Having disbanded in 1998, they reunited briefly in 2005 for a world tour and reformed in 2011, releasing a new album (Anastasis) and embarking on several tours.
Dead Can Dance formed in Melbourne, Australia in August 1981 with Paul Erikson on bass guitar, Lisa Gerrard (ex-Microfilm) on vocals, Simon Monroe (Marching Girls) on drums and Brendan Perry (also of Marching Girls) on vocals and guitar. Gerrard and Perry were a couple who met as members of Melbourne's little band scene. In May 1982, the band left Monroe in Australia and moved to London, England, where they signed with alternative rock label 4AD. With the duo, the initial United Kingdom line-up were Paul Erikson and Peter Ulrich.
The group's debut album, Dead Can Dance, was released in February 1984. The artwork, which depicts a ritual mask from New Guinea, "provide a visual reinterpretation of the meaning of the name Dead Can Dance", set in a faux Greek typeface. The album featured "drum-driven, ambient guitar music with chanting, singing and howling", and fit in with the ethereal wave style of label mates Cocteau Twins. They followed with a four-track extended play, Garden of the Arcane Delights in August. AllMusic described their early work as "as goth as it gets" (despite the group themselves rejecting the label), while the EP saw them "plunging into a wider range of music and style".
A shift in sound followed for the Spleen and Ideal album, with more emphasis on strings, brass and drones being used. A quasi spiritual element also emerged on this album, notably on the opening tracks "De Profundis" and "Ascension". Its worth noting that around this time Lisa and Brendan had been doing tours of European Cathedrals, absorbing the ambience which in turn was reflected in the work.
The highlights of the bands career followed with the genre defining album Within The Realm of a Dying Sun, featuring fan favorite "Cantara", which is where the bands Arabic and World music influences began to appear, and the double whammy of "Summoning of the Muse" and "Persephone (The Gathering of Flowers)." Critics at the time were undecided about the album, mainly due to the fact that the pieces were split according to the vocals. Brendan had the first side of the album, where Lisa took over for the latter half.
The Serpent's Egg was the next album and built on the premise set by the previous album, although the album is slightly uneven in quality and a short listen at around 40 minutes. The album is redeemed by the opening and closing pieces "The Host of Seraphim", and Perry's epic "Ullyses".
For the next album Aion, the band slipped back several centuries and recreated working medieval instruments such as the Sackbut, Viol and Hurdy Gurdy for the distinctly Medieval flavor. Included on the album is "Song of the sibyl" a text from 14th century Spain and now a live favorite. Another text appears in the song "Fortune Presents Gifts Not According To The Book".
Into the Labyrinth was the follow up album and was the album that saw Brendan mastering the use of samples and synthesizers and also the album that brought the band's music to American audiences selling over a million copies worldwide. The track "The Ubiquitous Mr Lovegrove" was played across on college radio and was instrumental in the albums success.
Spiritchaser was the seventh studio album for the band and brought about an abrupt upturn in musical style, instead of drawing on the historical past the band drew upon South American and African influences which gave the album a very rhythmic ambience. Considered by some to be the bands weakest album, it features highlights such as the percussive "Nierika" which was the most played track on American college radio for that year, and the epic 9 minute trance inducing "Indus".
A 3 CD retrospective simply called 1981-1998 was issued by 4AD and compiled a comprehensive overview of the bands career, and provided diehard fans with the only finished track from the Spiritchaser follow-up sessions called "The Lotus Eaters".
As a live band is probably where Dead Can Dance have gained their reputation. To put it simply, they were phenomenal. The concerts often featured many improvised pieces that to date have never been recorded in the studio. A live album entitled Toward the Within was released in 1994 and allowed fans unfortunate enough to have not attended concerts the chance to hear a few of these songs. A companion video/DVD of the concert was also released allowing people to see these highly ethereal concerts.
After Dead Can Dance ceased to be a functioning band both Perry and Gerrard embarked upon solo careers. To date, Brendan has released one solo album The Eye of the Hunter and has completed work on a new album, 'Ark', to be released in June 2010, whilst Lisa has been more prolific but with mixed results, releasing two solo albums The Mirror Pool and The Silver Tree. Lisa has also collaborated with other artists, namely Pieter Bourke of the band Soma and Irish composer Patrick Cassidy on the respective albums Duality and Immortal Memory. Lisa has also become a sought after soundtrack artist too after a wave of publicity for the Ridley Scott film Gladiator and continues to release work on a regular basis including soundtrack work on Ali, Layer Cake, and Whale Rider. Peter Ulrich, former percussionist of the band has also released two solo albums, Pathways and Dawns and more recently, Enter the Mysterium.
A series of 31 reunion concerts took place in 2005 in both Europe and North America including two memorable sell out concerts at The Hollywood Bowl and Radio City accompanied by 40 piece orchestras. Many of these concerts were professionally recorded and released as a double CD.
In late 2011, the band announced a reunion World Tour, in order to promote their new album, fittingly titled Anastasis, as it was released on August 9, 2012, 16 years after the group's previous album. Anastasis was well received by critics and is also the first album of the band not released by 4AD Records.
The name "Dead Can Dance" is often misleading. Although this group is quite popular among the goth sub-culture with the name appearing to be inspired by the Danse macabre allegory, it should instead be interpreted as 'giving life to something that was previously inanimate' as Perry said:
"The album artwork [of our self titled first album], a ritual mask from New Guinea, attempted to provide a visual reintrepretation of the meaning of the name "Dead Can Dance." The mask, though once a living part of a tree is dead; nevertheless it has, through the artistry of its maker, been imbued with a life force of its own. To understand why we chose the name, think of the transformation of inanimacy to animacy.... Think of the processes concerning life from death and death into life. So many people missed the inherent symbolism, and assumed that we must be 'morbid gothic types,' a mistake we deplored and deplore...".
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Hymn for the Fallen
Dead Can Dance Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now look, see how they're dreaming
The black reciteries, while the children dream
Don't go so deep in slumber
Where you'll shy
Know you'll wander in sleep
Don't you fly too far away
Some men die without crying
Softly, children, dry your eyes
Gently, children, be wise
My attends to you as a mother hears all her children's fears
So don't cry, all will wash away when we pray
Soon, soon, soon, soon, soon
So if it's okay, i'll wait with you while the sun began to shine
Oh look, your wings are broken
But never a lie was spoken
The murdered thing is love, you see
Drifting on a lake of memory
Now sleep, close your eyes and have no fear
A wide blue sky is very near
Soon, soon, soon, soon, soon
Now sleep, close your eyes and have no fear
A wide blue sky is very near
The lyrics of Dead Can Dance's "Hymn for the Fallen" conveys a sense of comfort and protection from a motherly figure towards children. It depicts the maternal instincts of protecting someone in their vulnerable state, just like how a mother protects her child while they sleep. The line "My attends to you as a mother fears while her children sleep" implies attentiveness and vigilance towards any potential dangers, even in a dream state.
The lyrics also mention the idea of not being too lost in our slumber, an indication to not escape reality altogether. The verses "Don't go so deep in slumber, where you'll shy, know you'll wander in sleep, don't you fly too far away" suggest that while it's okay to rest and dream, one should not be lost completely in a dream world because there are responsibilities to fulfill in real life.
The song ends with "Now sleep, close your eyes and have no fear, a wide blue sky is very near, soon, soon, soon, soon, soon." These lines provide a sense of reassurance, a promise of something better to come after the struggles in life. The wide blue sky represents the infinite possibilities and opportunities waiting for us, while the word "soon" also indicates that it will come sooner than expected.
Overall, "Hymn for the Fallen" can be interpreted as a lullaby for protection and solace, the nurturing words of a motherly figure providing comfort to someone in times of uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
My attends to you as a mother fears while her children sleep
I am watching over you with the same love and care as a mother watching her sleeping children
Now look, see how they're dreaming
Look at how peaceful they are in their dreams
The black reciteries, while the children dream
The darkness that surrounds us while we sleep and dream
Don't go so deep in slumber, where you'll shy
Don't get lost in your dreams to the point where they scare you or cause you to be timid
Know you'll wander in sleep
You will inevitably get lost in your dreams
Don't you fly too far away
Don't forget that you are only dreaming and try to escape to a place that doesn't exist
Some men die without crying
Some people suffer silently until the very end
Suffering so long and alone
The pain can last for a long time, and it can be a lonely experience
Softly, children, dry your eyes
Don't worry, everything will be alright, even if it doesn't seem like it right now
Gently, children, be wise
Be patient and thoughtful in your decisions and actions
My attends to you as a mother hears all her children's fears
I am listening to all of your fears and worries, just like a mother would
So don't cry, all will wash away when we pray
Crying won't solve the problem, but praying might help
Soon, soon, soon, soon, soon
Something good is on the horizon
So if it's okay, i'll wait with you while the sun began to shine
I'm willing to wait with you until things get better
Oh look, your wings are broken
Something bad has happened, and you can no longer fly as high as you used to
But never a lie was spoken
Despite the difficulties, everything that has been said is truthful
The murdered thing is love, you see
Love has been hurt and damaged, but it is still alive
Drifting on a lake of memory
Remembering better times before things got difficult
Now sleep, close your eyes and have no fear
Relax, don't worry, and rest easy
A wide blue sky is very near
Things will get better soon
Soon, soon, soon, soon, soon
Something good is on the horizon
Now sleep, close your eyes and have no fear
Relax, don't worry, and rest easy
A wide blue sky is very near
Things will get better soon
Contributed by Chase A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Eduardo Ledesma
MAYBE ONE DAY LISA AND DIAMANDA GALAS COULD SING THIS BEAUTIFUL SONG TOGETHER.
zavinullava
Oh yes, I can hear Galas doing this. Or Anohni, I think she'd be great too.
Mike Rudell
missing so many people tonight
zavinullava
Is it their song originally or a cover? Gerard sounds most unlike herself here I've ever heard her.
Teresa LACETERNALOVE
i miss ...
Teresa LACETERNALOVE
... but He believes , as i see , that LOVE can die . it is usual in this world .
but i am not this world . i am not from this world .
-
but never - n e v e r - in my heart , my soul , my mind .
where real love dwells .
-
i am his wife . real wife . who loves Him .
Teresa LACETERNALOVE
MY LOVE will never be killed .
Teresa LACETERNALOVE
... where is he ... where ...
Teresa LACETERNALOVE
... he never reacts . in being aware i love HIM so deeplj .