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/
Tomorrow The World
Information Society Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
what you can do to me
why can't you see
that all this is new to me
the way that i feel
holding you girl
tonight your heart
the words that i speak
seem like so much to me
look in your eyes
there is so much to see
i'll take the eloquence
of your sweet decadence
to hell with the consequence
follow what may
just realize
that this doesn't have to be
beginning in joy
ending in misery
forget the excuses
though words have their uses
the stronger man chooses
to live today
why can't you see
what you can do to me
why can't you see
that all this is new to me
the way that i feel
holding you girl
tonight your heart
tomorrow the world
mem'ries are enemies, far from reality
send them packing
fantasy's fine with me, use up my time with me
i'm just asking
why can't you see
what you can do to me
tonight your heart
tomorrow the world
The lyrics to Information Society’s song “Tomorrow the World” tell the story of a person who has discovered an intense, passionate love for someone else. The first verse asks the question, “Why can’t you see what you can do to me?” This is an appeal to the other person to understand the impact that they are having on the singer’s emotions. The singer has recently fallen in love and is struggling to deal with the intensity of their feelings. They say, “all this is new to me,” indicating that they may not have experienced such emotions before.
As the song continues, we learn that the singer is holding the person they love and feeling their heart beating. The phrase “tonight your heart, tomorrow the world” is repeated throughout the song, suggesting that the love they feel in this moment is so powerful that it could change the course of their world. The singer is overwhelmed by the strength of their emotions, but they are also resolved to pursue this relationship, consequences be damned. “To hell with the consequence, follow what may,” they say, suggesting that they are willing to take risks for the sake of love.
The song ends with a plea for the other person to understand the depth of feelings that the singer has. They say, “why can’t you see what you can do to me, tonight your heart, tomorrow the world.” This could be interpreted as a plea for the other person to reciprocate their feelings, or simply as an acknowledgement that this moment of intense emotion could change everything.
Line by Line Meaning
Why can't you see
The singer is wondering why their partner can't see something important.
what you can do to me
The singer is trying to communicate the impact their partner has on them.
why can't you see
The singer is wondering why their partner doesn't understand that this relationship is new to them.
that all this is new to me
The artist is expressing that they are inexperienced with how they feel about their partner.
the way that i feel
The artist is discussing how their emotions are impacted by their partner.
holding you girl
The singer is physically holding their partner while expressing their emotions.
tonight your heart
The singer is suggesting that they will impact their partner tonight.
tomorrow the world
The artist is suggesting that their relationship has the potential to be influential on a larger scale in the future.
the words that i speak
The artist is discussing the importance of their communication in the relationship.
seem like so much to me
The artist is expressing that their words are not empty, but hold great importance.
look in your eyes
The singer is suggesting that their partner's eyes reveal important truths.
there is so much to see
There is much more to uncover in the relationship than what is currently known.
i'll take the eloquence
The singer wants to be known for their skillful and persuasive way of speaking.
of your sweet decadence
The singer finds their partner's luxurious and self-indulgent qualities attractive.
to hell with the consequence
The singer is willing to take risks for the sake of the relationship.
follow what may
The artist is willing to see where the relationship goes, regardless of the outcome.
just realize
The artist is urging their partner to understand something important.
that this doesn't have to be
The relationship they have can be changed, and there is room for it to evolve.
beginning in joy
The singer is expressing the hope that their relationship will start off positively.
ending in misery
The artist is expressing the fear that their relationship will end negatively.
forget the excuses
The artist is urging their partner to abandon their reasons for avoiding progress in the relationship.
though words have their uses
The artist acknowledges the importance of communication in the relationship.
the stronger man chooses
The singer believes that a strong individual will have the courage to make tough decisions in the relationship.
to live today
The artist is suggesting that they don't want to worry about the future but want to enjoy the moment.
mem'ries are enemies, far from reality
The singer is suggesting that focusing too much on memories can be problematic for a current relationship.
send them packing
The singer wants to let go of the past and focus on the present.
fantasy's fine with me, use up my time with me
The singer is suggesting that they are open to indulging in fantasies and spending time with their partner.
i'm just asking
The artist is making a simple request of their partner.
tonight your heart
The artist is suggesting that tonight their partner will be emotionally invested in them.
tomorrow the world
The singer is suggesting that in the future, they will be impactful on a larger scale outside of the relationship.
Contributed by Maria D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.