By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
Constantinople
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For what I could and couldn’t give… apologise apologise…
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
All the lives I’ve lived… lived to die lived to die
All the things I hid… Mister Hyde Mister Hide
It’s so cold in Constantinople
It’s so cold in Constantinople
It’s so cold in Constantinople
Broadway by the bridge… horrors seen horrors seen
The Lord’s way’s passed the kids… not as green… in Norris Green…
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
Broadway by the bridge… horrors seen horrors seen
Horrors seen horrors seen
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
Broadway by the bridge…
The Lord’s way’s passed the kids…
It’s so cold in Constantinople
It’s so cold in Constantinople
It’s so cold in Constantinople
It’s so cold in Constantinople
It’s Instanbul not Constantinople
It’s Instanbul not Constantinople
No strawberry grows in Strawberry Road
Just things to get strung out about
Whatever together…
No strawberries grow in Strawberry Road
Everybody gets strung out
Together whatever forever…
The lyrics of Constantinople by Echo & the Bunnymen convey a sense of regret and apology for actions taken in the past, as well as a feeling of resignation to the coldness of life. The lyrics discuss the “things I did” that left the singer feeling horrified, and the things he “couldn’t give” that he apologizes for. The second verse expands on this, discussing the different lives the singer has lived and the things he has hidden, likening himself to Mr. Hyde, a reference to Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The repetition of “lived to die” emphasizes the sense of futility that the singer feels. The song also briefly touches on the horrors of life in Norris Green, a Liverpool suburb, which is referred to as “Broadway by the bridge.”
At the heart of the song is a sense of disillusionment and dissatisfaction with life. The repetition of “It’s so cold in Constantinople” emphasizes the feeling of isolation and detachment that the singer feels. However, the last line of the song provides a glimmer of hope, with the singer saying “together whatever forever.” This phrase suggests that despite life’s difficulties, there is still a sense of togetherness and continuity that can be found.
Line by Line Meaning
All the things I did… horrified horrified
I did so many terrible things that haunt me, and it fills me with horror.
For what I could and couldn’t give… apologise apologise…
I am sorry for both what I was unable to provide and what I did provide that was not enough.
All the lives I’ve lived… lived to die lived to die
I have lived many different lives, but they all seem to lead to the same end: death.
All the things I hid… Mister Hyde Mister Hide
I kept so many things secret, and the darker parts of myself were hidden away like Mr. Hyde in Stevenson's novel.
It’s so cold in Constantinople
I feel alone and isolated in this unknown city, and the harsh climate just adds to the bleakness.
Broadway by the bridge… horrors seen horrors seen
I have witnessed terrible things on this busy street by the river, over and over again.
The Lord’s way’s passed the kids… not as green… in Norris Green…
Religion has lost its hold on the young people of Norris Green, and they are less innocent and naive than they used to be.
It’s Instanbul not Constantinople
The city has changed its name, and my outdated knowledge shows my ignorance and disconnect from the current reality.
No strawberry grows in Strawberry Road
The place I come from is not as idyllic or wholesome as its name suggests.
Just things to get strung out about
My hometown is full of problems and stressors that can drive a person to addiction or despair.
Whatever together…
Despite all the hardships, we will stick together and face them as a community.
Everybody gets strung out
Even the most resilient among us can be pushed to the brink by the struggles we face.
Together whatever forever…
We will face the problems together and will always stand by each other, no matter what.
Contributed by Juliana W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@arcadia5607
Thank you❤