By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
Nocturnal Me
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of burning wood
In our world of wire
Ignite our dreams
Of starry skies
And you and me
As realised
Our bigger themes
Oh, take me internally
Forever yours
Nocturnal me
Take me internally
Forever yours
Nocturnal me
Do or die
What's done is done
True beauty lies
On the blue horizon
Who or why
What's one is one
In pure disguise
Of vulgar sons
Oh, take me internally
Forever yours
Nocturnal me
Take me internally
Forever yours
Nocturnal me
Whatever burns
Burns eternally
So take me in
Turns internally
When I'm on fire
My body will be
Forever yours
Nocturnal me
In an ice-capped fire
Of burning wood
In our world of wire
Ignite our dreams
Of starry skies
And you and me
As realised
Our bigger themes
Oh, take me internally
Forever yours
Nocturnal me
Take me internally
Forever yours
Nocturnal me
The song "Nocturnal Me" by Echo & the Bunnymen is a dreamy, poetic meditation on themes of transcendence, eternal love, and the power of the imagination to overcome reality. The lyrics paint a picture of two lovers surrounded by a world of wire and technological coldness, seeking escape and connection through the warmth of nature and the stars above. The ice-capped fire of burning wood represents a paradoxical combination of destruction and creation, symbolizing the power of love to ignite and transform even the coldest materials.
The refrain "Take me internally, forever yours, nocturnal me" captures the desire to be consumed by the beloved, to transcend the limitations of the physical body and become one with the universe. This desire is contrasted with the gritty realism of lines like "true beauty lies on the blue horizon" and "vulgar sons," suggesting that the quest for transcendence must confront and overcome the ugliness and imperfection of the material world. The final lines of the song return to the image of the ice-capped fire, suggesting that even in destruction there is beauty and eternity, and that the true union of two souls can overcome any obstacle.
Line by Line Meaning
In an ice-capped fire
Amidst the extreme conditions of an ice-covered inferno
Of burning wood
Brought about by the combustion of timber
In our world of wire
Within a reality dominated by technology and wiring
Ignite our dreams
Set alight our aspirations
Of starry skies
Towards the vastness of space and the celestial bodies
And you and me
As two indivisible entities
As realised
As brought to fruition
Our bigger themes
Our major ideas and concerns
Oh, take me internally
Oh, keep me inside you
Forever yours
Always belonging to you
Nocturnal me
The side of me that comes to life during the night
Take me internally
Keep me inside you
Forever yours
Always belonging to you
Nocturnal me
The side of me that comes to life during the night
Do or die
A critical situation to face
What's done is done
The past cannot be changed
True beauty lies
The real beauty is found
On the blue horizon
Where the sky meets the sea
Who or why
Questions concerning identity and motivation
What's one is one
Individuality is indivisible
In pure disguise
Concealed by an appearance of purity
Of vulgar sons
Of those who lack refinement or good taste
Whatever burns
Whatever catches fire
Burns eternally
Will remain burning forever
So take me in
Let me enter into you
Turns internally
Becomes part of an internal process
When I'm on fire
When I'm burning
My body will be
My physical existence will exist
Forever yours
Always belonging to you
Nocturnal me
The side of me that comes to life during the night
In an ice-capped fire
Amidst the extreme conditions of an ice-covered inferno
Of burning wood
Brought about by the combustion of timber
In our world of wire
Within a reality dominated by technology and wiring
Ignite our dreams
Set alight our aspirations
Of starry skies
Towards the vastness of space and the celestial bodies
And you and me
As two indivisible entities
As realised
As brought to fruition
Our bigger themes
Our major ideas and concerns
Oh, take me internally
Oh, keep me inside you
Forever yours
Always belonging to you
Nocturnal me
The side of me that comes to life during the night
Take me internally
Keep me inside you
Forever yours
Always belonging to you
Nocturnal me
The side of me that comes to life during the night
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, LESLIE PATTINSON, PETE FREITAS, WILLIAM SERGEANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind