By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas. Their next, the critically-acclaimed Heaven Up Here, reached the Top Ten in 1981, as did 1983's Porcupine and '84's Ocean Rain. Singles like "The Killing Moon" (later used in the soundtrack to Donnie Darko, a film whose imagery owed much to the artwork of the band's early records.), "Silver," "Bring on the Dancing Horses," and "The Cutter" helped keep the group in the public eye as they took a brief hiatus in the late 1980s. Their 1987 self-titled LP was a small American hit, their only LP to have significant sales there.
McCulloch quit the band in 1988. De Freitas was killed in a motorcycle accident one year later. The others decided to continue, recruiting Noel Burke to replace McCulloch on vocals in Reverberation (1990), which did not generate much excitement among fans or critics. Burke, Sargeant and Pattinson split after that, but the surviving three fourths of the original band reformed in 1997 and released Evergreen (1997), What are You Going to Do with Your Life? (1999), Flowers (2001) , Siberia (2005), and the latest addition, The Fountain (2009). The group's old audience liked the return to their classic sound, and they also managed to gain a number of new, younger listeners.
Echo and the Bunnymen were managed early on by Bill Drummond, who went on to be a founder member of The KLF.
05-Thorn of Crowns
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ah ah, ah ah
You set my teeth on edge
You set my teeth on edge
You think you're a vegetable
Never come out of the fridge
see-see-see-cucumber
see-see-see-cabbage
see-see-see-cauliflower
Men on Mars
April showers
Oh oh, oh oh
You are a dying breed
You are a dying breed
You once was an Inca
Now you're a Cherokee
see-see-see-cucumber
see-see-see-cabbage
see-see-see-cauliflower
Men on Mars
April showers
(You kick it, kick it)
(Ow uh, ow uh)
(Ow uh, ow uh, ow uh)
Wait for me on the blue horizon
Blue horizon for everyone
Wait for me on a new horizon
New horizons for everyone
I want to be one times one with you
Oh oh
I want to be one times one with you
Oh oh
Ah ah, ahh
Ah ah, ahh
I've decided to wear my thorn of crowns
I've decided to wear my thorn of crowns
Inside out
Back to front
Upside down
All the way round
Round, round rounnd
I've decided to wear my thorn of crowns
I've decided to wear my thorn of crowns
Upside down
Inside out
Back to front
All the way round, down
Down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down, dow
The song "Thorn of Crowns" by Echo & the Bunnymen features interesting lyrics that are open to interpretation. The opening lines "You set my teeth on edge" express someone's irritation with the presence of another person. The following lines, "You think you're a vegetable, never come out of the fridge," could mean that the person being addressed lacks vitality or is uninteresting. The use of vegetable imagery in these lines reinforces this interpretation.
The following verses introduce a series of seemingly unrelated images: "cucumber," "cabbage," and "cauliflower." These images are followed by "Men on Mars" and "April showers." The relationship between these images is unclear, but they might be associated with dreams or fantasies. The lines "Wait for me on the blue horizon / Blue horizon for everyone / Wait for me on a new horizon / New horizons for everyone" add to this dreamlike quality.
The final verses repeat the refrain "I've decided to wear my thorn of crowns" several times, suggesting a transformation or a willingness to embrace something uncomfortable or difficult. The lines "Upside down / Inside out / Back to front / All the way round" evoke a sense of disorientation and confusion. Overall, the song's lyrics convey a dreamlike, mystical quality that encourages interpretation and personal reflection.
Line by Line Meaning
You set my teeth on edge
You bother or irritate me
You think you're a vegetable
You act as if you are lifeless or without emotions
Never come out of the fridge
You never venture out and experience new things
You are a dying breed
You belong to a group or category that is gradually disappearing or becoming extinct
You once was an Inca
You were once a powerful and ancient civilization
Now you're a Cherokee
Now you are a modern-day Native American tribe
Wait for me on the blue horizon
Expect me to arrive in the promising future
Blue horizon for everyone
A bright future awaits everyone
Wait for me on a new horizon
Expect me to arrive in a new and hopeful future
New horizons for everyone
There are endless possibilities for everyone's future
I want to be one times one with you
I want to be completely united with you
I've decided to wear my thorn of crowns
I have intentionally chosen to endure pain and difficulty
Inside out
Turned inside out or reversed
Back to front
Reversed or flipped around
Upside down
Inverted or turned over
All the way round
Completely turned around or flipped
Down, down, down, down
Continuing downward or descending
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, LESLIE PATTINSON, PETE FREITAS, WILLIAM SERGEANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
P K
The audience were witnessing pure young genious's in their prime. There is no other band in the World like the Bunnymen!
GINA CUSTODIO
And no other song like Thorn of Crowns!
Danilo Araujo
Such an intense band!
tituscaesar
the first song 'Nocturnal Me' was used for the end of episode 5 of 'Stranger Things' season 1! awesome song!
ninetyminutestd
Nocturnal Me - woeful, Ian needs to pick a tune
Ocean Rain - majestic, my favorite version of the song
Thorn of Crowns - nutso, wish we had seen the end of it (Ian's social commentary apparently was in reaction to having his house being robbed for the 3rd time that year)
Hubert Vale
Man, British TV had so much great live music back then!
johneee
Just fucking awesome.
Daniel Sandim
Muito boa essa música! !
John Barry
Beautiful man,greatest hair and Ocean Rain is the 1980's Forever Changes!!!
Hilde Hewson
Love it!!!🐰Thorn of crowns...wow awesome version!!!❤❤