Indovina and Human Drama began their career in New Orleans in the early 80s as The Models, releasing two singles along with compilation appearances. A mid-'80s move to Los Angeles and the discovery of an already existing Australian band also named The Models set the stage for Indovina and company to begin their new incarnation.
The newly renamed Human Drama became a member of the "Scream scene" of the mid-'80s, which sprang up around the short-lived Los Angeles underground goth/metal club that brought Guns N' Roses and Jane's Addiction to the world. Human Drama contributed a song, "Wave of Darkness", to the 1987 Scream Compilation LP, which led to a major label deal with RCA.
1989 saw the release of the debut Hopes Prayers Dreams Heart Soul Mind Love Life Death EP and the full length Feel LP. Both releases featured a electric guitar-oriented approach. Indovina felt that RCA wasn't properly promoting the band, and the band and label parted ways.
Moving to the independent Triple X label, the next Human Drama release was 1992's The World Inside. Stylistically different from the first two releases, Indovina moved Human Drama into a quieter, more strings-based sound. This album is widely regarded as Indovina and Human Drama's most important work. The LP earned the band critical raves and a near fanatical following, especially in Mexico. A solo performance of various cover songs by Indovina at the album's release party predicted the next Human Drama album. Released in 1993, PinUps was an open tribute to David Bowie's album of the same name, a collection of remakes of various sources of inspiration.
A move to New York city accompanied a temporary co-release stint on the Projekt label, resulting in two additional mid-decade releases, 1994's Human Drama EP and 1995's Songs of Betrayal, which was later re-released as two separate discs with additional tracks.
The next Human Drama release would be a live album. 1997's Fourteen Thousand Three Hundred Eighty Four Days Later, featuring many of the early Feel-era songs, along with some new cover song choices.
1999 brought Solemn Sun Setting, which saw a merging of the two "different" Human Drama styles, before the following year's career overview, Best of Human Drama...In a Perfect World.
The final Human Drama album, 2002's Cause and Effect, continuing themes from Solemn Sun Setting, was an unexpected goodbye from Indovina and company, for both the band and their fans.
In 2004, Human Drama recorded their final track, the Beatles "Let It Be", which was given to fans who attended the band's farewell performance in Los Angeles. When asked why he chose "Let It Be" as their final recording Indovina answered, "I strived my entire career to write a song as good as that, but since I couldn't, I decided to record it as a salute to, what is in my opinion, the best song ever written".
Indovina has since moved on with his next project, Sound of the Blue Heart.
Death of an Angel
Human Drama Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shattered pieces fall to earth - Time can never heal
The story is over now, all points have been made
But when you hold out your hand I don't see a thing
Can reach for the stars, but take what you get here
Came December again and all is black
With hands to our mouths, we need food to live
But it's poison's nature to kill if we choose to swallow
Can reach for the stars, but take what you get here
So far
So far, so deep
So deep it burns
I burn until I cry
I cry
I die
The song Death of an Angel by Human Drama is a poignant and emotional track that explores the theme of loss and the aftermath of losing someone important in life. The first line "Death of an angel so beautiful to me" suggests a sense of admiration and awe towards the person who passed away. However, the beauty is shattered, and "shattered pieces fall to earth- Time can never heal" points to the irreversible nature of death and the pain that comes with it.
The second line, "The story is over now, all points have been made", furthers the idea of irreversibility and finality. The phrase "when you hold out your hand I don't see a thing" suggests that the person is now gone, and there is nothing one can do to bring them back. The chorus "Can reach for the stars, but take what you get here" is a reminder that life is unpredictable, and one cannot always get what they want.
The third stanza is an observation of the passage of time and how the world changes around us, but the pain of loss remains constant. The lines "Was last December and all was milky white, came December again and all is black" compare the memories of the past with the present and how the colors have changed. The final lines "I burn until I cry, I cry, I die" captures the emotional torment and suffering that one goes through when they lose someone they love.
Line by Line Meaning
Death of an angel so beautiful to me
The death of an angel, who was beautiful to me, has occurred
Shattered pieces fall to earth - Time can never heal
The angel's death has caused shattered pieces to fall to earth, and time can never heal the damage
The story is over now, all points have been made
The story of the angel has concluded and all of the points have been made
But when you hold out your hand I don't see a thing
When someone holds out their hand, the artist does not see anything offered to them
Can reach for the stars, but take what you get here
One can aim for greatness, but must accept what is given in their current situation
Was last December and all was milky white
In the previous December, everything was bright white and pure
Came December again and all is black
In the current December, everything is dark and grim
With hands to our mouths, we need food to live
People need food to survive, and they often use their hands to eat
But it's poison's nature to kill if we choose to swallow
If we make the choice to consume poison, then it's going to kill us
So far
Thus far
So far, so deep
The situation is both extensive and profound
So deep it burns
The artist's feelings run so deep that they feel as if they are burning internally
I burn until I cry
The singer feels such intense pain that they burn internally and cry
I cry
The singer is shedding tears due to intense pain
I die
The painful experience is so intense that the singer feels like they are dying
Contributed by Alice S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.