Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love (Like That)". Beginning in late 1986 with the release of their single Sometimes, Erasure established themselves on the British charts; albums such as The Circus, Wild!, Chorus, I Say I Say I Say, Loveboat and Nightbird demonstrated a further diversity of sound.
The album that boosted their career tremendously was The Innocents, which was released in 1988. A Little Respect and Chains of Love both hit the Billboard Top 100. Most people will probably remember Erasure for A Little Respect, which became one of their signature songs.
Clarke formerly was a member of Depeche Mode and later had a successful career with the duo Yazoo (known as Yaz in the US). Later he split with Yazoo partner Alison Moyet and briefly formed The Assembly with producer Eric Radcliffe. After a successful Assembly single ("Never Never"), Clarke released an unsuccessful one-off single with vocalist Paul Quinn ("One Day"). He then placed a blind advertisement in Melody Maker looking for a vocalist for a new musical project. He selected Andy Bell, who was the forty-first to audition (and whose voice would often be compared to Moyet's). From the start, their success was founded upon their songwriting skills. Clarke's talent for writing melodic, catchy pop songs was evident from his years with Depeche Mode and Yazoo. Bell's gifts as a lyricist and melodist added depth and character to Clarke's style (additionally, Bell was openly gay from the beginning, and he reflected this in his lyrics at a time when society as a whole was more ignorant around queer issues than it is today - making Erasure's success all the more phenomenal). As pop craftsmen, the pair's work bears comparison with that of Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, Eurythmics, OMD, Alphaville, a-ha, Roxette and other pop songwriters.
Though their productivity and record sales declined beginning in the second half of the 1990s, Erasure scored at least one Top 30 hit with the release of every new album. Few electronic bands have demonstrated the durability of Erasure.
In 2005 Erasure made a comeback with their number one position on the US Dance Chart, eighteen years after their first chart-topper. This success was mirrored in the UK with the debut single from Nightbird ("Breathe") reaching number four in the charts. Erasure also enabled fans to configure and buy their own remixes of the single 'Don't Say You Love Me' through the band website. Each variant of the song was limited to a single download.
2006 saw the release of the album Union Street, which features a collection of previously released Erasure songs that the band have reinterpreted with an acoustic / country & western style. The album is named after the recording studio in Brooklyn where it was recorded.
A new album, Light at the End of the World, was released in 2007.
Promises
Erasure Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And ain't nobody answering
Fell under your spell
But ooh, that feeling was fleeting
I've had my fill
And I just don't wanna fight any more
I know the stories well
Keep your promises
I just need somebody to be there
(The will inside me is breaking)
And if we can't be honest
Baby don't you see we won't get nowhere
(We won't get anywhere on our own)
So won't you keep those promises
I just need someone to rely on
(The will inside me is breaking)
'Cause if we're not solid
Everything will change
Nothing will remain of the both of us
(Nothing remaining of us)
Promises, promises, only promises
Whatever happened to
That tender side I saw in you?
What you made me do
Those things, woah
And I wonder how those vows we made
Ooh they'd evaporate
And like the rain at night it came
Then it was gone
Keep your promises
I just need somebody to be there
(The will inside me is breaking)
And if we can't be honest
Baby don't you see we won't get nowhere
(We won't get anywhere on our own)
So won't you keep those promises
I just need someone to rely on
(The will inside me is breaking)
'Cause if we're not solid
Everything will change
Nothing will remain of the both of us
(Nothing remaining of us)
Promises, promises, only promises
Promises, promises, only promises
Keep your promises
I just need somebody to be there
(The will inside me is breaking)
And if we can't be honest
Baby don't you see we won't get nowhere
(We won't get anywhere on our own)
So won't you keep those promises
I just need someone to rely on
'Cause if we're not solid
Everything will change
Nothing will remain of the both of us
(Nothing remaining of us)
The lyrics to "Promises" by Erasure seem to revolve around a relationship that has lost its reliability and trustworthiness. The singer is tired of the cycle of broken promises and wants their partner to keep their word, to be there for them, and to be honest if they want to move forward in their relationship. They're almost at the end of their patience, stating that the 'will inside me is breaking,' and they don't want to fight anymore.
The opening lines picture a lonely, desperate moment where the singer is attempting to contact their significant other but to no avail. They seem to have been caught up in a fleeting moment of an intense, profound feeling that has since passed. The singer then questions what happened to the tender, loving side they once saw in their partner, which seems to have been lost in a cycle of broken promises. The chorus voiced in the song is the plea for the partner to respect their word and keep their promises so that the relationship can move forward.
The overall tone of the song is sad and vulnerable, with the singer asking for nothing more than dependability and honesty. This song could be interpreted as an anthem for anyone who has properly agreed to a commitment and is willing to sustain it no matter how hard it gets.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a quarter-to-twelve
It's almost midnight
And ain't nobody answering
Nobody is responding to my calls/texts
Fell under your spell
I was captivated by you
But ooh, that feeling was fleeting
But that feeling didn't last long
I've had my fill
I've had enough
And I just don't wanna fight any more
And I don't want to argue anymore
I know the stories well
I already know how this will end
And I just can't take any more
And I can't handle it anymore
Keep your promises
Please keep your word
I just need somebody to be there
I just need someone for support
('The will inside me is breaking')
(I'm losing my strength)
And if we can't be honest
And if we can't be truthful
Baby don't you see we won't get nowhere
We won't progress if we're not honest
('We won't get anywhere on our own')
(We can't do it alone)
So won't you keep those promises
So please keep your word
I just need someone to rely on
I just need someone to count on
('The will inside me is breaking')
(I'm losing my strength)
'Cause if we're not solid
Because if we're not stable
Everything will change
Everything will be different
Nothing will remain of the both of us
We will lose each other
('Nothing remaining of us')
(We will be gone)
Whatever happened to
What happened to
That tender side I saw in you?
That soft, gentle side of you?
What you made me do
What you caused me to do
Those things, woah
Those actions, oh boy
And I wonder how those vows we made
And I question our promises
Ooh they'd evaporate
And how they would disappear
And like the rain at night it came
And how it appeared like a storm at night
Then it was gone
And then it disappeared
Promises, promises, only promises
Just empty promises, no action
Keep your promises
Please keep your word
I just need somebody to be there
I just need someone for support
('The will inside me is breaking')
(I'm losing my strength)
And if we can't be honest
And if we can't be truthful
Baby don't you see we won't get nowhere
We won't progress if we're not honest
('We won't get anywhere on our own')
(We can't do it alone)
So won't you keep those promises
So please keep your word
I just need someone to rely on
I just need someone to count on
('The will inside me is breaking')
(I'm losing my strength)
'Cause if we're not solid
Because if we're not stable
Everything will change
Everything will be different
Nothing will remain of the both of us
We will lose each other
('Nothing remaining of us')
(We will be gone)
Promises, promises, only promises
Just empty promises, no action
Promises, promises, only promises
Just empty promises, no action
Keep your promises
Please keep your word
I just need somebody to be there
I just need someone for support
('The will inside me is breaking')
(I'm losing my strength)
And if we can't be honest
And if we can't be truthful
Baby don't you see we won't get nowhere
We won't progress if we're not honest
('We won't get anywhere on our own')
(We can't do it alone)
So won't you keep those promises
So please keep your word
I just need someone to rely on
I just need someone to count on
'Cause if we're not solid
Because if we're not stable
Everything will change
Everything will be different
Nothing will remain of the both of us
We will lose each other
('Nothing remaining of us')
(We will be gone)
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: MICHELLE LYNN BELL, JONATHAN REUVEN ROTEM, LAMONT COLEMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind