Human Drama was, in many ways, the personal vehicle for singer/songwriter J… Read Full Bio ↴Human Drama was, in many ways, the personal vehicle for singer/songwriter Johnny Indovina, who guided the band through a variety of lineup changes and stylistic experiments. During their lifespan, Human Drama released a series of recordings built around Indovina's passionate singing and dramatic melodies.

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.

Dying in a Moment of Splendor
Human Drama Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Am a hero
I am an actor
I'm this violent shade of blue
I am newly discovered tension
Still confused by yesterday

I am a hero
On a mission

Staking claims
Yielding none

I am an artist
With a vision
Seeing hell, his destiny

I know the simple sting of a tear
Sends the star crashing to earth

Dying in a moment of splendor
For a moment the glory and the death
Are one the same

I am an actor
So unfeeling
Then a flower
I am crushed

I am a villain
Unstable and anguished
Then an angel, you trust

The heartless echo of memory
Sends the actor whirling twirling
Falling to his knees

Dying in a moment of splendor
For a moment the glory and the death
Are one the same
I am a bubble
Almost to bursting
Swollen by unrelinquishing pride

I am the shrinking

Remains of potential
Never growing as I should

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Human Drama's song "Dying in a Moment of Splendor" reflect on the complexity of the human experience, particularly the duality of strength and vulnerability. The singer describes themselves as a hero, an actor, an artist, and a villain, highlighting the multifaceted nature of identity. The violent shade of blue may represent a turbulent emotional state, while the tension evokes the feeling of being on the brink of some significant change or upheaval. The singer is depicted as being both confident and unsure, ambitious and unfulfilled, moving forward and yet yielding nothing. The mention of seeing hell and destiny together suggests that the singer is reconciling the idea of falling from grace and experiencing a kind of spiritual reckoning.

The singer then transitions to a discussion of death as an integral part of the human experience. The simple sting of a tear, symbolizing emotional pain, is enough to send a star crashing to earth, emphasizing the fragility of life. The idea of dying in a moment of splendor suggests that death can be beautiful and tragic at the same time, a kind of ultimate expression of the human condition. The singer then shifts back to the idea of being an actor, highlighting the idea of being unfeeling and putting on a performance, before being crushed like a flower. This suggests that vulnerability is also a part of the human condition, and that even the strongest among us can be brought low. The mention of memory causing whirling and twirling and a fall to the knees underscores the power of the past to affect the present moment.

Line by Line Meaning

Am a hero
I have a sense of purpose and bravery

I am an actor
I put on a façade to conceal my true self

I'm this violent shade of blue
I am filled with intense emotions and turmoil

I am newly discovered tension
I am still grappling to understand my inner conflicts

Still confused by yesterday
I am struggling to come to terms with my past

On a mission
I have a goal to achieve

Staking claims
I am trying to establish my place in the world

Yielding none
I have not yet succeeded in my endeavors

I am an artist
I have an imaginative and creative mind

With a vision
I have a clear idea of what I want to create

Seeing hell, his destiny
I am aware of the anguish and sorrow in my future