Their second album, 1984’s What Noise? reflected the experimental vibe of Naked, and was not received well commercially. It did spawn two singles, “The Other Side of Heaven” and “Radio On,” but neither found success, and the band (with coaxing from label Magnet) developed a more polished, conventional sound for their third album. They shortened their name to KTP and began having hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. The most successful was "Certain Things Are Likely," which spent three weeks at #1 in 1987. That song also became their second Hot 100 entry when it peaked at #97 later that year. From the same album "One Step" was the biggest selling single in Italy that year. When they were given an award on an Italian television show they mistook it for an ashtray.
During the late 1980s their music became even more club friendly and by the end of the decade they had recorded several albums'worth of music that broke new ground in up and coming dance genres. While their pursuit of the avant garde through experiments with form, sound, and equipment, pushed their music into many new areas, the neo-pagan rave scene of 90s Britain also gave their lyrics a mystical flavour, with such sessions as the Ascendant Masters, Jon Hall's Techno-Shamnic Ritual, and the Dalai Lama tracks, using synthesizers and filters along with frequently furious rhthyms to hypnotise the listener.
In the mid 2010s, KTP released a couple albums on Bandcamp. They also performed at W Fest in 2021 and announced that they were working on a new LP slated for a January 2023 release to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Naked.
Desert Song
Kissing The Pink Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Across the desert floor
In the eyes of a soldier
And his private law
Red hot the sun burns
Across the desert floor
*Got to fight some more*
Crash of thunder
Through the evening dust
Sheet light & smoulder
The desert lust
Laughing the souldier
He fights for us
Got to fight for us
Fighting for the sun
Fighting - for the sun
Shouts of glory
From the desert sand
Scream of the soldier
From another land
Red hot the sun burns
Across the desert floor
*Got to fight some more*
*Got to fight some more*
Fighting
Fighting
Fighting for the sun
Fighting
Fighting
For the sun
For the sun
For the sun
*Got to fight some more*
*Got to fight some more*
The lyrics of Kissing The Pink’s song “Desert Song” tell a tale of a soldier fighting in the scorching desert under the blazing hot sun. The opening line “Line stood firm, across the desert floor, in the eyes of a soldier, and his private law” could signify the unwavering commitment of the soldier to his duty, and his determination to protect his nation in the harshest of conditions. The following line “Red hot the sun burns, across the desert floor” sets the tone for the overarching theme of the song which is the soldier’s fight against nature itself, apart from his fight against the enemy.
The repeated chorus “Got to fight some more” could represent the never-ending cycle of battles and violence that have been prevailing since the beginning of time, as well as the soldiers’ forceful manifestation of patriotism, urging them to keep fighting until they emerge victorious. The line “Fighting for the sun” could be interpreted in myriad ways, as it could represent the symbolic or literal fight against the sun, which could be a metaphor for a higher or intangible entity, or could mean something more literal such as the heat rays that the soldier has to endure, on his strenuous journey.
Overall, the lyrics of Desert Song symbolize the hardships and struggles that soldiers face while fighting for their country, and are expressed in a unique and poetic manner.
Line by Line Meaning
Line stood firm
The soldier stood resolutely and unwaveringly, determined to succeed against all odds.
Across the desert floor
In the vast and barren expanse of the desert.
In the eyes of a soldier
As seen through the unwavering gaze of a warrior.
And his private law
With his own personal code of honor and duty.
Red hot the sun burns
The blazing sun beats down relentlessly upon the parched and barren landscape.
Crash of thunder
The sudden roar of thunder echoes through the desert, as if signaling the start of a battle.
Through the evening dust
As night begins to fall and the dust of the desert swirls and dances in the darkness.
Sheet light & smoulder
Lightning flashes across the sky, illuminating the smoldering ruins of a battlefield littered with the bones of the fallen.
The desert lust
The passion and zeal with which soldiers on both sides fight for control of the barren wasteland.
Laughing the souldier
The warrior roars with laughter as he charges into battle, fearless and unrelenting.
He fights for us
He is driven by a sense of duty and loyalty to his comrades-in-arms, willing to make any sacrifice necessary to achieve victory.
Fighting for the sun
The soldiers fight for control of the desert, with the blazing sun as their only witness and judge.
Fighting - for the sun
They fight with all their might, struggling to claim the barren expanse as their own.
Shouts of glory
From both sides, the warriors cry out in triumph and ecstasy as they gain the upper hand in the battle.
From the desert sand
Their voices are carried across the windswept dunes, ringing out over the wasteland.
Scream of the soldier
The anguished cry of a wounded warrior echoes through the desert, a testament to the horrors of war.
From another land
An outsider, a foreigner fighting in a place far from home, struggling to survive in a hostile and unfamiliar environment.
Fighting
In the heat of battle, with their lives on the line and everything at stake.
For the sun
In an endless struggle for control of the barren wasteland, with the blazing sun as their only true witness.
Got to fight some more
Despite the exhaustion and pain, despite the terrible cost both sides have already paid, the battle rages on, with no end in sight.
For the sun
As the sun sets over the desert, the warriors continue to fight, unwilling to give up until they have emerged victorious.
For the sun
Because in this unforgiving landscape, the only way to survive is to fight and conquer, to claim the desert and the sun that beats down upon it as one's own.
Got to fight some more
Always, always they must fight on, for that is the only way to survive in the desert, the only way to emerge triumphant over the hostile wasteland and its many dangers.
Writer(s): Nicholas Whitecross, Stephen Cusack, Jon Kingsley Hall, Peter George Stewart, Josephine Wells, Peter Barnett
Contributed by Peyton A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@karlchensam
Line stood firm
Across the desert floor
In the eyes of a soldier
And his private law
Red hot the sun burns
Across the desert floor
Got to fight some more
Got to fight some more
Crash of thunder
Through the evening dust
Sheet light & smoulder
The desert lust
Laughing the soldier
He fights for us
Got to fight for us
Fighting for the sun
Fighting - for the sun
Shouts of glory
From the desert sand
Scream of the soldier
From another land
Red hot the sun burns
Across the desert floor
Got to fight some more
Got to fight some more
Fighting
Fighting
Fighting for the sun
Fighting
Fighting
For the sun
For the sun
For the sun
Got to fight some more
Got to fight some more
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Peter George Stewart / Jon Kingsley Hall / Josephine Wells / Stephen Cusack / Peter Barnett / Nicholas Whitecross
Desert Song lyrics © David Platz Music, Bucks Music
@markriva4259
Boy we had it good in the early '80's.
@ajs41
I'm never quite sure whether 1983 counts as early 80s or mid 80s. Pedantic point.
@lewisridgway406
Always rated this band
@kelvinredward3013
Have not heard this song for years, the passion still remains, the vocals and the band do it total justice 🙌
@ajs41
Very Mike Oldfield-like. Which is a good thing.
@wmhamby
Excellent. I have been listening to my cassette for over 30 years. At least I can get this online now. Best KTP song!
@rubberplantsandwich
this is up there in my top ten songs all time.
@christopheradderley45
My goodness. I am not alone. Thanks
@thethoughtcriminalsuk
Cheers for uploading this. Song was well ahead of its time..
@ingobund730
NeVeR ever heard this song b4 last yr or mayB '21. 1st thing i've heard o' 'em was Certain things....but this one's even better. A jewel! Although i liked Ctal as well.
But no wonder, it wasn't released in '83, as i've found out now. But it better should have, love this! Would have been a hit 4 sure....ahead of its time!!!
Wish there could b a 12" version!
And nice pic btw.