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/
Signals
Information Society Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How can we be friends?
This life with her
It just never ends
She whispers in my ear
Sings my deepest fears
This love affair's been growing for years
You and I
Sang that song
We were against them all
Where did we go wrong?
She sings about the night
She says it's all alright
She never shows herself in the light
She's innocent and free
The Genius of the sea
She's all the World
If we could just see
You and I
Sang that song
We were against them all
Where did we go wrong?
You and I
Sang that song
We were against them all
Where did we go wrong?
I'm the signal that she sends
How can we be friends?
This life with her
It just never ends
She whispers in my ear
Sings my deepest fears
This love affair's been growing for years
You and I
Sang that song
We were against them all
Where did we go wrong?
The song "Signals" by Information Society is a lament on a failed love affair. The singer in the song is lonely and confused about their relationship with someone they can't seem to connect with. The lyrics suggest that the two of them once shared something special together, but over time, they have grown apart. The singer describes themselves as the "signal she sends," suggesting that they are just a conduit for the other person's thoughts and feelings. They struggle to understand why things fell apart when they both felt so much for each other.
The lyrics also touch on the idea of being misunderstood and opposed by others. The singer and their partner once "sang that song" together, but now they feel like they are against "them all." They wonder where they went wrong and why things couldn't have turned out differently. The repeated refrain of "where did we go wrong?" highlights the singer's confusion and sadness.
Overall, "Signals" is a moody, introspective song that grapples with the complexities of love and communication. It highlights the pain of missed connections and the difficulty of maintaining relationships over time.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm the signal that she sends
I am the message that she communicates
How can we be friends?
How can we have a friendly relationship?
This life with her
The day-to-day existence alongside her
It just never ends
It feels like it goes on forever
She whispers in my ear
She speaks softly to me
Sings my deepest fears
Expresses my most profound apprehensions
This love affair's been growing for years
This romance has been evolving for an extended period of time
You and I
The two of us
Sang that song
We performed that melody
We were against them all
We were opposing everyone else
Where did we go wrong?
At what point did our mistakes occur?
She sings about the night
She vocalizes about the evening
She says it's all alright
She declares that everything is fine
She never shows herself in the light
She never reveals herself in the daylight
She's innocent and free
She is guileless and unrestrained
The Genius of the sea
The brilliance of the ocean
She's all the World
She encompasses the entirety of the world
If we could just see
If only we could perceive
Contributed by Alaina E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Сергей Шилов
information society - is. So what is singluarity? hm step by step and bit by bit who are you now individ? It's been a long long way before know can and do met together to convert the album wich should've sounded like a further cleaned up vinyl. The wow smile on the Rego Sen's icon does realy worth it.