By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
Flaming Red
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wide-eyed and sad and strange
A moment is the most
She'll hang her day upon
Others plan a life
Without the faintest hope of change
And belay all her knowledge
Of where hope has gone
In these ugly times
An ugly mind will have its say
And your betters would not
Have it any other way
Oh my eyes
for the sins I may not shed
Burn like coals inside my head
Smoldering black and flaming red
Oh my eyes
for the sins I may not shed
Burn like coals inside my head
Smoldering black and flaming red
Reconciled and pacified
By bread and circus clowns
Who keep you all in stitches
As they keep you down
Dust yourself down
Tell me what on earth
The fuss was for
'Cause what you've seen is nothing
To what's still in store
In these ugly times
An ugly mind will have its say
And your betters would not
Have it any other way
Oh my eyes
for the sins I may not shed
Burn like coals inside my head
Smoldering black and flaming red
Oh my eyes
for the sins I may not shed
Burn like coals Inside my head
Smoldering black And flaming red
Oh my eyes
for the sins I may not shed
Burn like coals inside my head
Smoldering black and flaming red
The lyrics to Echo & the Bunnymen's song Flaming Red tackle themes of failure, sadness, and hopelessness, as well as the way those in power manipulate and control those beneath them. The first verse describes the "failure's child," a weak and sad person who hangs all her hopes on a single moment, while others plan their lives without any hope of change. Despite her knowledge of what's missing, she is forced to belay it by those with more power than her. This verse speaks to the crushing weight of feeling powerless in a world that doesn't always offer hope.
The chorus, "Oh my eyes for the sins I may not shed, burn like coals inside my head, smoldering black and flaming red," conveys the idea that even if we don't actively participate in wrongdoing, we still carry the emotional weight of the world's problems with us. It suggests that guilt and grief can be just as overwhelming as any other emotion.
In the second verse, the lyrics turn to the way those in power keep their underlings pacified, using "bread and circus clowns" to distract them from their troubles. The line "what you've seen is nothing to what's still in store" suggests that there are even worse times ahead, and that people should steel themselves for the worst.
Line by Line Meaning
Failure's child is weak and mild
People who are unsuccessful are often seen as meek and gentle
Wide-eyed and sad and strange
These people may have a different perspective on the world, and may seem out of place
A moment is the most She'll hang her day upon
Even small moments can mean a lot to someone who doesn't have much
Others plan a life Without the faintest hope of change
Some people resign themselves to their fate, believing that they can't change their circumstances
And belay all her knowledge Of where hope has gone
They don't even consider the possibility of hope or a better future
In these ugly times An ugly mind will have its say
During times of unrest, people with negative attitudes can be influential
And your betters would not Have it any other way
Those in power may benefit from a population that is discouraged and divided
Oh my eyes for the sins I may not shed
The artist feels guilt or responsibility for things they didn't directly cause
Burn like coals inside my head Smoldering black and flaming red
This guilt consumes them and causes great emotional turmoil
Reconciled and pacified By bread and circus clowns
People are placated by entertainment and distractions
Who keep you all in stitches As they keep you down
These distractions can also keep people from taking action or making changes
Dust yourself down Tell me what on earth The fuss was for
After experiencing disappointment or failure, it's important to regroup and move forward
Cause what you've seen is nothing To what's still in store
There may still be more challenges or opportunities in the future that we can't predict
Oh my eyes for the sins I may not shed
Reiterates the singer's feelings of guilt or responsibility
Burn like coals Inside my head Smoldering black And flaming red
Reiterates the intense emotional agony caused by these feelings
Oh my eyes for the sins I may not shed
Again reiterates the artist's feelings of guilt or responsibility
Burn like coals inside my head Smoldering black and flaming red
Again reiterates the intense emotional turmoil caused by these feelings
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: LESLIE THOMAS PATTINSON, WILLIAM ALFRED SERGEANT, NOEL ANDREW BURKE, JAKE BROCKMAN, JOHN REECE DAMON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind