Their 1993 offering Ever was marked by the return of original singer, Peter Nicholls, and was one of the first of the progressive revival of the '90s. He had previously quit the band in 1985 to be replaced by vocalist Paul (P.L.) Menel, but Nicholls' return was widely welcomed by IQ fans.
They have continued to tour and record but work on a new studio album had been delayed following the departure of keyboardist and founder member Martin Orford after 26 years in the band, however the new album Frequency was released in 2009 and marked a return to the early 80's IQ sound.
2. South Londoner IQ is a fresh-faced 16-year-old-who is putting together his own mix of bashment, grime and rap, mixing the melodic Auto-Tune flow of the likes of Popcaan with some UK grit. Having learnt his trade during a stint in Jamaica with his big brother, dancehall artist QQ, IQ has been delivering a fusion sound that’s unlike anyone else in the UK. His track ‘Tell A Paigon Try’ is a perfect example of the young MC’s talent, with hard skengman lyrics delivered in a melody that could have been one of Justin Bieber’s tropical cut.
Having dealt with some serious drama at a young age (IQ was close to Showkey and M.Dot, both murdered in gang-related beef in 2016), recent interviews have shown him to be an artist mature for his age and looking to focus on music. With plenty of unreleased tracks to drop over coming months, IQ is going to rise rapidly in 2017.
2. An AOR band from Stockholm, Sweden. They started out under the name IQ as a pure hard rock band, but changed their name to Guardian Angels.
Until the End
IQ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where once they failed, now they strike
Endless dreams have fallen through, lie unresolved
One sentence is gone, intentions were wrong
Unravelled the strands, the damage done
Where I stand, the function fails without you there
The cold sideways room, the ring that never breaks
Bride and groom take the empty floor
And they breathe in other fumes, exhumed within that law
Caught on film, they fill their page
And build their own gilded cage
Hounds, cast-off clowns with anxious hands
Compare them there, the perfect pair
And the parasites descend as one
Man and boy alike, a thousand strong
Stand down your defences
In shadows drawn from your future tense
There attends the spectre on the causeway
For this time, I'm not forsaken yet
Live on through me
Forget you ever knew me at all
When I'm reckless and I don't belong
Say again the words that I'm founded on
Shout them out and high
They scrape against the night sky in the startlight
Putting the charlatans and frauds right behind me
Any other day, you'd return and stay by the firelight
Taking again the empty place right beside me
From where you are, bring you back home
Will you stay until the end?
When I'm down upon my knees, will you defend me then?
And wreath my form deep in your velvet arms one last time
Before my heart
sets
you
free
The opening line of "Words spawned from fire scrape across the sky" is a vivid imagery that paints an apocalyptic scene. The line speaks of the rise of something powerful and potentially destructive that was once dormant but now has enough power to cause damage. The following line, "Where once they failed, now they strike," further reinforces the idea of a sudden shift in power and the realization of the potential that was once dormant. The song then shifts to the theme of failed dreams and broken relationships as the line "Endless dreams have fallen through, lie unresolved" speaks of the inability to resolve and complete dreams that were once held.
The second verse uses the metaphor of a wedding to describe a relationship that has failed. The line "Knives so set and ready-made cut the wedding cake" represents the act of cutting the wedding cake as the final act of a wedding, perhaps symbolizing the end of a relationship. The lines "Bride and groom take the empty floor/ And they breathe in other fumes, exhumed within that law" may represent the two people in the failed relationship being alone or with others, still carrying the residual pain and memories of their time together. The final lines of the song, "Will you stay until the end?/ Before my heart sets you free" reveal a plea for someone to stay with the singer until the end, despite there being a realization that the relationship may not last.
Line by Line Meaning
Words spawned from fire scrape across the sky
Fiery words come from the singer and strike everyone around
Where once they failed, now they strike
Words that once had no effect now have impact
Endless dreams have fallen through, lie unresolved
Many dreams have failed and remain unsolved
One sentence is gone, intentions were wrong
An incorrect statement was made which had wrong intentions
Unravelled the strands, the damage done
The plan or situation was stopped causing damage
Where I stand, the function fails without you there
Without a specific person around, things do not work
Knives so set and ready-made cut the wedding cake
Prepared knives cut through the wedding cake
The cold sideways room, the ring that never breaks
A chilly room with a ring that is never removed
Bride and groom take the empty floor
Newlyweds dance alone on the dance floor
And they breathe in other fumes, exhumed within that law
They inhale the intoxicating energy of the other guests at the wedding reception
Caught on film, they fill their page
The wedding is captured on the camera of a videographer or photographer
And build their own gilded cage
The newlyweds isolate themselves by creating a blissful bubble
Hounds, cast-off clowns with anxious hands
Nervous detractors surround the singer
Compare them there, the perfect pair
The detractors try to compare themselves to the singer
And the parasites descend as one
The detractors join forces against the singer
Man and boy alike, a thousand strong
A large collective of people, both young and old, descend upon the artist
Stand down your defences
The artist should lower their defenses
In shadows drawn from your future tense
Looking to and worrying about the future causes darkness and unease
There attends the spectre on the causeway
A scary entity or figure is on the path ahead
For this time, I'm not forsaken yet
The artist has not yet been abandoned
Live on through me
The artist will carry on with the other person's spirit or legacy
Forget you ever knew me at all
The artist will distance themselves from someone they knew
When I'm reckless and I don't belong
If the singer is behaving in a dangerous or reckless way
Say again the words that I'm founded on
Reiterate the artist's core beliefs and values
Shout them out and high
Announce the beliefs as loud as possible
They scrape against the night sky in the starlight
The beliefs are so loud that they can be heard by the stars
Putting the charlatans and frauds right behind me
The singer is leaving behind those who are not authentic or deceitful
Any other day, you'd return and stay by the firelight
If it were any other day, the other person would stay with the artist
Taking again the empty place right beside me
The other person would sit beside the artist in an empty spot
From where you are, bring you back home
The singer wants the other person to come back home from wherever they are
Will you stay until the end?
Will the other person remain close to the singer to the end?
When I'm down upon my knees, will you defend me then?
If the artist is vulnerable or in trouble, will the other person support them?
And wreath my form deep in your velvet arms one last time
Hold me one last time in deep embrace
Before my heart sets you free
Before the artist emotionally separates from the other person
Contributed by Ava Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.