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.
The Puzzle
Human Drama Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In silence read
As time stood still
Twenty five years have passed
In patterned lace
You lie before me like life itself
A promise echoed by the tear that stays
The puzzle is complete today
She cast her book of dreams away
An angel flies, all is clear to her now
Though dark to my eyes
I trade forgiveness for the promise kept
Hello forever in her arms
Every step I take
Every sound I hear
Each day I wake
My world is ours
I feel your touch
Your world is mine
The puzzle is complete today
You've cast your book of dreams away
I fought until the chains that bound you
They broke my will
I will swim to you
Far across a river of tears
The first verse of Human Drama's "The Puzzle" describes a moment of introspection and reflection for the singer. They have found someone, perhaps a loved one or an old acquaintance, after 25 years of silence. This person lies before them, still and peaceful, and the singer is struck by the passage of time. The person before them is described as being like life itself, and their presence elicits a powerful emotion in the singer - "a promise echoed by the tear that stays fast forever to my heart."
The second verse brings more clarity to the situation. The person before the singer has "cast [their] book of dreams away". It is unclear exactly what this means, but it seems that the person has let go of something important, perhaps a dream or a hope, and in doing so has reached a state of clarity or enlightenment. An angel flies - again, it is unclear whether this is a literal or symbolic image - and everything is clear to this person. The singer, however, is still in the dark. They trade forgiveness for the promise kept and look forward to being reunited with the person they have found - "hello forever in her arms."
Line by Line Meaning
I found you there
I discovered you in a particular place
In silence read
Without speaking, I observed and understood something
As time stood still
Everything was frozen in time and nothing seemed to move
Twenty five years have passed
A quarter of a century has elapsed
In patterned lace
You were adorned in a fabric with a design
You lie before me like life itself
You are positioned in front of me as if you are everything I need to survive
A promise echoed by the tear that stays
A commitment was made, and it is being reaffirmed by the crying that continues
Fast forever to my heart
It is firmly ingrained in my heart and will remain there for eternity
The puzzle is complete today
The missing pieces have been found, and it all makes sense now
She cast her book of dreams away
She let go of her aspirations and desires
An angel flies, all is clear to her now
She is experiencing a moment of great clarity, which is like an angel soaring through the sky
Though dark to my eyes
Even though I cannot see clearly
I trade forgiveness for the promise kept
I am willing to forgive in exchange for keeping the vow that was made
Hello forever in her arms
The singer is delighted to be embraced by the person they are addressing, and that feeling will last indefinitely
Every step I take
Every time I move forward
Every sound I hear
Every noise that enters my ear
Each day I wake
Every morning I emerge from slumber
My world is ours
The singer and the other person have combined their lives and are sharing everything
I feel your touch
The sensation of the other person's skin on mine is palpable
Your world is mine
They are now a part of the other person's life, and they feel their joys and pains as if it were their own
You've cast your book of dreams away
They have abandoned their aspirations and yearnings
I fought until the chains that bound you
The artist battled to release the chains that had been holding the other person down
They broke my will
In the end, the chains wore down the singer's determination
I will swim to you
Despite this, the artist is still determined to reach the other person, and they will do whatever it takes to get to them
Far across a river of tears
The journey the singer must take is long and arduous, and there will be much sadness along the way
Contributed by Charlie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.