Gene Loves Jezebel is a Welsh gothic rock band from the early 1980s founded… Read Full Bio ↴Gene Loves Jezebel is a Welsh gothic rock band from the early 1980s founded by twin brothers, Michael and Jay Aston.

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)

Twenty Killer Hurts
Gene Loves Jezebel Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hey big boss man
You're stuck in a groove
You're on a roller coaster
You'd better stop
You're gonna burn, burn, burn
You'll do it again

Pretty ballerina

Dance across the floor
She's got a head full of snow
What'd you do it for

She's gonna burn, burn, burn
She'll do it again
She's gonna burn, burn, burn
She'll do it again

Silver surfer
Do the belly flop
Check out Goldilocks
Listen to her cherry pop

She's gonna burn, burn, burn
She'll do it again
She's gonna burn, burn, burn
She'll do it again

20 killer hurts

Hold it right there

20 killer hurts, rushing 'round my brain
I see adrenalin', I feel it just the same

I'm gonna burn, burn, burn
I'll do it again
I'm gonna burn, burn, burn
And I always will
Just like this

Burn, burn, burn
20 killer hurts
Burn, burn, burn
Pretty badly now

Burn, burn, burn
20 killer, killer, killer hurts

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Gene Loves Jezebel's song "Twenty Killer Hurts" paint the picture of a world on fire - of people consumed by their passions and desires, unable to stop themselves from burning up in the flames of their own intensity. The song opens with a warning to the "big boss man" that he's stuck in a groove and needs to get off the roller coaster before he burns out. Then we meet the "pretty ballerina" with "a head full of snow" (presumably a metaphor for cocaine use) who is also on the brink of self-destruction, and the "silver surfer" who is trying to ride the wave of life but keeps crashing down with a "belly flop." The chorus repeats the phrase "She's gonna burn, burn, burn/She'll do it again" - a haunting reminder of how easily we can become trapped in destructive cycles of behavior.

The singer of the song (presumably lead singer Michael Aston) also admits to being caught in this cycle of addiction and self-destruction - he sings of "20 killer hurts rushing 'round [his] brain," reminding us that even he is not immune to the lure of these dangerous passions. The final repetition of the chorus is punctuated with the phrase "just like this," as if to say that this cycle will never end - that we will always be burning, consumed by our own intensity. The lyrics, combined with the driving beat and pulsing guitar riffs, create a sense of urgency and desperation that is impossible to ignore.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey big boss man
Addressing someone in power, probably a boss or leader

You're stuck in a groove
You're stuck in a routine and can't get out of it

You're on a roller coaster
You're experiencing highs and lows without much control

You'd better stop
Advice to reconsider current actions

You're gonna burn, burn, burn
If you continue like this, you'll face consequences

You'll do it again
You'll repeat the same mistakes

Pretty ballerina
Referring to someone graceful, probably a dancer

Dance across the floor
Performing a graceful dance

She's got a head full of snow
Referring to someone who's lost in dreams or illusions

What'd you do it for
Questioning motives or actions

She's gonna burn, burn, burn
She'll face consequences for her actions