In October 1978, McCulloch founded Echo & the Bunnymen with Will Sergeant (guitar), Les Pattinson (bass), and a drum machine (allegedly named Echo), making their live début at Eric's in November that year. In October 1979 the Bunnymen exchanged the drum machine for Pete de Freitas on drums. With their line up solidified, the Bunnymen played in the late 1970s and early 1980s, releasing their critically praised debut album, Crocodiles in 1980, and the heavier, bass driven, Heaven up Here in 1981. They released their third album Porcupine in 1983 with the lead single "The Cutter" finishing in the Top 10 of the UK Charts. Ocean Rain followed in 1984.
In 1988, McCulloch left the group to pursue a solo career under the impression the Bunnymen would be laid to rest, if only temporarily. When the remaining Bunnymen continued using the name with new singer Noel Burke, the split became permanent with McCulloch referring to the band as "Echo & the Bogusmen".
In 1990, McCulloch released the album Candleland which reflected a more mature outlook on the world, owing to the recent deaths of McCulloch's father and his friend Pete de Freitas. The album peaked at number 18 in the UK Charts. It yielded two Modern Rock Tracks hits, "Proud To Fall" (No. 1 for 4 weeks) and "Faith and Healing." His album Mysterio was released in 1992, but the public's interest in the former Bunnyman was waning and it sold less than its predecessor. Shortly after, McCulloch left the public eye to devote more time to his family.
McCulloch rekindled his relationship with Will Sergeant, leading to the formation of Electrafixion in 1994. The band released the album Burned which peaked at number 38 in the UK and included the top-30 hit "Sister Pain." The band soon found themselves performing set lists composed of half Electrafixion songs and half Echo & the Bunnymen songs.
In 1997, Echo & the Bunnymen reformed and released the album Evergreen to positive reviews and chart success. Evergreen made the Top 10 of the UK Albums Chart and the single "Nothing Lasts Forever reached No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart.[12] The reformed Bunnymen have since recorded several further albums, the most recent being Meteorites[/abum] which was released in 2014.
Honeydrip
Ian McCulloch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In my body and soul
Stuck in the I can't understand
They're selling me views
Wave my flagpole
Don't need my eyes
Tie my hands
Drip, honey, drip through the night
Drip honeydrip, drip your inner sense
'Cos I'm feeling guilty tonight
Madness comes and then madness goes
Another warship in the night
Know your god, hope Heaven knows
Your wrong from his right
And drip honeydrip, drip your innocence
Drip over me through the night
Drip, honey, drip, drip your inner sense
'Cos I'm feeling guilty tonight
It's Guy Fawlkes night, pistols at dawn
Let's walk upon the misty moors
If luck runs out I'll go and buy some more
Chance for the chancers
Fate for the poor
It's in my mind, in my body and soul
It's in my mind, body and soul
It's in your mind, in your body and soul
It's in your mind, body and soul
It's in our mind, body and soul
It's in our mind, body and soul
The opening lines of "Honeydrip" suggest that the singer is grappling with a paradox of sorts - a desire for understanding coupled with the feeling of being sold an overly simplistic perspective. The lines "Stuck in the I can't understand/They're selling me views" give us a sense of the singer's frustration and confusion. The imagery of waving a flagpole and tying one's hands suggests that the singer is enacting a kind of self-sabotage; they want to assert their own point of view but are holding themselves back.
The chorus - "Drip honeydrip, drip your innocence/Drip, honey, drip through the night/Drip honeydrip, drip your inner sense/'Cos I'm feeling guilty tonight" - seems to be a plea for something pure and innocent to wash over the singer, to absolve them of the guilt they are feeling. The repetition of the word "drip" gives the song a kind of lulling quality, as if the singer is trying to soothe themselves into a trancelike state. The mention of "madness" and "warship" in the second verse suggests a larger, existential conflict that the singer is grappling with - the idea of right and wrong, of God and morality. But again, the repetition of the chorus seems to be a way of pushing aside or escaping from these larger questions, at least temporarily.
Line by Line Meaning
It's in my mind
The idea or thought has penetrated my mind.
In my body and soul
It has also made its way to my body and soul.
Stuck in the I can't understand
It's stuck in my head and I can't seem to make sense of it.
They're selling me views
Others are influencing my thoughts and selling me their views.
Wave my flagpole
I'm showing pride and nationalism in my beliefs.
Don't need my eyes
I don't need to see things clearly to hold on to these beliefs.
Tie my hands
I'm willing to limit my freedoms for the sake of these beliefs.
Drip honeydrip, drip your innocence
Let your pure and wholesome perspectives slowly influence me.
Drip, honey, drip through the night
Continue to slowly and deliberately affect me all night long.
Drip honeydrip, drip your inner sense
Let your gut feelings and intuition influence me through this process.
'Cos I'm feeling guilty tonight
I'm feeling responsible for my thoughts and actions tonight.
Madness comes and then madness goes
Insanity can come and go in waves.
Another warship in the night
Conflict can happen unexpectedly and often without warning.
Know your god, hope Heaven knows
Have a strong connection to your religion or beliefs and hope that it is enough.
Your wrong from his right
It's a subjective issue and depends on your own perception and beliefs.
Drip over me through the night
Keep influencing me throughout the night.
It's Guy Fawlkes night, pistols at dawn
It's a time of festivities, rebellion, and readiness for action.
Let's walk upon the misty moors
Join me on a journey or adventure.
If luck runs out I'll go and buy some more
If things don't work out, I'll keep trying until I get lucky or figure it out.
Chance for the chancers
Opportunity for those who take risks.
Fate for the poor
The disadvantaged have little control over their destiny.
It's in my mind, in my body and soul
This thought or belief has become an integral part of me.
It's in your mind, in your body and soul
It could also be a part of your identity.
It's in our mind, body and soul
It's a shared belief or experience that we all have.
Contributed by Jackson A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.