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/
White Roses 1.0
Information Society Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do you feel like nothing
Do you feel like you're wasting your time
Can you stand sunlight
Do you feel too much
How will you know when you're broken
Comes back this time each day
And you know if you live a thousand years in silence
You'll still feel this way
Can you see home
Can you see tomorrow
Can you see the sun anymore
Do you walk the world
Waiting to be discovered
Do you want
What they said you can never have
And you know that her tears were taken
And cooked up for the queen
But you will never find her now
She's gone and her trail is far too clean
And every single moment feels like everything is wrong
And everything around you says that this is not your home
And everybody else just seems to be already there
And you can't get from here to there
Without some sort of help you've never seen
It's the white roses
It's a spinning sky
It's a field with the sun in your eyes
And do you ask yourself for help
To get you through the day
And when you're on the street you find
The world's moving away
Spend all day under water
Spend all night curled in a ball
And when you're all alone what reason
Can you see for trying at all
The song 'White Roses 1.0' by Information Society speaks about the feelings of helplessness and isolation that one may experience when they are struggling through life. The song talks about feeling small and like nothing, wasting time, and feeling broken. The lyrics suggest that even though one may try to overcome their fears and struggles, the feelings of despair and hopelessness return to haunt them each day. The singer questions whether the listener can see home, tomorrow or the sun anymore, indicating a sense of disorientation and disconnection from reality.
The chorus of the song features the line "It's the white roses, it's a spinning sky, it's a field with the sun in your eyes", which may signify a moment of clarity or emotional release. However, the following verses quickly return to a sense of despair, with the singer asking if the listener asks themselves for help to get through the day.
Overall, 'White Roses 1.0' is a poignant song that addresses the emotional turmoil that one may experience during difficult times. The song acknowledges that these feelings are persistent and difficult to escape but suggests that moments of clarity can still be found amidst the turmoil.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you feel small
Do you feel insignificant and unimportant in this world?
Do you feel like nothing
Do you feel like you have no worth or value?
Do you feel like you're wasting your time
Do you feel like the efforts you put in do not yield any results?
Can you stand sunlight
Can you handle the brightness and hopefulness in life?
Do you feel too much
Do you get overwhelmed by emotions?
How will you know when you're broken
How will you realize that you have reached a point of breaking down?
But you know that the fear you feel
Despite the fear you have, you know it will come back regularly
Comes back this time each day
The fear returns at a specific time each day
And you know if you live a thousand years in silence
Even if you live for centuries in isolation, the fear will still persist
You'll still feel this way
You will continue to feel the same emotions, regardless of circumstances
Can you see home
Do you have a place you can call home or feel attached to?
Can you see tomorrow
Do you have something to look forward to, especially in the future?
Can you see the sun anymore
Do you fail to see the light and positivity in life?
Do you walk the world
Do you go through life unnoticed and unacknowledged?
Waiting to be discovered
Do you hope to be recognized or found?
Do you want
Do you aspire for something?
What they said you can never have
Do you desire something that someone told you is unattainable?
And you know that her tears were taken
You are aware that someone's pain was exploited
And cooked up for the queen
Their pain was used to benefit someone who rules over them
But you will never find her now
The person who suffered is gone forever
She's gone and her trail is far too clean
There is no trace or evidence of what happened to that person
And every single moment feels like everything is wrong
You feel like nothing is going right in every moment of your life
And everything around you says that this is not your home
You feel like you do not belong in the place you currently are in
And everybody else just seems to be already there
Everyone else seems to have already reached where you want to be
And you can't get from here to there
You find it impossible to reach your destination from your current state
Without some sort of help you've never seen
You need help that is not available to you right now
It's the white roses
White roses serve as a symbol or metaphor for something
It's a spinning sky
The world around you seems to be moving and changing rapidly
It's a field with the sun in your eyes
The bright future is within your reach, but it blinds you with its overwhelming light
And do you ask yourself for help
Do you rely on just yourself in times of crises?
To get you through the day
To help you face the challenges of life every day
And when you're on the street you find
When you are out in the open, you notice something different
The world's moving away
The world is distancing itself from you
Spend all day under water
You are overwhelmed and suffocated by your troubles
Spend all night curled in a ball
You are consumed by sadness and depression
And when you're all alone what reason
When you have no one with you, what is the point?
Can you see for trying at all
Do you even have a motivation to keep going?
Contributed by Aubrey G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.