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.
Who by Fire
Human Drama Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who in the sunshine,
And who in the night time,
Who by high ordeal,
Who by common trial,
Who in your merry merry month of may,
Who by very slow decay,
And who shall I say is calling?
And who in her lonely slip,
Who by barbiturate,
Who in these realms of love,
And who by something blunt,
And who by avalanche, and who by powder,
Who for his greed,
And who for his hunger,
And who shall I say is calling?
And who by brave assent,
Who by accident,
Who in solitude,
And who in this mirror,
Who by his lady's command,
And who by his own hand,
Who in mortal chains,
And who in power,
And who shall I say is calling?
The song "Who by Fire" by Human Drama presents a deep contemplation of life and death, and how uncertainty constantly lingers in the background of our existence. The lyrics display different ways in which people may meet their end; some by natural causes such as water, or slow decay, and others by harsher means like high ordeal, avalanche, or power. The song seems to suggest that death is always lurking, and we cannot avoid it.
The refrain, "And who shall I say is calling?" adds to the mystique of the lyrics, with the singer seemingly questioning who has control over our fate. The song might be interpreted as having a religious or spiritual undercurrent, with references to mortal chains, solitude, and lady's command, among others. It could also be interpreted as a reflection on our human condition and the need to make the most of our finite existence while we still can.
Line by Line Meaning
And who by fire, who by water,
Who will meet their fate by burning and who will be consumed by the water,
Who in the sunshine,
Who will meet their fate in the broad daylight, under no cover of darkness
And who in the night time,
Who will meet their fate at night, under the cloak of darkness
Who by high ordeal,
Who will have to face a great difficulty or challenge in order to survive
Who by common trial,
Who will meet their fate by going through a common difficulty that many others have faced before
Who in your merry merry month of may,
Who will meet their fate in the joyful month of May, during a time of celebration
Who by very slow decay,
Who will slowly decay over time before meeting their fate
And who shall I say is calling?
Who is responsible for all of this?
And who in her lonely slip,
Who will meet their fate while alone, in their private space
Who by barbiturate,
Who will meet their fate by using a type of medication that can cause unconsciousness or death
Who in these realms of love,
Who will meet their fate in the world of love, perhaps due to a broken heart
And who by something blunt,
Who will meet their fate by something that is not sharp or pointed
And who by avalanche, and who by powder,
Who will meet their fate by being trapped in an avalanche or by inhaling harmful substances
Who for his greed,
Who will meet their fate due to their own greed
And who for his hunger,
Who will meet their fate because of their basic need for food
Who shall I say is calling?
Who is the one responsible for all of these different types of deaths?
And who by brave assent,
Who will meet their fate by bravely accepting their destiny
Who by accident,
Who will meet their fate by a random, unexpected occurrence
Who in solitude,
Who will meet their fate alone, without anyone else around
And who in this mirror,
Who will meet their fate while looking at themselves in a mirror
Who by his lady's command,
Who will meet their fate by obeying a woman's orders
Who by his own hand,
Who will meet their fate by their own actions or decisions
Who in mortal chains,
Who will meet their fate while being chained and unable to escape
And who in power,
Who will meet their fate despite having power and authority
Who shall I say is calling?
Who is behind all of these different ways of meeting one's fate?
Contributed by Josiah Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.