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 Silent Dance
Human Drama Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lies in the ruin
Beside passion and sharing
And pieces of my heart
A stuttering heart beat
Finally surrenders
But with its last shallow breath
The silent dance
Of the ghosts we left
Will forever end in each others arms
We can remove what we see
What we feel will never leave
These four walls
A penny for my thoughts
Well the world for an answer
Did you think just by closing the door
We could be still what lives here
The lyrics of Human Drama's "The Silent Dance" are rich with imagery and emotion. The first verse speaks to loss and devastation, with a sign reading "heaven" lying amid ruins. Passion and sharing are also strewn about, along with the pieces of the singer's heart. This suggests that something once beautiful and important has been destroyed, leaving only shattered fragments behind. In the second verse, the heart itself seems to be failing, "stuttering" and "surrendering." Even so, it maintains a kind of defiant strength, "reasoning the struggle" with its last breath. The chorus, meanwhile, portrays a sense of wistful longing: the "silent dance" of the ghosts left behind will end in each other's arms, suggesting that the singer still yearns for a connection that can never be fully realized. Finally, the last verse suggests that closure may not be possible after all. The singer has tried to move on, or at least shut out what haunts them, but it seems that the past will always linger in some way. Asking for a "penny for my thoughts," the singer acknowledges that some questions may never be answered, and that - as the final line suggests - what once lived inside these four walls cannot be easily forgotten.
Line by Line Meaning
A sign reading "heaven"
In the wreckage lay a sign that used to represent the ideal of paradise, together with remnants of my love and affection
Lies in the ruin
The sign remains, however, it's now in wreckage and reduced to ruins
Beside passion and sharing
Amidst these ruins lie the memories and remnants of the passionate connection we shared
And pieces of my heart
Finally, there are remains of my heart, shattered and broken apart
A stuttering heart beat
My heart has struggled to survive amidst this emotional turmoil, expressed through inconsistent rhythms
Finally surrenders
Eventually, it accepts its fate and gives up its fight
But with its last shallow breath
Before its final sigh, it provides perspective and understanding
Reasons the struggle
It acknowledges the reasons for the pain, indicating that the battle was always futile
The silent dance
The ghostly remnants of our relationship constantly haunt and taunt us like a silent dance
Of the ghosts we left
These ghosts are the remnants of our former selves before the relationship fell apart
Will forever end in each others arms
The silent dance of our ghosts is an indication we will always share an eternal bond
We can remove what we see
Despite getting rid of all that symbolizes the relationship, the memories of it will remain
What we feel will never leave
The pain and hurt felt from the relationship will always stay
These four walls
The memories and emotions all reside within the confines of our shared space
A penny for my thoughts
A small price for the many emotions and memories that the shared space contains
Well the world for an answer
Despite such a sacrifice, the questions within still remain unanswered
Did you think just by closing the door
Simply shutting away the shared space will not resolve the emotional turmoil and pain
We could be still what lives here
Although the shared space remains intact, our relationship cannot be revived or relived in this setting
Contributed by Lily M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Fredy Farnackth Éveldan
preciosa preciosa obra de Arte :D amo esta canción !!!
Jennifer Wellings
Still one of my all time favorite songs! One of the bestest bands ever !💙💙💙
Victoria Hidalgo
I love this song too :D
AngelsGR
a perfect song...
karla paez
lyrics?