By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
People
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Faces look ugly when you're alone
Women seem wicked when you're unwanted
Streets are uneven when you're down
When you're strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you're strange
When you're strange
When you're strange
When you're strange
People are strange is when you're a stranger
Faces look ugly when you're alone
Women seem wicked when you're unwanted
Streets are uneven when you're down
When you're strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you're strange
No one remembers your name
When you're strange
When you're strange
When you're strange
Yeah
People are strange is when you're a stranger
Faces look ugly when you're alone
Women seem wicked when you're unwanted
Streets are uneven when you're down
When you're strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you're strange
No one remembers your name
When you're strange
When you're strange
When you're strange
The song "People Are Strange" by Echo & the Bunnymen is a cover of the original by The Doors. The lyrics explore the theme of alienation and the feeling of being an outsider. The opening line "People are strange when you're a stranger" sets the tone for the song as it suggests that people behave differently towards strangers. The second line "Faces look ugly when you're alone" indicates that when you are alone, even familiar faces can become unappealing. The third line "Women seem wicked when you're unwanted" suggests the feeling of rejection that can make people see everything in a negative light. Finally, "Streets are uneven when you're down" highlights the fact that when one is feeling down, everything seems more difficult.
The chorus, "When you're strange, faces come out of the rain, when you're strange, no one remembers your name" highlights the sense of invisibility and anonymity that comes with being an outsider. The rain symbolizes the hardships of life, and it is during these troubling times that people are most in need of help and support.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the human condition and how we all struggle to fit in and belong. The lyrics are broad enough that they can be interpreted in a variety of ways, and this is one of the reasons why the song has continued to resonate with listeners over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
People are strange is when you're a stranger
People may seem strange to you when you are new to them or when they are new to you.
Faces look ugly when you're alone
When you feel lonely, people's faces may not seem as attractive as they normally do.
Women seem wicked when you're unwanted
If you feel unwanted, women may seem cruel or unfair to you.
Streets are uneven when you're down
When you are feeling low, everything may seem more difficult or challenging than usual.
When you're strange
When you don't fit in or feel out of place, things can be confusing or surprising.
Faces come out of the rain
When you are in a strange or unfamiliar place, anything can happen unexpectedly.
No one remembers your name
When you are an outsider, people may not pay attention to you or remember who you are.
When you're strange
Feeling like you don't belong can be tough and disorienting.
When you're strange
Being different from the norm can be disconcerting and isolating.
When you're strange
If you feel like you stand out or don't fit in, life may seem more challenging or confusing than usual.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DOMINIC GANDERTON, RYAN JOHN MALCOLM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pedro Vergara
People are strange when you're a stranger
Faces look ugly when you're alone
Women seem wicked when you're unwanted
Streets are uneven when you're down
When you're strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you're strange
No one remembers your name
When you're strange
When you're strange
When you're strange
People are strange when you're a stranger
Faces look ugly when you're alone
Women seem wicked when you're unwanted
Streets are uneven when you're down
When you're strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you're strange
No one remembers your name
When you're strange
When you're strange
When you're strange
When you're strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you're strange
No one remembers your name
When you're strange
When you're strange
When you're strange
Ian Todd
Great cover by one of the greatest bands of the 80s unashamedly influenced by Jimbo and his band.
Valdemir
The Lost Boys ( Os Garotos Perdidos ) Como preferirem, um dos melhores filmes de Vampiro, só podia ser da década de ouro anos 80 ! Clássico eterno, com os dois Coreys, Haim ( saudades ) e Feldman, este filme está em lugar de honra na minha coleção de filmes dos anos 80 ! Musica completa como a cereja do bolo Echo mandando muito bem !
joe scully
One of my favourite little known cover versions ever ❤️
Pat Kelly
Little known??? Not so joe scully.
Luiz Antonio Billora
Echo and the bunnymen conseguiu aprimorar ainda mais essa maravilha lançada pelo The Doors.
DJ São - Flash Back
+Luiz Antonio Billora A voz do Ian McCulloch lembra muito Jim Morrison,sensacional
Michell Patrick Souza
A melhor música e filme
que já existiu.
Pedro Vergara
People are strange when you're a stranger
Faces look ugly when you're alone
Women seem wicked when you're unwanted
Streets are uneven when you're down
When you're strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you're strange
No one remembers your name
When you're strange
When you're strange
When you're strange
People are strange when you're a stranger
Faces look ugly when you're alone
Women seem wicked when you're unwanted
Streets are uneven when you're down
When you're strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you're strange
No one remembers your name
When you're strange
When you're strange
When you're strange
When you're strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you're strange
No one remembers your name
When you're strange
When you're strange
When you're strange
Steve Edwards
I love the film and this song!
Chemical99TV
"The only thing I could never stomach about living in Santa Carla, were all the Damn vampires"