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.
Wish You Were Here
Human Drama Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?
How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have you found? The same old fears.
Wish you were here.
Human Drama's song "Wish You Were Here" features lyrics that evoke a sense of longing and nostalgia for someone who is no longer present. The opening lines suggest a profound existential question - can we distinguish between heaven and hell, pleasure and pain, the natural world and man-made constructs? The imagery of a green field versus a cold steel rail or a smile versus a veil highlights the idea that our perceptions can be deceiving and that reality can be elusive.
The following lines add another layer to the song's meaning, asking if we have given up our true values and aspirations for fleeting and illusory gains. The metaphors of trading heroes for ghosts or hot ashes for trees underline the theme of loss and disappointment. The following lines suggest a sense of regret and self-doubt, as the singer wonders if they have settled for comfort instead of meaningful change, and if they have lost their sense of purpose in the process.
The chorus, "how I wish, how I wish you were here", amplifies the sense of longing and loss, as the singer yearns for the presence of someone who is no longer with them. The final lines of the song, "we're just two lost souls swimming in a fishbowl, year after year, running over the same old ground. What have you found? The same old fears. Wish you were here", speak to the universal experience of feeling trapped and stagnant, and the desperation for something or someone to break the cycle and bring a sense of purpose or direction.
Overall, Human Drama's "Wish You Were Here" is a poignant meditation on the human condition, exploring themes of loss, regret, and longing, and underscoring the transient nature of existence.
Line by Line Meaning
So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell,
You believe you understand the clear distinction between good and evil.
Blue skies from pain.
Can you differentiate the apparent joy of happiness from the gloom of sadness?
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?
Can you differentiate between something natural and beautiful like a green meadow and something industrial and harsh like a steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Can you differentiate between genuine emotion and someone hiding behind a façade?
Do you think you can tell?
But really, what do you know?
And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Did society convince you to forget about your true inspirations and pursue meaningless things?
Hot ashes for trees?
Have you settled for less valuable things in life despite losing something valuable in the process?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Have you given up on the comfort of something reliable and trustworthy for something that deceives you?
Cold comfort for change?
Are you willing to accept a small achievement or a little relief instead of striving for a significant improvement or a transformation?
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?
Did you give up the chance to fight for a cause for the sake of gaining personal glory, but end up feeling trapped in a meaningless life?
How I wish, how I wish you were here.
I deeply desire your presence, your guidance, and your support in times of uncertainty and confusion.
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,
Just like two fish in a tank, we are trapped in a small world, moving in circles without any sense of direction or purpose.
Running over the same old ground.
We repeat the same mistakes and face the same challenges without making any progress or learning anything new.
What have you found?
What have you discovered in your journey of life? What is the meaning or purpose of all this repetitive struggle?
The same old fears.
Despite all the experiences and lessons, we still harbor the same fears and insecurities that hold us back from growth and fulfillment.
Wish you were here.
I miss your presence and your influence in my life. I want to share my journey with you and learn from you.
Contributed by Alexandra K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.