Shortly after, they recruited their good friend and photographer Glenn Gregory on vocals to complete their lineup for Heaven 17. Contrary to popular belief, they were not 'New Romantics' per se and had different visual characteristics than groups such as Spandau Ballet and the Culture Club. Like The Human League, Heaven 17 heavily used synthesizers and drum machines while taking influence from the minimalist electronica music of the 70s.
They had a few minor hits in their early days, including the song "Play To Win" that featured on the album 'Penthouse and Pavement'. Their debut single '(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang' from the same album attracted some attention, became a left-wing anthem for a while, and was banned by the BBC because of its overtly political lyrics, but it still reached number 45 in the UK singles chart.
Major chart success eluded them until the single 'Temptation' (in which they were augmented by the vocalist Carol Kenyon) reached number 2 in the UK charts in summer 1983. Other songs from the same album, The Luxury Gap, also charted though not as high - 'Come Live With Me' reached number 5 in the UK, 'Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry' reached number 17, and 'Let Me Go', reaching 41 in November 1982. The album itself charted at their best ever position, number four.
At the end of 1983, the band helped re-launch Tina Turner's solo career, producing and providing backing vocals on her debut hit 'Let's Stay Together'. 1984 featured the release of the moderately successful How Men Are, which reached number 12.
The band also worked on the Band Aid single at the end of 1984, with Gregory supplying vocals alongside Midge Ure and Sting. However, they did not perform at Live Aid the following year.
Pleasure One (featuring the single 'Trouble') appeared in 1986 and it was followed up in 1988 with Teddy Bear, Duke & Psycho (featuring the single 'Train Of Love In Motion'). The early 90's were a quiet period for the band and they wouldn't work together as Heaven 17 until 1996's Bigger Than America. In the preceding years, Marsh and Ware produced a second B.E.F. album to 1981's original Music of Quality and Distinction and Gregory formed the band Ugly. Ware became an in-demand producer, working for the likes of Terence Trent D'Arby, Alison Moyet and Erasure. 2005 saw the release of the long-awaited Before After; the album having a much more contemporary dance sound compared to previous albums.
Come Live With Me
Heaven 17 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were seventeen
You were half my age
The youth I'd never seen
Unlikely people meeting in a dream
Heaven only knows the way it should have been
Here today my tomorrow
All that kissing
No passion missing
Come live with me
Kiss the boys goodbye
Dinner parties followed
And all my age implies
My friends began to talk
I began to realise
If half the things they say
Are quarter true of me
Then how can I eclipse the youth
You gave to set me free
There was something in your smile
That was hard to reconcile
The time had come to testify to reason
Though years will not erase
Remembrance of those days
At least there's no submission to hearts treason
Here today my tomorrow
No more shame only sorrow
All that kissing
There's something missing
Come live with me
Kiss the boys goodbye
Now there's nothing left to cry for
And there's nowhere left to go
Just another hopeless fight
But how were we to know
The strong are sometimes wrong
But the weak are never free
The choice we made we can't evade
Don't try to follow me
Here today my tomorrow
No more pain only sorrow
All that kissing
There's something missing
Come live with me
Kiss the boys goodbye
Come live with me
Kiss the boys goodbye
The lyrics to Heaven 17's song "Come Live With Me" are about an older man (37 years old) who falls in love with a much younger woman (17 years old). It explores the taboo nature of their relationship, with the older man feeling conflicted about the age difference and what his friends might think. Despite this, he feels an intense passion for the younger woman and longs for her to come live with him, even if it means saying goodbye to his previous life.
The first verse sets the scene for the rest of the song, with the older man acknowledging the age difference and his own internal conflict about it. The chorus expresses his desire for the younger woman to be with him and the excitement that their relationship brings. The second verse delves deeper into the older man's fears and concerns about their relationship, as he wonders how he can measure up to the youth and energy that the younger woman brings. However, he acknowledges that there is something special between them, despite the societal disapproval.
The bridge of the song is a turning point, where the older man begins to feel a sense of regret and sadness about the situation. He realizes that their relationship isn't sustainable and that it was perhaps a mistake to pursue it in the first place. The final chorus is a bittersweet reflection on their time together, acknowledging that it was passionate but is now coming to an end.
Line by Line Meaning
I was thirty-seven
I was much older than you.
You were seventeen
You were much younger than me.
You were half my age
You were half as old as I was.
The youth I'd never seen
You had a youthful energy that I had never experienced before.
Unlikely people meeting in a dream
We were an unlikely pair who met in a dreamlike state.
Heaven only knows the way it should have been
Only fate knows how our relationship should have turned out.
Here today my tomorrow
I am living for the moment, without thinking about the future.
Where you lead I will follow
I am willing to go wherever you go.
All that kissing
We share a lot of physical affection.
No passion missing
Our love life is still strong.
Come live with me
I want you to come and live with me.
Kiss the boys goodbye
You need to leave your old life behind and come be with me.
Dinner parties followed
We started attending social events together.
And all my age implies
People judged us based on our age difference.
My friends began to talk
My friends started gossiping about us behind our backs.
I began to realise
I started to understand the challenges we would face as a couple.
If half the things they say
If even a fraction of the rumors are true.
Are quarter true of me
Then I have engaged in questionable behavior.
Then how can I eclipse the youth
How can someone as old as me compete with your youthfulness?
You gave to set me free
Your love has liberated me in many ways.
There was something in your smile
There was something unexplainable in your smile.
That was hard to reconcile
It was difficult to accept.
The time had come to testify to reason
It was time to face the reality of our situation.
Though years will not erase
Time will not make me forget.
Remembrance of those days
I still remember those days fondly.
At least there's no submission to hearts treason
At least we were true to each other, even if the relationship ended.
No more shame only sorrow
I am no longer ashamed of our relationship, but I feel sorrow now.
There's something missing
Our love life is not as strong as it used to be.
Now there's nothing left to cry for
There are no more tears to be shed over our relationship.
And there's nowhere left to go
We have nowhere else to turn.
Just another hopeless fight
Our relationship is a losing battle.
But how were we to know
We could not have predicted this outcome.
The strong are sometimes wrong
Even the strongest people can make mistakes.
But the weak are never free
Those who are weak have never had the chance to be free.
The choice we made we can't evade
We are stuck with the choices we have made.
Don't try to follow me
We need to go our separate ways.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GLEN GREGORY, IAN MARSH, MARTYN WARE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@martinenright4312
Those days we will never know again. I feel sorry for the teenagers growing up to the garbage that is churned out every week
@babyblue6743
Ha ha, I was 18 when this was out, and at art college. My dad was in his late 50s at the time and he used to say the same about this music, generations eh. And my best friend had a crush on an older man who lived up the road from the college, and was always referring to this song. Happy days😊.
@rw8733
I was 18 in January 1983. It was such an exciting time to grow up. I'd go back in a heartbeat if I could.
@simonbeattie6042
Same ha ha
@table2.0
Just because new is different and the 80s had a more experimental and story driven style of music doesn’t mean modern music is bad. Both can be good.
@normaryan7717
I would never go back even if I could. The music was good and I can still listen to it and go see the bands along with listening to the new music I like. The music was the only thing I liked back in the 80s and I still have it but apart from that life is an awful lot better now.
@rw8733
What a great time to be young and unafraid. I'd go back in a heartbeat if I could. 😢
@shaunypie99
Yeah, I'm with you on that one. How times have changed...
@user-ko3po8uh2c
Your comment sums it up perfectly ...
@christopherbishop5014
I so agree with you ❤