After the departure of Gish (who would later join Bark Psychosis) the three-piece Disco Inferno recorded the single 'Entertainment' with producer Charlie McIntosh. Their first album, Open Doors, Closed Windows, was released in 1991 on Che and received positive reviews, although most mentioned the heavy influence of late 1970s post punk bands, particularly Joy Division and Wire (In fact Disco Inferno's manager, Michael Collins, had previously managed Wire during their 70's incarnation). 'Entertainment', 'Open Doors, Closed Windows' and the 'Science' EP would later be collected on the album In Debt.
In 1992 the band released Summer's Last Sound, widely regarded as the first in a run of classic Disco Inferno EPs which saw the band's increasing use of samples. The band's use of sampling combined with traditional instruments - particularly Wilmott's bass - continued on the EPs A Rock To Cling To and The Last Dance and reached its peak on their second album D.I. Go Pop. After the full-on assault of D.I. Go Pop the band opted for restraint on the beautiful Second Language EP which also had a new-found optimism in Crause's lyrics.
Their final single, 'It's A Kid's World', sampled the distinctive drumbeat from Iggy Pop's Lust for Life and added in a series of old children's TV themes to good effect, but despite critical acclaim the band attracted little commercial success and split before their final album Technicolour was released in 1996.
Second Language
Disco Inferno Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I saw a vision in blue and my blues flew away.
And just for a second I truly believed,
Though I don't know what in.
We tried to talk to each other,
But the words that came out of our mouths
Were carried away on the wind,
In desperation I tried
To communicate with my eyes
When all you've seen is people's pain,
It's hard to feign surprise.
And we just smile.
The song "Second Language" by Disco Inferno tells the story of two people who are struggling to understand each other. The opening line, "All the joy in my life had rotted away," sets the tone of the song, conveying a sense of despair and hopelessness. The singer then describes seeing a vision in blue, which temporarily lifts their blues away. They believe in this vision for a moment, but they don't know what it means.
The second verse describes an attempt at communication between the two people, but their words are "carried away on the wind" and turned "inside out." The singer feels desperate to connect with this other person and resorts to using their eyes to try to convey their feelings. However, the singer has seen too much pain in other people and is unable to feign surprise when things go wrong.
The repeated phrase "And we just smile" at the end of each verse suggests a performative aspect to the communication between the two people. They are putting on a facade of understanding through their smiles, but in reality, they are still struggling to communicate.
Overall, "Second Language" captures the challenges of communication and the emotional toll that comes with feeling misunderstood.
Line by Line Meaning
All the joy in my life had rotted away,
My life used to be filled with happiness, but now it has decayed entirely.
I saw a vision in blue and my blues flew away.
I had a vivid and uplifting vision that relieved me of my sadness.
And just for a second I truly believed,
Momentarily, I had faith in something, although I don't know what that something was.
Though I don't know what in.
I can't identify what it was that I believed in during that fleeting moment.
We tried to talk to each other,
We attempted to communicate with each other.
But the words that came out of our mouths
The things we said to each other.
Were carried away on the wind,
Our words were transported away by the breeze.
Which turned them inside out.
The wind's direction altered our intended meaning when it carried away our words.
In desperation I tried
When I was feeling hopeless, I made an effort.
To communicate with my eyes
I tried to convey my thoughts and feelings through eye contact.
When all you've seen is people's pain,
Because I've only experienced the pain of others.
It's hard to feign surprise.
It becomes tough to pretend to be surprised by anything.
And we just smile.
We put on a happy front and simply smile, even though we're not genuinely happy.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Kevin Crause, Paul Wilmott, Robert Whatley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@liverevil431
all the joy in my life had rotted away
I saw a vision in blue and my blues flew away
and just for a second I truly believed
though I don't know what in
we tried to talk to each other
but the words that came out of our mouths
were carried away on the wind
which turned them inside out
in desperation I tried to communicate with my eyes
when all you've seen is people's pain
it's hard to feign surprise
and we just smile
we just smile
we just smile
@matthewbrunswick
My favourite song ever, if it's possible to have one. It makes me cry and smile at the same time.
@jfanningmasscc
7 years late but mate I am on the same page
@wycoffdarjallee
them and bark psychosis: blending noise rock, acid house, post punk, and pop. The sampling on this song is layered so well. Its not too over produced like some of the bands that use that technique today.
@lookslikemike
Can only agree with all of the other comments. The Atheist's Burden is the defining moment of my musical life, and this EP is indeed the greatest I've ever found. All life and every good thing in it is there. And yes, I'm going on and on, but someone should...
@puggo1491
I remember the day I purchased this EP. Beauty music! We´re getting old, but this kind of music sounds still fresh thanks for posting!
@SeanMR72
Second language EP is the best single release i`ve ever purchased
@AnthonyAvery
Amazing!
@paawenpaawen1946
Beautiful!
@RadioDredTG211
brilliant!
@jimaginata
I absolutely fuckin' adore this EP! God, I miss this band.