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.
Smoke and Mirrors
Erasure Lyrics
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Another time
A life a go
Held off your ambition put your faith in me
How could you know?
Woah
I was putting me first saw you self-destruct
Was your command
And you believed that I believed in miracles
You'd make it work
Woah
How could I be so cruel to leave you without?
I pushed you aside
And you learnt to shout loud
And I was living my life
Couldn't see nobody but me
And I apologise to you now
But "sorry" won't be heard or make amends
I'd give my all to hold you once again
I was the only winner I just played my hand
Played 'em close
Didn't show
A game of smoke and mirrors we were locked into
With no way out
Woah
I just made the possible impossible
Everyday
Lived for the day
All those little nothings
I regret them now
Turn to dust
Blow 'em way
Took all the light
Took all the love
Took everything left you in the background
Gave it up
You gave enough
I couldn't help the way I was thinking
How did it feel
When I let you down?
Spending your time wasted it on me
The higher we climbed the further we fell to the floor
Now "sorry" won't be heard or make amends
I'd give my all to hold you once again
The song "Smoke and Mirrors" by Erasure is a poignant reflection on a failed relationship, with the lyrics talking about the singer's regrets over how he treated his partner in the past. The opening verses mention how the singer remembers the dreams that they once had together and how he caused the self-destruction of his partner by putting himself first. He acknowledges that his partner put her faith in him, but he let her down and now feels guilty about it.
The chorus speaks to the idea of the "smoke and mirrors" game that the singer played with his partner, where they were trapped in a vicious cycle of false promises and illusions. He admits that there was no way out and that he was the only winner in the game, with his partner suffering the consequences. The regretful tone of the lyrics shines through in the second verse, with the singer recognizing the sacrifice that his partner made for him and how he took everything from her without giving much in return.
The song ends with the singer apologizing to his partner and expressing his longing to be with her again. However, he knows that his apologies won't be enough to make amends for the pain he caused.
Line by Line Meaning
Suddenly remember what we were dreaming of
Realizing what we had imagined or hoped for in the past
Another time
Referring again to a previous time
A life a go
A long time ago
Held off your ambition put your faith in me
You trusted me instead of pursuing your goals
How could you know?
You couldn't have known the outcome of our actions
Woah
Expressing surprise or amazement at the situation
I was putting me first saw you self-destruct
I was selfish and watched you ruin yourself
My every wish
All my desires
Was your command
You always did what I wanted
And you believed that I believed in miracles
You thought I had faith in the impossible
You'd make it work
You trusted that you could make things happen
How could I be so cruel to leave you without?
Why did I abandon you so heartlessly?
I pushed you aside
I ignored you
And you learnt to shout loud
You had to become loud to be heard
And I was living my life
I was only concerned about myself
Couldn't see nobody but me
I was completely self-centered
And I apologise to you now
I'm sorry for what I did
But "sorry" won't be heard or make amends
I know apologizing can't change the past
I'd give my all to hold you once again
I wish I could have you back again
I was the only winner I just played my hand
I was just focused on winning and didn't care about you
Played 'em close
I kept things secretive
Didn't show
I didn't reveal myself
A game of smoke and mirrors we were locked into
We were trapped in a game of deception
With no way out
We couldn't escape from it
I just made the possible impossible
I made things difficult for us
Everyday
Every single day
Lived for the day
I lived for that particular day only
All those little nothings
All the insignificant moments
I regret them now
I wish I had done things differently
Turn to dust
They have no value anymore
Blow 'em way
Let them go
Took all the light
I took away all the brightness
Took all the love
I took away all the affection
Took everything left you in the background
I took everything from you and made you irrelevant
Gave it up
I abandoned you
You gave enough
You gave your all
I couldn't help the way I was thinking
I couldn't control my thoughts
How did it feel
Did it hurt?
When I let you down?
When I disappointed you?
Spending your time wasted it on me
You wasted your time on me
The higher we climbed the further we fell to the floor
The more we achieved, the harder we fell
Now "sorry" won't be heard or make amends
Apologizing now can't change what happened in the past
I'd give my all to hold you once again
Holding you one more time is all I want now
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANDY BELL, RICHARD PHILIPS, VINCE CLARKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind