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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Saffron
Dead Can Dance Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Takes my hand and beats the drum
Tries to make me understand
We're as one in a sea of sand
I'm praying for rain
To see desert flowers again
The eagle flies up towards the sun
High above the fields of babylon
In the other twelve arrows for his enemies
I'm praying for rain
To see desert flowers again
Spirit rise to help us see
The loving face of humanity
Devoid of fear and free from greed
Devoted to the greater need
I'm praying for rain
To see desert flowers again
The locust is born upon the wing
It's hunger seems as boundless as the great river plain
Where the tigris weaves its way toward the sea
Through a great desert in the heart of man
I'm praying for rain
To see desert flowers again
The song ‘Saffron’ by Dead can dance is a beautiful and layered piece that explores various themes such as unity, hope, spirituality, and environmentalism. The lyrics begin with a call to connect with the spirit of the earth and the rising sun. The singer then talks about the unity of all living beings and the need to understand this oneness, while also praying for rain to see the desert flowers bloom again. The eagle, holding an olive branch for peace and twelve arrows for his enemies, symbolizes the duality of human nature and the constant struggle between war and peace.
The lyrics also touch on the need for humanity to transcend its negative and destructive tendencies and embrace the spirit of love and compassion. The singer invokes the image of locusts born on the wing, representing the hunger of humanity and their need for resources, which is often at odds with the environment. The last lines of the song reinforce the need for rain and convey a sense of hope and longing to see the beauty of the desert come alive once again.
Overall, ‘Saffron’ can be interpreted in several ways. It can be seen as a plea for sustainable living and the need for humans to live in harmony with nature, or as a metaphor for the spiritual journey that involves understanding the interconnectedness of all things.
Line by Line Meaning
Spirit rise to greet the sun
Let the soul awaken and embrace life's beauty and positivity as the sun rises
Takes my hand and beats the drum
The spirit leads and energizes, urging one to keep moving forward with the rhythm of life
Tries to make me understand
The spirit guides and enlightens one's understanding of the world
We're as one in a sea of sand
We are all interconnected and unified in the vastness of the desert
I'm praying for rain
Hoping for a change and nourishment to bring about a transformation
To see desert flowers again
To witness the blossoming of life and beauty in a barren and lifeless place
The eagle flies up towards the sun
The eagle soars with grace and power, symbolizing freedom and strength
High above the fields of babylon
Observing the ancient land of Babylon from a distance, where history and mythology meet
In one claw he holds an olive branch for peace
The eagle carries a sign of peace and harmony, hoping for reconciliation and unity
In the other twelve arrows for his enemies
While showing mercy, the eagle is not afraid to defend itself and fight its adversaries
Spirit rise to help us see
The spirit elevates us to a higher level of consciousness, showing us the light and the path
The loving face of humanity
The true essence of humanity is kindness, compassion, and empathy
Devoid of fear and free from greed
Humanity must let go of selfishness and negativity, and embrace selflessness and positivity
Devoted to the greater need
Humanity must work together for the common good, for the benefit of all
The locust is born upon the wing
Life always finds a way, even in the harshest and most unexpected environments
It's hunger seems as boundless as the great river plain
Life has an insatiable appetite for survival and growth, even in abundance
Where the tigris weaves its way toward the sea
The Tigris river symbolizes the flow of life and the journey towards the unknown
Through a great desert in the heart of man
A metaphor for the human soul, a vast and complex landscape full of challenges and opportunities
I'm praying for rain
A symbol of hope and renewal, a source of life and vitality
To see desert flowers again
A sign of optimism and faith, a manifestation of beauty and joy in unexpected places
Contributed by Jayden E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alexandel Galoguin
Excellent, thank you for share!!
Brad Haupt
Powerful song, and perfect comment about US's invasion of Iraq
Messer Hussar
where can I buy this cd? please answer
Messer Hussar
@Kadin Contois thank you. I will check it.
Kadin Contois
Maybe on Discogs? I found my copy for $1 at a local thrift store.