Echo & the Bunnymen is a British Post-punk band formed in Liverpool in 1978… Read Full Bio ↴Echo & the Bunnymen is a British Post-punk band formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of Ian McCulloch (of The Crucial Three), Will Sergeant and Les Pattinson. There are many stories, probably apocryphal, that the quartet was completed by a drum machine known as "Echo".

By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.

Lost on You
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics

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It's just a dangerous bend
On a slippery slope
Another rainbow's end
On the highway of hope
It's always next time
Always next time
Always last time

Just get me out of this jam
It's stuck to me like glue
And I can't remember who I am
My memory lost on you

I had things inside my head
And they put me behind them
Though they'd be safe in my head
And now I just can't find them

It's just a trick of the light
And some sleight of hand
Another kiss goodnight
Along the rise of man
And it's the last time
It's the last time
'til the next time

So get me out of this jam
It's stuck to me like glue
And I can't remember who I am
My memory lost on you

It's gone and that's too bad
The best thing that I ever had

Had the whole world in my mouth
Ate it up and spat it out

Overall Meaning

The song "Lost on You" by Echo & The Bunnymen is a melancholic reflection of a lost memory, a lost identity. The lyrics proclaim the frustration of not being able to remember who the singer is, and the desperation to be freed from a predicament that has become an unwelcome reality. The opening lines "It's just a dangerous bend on a slippery slope" express the uncertainty that the singer is experiencing, as if things are out of their control, and the concept of a "highway of hope" suggests that the singer is clinging to the hope that they will somehow recover what they have lost. "Another rainbow's end" could represent the singer's belief that the answers might be at the end of a path, a tangible destination that will reveal what they have been searching for.

The lyrics "Just get me out of this jam, It's stuck to me like glue" emphasizes the anxiousness and urgency felt by the singer to achieve liberation. The line "And I can't remember who I am, My memory lost on you" serves an integral purpose within the verse, as the singer highlights the strong connection between memories and individual identity. The second verse suggests that the singer is haunted by the things they have forgotten, and the frustration is evident in lines such as "And now I just can't find them."

In the chorus, the singer expresses that this has been happening for some time "It's always next time, always next time, always last time," however, there is still hope that they can free themselves from this predicament as evident in the lines "So get me out of this jam, it's stuck to me like glue." The final lines "It's gone and that's too bad, the best thing that I ever had, had the whole world in my mouth, ate it up and spat it out," suggest that the singer has lost something valuable, perhaps a relationship, and now realizes its importance after it is gone. The self-deprecating description of having "ate it up and spat it out" reveals the singer's remorse about their actions.

Line by Line Meaning

It's just a dangerous bend
Life is full of risks and unpredictable turns.

On a slippery slope
The path ahead is precarious and uncertain.

Another rainbow's end
Despite the challenges, there is always promise of a hopeful outcome.

On the highway of hope
The road to success is long and winding, filled with twists and turns.

It's always next time
There will always be another opportunity to try again.

Always last time
Every chance could be the final one.

Just get me out of this jam
I need to escape this difficult situation.

It's stuck to me like glue
The consequences of my actions are hard to escape.

And I can't remember who I am
I have lost my sense of identity in the chaos.

My memory lost on you
Your influence has caused me to forget my former self.

I had things inside my head
I had dreams and aspirations for myself.

And they put me behind them
I let those aspirations fall by the wayside.

Though they'd be safe in my head
I should have kept those dreams alive.

And now I just can't find them
I have lost sight of my purpose and drive.

It's just a trick of the light
Sometimes things appear different than they truly are.

And some sleight of hand
There are those who are deceitful and untrustworthy.

Another kiss goodnight
This hope and promise of success may just be an illusion.

Along the rise of man
In the midst of all our progress, there are still hardships and struggles.

And it's the last time
This may be the final time we have a chance to succeed.

It's the last time
This is the end of the line, with no more chances to make things right.

'til the next time
But there is always a possibility for future opportunity and growth.

So get me out of this jam
It's time to break free from this cycle of failure.

It's gone and that's too bad
What was once a great opportunity has been lost forever.

The best thing that I ever had
I had something truly great, but I let it slip away.

Had the whole world in my mouth
I had the potential for greatness and success within my grasp.

Ate it up and spat it out
But I squandered that potential, and now it's gone forever.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, WILLIAM ALFRED SERGEANT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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