Michael Aston (vocals) was the poetic, goth-leaning side of the twin brothers while Jay Aston’s distinctive banshee-like, wailing vocals supplied Gene Loves Jezebel with one of their many trademark quirks.
Originally called Slav Aryan, Gene Loves Jezebel began in 1980 with the brothers, guitarist Ian Hudson, and a drum machine. The Astons grew up in Porthcawl, South Wales, making the move to London in 1981. With a new home, and shortly thereafter, the new name, the trio played several live shows and was signed by Situation Two. In May 1982, the label released Gene Loves Jezebel's demo and a single "Shaving My Neck." The band then added bassist Julianne Regan followed, Regan was replaced by Ian Hudson on Bass (and Albi DeLuca took over the guitar role) and went on to form All About Eve, Gene Loves Jezebel underwent a dozen or so line up changes between 1981-1985 alone! The band was really about the twins after all.
The band released two more singles in 1983 before their debut album Promise peaked at number 8 in the U.K.'s indie charts. In 1984, the group recorded a John Peel radio session for BBC and toured America with fellow Welsh artist John Cale. The second album, Immigrant, was released in mid-1985. However, during an agonizing American tour for Immigrant, founding member Ian Hudson suffered a nervous breakdown and was replaced by former Gen X guitarist James Stevenson.
During 1986, the group moved contract to Situation Two's parent company, Beggar's Banquet Records and distribution rights in USA to Geffen Records. The subsequent promotion increased pop-chart success for the group. The single "Sweetest Thing" briefly hit the Top 75 in U.K. and the album, Discover, reached number 32 in UK Albums Chart. At this time, the group also found heavy rotations on college and alternative radio stations across America. The band had slowly turned their attention to dance music. The slick and catchy guitar hooks of singles "Desire" and "Heartache" leapt to #6 and #72, respectively, on Los Angeles' famous New Wave station, KROQ. Later that year, Chris Bell became the band's fifth drummer.
Gene Loves Jezebel's fourth album, The House of Dolls, was released late in 1987 and yielded the singles, "20 Killer Hurts" and "The Motion of Love" that grazed the U.S. pop charts. The third single from The House of Dolls, "Suspicion", for the first time, surfaced on The Billboard Hot 100. Despite rising mainstream success, the new pop-oriented direction proved to be too polished and commercial for the poetic and more goth-like brother, Michael. He parted ways with Jay in 1989.
While Michael pursued his solo work, Jay continued using the Gene Loves Jezebel name and recorded two albums, Kiss of Life in 1989, followed by Heavenly Bodies. reached #68 on Billboard's Hot 100. Three years later, Jay Aston and company released Heavenly Bodies, which did well in Europe and on American college radio. Unfortunately, after dispointing record sales record sales and the collapse of Savage Records (David Bowie) American label folded one year later, and, after a few more live shows, so did Gene Loves Jezebel.
While Jay performed occasional acoustic shows under his own name, Michael played with members of Scenic, then formed a new band called the Immigrants (re-named Edith Grove) and later released a pimarily acoustic solo album, Why Me, Why This, Why Now. Michael and Jay began working together again throughout the 90's , and also recorded two songs for a GLJ best-of compilation "from the mouths of Babes' on Michael Aston's label Bonnaire records , released in September 1995.
A reunion tour followed in 1997, but the brothers' reconciliation was short-lived. In October 1997, Jay sued his twin brother over rights to the name "Gene Loves Jezebel" after leaving the band. After a protracted court battle, Jay eventually dropped all charges "with prejudice" meaning Michael can never be challenged for the name again and consequently Michael owns the exclusive rights to the mark. Michael also trademarked "Gene Loves Jezebel" and toured both the U.S. and the U.K. extensively supporting Gene Loves Jezebel releases: Love Lies Bleeding (1999) - Live in Voodoo City (1999) - Giving Up the Ghost (2001) – and Exploding Girls (2003)
Frozen
Gene Loves Jezebel Lyrics
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How can life be what you want it to be
You're frozen
When your heart's not open
You're so consumed with how much you get
You waste your time with hate and regret
You're broken
Mmmmmm, if I could melt your heart
Mmmmmm, we'd never be apart
Mmmmmm, give yourself to me
Mmmmmm, you hold the key
Now there's no point in placing the blame
And you should know I suffer the same
If I lose you
My heart will be broken
Love is a bird, she needs to fly
Let all the hurt inside of you die
You're frozen
When your heart's not open
Mmmmmm, if I could melt your heart
Mmmmmm, we'd never be apart
Mmmmmm, give yourself to me
Mmmmmm, you hold the key
You only see what your eyes want to see
How can life be what you want it to be
You're frozen
When your heart's not open
Mmmmmm, if I could melt your heart
Mmmmmm, we'd never be apart
Mmmmmm, give yourself to me
Mmmmmm, you hold the key
If I could melt your heart
The lyrics to Gene Loves Jezebel's song Frozen are a plea to a lover who is emotionally unresponsive. The first verse speaks about the blindness that results from focusing only on what one wants to see, and how this can lead to a life that falls short of one's dreams. The phrase "You're frozen when your heart's not open" serves as the chorus, and it underscores the idea that the person being addressed is disconnected from their emotions.
The second verse describes the damaging effects of greed, anger, and remorse, and how each of these can contribute to a broken heart. The third verse represents the singer's desire to connect with the lover, and to help them break free from their emotional paralysis. The singer believes that if they can "melt" the lover's heart, they will be able to build a bond that will never be broken.
The final verse speaks to the universality of love and the importance of letting go of past hurts in order to move forward. The song conveys the message that true love requires openness and vulnerability, and that those who close themselves off to the world end up missing out on the richness of life.
Line by Line Meaning
You only see what your eyes want to see
Your perspective is limited to what you want to see and blinds you from the bigger picture.
How can life be what you want it to be
Your desires and expectations do not guarantee that life will always go your way.
You're frozen
You are stuck in your own emotional state and unable to move forward in your life.
When your heart's not open
Your inability to be vulnerable and open prevents you from experiencing new things and forming meaningful relationships.
You're so consumed with how much you get
You only focus on attaining material possessions or satisfying your own needs, neglecting the needs of others.
You waste your time with hate and regret
Your negative feelings toward past events hold you back from living in the present and moving forward.
You're broken
Your emotional pain and past experiences have shattered your ability to form healthy relationships and be happy.
Mmmmmm, if I could melt your heart
The artist is hoping to break down the listener's emotional barriers and connect with them on a deeper level.
Mmmmmm, we'd never be apart
The artist is hopeful that a true emotional connection will keep them together forever.
Mmmmmm, give yourself to me
The artist wants the listener to open up and trust them enough to form an emotional connection.
Mmmmmm, you hold the key
The listener has the power to open up and let the singer in, forming a deeper emotional connection.
Now there's no point in placing the blame
Blaming others or circumstances for past events is unproductive and prevents growth.
And you should know I suffer the same
The singer can empathize with the listener's emotional pain and has experienced similar struggles.
If I lose you
The listener is important to the singer, and losing them would cause significant emotional pain.
My heart will be broken
The singer's emotional pain and inability to connect with others will be intensified if they lose the listener.
Love is a bird, she needs to fly
Love is not static and needs to be allowed to grow and change, like a bird with the freedom to fly.
Let all the hurt inside of you die
In order to move forward and experience new things, you need to release past hurt and pain.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Sentric Music, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Madonna Ciccone, Patrick Leonard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind