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/
Dancing With Strangers
Information Society Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The songs of lesser men
My sun is going down
Never to rise again
Cold is heart and home
Hollow is the bone
Don't slow down or rest
Got to go and go and go (and go and go-go)
Paralyzed and mute
Staring at the ground
Blind to all the color
Going round and round
Does no one know the plan
Why do we pretend
Who can now withstand
Where now is the end
Crowd of people leaping round the fire
Whirling naked round the funeral pyre
Dropping it all and running looking to the sky
Feeling the body working wishing he could fly
Symbiotic host
Dreaming of being free
Demons of the mind
Stronger than you or me
Ever we seek to fly
Ever we seek to own
Never to know love
And never to be alone
The population swells
Falling on down the well
Only the plaintive cries
Dragging me down to hell
Bitter we trundle on through
The darkness of the day
Everyone loses hope
Everything fades away
Spinning dancing in a thunderstorm
Crashing rending wind to keep her warm
Five who join hands on a crowded street
Screaming up into the sun's bright heat
I got a pin and I'm sticking it in
It's going deep down far through the surface of skin
I got a big, wide smile reaching ear to ear
Got a voodoo doll and I got no fear
Standing on the cliff the wild wind blows
Throwing dollar bills while the howling grows
Walking deep and dark in tunnels underground
Dread and awe from the secrets they've found
The lyrics of "Dancing With Strangers" by Information Society describe the feeling of being disconnected from the world and those around you. The singer feels as though their voice is unheard and their existence is unimportant, which is reflected in the line "The songs of lesser men." The song's tone is melancholic and introspective, as the singer reflects on their own mortality, stating "My sun is going down/Never to rise again."
The second half of the song describes a group of people who are attempting to find meaning and release through primal, almost shamanic practices. The images of people dancing naked around a fire, screaming into the sun, and sticking pins into a voodoo doll are anarchic and intense. The singer seems to suggest that, even though these practices may be meaningless, they are still preferable to the mundane and unfulfilled life that they are currently living.
Overall, the song speaks to the human need for connection and purpose, and the frustration that comes with feeling like one's life lacks those things. The singer is searching for something more than what their current existence offers, even if they don't exactly know what that "something" is.
Line by Line Meaning
No one hears my voice
I'm unheard and unseen
The songs of lesser men
Alone in the cacophony of voices, I feel like I’m listening to the songs of lesser men
My sun is going down
I’m reaching the sunset of my life
Never to rise again
I know there is no way out
Cold is heart and home
I'm living in emotional isolation
Hollow is the bone
It feels like my insides are empty
Don't slow down or rest
I have to keep going, there is no time to rest
Got to go and go and go (and go and go-go)
Life doesn't give me an option to stop
Paralyzed and mute
I'm unable to speak or move
Staring at the ground
I'm helplessly staring downwards
Blind to all the color
I cannot see the colors of life anymore
Going round and round
Life seems like a never-ending cycle of repetition
Does no one know the plan
There seems to be no clear plan or direction in life
Why do we pretend
We continue to pretend everything is fine even when it isn't
Who can now withstand
Who can survive when everything around me is crumbling
Where now is the end
What will ultimately happen at the end
Crowd of people leaping round the fire
People in society are blindly following meaningless traditions
Whirling naked round the funeral pyre
People indulge in mindless funerals and rituals without meaning
Dropping it all and running looking to the sky
People want to escape their mundane lives and find meaning in something else
Feeling the body working wishing he could fly
Wishing for freedom from the physical constraints of life
Symbiotic host
Dependent on other people for growth and survival
Dreaming of being free
Longing for a life of freedom and self-determination
Demons of the mind
Personal challenges that are more difficult than external challenges
Stronger than you or me
These internal issues are almost impossible to overcome
Ever we seek to fly
Human beings are always looking for a way to escape their current circumstances
Ever we seek to own
People are always looking for more tangible things to possess
Never to know love
Some people will never experience true love
And never to be alone
Other people are stuck in relationships where they are unhappy and unfulfilled
The population swells
The population of the world continues to grow unchecked
Falling on down the well
People are descending into hopelessness and despair
Only the plaintive cries
The only response to difficulties is lamentation
Dragging me down to hell
These experiences are taking the artist to a dark and depressing place
Bitter we trundle on through
In spite of all this, people continue to move forward
The darkness of the day
The difficulties seem endless
Everyone loses hope
Many people lose hope in life
Everything fades away
Our experiences and lives are fleeting, and they don’t last forever
Spinning dancing in a thunderstorm
People embracing the chaos and trouble of life
Crashing rending wind to keep her warm
Taking comfort in something that might be seen as destructive
Five who join hands on a crowded street
A group of people coming together for a common cause
Screaming up into the sun's bright heat
Waiting and calling for revelation and justice
I got a pin and I'm sticking it in
A self-destructive act or holding onto something unhealthy or unhelpful
It's going deep down far through the surface of skin
This act is not just surface-deep, but affect deep down on the singer
I got a big, wide smile reaching ear to ear
The singer is hiding true emotions behind a facade of happiness
Got a voodoo doll and I got no fear
The artist is taking control of their own fate
Standing on the cliff the wild wind blows
Feeling like the artist is standing at a point of no return
Throwing dollar bills while the howling grows
Trying to fix something with money, even when it's not enough and the situation keeps getting worse
Walking deep and dark in tunnels underground
The singer is venturing into the unknown, perhaps into dangerous territory
Dread and awe from the secrets they've found
Learning something new, but at a cost, and being affected by the newfound knowledge
Contributed by Lincoln F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.