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By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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

Read It in Books
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics

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You said you couldn't find
Anyone to love ya
I said there's more to life
Than a broken heart
Did it console ya?

I've seen it in your eyes
And I've read it in books

Who wants love
Without the looks?

You know the word is please
You say it from your knees
Show some respect
Hey baby, genuflect

Once I like crying
Twice I like laughter
Come on tell me
What I'm after

I said you gotta stop
Chasing rainbows
You said I'm just
Staying up
And anyway I like it
When the rain goes

I've seen it in your eyes
I've read it in books
Who wants love
Without the looks?

Once I like crying
Twice I like laughter
Come on tell me
What I'm after

There's not that much to us
I hide the little with the lot
You still expect a loving fuss
After showing all you've got

I've seen it in your eyes
I've read it in books
Who wants love
Without the looks?

That's all

Overall Meaning

right, baby

The lyrics to "Read It in Books" by Echo & the Bunnymen have an introspective quality to them, as the singer tries to convince someone that there is more to life than just love and looks. The first few lines suggest that the person he's talking to is heartbroken and feeling unlovable. The singer tries to console them by saying that there is more to life than just a broken heart.

The chorus of the song emphasizes the importance of not just wanting love, but also wanting someone who is physically attractive. The singer has seen this desire in the person's eyes and has read about it in books. The verse that follows is more playful, with the singer urging the other person to show respect and genuflect, or kneel down in reverence.

The next few lines suggest that the singer and the other person may have had a romantic relationship in the past, with the singer saying they like laughter more than crying. The singer urges the other person to stop chasing rainbows and to enjoy the sunshine when it comes. In the final verse, the singer seems to suggest that the other person is still expecting love and affection even though they've already shown everything they've got.

Line by Line Meaning

You said you couldn't find
You expressed that you have been unable to find somebody to love you

Anyone to love ya
Someone to love you

I said there's more to life
I advised you that there are other things in life besides having a broken heart

Than a broken heart
Aside from the pain brought about by heartbreak

Did it console ya?
Did it bring you comfort?

I've seen it in your eyes
It's evident from looking at you

And I've read it in books
I've also come across similar things in books

Who wants love
Who desires love

Without the looks?
But isn't attracted to the person visually?

You know the word is please
You're aware of the proper word which is 'please'

You say it from your knees
You say it while kneeling