A key influence on industrial rock, their early music was described by critics Stephen Thomas Erlewine and John Dougan as well as industrial metal and "quasi-metal, dancing to a tune of doom and gloom," which gradually evolved over the years, incorporating elements of electronic music, synth-pop, gothic rock, and alternative rock, though always emphasizing Coleman's "savagely strident vocals."
Finding modest commercial success, Killing Joke have influenced many later bands, such as Nirvana, Ministry, Amen, Lamb of God, Nine Inch Nails, Napalm Death, Amebix, Big Black, Godflesh, Tool, Prong, Metallica, Primus, Jane's Addiction, Soundgarden, Foo Fighters, Faith No More, Blacklist, Shihad and Korn, all of whom have at some point cited some debt of gratitude to Killing Joke.
Obsession
Killing Joke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All is one with the multi-nationals
Total monopolies I can sink or swim
Adrenalin is rushing through every action
Whole nations crave for release from the suspense
And I explode in you, my beautiful obsession
Holocausts, invented fantasies
We build the tower, tower falls down
All my dreams come true
Sweet Jesus and Mohamed
Disputes between the boys
Whole nations crave for release from this suspense
And I explode in you, my beautiful obsession
The lyrics of Killing Joke's song "Obsession" are an attack on globalization and the power of multinational corporations. The opening line brings the world's major cities together, then alludes to the fact that they are all influenced and controlled by the same multinational companies. The singer acknowledges that they could "sink or swim" within the system, but the driving force behind their motivation is the rush of adrenaline that they get from every action they take. The pressure builds on whole nations to break free from this system, and the singer finds release through their "beautiful obsession".
The second stanza is more surreal, with the singer claiming to have been dreaming all of their lover's nightmares and "invented fantasies". The tower metaphor is ambiguous but could be a reference to either the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, which angered God by creating a structure to rival heaven itself, or to the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The enigmatic reference to "Sweet Jesus and Mohamed" perhaps alludes to the religious conflicts that arise as a result of this system.
Overall, the lyrics of "Obsession" are a critique of capitalist globalization, with the singer finding release in their partner, who may represent the innocence and purity that is lost in a world driven by commerce and greed.
Line by Line Meaning
London, New York, Paris, Tokyo
Major cities around the world
All is one with the multi-nationals
Everything is owned by large corporations
Total monopolies I can sink or swim
I must succeed or fail in a market monopolized by large corporations
Adrenalin is rushing through every action
I am driven by intense excitement and energy
Whole nations crave for release from the suspense
Countries are in desperate need of liberation from anxiety and tension
And I explode in you, my beautiful obsession
I am consumed by my obsession, which brings me fulfillment and release
I've been dreaming all your nightmares
I have experienced and imagined all the terrible things you fear
Holocausts, invented fantasies
Terrible events and fabricated illusions
We build the tower, tower falls down
We create and destroy our own towers of ambition and achievement
All my dreams come true
My fantasies are realized
Sweet Jesus and Mohamed
Religious figures
Disputes between the boys
Conflicts between men
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: CHRIS COLEMAN, RICHARD LOBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Inside Bilderberg
on Age Of Greed
In this day and age...
Inside Bilderberg
on Love Like Blood
One of my all time favorite songs.