MacColl began her career in the late 1970s UK punk rock scene, singing backing vocals for Drug Addix. Her UK hits included the 1981 single "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis", a cover of Billy Bragg's "A New England" in 1985, a duet with Shane MacGowan of The Pogues on "Fairytale of New York" in 1987, and a cover of The Kinks' song "Days" in 1989. She was probably most recognizable in the United States as the writer of "They Don't Know" a hit in 1979.
After a break from the music industry for much of the 1990s, several trips to Cuba and Brazil restored MacColl's creative muse, and the world music-inspired (particularly Cuban and other Latin American forms) Tropical Brainstorm, often described as her finest work, was released in 2000.
On 18 December 2000, while swimming in a restricted diving area with her family on a holiday in Cozumel, she was killed in a collision with a powerboat while managing to drag her son out of its path. The boat was owned by Mexican supermarket millionaire Guillermo González Nova (owner of Comercial Mexicana), who was on board with several members of his family. A boathand, José Cen Yam, claimed to have been driving the boat and was found guilty of culpable homicide and, under Mexican law, allowed to pay a fine of 1034 pesos (about USD 90) in lieu of a prison sentence of that many days. However, eyewitnesses contradict Cen Yam's claim to have been driving and also González Nova's claim that the boat was travelling at a speed of only one knot. MacColl's family are campaigning for a judicial review into the events surrounding her death, including an application to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The BBC has featured on several of its channels a documentary by Olivia Lichtenstein, entitled Who Killed Kirsty MacColl?
In 2001, a bench was placed by the southern entrance to London's Soho Square as a memorial to her, after a lyric from one of her most poignant songs: "One day I'll be waiting there/ No empty bench inSoho Square.
Golden Heart
Kirsty MacColl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turn to stone now
Won't someone free me
Love me or need me
Surrounded by lovers I stand apart
Won't someone hold me
When I am lonely
Let the sun shine on my golden heart
I'm still praying
Venus made me
Eros betrayed me
Instead of love's arrow
He used a poison dart
So if you could love me
Take good care of me
You'd take this spell off my golden heart
I used to dance and
I knew romance till
A dagger of glass tore my world apart
But if you could hold me
When I am lonely
I'd love you back with a golden heart
The lyrics of Kirsty MacColl's "Golden Heart" are poignant and express the deep pain and loneliness of the singer. The opening lines of the song, "I'm so alone now, Turn to stone now," show how the singer is struggling with emotional pain and has become like a stone that can neither feel nor express emotions. She craves for someone to free her from this emotional entrapment and to love her or need her. However, even though she is surrounded by lovers, she still stands apart, longing for someone to hold her when she is lonely.
The lyrics suggest that the singer has been deeply hurt in the past, "Instead of love's arrow, He used a poison dart." Despite this, she still hopes that someone would take good care of her and love her back with a golden heart. The bridge expresses how the singer used to dance and knew romance until a dagger of glass tore her world apart. The glass dagger is a metaphor for a traumatic experience that shattered the singer's world and left her emotionally crippled. Still, if someone can hold her and love her back, she could love them back with a golden heart.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm so alone now
I feel extremely lonely and isolated.
Turn to stone now
I have become emotionally numb and unresponsive due to loneliness.
Won't someone free me
I am desperately seeking for someone to help me escape from this painful loneliness.
Love me or need me
I want someone to truly care about me and be there for me, either as a lover or simply as someone who needs me.
Surrounded by lovers I stand apart
Although I am surrounded by people who are in love, I feel like I am standing apart from them, unable to connect.
Won't someone hold me
I crave the physical and emotional comfort of someone holding me, to help me feel less alone.
When I am lonely
I become particularly overwhelmed by loneliness in times when I am by myself.
Let the sun shine on my golden heart
I hope for a brighter future, where I can experience happiness and joy with someone who truly cares about me.
Music's playing
There is music playing in the background, creating a somber and melancholy atmosphere.
I'm still praying
I am hopeful that things will get better, and I am praying for a change to come.
Venus made me
In mythology, Venus is the goddess of love, indicating that the singer believes that she was born to love and be loved.
Eros betrayed me
Eros is the god of love in mythology, and the artist feels that love has betrayed her, causing her to be alone and in pain.
Instead of love's arrow
The singer is emphasizing that instead of receiving true and pure love, she has instead been hurt by it.
He used a poison dart
The singer has been hurt so badly by love that the result feels like a poison that has taken over her life.
So if you could love me
The singer is reaching out to someone, expressing her desire for someone to truly love her.
Take good care of me
The artist is pleading with someone to take good care of her, and not to hurt her like she has been hurt before.
You'd take this spell off my golden heart
If someone truly loves her and takes care of her, it will break the spell of loneliness and pain that has been weighing on her heart for so long.
I used to dance and
The singer is reminiscing about a time when she used to enjoy dancing and being in love.
I knew romance till
The singer used to experience romantic love in her life, and remembers it fondly.
A dagger of glass tore my world apart
The artist has had a painful and traumatic experience that has shattered her world and left her feeling broken.
But if you could hold me
The artist is holding out hope that someone can help her heal from her past experiences and give her the love and comfort she needs.
I'd love you back with a golden heart
If someone were to give her love and affection, she would reciprocate with a heart full of love and happiness.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
KT Kee
What a loss.