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
Sex Is Violent
Diamanda Galás Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's going to be people turning up in canyons, there's going to be people being shot, because the police there don't realize what i think they know that i ddin't do these things
camera got them images
camera got them all
nothing's shocking...
showed me everybody
nothing's shocking...
and then he came
now sister's not a virgin anymore
her sex is violent...
the t.v.'s go them images
t.v.'s got them all
it's not shocking!
every half an hour
someone's captured and
the cop just moves them along...
it's just like the show before
now the news is
just another show
with sex and violence..
sex is violent
sex is violent
sex is violent
sex is violent
sex is violent
sex is violent
sex is violent
i am the killer of people
you loook like a meatball
i'll throw away your toothpick
and ask for your giveness
because of this thing
because of this thing
because of this thing
that's in me
is it not in you?
is it not your problem?
a baby to a mother...
you talk too much
to your scapegoat
that's what i say
he tells you everyone is stupid
that's what he thinks!
snapshots
make a girl look cheap
like a tongue extended
a baby's to a mother
sex is violent
sex is violent
sex is violent
sex is violent
The lyrics to Diamanda Galás's song "Sex is Violent" present a searing critique of the media's portrayal of sex and violence in our society. The song begins with a condemning statement about the hypocrisy and lies that pervade our culture, with lyrics like "Everybody's so full of shit." Galás then goes on to paint a vivid and disturbing picture of the ways in which sex and violence have become normalized and commodified in popular media.
The second stanza uses the metaphor of a camera to describe how the media captures and disseminates images of violence and exploitation. Galás sings, "camera got them images / camera got them all / nothing's shocking..." The lyrics suggest that even though the images are shocking, people have become numb to them because they are so pervasive. Galás then goes on to reference a specific incident in which an innocent person is implicated in a crime they didn't commit because of the biases of the police. She sings, "There's going to be people turning up in canyons, there's going to be people being shot, because the police there don't realize what i think they know that i ddin't do these things." The lyrics suggest a deep-seated distrust of authority figures and law enforcement.
The chorus of the song is repetitive and blunt, with the phrase "sex is violent" repeated several times. This simple statement packs a lot of power and emotion, and serves as a kind of rallying cry against the exploitation and degradation of women in our culture. Galás is clearly indicting not only the media, but also society at large, for perpetuating harmful and sexist attitudes towards women and sexuality.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody's so full of shit
People in general are insincere and dishonest.
There's going to be people turning up in canyons, there's going to be people being shot, because the police there don't realize what i think they know that i ddin't do these things
Police are involved in wrongful prosecution and this results in harm to innocent people.
camera got them images
Images captured by cameras provide evidence.
camera got them all
All possible evidence is captured by cameras.
nothing's shocking...
The level of atrocity is so common, it no longer surprises people.
showed me everybody
Images provide access to people's private lives.
naked and disfigured
People's privacy is violated to the point of disfiguring them.
nothing's shocking...
The extent of atrocity is normalized.
and then he came
Someone took advantage of an innocent person.
now sister's not a virgin anymore
A woman was raped.
her sex is violent...
The act of sex was forced and violent.
the t.v.'s go them images
Television broadcasts images that are available.
t.v.'s got them all
All possible images are available on television.
it's not shocking!
The level of atrocity is so common, it no longer surprises people.
every half an hour
Events are happening frequently.
someone's captured and
People are taken into custody by authority figures.
the cop just moves them along...
Authority figures are apathetic to victims and perpetrators alike.
it's just like the show before
Tragedies have become a routine of sorts.
now the news is
Current events are displayed in the media.
just another show
The news and media are treated as entertainment.
with sex and violence..
Violence and sex are treated as entertainment.
sex is violent
Sexual acts can be forced and violent.
i am the killer of people
The singer has killed people before.
you look like a meatball
The addressee looks weak and insignificant.
i'll throw away your toothpick
The singer is belittling the addressee.
and ask for your forgiveness
After hurting the addressee, the singer is asking for pardon.
because of this thing
The singer has acted aggressively due to something inside of them.
that's in me
The violent tendency is something inherent within the artist.
is it not in you?
The artist is questioning whether or not the addressee has similar tendencies.
is it not your problem?
The singer is suggesting the addressee has some responsibility for similar issues.
a baby to a mother...
This line does not have direct meaning or association with the song's theme of sex and violence.
you talk too much
The addressee speaks too much.
to your scapegoat
The addressee is venting their frustration on an innocent person.
that's what I say
The artist is reiterating their point.
he tells you everyone is stupid
The singer believes the addressee belittles others.
that's what he thinks!
The artist is pointing out the absurdity of others being labeled stupid.
snapshots
Images that capture a single moment.
make a girl look cheap
Women are exploited in a way that degrades them.
like a tongue extended
This line does not have clear association to sex and violence theme.
a baby's to a mother
This line does not have clear association to sex and violence theme.
sex is violent
The act of sex can often be violent if forced or non-consensual.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@juliancruziii8748
I'm really sorry for the people who don't appreciate this song and the energy it builds
@BuddyGreenbloom
😂 people have five second attention spans. This song was written at the peak of the second psychedelic revolution when we had eight hours to groove😝
🏄♂️💫💦🤡👽🧞♂️🧚🏿🕺🏼
@okilfeathermusic
one of the best mashups ever
@DetectiveUtah
what a fuckin masterpiece. the mars volta would kill for a piece of this
@anatoly86
Diamonda galas is a goddess
@mrbubblebuns3994
just saw this live at the Hollywood bowl 11/19/2022. couldn't believe they played this as it's almost 30 years old! sounded phenomenal.
@wilhelmcooning
I know the two songs weren't written by him, but it takes someone with the ingenuity and instinct of Trent Reznor to think to put them together for a movie.
@michaellydon1239
Thanks for sharing that.
I didn't know it was Trents mixing
@pockyeatingpanda
the bass in this is so hot
@sarahemikula
It absolutely is.