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
The Thrill Is Gone
Diamanda Galás Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The thrill is gone away
The thrill is gone baby
The thrill is gone away
You know you done me wrong baby
And you'll be sorry someday
The thrill is gone
The thrill is gone baby
The thrill is gone away from me
Although, I'll still live on
But so lonely I'll be
The thrill is gone
It's gone away for good
The thrill is gone baby
It's gone away for good
Someday I know I'll be open armed baby
Just like I know a good man should
You know I'm free, free now baby
I'm free from your spell
Oh I'm free, free, free now
I'm free from your spell
And now that it's all over
All I can do is wish you well
Diamanda Galás's song "The Thrill Is Gone" is a soulful lamentation about the loss of love and the pain that comes with it. The lyrics convey the sense of disappointment and hurt that the singer feels after being betrayed by a lover. The repeated phrase "the thrill is gone" is a metaphor for the loss of the excitement, passion, and joy that the singer once felt in the relationship. The singer acknowledges that their lover has done them wrong and that they will eventually regret their actions. However, the singer also expresses a sense of resignation, accepting that the thrill is indeed gone and that they will be left alone to cope with the aftermath.
Musically, the song is a slow, bluesy ballad, with Galás's powerful and haunting voice providing a raw and emotional delivery. The sparse instrumentation, consisting mainly of piano and occasional cello, adds to the sense of melancholy and resignation that permeates the song. The tempo is slow, giving the lyrics time to sink in and allowing the listener to fully feel the depth of the emotional impact of the song.
Overall, "The Thrill Is Gone" is a powerful and poignant song that captures the pain of lost love and the struggle to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
The thrill is gone
The excitement and happiness that once existed between us is no more
The thrill is gone away
The feeling of passion and enjoyment that we shared is now gone beyond retrieval
The thrill is gone baby
The sensation of love and joy that we had is gone for good, dear
The thrill is gone away
The spark of romance and adventure we shared is now gone forever
You know you done me wrong baby
You are aware you hurt me with your actions, my love
And you'll be sorry someday
You will regret your wrongdoings towards me one day
It's gone away from me
The feeling of enthusiasm and passion has disappeared from me entirely
Although, I'll still live on
Despite the loss of excitement, I will continue to exist
But so lonely I'll be
Yet I'll be filled with emptiness and void of companionship
It's gone away for good
The feeling of passion and enjoyment that we shared has gone forever beyond recovery
Someday I know I'll be open armed baby
One day, I'll find a sincere lover and open my heart to them, my love
Just like I know a good man should
In the same way, a fair gentleman should do the same, my love
I'm free from your spell
I'm finally free from your mesmerizing effect, dear
Oh I'm free, free, free now
Indeed, I'm now entirely free from you, my love
And now that it's all over
Now that it's all gone, dear
All I can do is wish you well
All I can do now is pray for your well-being, dear
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RICK R. DARNELL, ROY HAWKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind