation
No delay
You come on just like special K
Just like I swallowed half my stash
I never ever want to crash
No hesitation
No delay
You come on just like special K
Now you're back in dope demand
I'm on sinking sand
Gravity
No escaping gravity
Gravity
No escaping
Not for free
I fall down
Hit the ground
Make a heavy sound
Every time
You seem to come around
No escaping gravity
No escaping gravity
No escaping gravity
No escaping gravity
Gravity
Gravity
Gravity
@gavomaza
Lyrics
Coming up beyond belief
On this coronary thief
(Bada bam bam ba da da da)
(Bada bam bam ba da da da)
More than just a leitmotif
More chaotic, no relief
(Bada bam bam ba da da da)
(Bada bam bam ba da da da)
I'll describe the way I feel
Weeping wounds that never heal
(Bada bam bam ba da da da)
(Bada bam bam ba da da da)
Can the savior be for real
Or are you just my seventh seal?
(Bada bam bam ba da da da)
(Bada bam bam ba da da da)
No hesitation, no delay
You come on just like special K
Just like I swallowed half my stash
I never ever wanna crash
No hesitation, no delay
You come on just like special K
Now you're back with dope demand
I'm on sinking sand
Gravity, no escaping
Gravity
Gravity, no escaping
Not for free
I fall down
Hit the ground
Make a heavy sound
Every time you seem to come around
I'll describe the way I feel
You're my new Achilles heel
(Bada bam bam ba da da da)
(Bada bam bam ba da da da)
Can this savior be for real
Or are you just my seventh seal?
(Bada bam bam ba da da da)
(Bada bam bam ba da da da)
No hesitation, no delay
You come on just like special K
Just like I swallowed half my stash
I never ever wanna crash
No hesitation, no delay
You come on just like special K
Now you're back with dope demand
I'm on sinking sand
Gravity, no escaping
Gravity
Gravity, no escaping
Not for free
I fall down
Hit the ground
Make a heavy sound
Every time you seem to come around
No escaping gravity
No escaping gravity
No escaping gravity
No escaping gravity
Gravity
Gravity
Gravity
@hollynagy8078
His voice never gets old...❤
@mariyatakeuchi9009
just heard thier latest live album and im amazed how it still holds up
@GreatSeal7
Ik I love NLMG, this band is a masterpiece
@fral.2708
Just realized this was released 22 years ago! For me is always the new single of Placebo ❤️
@mattpigram
long as you love it,who cares why your here😉
@fral.2708
@matt pigram it must be miserable to get up every morning and live with such a negativity in the veins...
@mattpigram
@@fral.2708 wasnt meant in a negative way
@fral.2708
@matt pigram Ok sorry, I misunderstood
@CryptoKingsman
That song made placebo
@Emma-ou9fn
I saw them in Boston last weekend. Absolutely phenomenal. Completely transported me back to my teens ❤