Over their career, the group has been very influential on American electropop and freestyle artists from both their music and their strident, colorful visuals, being best known for their 1988 self-titled album. The band was formed in Minneapolis in the early 80s, and they performed avant-garde electronic music with flourishes of hip-hop. In 1983, they independently released two albums, 'The InSoc EP' and 'Creatures Of Influence'. Two years later, they released "Running", their first single, which became a hit popular in New York City's Latino nightclubs and "put them on the map". That song, a 7-minute effort that touched on contemporary techno, was written and sung by Murat Konar, who left the band soon after. Their growing success led them from their native Minneapolis to NYC, and the ensuing revenues and contacts, as well as the addition of Amanda Kramer to the lineup, led them to record their proper debut album.
Their first major release album. 1988's 'Information Society', received critical acclaim, giving the group breakout commercial success as the album hiked up to #25 on the Billboard 200. In addition to "What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)" (which hit #3 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart), the album also had other hits in "Walking Away" (#9 on that chart) and a cover of ABBA's "Lay All Your Love On Me" (#12 on the Hot Dance Music chart). The disc was one of the few to use CD+G, which included digital graphics on the compact disc version in addition to the music. The audio samples from Star Trek were authorized for use on the album partially thanks to the efforts of Adam Nimoy, a fan of the band and son of Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy.
The second release, Hack (1990), wasn't as successful, but had small hits with Think and How Long but still managed to sell quite well in the fall of 1990.
Kurt was also the owner of the heavily-modified The Road Warrior-inspired art car named "Vector" featured on the cover of Hack. The car sported a functioning ranging laser, among other unusual features. Vector was eventually given to a friend at Burning Man in the mid-1990s.
The third release, Peace & Love, Inc. (1992), proved to be more powerful and critically acclaimed, although their label failed to do much to promote them. Their first single Peace & Love, Inc. reached #1 on the 'Billboard Dance Chart'. A music video was produced for the track, but MTV declined to play it. The album is also notable for being perhaps the first album ever produced to contain a track of modem tones, which when played into a telephone connected to a computer resulted in a bonus text message from the band.
The fourth album, Don't Be Afraid (1997), written and performed by Kurt Harland alone and produced by Steven Seibold, was more industrial-driven. Cleopatra Records released the album, but - like Tommy Boy Records - did little to promote it. Harland's love of computer-related materials continued to be evident, as the album included a CD-ROM filled with bonus material, not yet a common occurrence in 1997.
There was also a carefully-orchestrated digital scavenger hunt culminating in the discovery of a bonus track called White Roses. The scavenger hunt began with decoding a modem's signal recorded at the end of the audio CD, resulting in a text message from Kurt which pointed the way to a website where the search began. There is also a cover included of Gary Numan's Are 'Friends' Electric?. Also included is Ozar Midrashim, a track which was later used as the main theme for the videogame Legacy of Kain - Soul Reaver.
During the course of those four albums and about a dozen remix singles from them, Information Society's sound went from more electronic pop music to a darker industrial type, though they will always be remembered for their first hit song and the cardboard guitars they wielded in its music video.
However, in 2006 Paul Robb and James Cassidy announced their intention to re-form Information Society, and began working on a new album. They also performed live at several venues across the US with Christopher Anton as lead vocalist. The Ep "Oscillator" was released in early 2007 followed by the album Synthesizer in late 2007. Christopher Anton provided the vocals on Oscillator, and Synthesizer and was the co-writer on several of the tracks as well.
http://informationsociety.us/
Back In The Day
Information Society Lyrics
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I feel the same emotions
Stop in where we used to meet
To share our endless hoping
The ghosts here, they don't care
This place is dead and lifeless
What was it, you asked me
But I remember how it used to be
Before we walked away
The world is not a match for you and me
No matter what we used to say
If only we were smart enough to see
That we were truly free
Back in the day
Seeking what cannot be found
A fading echo of you
Flashing pictures with no sound
My only image of you
The twilight has questions
And whispers vague suggestions
A curtain is falling
Obscuring old connections
I remember how it used to be
Before we walked away
The world is not a match for you and me
No matter what we used to say
If only we were smart enough to see
That we were truly free
Back in the day
The song "Back in the Day" by Information Society is a nostalgic reflection on past memories with an old friend or lover. The song's speaker takes a walk down "that same old street" and feels "the same emotions." They stop in a place where they used to meet and "share our endless hoping," but they find the place lifeless and deserted, inhabited only by ghosts who don't care. The singer can't remember what they talked about in that place, but they remember how it used to be before they walked away. They also realize that they were truly free back then, but they didn't appreciate it at the time.
The second verse of the song focuses more on the singer's personal longing for someone they can no longer have. They seek "what cannot be found," a fading echo of the person they remember. They have no sound but flashing images of the person in their mind. The twilight has questions and whispers vague suggestions about the past, but a curtain is falling, obscuring old connections.
Overall, the song seems to be about the pain of growing up and leaving behind the past, both good and bad. It's about recognizing the freedom and possibilities of youth only in retrospect, and mourning the loss of something important that is long gone.
Line by Line Meaning
Walking down that same old street
Strolling down this familiar street
I feel the same emotions
I am experiencing the identical feelings
Stop in where we used to meet
Pay a visit to the place we used to convene
To share our endless hoping
To exchange our perpetual yearning
The ghosts here, they don't care
The apparitions here are indifferent
This place is dead and lifeless
This location is dreary and lackluster
What was it, you asked me
What did you inquire about, do you recall?
Somehow I can't recall
Although, I am unable to recollect
But I remember how it used to be
However, I recollect how it was
Before we walked away
Prior to our departure
The world is not a match for you and me
The universe is not fit for us
No matter what we used to say
Regardless of what we used to profess
If only we were smart enough to see
If only we were astute enough to perceive
That we were truly free
That we were genuinely liberated
Back in the day
In the past
Seeking what cannot be found
In pursuit of that which is elusive
A fading echo of you
A faint remnant of you
Flashing pictures with no sound
Flashing images that are devoid of noise
My only image of you
The sole picture I have of you
The twilight has questions
Dusk poses questions
And whispers vague suggestions
And murmurs ambiguous implications
A curtain is falling
A veil is descending
Obscuring old connections
Concealing previous associations
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAUL ROBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind