Coil spent the next period of its existence exploring visual media. In late 1984 they recorded a rendition of Tainted Love (originally recorded by Gloria Jones, but made popular by Soft Cell in the 80s), producing a widely banned, hallucinogenic video clip featuring Marc Almond as the Angel of Death; despite considerable controversy at home, the video ultimately found its way to the archives of the Museum of Modern Art. After spending several years working with filmmaker Derek Jarman on the feature The Angelic Conversation, Coil issued a remixed edition of their soundtrack. Following 1986’s Nightmare Culture, a collaboration with Boyd Rice produced as split release with Current 93, Christopherson and Balance invited Stephen Thrower to join the group in a full-time capacity. As a trio, they recorded 1986’s LP Horse Rotorvator, introducing orchestral, jazz, and middle Eastern textures into the mix; this album included The Anal Staircase.
In 1987, Coil issued The Unreleased Themes for Hellraiser, a collection of atmospheric gothic instrumentals commissioned for but ultimately cut from the Clive Barker horror film, followed by compilation album Gold Is the Metal (With the Broadest Shoulders), a remixed history of the group’s first several years of work. Unnatural History, another career overview, effectively ended the first phase of the band’s career in 1990; when Coil resurfaced a year later with Love’s Secret Domain, their music reflected the strong influence of the acid house culture. Another long layoff brought on by financial difficulties ended in 1995, when the group - now consisting of Sleazy, Balance, and Drew McDowell - signed to Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor’s Nothing Records to release Backwards, an album which was never officially released, although it is available in a number of bootleg versions. Additionally, they recorded the LP Worship the Glitch, issued under the name ELpH, and in 1996 cut A Thousand Lights in a Darkened Room as Black Light District.
1998 marked a significant stylistic shift for Coil, as the group moved away from the industrial dance sound they pioneered in the first half of their career towards what Balance referred to as "Moon Musick". This began with the release of four seasonal EPs throughout that year, coinciding with the equinoxes and solstices; this marked the group making further forays into ambient and neoclassical styles. Lyrically, there was a push towards naturalistic, pagan imagery, and an emphasis on free form, improvisatory chants. All four of these releases were later collected and released as Moons Milk (in Four Phases) in 2002. Coil also put out a purely drone based project, Time Machines, under that alias the same year.
In 1999 Coil started to work with Thighpaulsandra, and with him released the chilling Musick to Play in the Dark, a dark, meditative work featuring mostly intoned vocals from Balance, and exploring deeper electronic textures and pitches. A second volume followed in 2000. After years of refusal to do so, Coil started to perform live again in 1999. They released a number of albums containing the various shows they did in the period 2000 - 2004. Coil have released a lot of material in very limited editions, and have distributed certain records only at concerts. In 2003 they started a project to re-issue these tracks. Amidst their sporadic touring, and growing internal tensions within the group, Black Antlers was released in 2004, consisting of many of the songs played in concert at the time. This would prove to be the last studio recording put out in Balance's lifetime.
Jhonn Balance’s long-time struggle with alcoholism led to his death on 13th November, 2004. He fell from the second floor window at his home, while drunk, and died a short time after. Coil’s last live performance took place at Dublin’s City Hall on 23 October 2004 and is expected to appear on the forthcoming DVD box set “Colour Sound Oblivion”. A number of songs that were (as good as) ready were released in autumn 2005 as a last farewell to Jhonn.
Peter Christopherson passed away peacefully in his sleep on November 25, 2010. Instead of sending flowers in memory of Peter Christopherson, people were asked to donate money to help children affected by AIDS in Thailand, the country he loved and died in.
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Teenage Lightning 2005
Coil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It will not harm you
It's only lightning
Teenage lightning
It's real
Unbelievably real
Teenage lightning
This is the way we do it
This is the way we do it
Don't be alarmed
It will not harm you
It's only me pursuing
Something I'm not sure of
It's only lightning
Teenage lightning
Don't be alarmed
You can't be harmed
Teenage lightning
It's real?
Can you steal
Teenage lightning?
It is the lightning's
Deep, dark love
The lyrics of Coil's song Teenage Lightning 2005 are both simple and complex in their symbolic nature. The opening and recurring line, "Don't be alarmed, it will not harm you" is meant to provide comfort and a sense of safety, but it's also a warning that what is to follow might be challenging, intense or even frightening. The song is named after the electrical discharge phenomenon known as "teenage lightning", which is a term originally coined by the prominent British electronic music producer Kevin Ayers, and it's used as a metaphor throughout the song.
The song seems to explore the duality of beauty and danger that accompanies intense and profound emotions. The lightning is both real and unbelievable, representing something that defies rational explanation yet can be felt with raw intensity. The lyrics also suggest some kind of experimentation, exploration or perhaps even recklessness, as the singer admits they are pursuing "something I'm not sure of". The repeated question "Can you steal Teenage Lightning?" could be interpreted as a challenge or a temptation that the singer is either facing or posing to the listener. The last line, "It is the lightning's deep, dark love" leaves a haunting and mysterious impression, as if the lightning is not just a natural phenomenon, but a powerful force with its own desires and intentions.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't be alarmed
There's no reason to panic
It will not harm you
There is no danger to you or anyone around you
It's only lightning
What you see is a natural electrical phenomenon
Teenage lightning
This lightning is reminiscent of the energy and emotion of teenagers
It's real
This phenomenon is a genuine occurrence
Unbelievably real
Despite how surreal it may seem, this phenomenon is a true reality
Don't be frightened
There's no need to be scared
This is the way we do it
This is how we approach or handle the situation
It will not harm you
There is no danger to you or anyone around you
It's only me pursuing
I am the one searching for something uncertain
Something I'm not sure of
I am unsure of what I am seeking
It's only lightning
What you see is a natural electrical phenomenon
Teenage lightning
This lightning is reminiscent of the energy and emotion of teenagers
Don't be alarmed
There's no reason to panic
You can't be harmed
This phenomenon poses no threat to anyone's well-being
Teenage lightning
This lightning is reminiscent of the energy and emotion of teenagers
It's real?
Is this truly happening?
Can you steal
Do you have the power to take or harness this power?
Teenage lightning?
Is this electricity influenced by the wild and unpredictable nature of adolescence?
It is the lightning's
This phenomenon belongs to the lightning itself
Deep, dark love
This lightning is a representation of a powerful and intense emotion
Contributed by Abigail V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@abrahamviselsson3310
War in Ukraine. I lost my house. I’m out of my country. I’m listening Coil.
@kalaamburbur5847
Musick to play in the dark becomes a new meaning.
🇺🇦🌻
@sculpture151
Stay strong brother, for you are not wrong.
@youtubeisevil
Same (Ukraine) but thankfully I have my house
@IvanBelcov
Москва, всё "в порядке", но ощущение такое — будто Война повсюду. И окраина тут — ни при чём. Забавно, что столько внимания уделено очевидному, но нисколько — неочевидному.
@baldcolored
@Иван Бельцов quite disgusting to realize that such "non-obvious" zombie gelmints are also able to listen to Coil..
@AG-uj1cp
Jesus Christ how many Teenage Lightnings can one band have?
@JustinSerpentine
22 and a half.
@UnPoney
Dirty Bubble Eats Ass not enough! !
@EEvanCh
as much as needed