By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
Paint It Black
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No colors anymore, I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
With flowers and my love both never to come back
Maybe I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see a red door and I want to paint it black
I see them turn their heads and quickly look away
I think that maybe it just happens every day
No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
I can not foresee this thing happening to you
If I look hard enough into the settin' sun
My love will laugh with me until the mornin' comes
I see a red door and I want to paint it black
No colors anymore, I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted black
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted black
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted black
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted black
Black
The lyrics to Echo & The Bunnymen's song Paint It Black may seem straightforward on the surface, but they contain a complexity that is worth exploring. The opening line sets the tone for the entire song - "I see a red door and I want to paint it black" - suggesting a sense of unease or discomfort with the world around us. This is reinforced by the repeated desire to see everything painted black - "No colors anymore, I want them to turn black."
As the song progresses, we see the singer struggling with his emotions, particularly when it comes to love and loss. He observes a line of cars painted black, with flowers and his love never to return, and wonders if he will "fade away" rather than face the painful reality of his situation. He also admits to seeing his own heart as black, suggesting a deep sense of sadness or depression.
Despite this darkness, there is a glimmer of hope in the lyrics as well. The singer imagines his love laughing with him until the morning, and he longs to see the world painted black as a symbol of his acceptance and understanding of his own sadness.
Overall, Paint It Black is a song that explores the complexities of human emotion and the struggle to find peace in the face of sadness and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
I see a red door and I want to paint it black
I am drawn to this red door and I feel compelled to paint it black, as if my inner turmoil can only be expressed through the darkness.
No colors anymore, I want them to turn black
I don't see the beauty in the world anymore, so I want everything to be black, like my heart.
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I am aware of the beauty of others around me, but my darkness prevents me from fully appreciating it.
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
To avoid being overwhelmed by my darkness, I must look away from the things that bring me pain and sadness.
I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
The world around me is also being consumed by darkness and loss, and I feel a sense of solidarity with it.
With flowers and my love both never to come back
My grief and despair are so profound that even the symbols of love and beauty in life hold no meaning for me.
Maybe I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
Rather than confront the pain of existence, I entertain the possibility of simply disappearing into nothingness.
It's not easy facin' up when your whole world's turnin' black
Confronting the darkness within oneself and in the world at large is a difficult and painful process.
I look inside myself and see my heart is black
As I examine my own consciousness, I see that darkness has taken root within me and is now a part of who I am.
I see them turn their heads and quickly look away
Others are uncomfortable or disturbed by my darkness, and so they avoid looking at me or engaging with me.
I think that maybe it just happens every day
I try to convince myself that the darkness I feel is just a normal part of life that everyone goes through, to avoid facing its true depth and power.
No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
The beauty and vibrancy of life that I once saw is now fading away, leaving only my darkness.
I can not foresee this thing happening to you
I cannot predict or fully understand why others are not consumed by darkness in the same way that I am.
If I look hard enough into the settin' sun
Perhaps if I search deeply enough within myself, I can find a glimmer of hope or light in the midst of the darkness.
My love will laugh with me until the mornin' comes
Despite the overwhelming darkness, I still hold out hope that love and joy can return, and that the sunrise will bring new beginnings.
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted black
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted black
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted black
Black
The repetition of this chorus reflects my obsessive desire to erase all colors and beauty from the world and replace them with blackness and darkness.
Contributed by Owen O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.