Galás is known for being a fiercely confrontational avant-garde performer and is noted for her wailing, four-octave vocal range. Galás was the daughter of Greek Orthodox parents and her singing was roundly discouraged, although her prowess as a classical pianist was nurtured; ultimately, her strict upbringing resulted in a reckless, drug-fueled youth prior to her entrance into the University of California's music and visual arts program. Galás made her performing debut in 1979 at France's Festival d'Avignon, which led to an invitation to assume the lead role in composer Vinko Globokar's politically charged opera Un Jour Comme un Autre. In subsequent solo performance art pieces like Wild Women with Steak Knives and Tragouthia Apo to Aima Exon Fonos, Galás further honed her unique, shattering vocal style, inspired by the Schrei ("shriek") opera of German expressionism (a form employing a system of four microphones and a series of echoes and delays).
She worked with many avant-garde composers including Phillip Glass, Terry Riley, John Zorn, Iannis Xenakis and Vinko Globokar. She made her performance debut at the Festival d'Avignon in France as the lead in Globokar's opera, Un Jour Comme Une Autre which deals with the death by torture of a Turkish woman. The work was sponsored by Amnesty International. She also contributed her voice to Francis Ford Coppola's film Dracula (1992) and appeared on the film's soundtrack.
Her work first garnered widespread attention with the controversial 1991 live recording of the album "Plague Mass" in the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York. With it, Galás attacked the Catholic Church for its indifference to AIDS using biblical texts. In the words of Terrorizor Magazine, "The church was made to burn with sound, not fire." Plague Mass was a live rendition of excerpts from her same-titled trilogy which began as a response/homage/indictment to the multitudinous effects of AIDS upon the silent class - of which her brother was a member. During the period of these recordings, Galás had "We are all HIV+" tattooed upon her knuckles; an artistic expression of disillusionment and disgust with the ignorance and apathy surrounding the AIDS epidemic. Her brother, who died during the trilogy's final production, reportedly appreciated her efforts.
Susan McClary (1991) writes that Galás, "heralds a new moment in the history of musical representation," after describing her thus: "Galás emerged within the post-modern performance art scene in the seventies...protesting...the treatment of victims of the junta, attitudes towards victims of AIDS...Her pieces are constructed from the ululation of traditional Mediterranean keening...whispers, shrieks, and moans."
In 1994, Galás collaborated with Led Zeppelin bass guitarist John Paul Jones. The resultant record, "The Sporting Life", while containing much of Galás's trademark vocal gymnastics, is probably the closest she has ever come to rock music.
Galás also performs as a blues artist interpreting a wide range of songs into her unique piano and vocal styles. This aspect of her work is perhaps best represented by her 1992 album, "The Singer" where she covered the likes of Willie Dixon, Roy Acuff, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins while accompaning herself on piano. For that album, she also recorded several traditional songs as well as the rarely heard Desmond Carter-penned version of Gloomy Sunday. Many of her selections both within and outside of blues repertoire have sometimes been categorized as 'homicidal love songs'. She also focuses on the death penalty. One program of songs, "Frenzy", has been dedicated to Aileen Wuornos and features the work of Phil Ochs and Hank Williams Sr.
Her latest song cycle is an interpretation of songs by Edith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich.
Official Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/songsofexile
Frenzy
Diamanda Galás Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Listen to my heart as it starts to spin.
When you kiss me, and do it again,
I'm in a Frenzy!
Watch my eyes, when you light them up,
Listen to me whine, like a harpsichord.
When you touch me I warm right up,
This love gushes from my heart,
Like water from a spout.
You build a flame, from a tiny spark.
You can really knock me out.
Ease my mind with your real cool lines,
Daddy, fill my soul with love divine.
When you say, 'you're mine, all mine,'
I'm in a Frenzy!
This love gushes from my heart,
Like a water from a spout.
You build a flame, from a tiny spark.
You can really knock me out.
Ease my mind with your real cool lines,
Daddy, fill my soul with love divine.
When you say, 'you're mine, all mine,'
I'm in a Frenzy!
Dig this crazy mood I'm in,
Listen to my heart as it starts to spin.
When you kiss me, and do it again,
I'm in a Frenzy!
The lyrics of Diamanda Galás's song Frenzy suggest the overwhelming and passionate feelings that are experienced when in love. The song starts with the singer declaring her current emotional state as a crazy mood which is characterized by her heart starting to spin. The chorus, "I'm in a Frenzy" portrays the intensity of her emotions whenever her lover kisses her and makes her feel loved. The writer's use of imagery makes the song come alive, as when she talks about her eyes lighting up and "whine[ing] like a harpsichord," and when her lover touches her, she warms right up.
The second verse of the song emphasizes the magnitude of the love the singer feels. She compares the love that she experiences to water gushing out from a spout and indicates that the smallest act of kindness from her lover can "build a flame from a tiny spark" which leads to the lyrics "You can really knock me out" portraying the overwhelming and almost debilitating effect that love can have on a person. She wants her soul filled with love divine and when she hears the affirmation from her lover that she is all his, she is taken to even greater emotional heights.
Overall, Frenzy by Diamanda Galás highlights the depths of love that can be experienced when truly smitten with someone. The intense emotional state portrayed in the song is depicted as almost painful but is still irresistible and desirable.
Line by Line Meaning
Dig this crazy mood I'm in,
I am currently experiencing an intense, erratic emotional state.
Listen to my heart as it starts to spin.
I feel my heart beating faster with excitement and anticipation.
When you kiss me, and do it again,
Receiving affection from you causes me to lose control of my emotions.
I'm in a Frenzy!
I am overcome with intense feelings of passion and desire.
Watch my eyes, when you light them up,
I express my inner emotions through my eyes, which brighten up in response to your presence.
Listen to me whine, like a harpsichord.
I vocalize my emotions with a high-pitched voice that sounds like a harpsichord being played.
When you touch me I warm right up,
Your touch makes me feel physically and emotionally stimulated.
This love gushes from my heart,
I have intense feelings of love that pour out of my heart.
Like water from a spout.
My love is abundant and flows freely, like water from a faucet.
You build a flame, from a tiny spark.
Your small gestures of affection ignite a passionate fire within me.
You can really knock me out.
Your actions have a profound physical and emotional impact on me.
Ease my mind with your real cool lines,
Your soothing words have a calming effect on my mind and emotions.
Daddy, fill my soul with love divine.
I seek your love and affection to fulfill a deep need within me.
When you say, 'you're mine, all mine,'
Hearing you claim me as yours makes me feel loved and wanted.
I'm in a Frenzy!
My intense emotions reach a peak, causing me to feel overwhelmed with passion and desire.
Contributed by Nora J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.