In late 1968, Chappell and Lovich went to London, England to attend art school. It was there that Lovich first tied her hair into the plaits that later became a visual trademark, though at first she did it to keep her hair out of the clay when studying sculpture. Expressing a variety of artistic interests, she sought to find the best outlets for her work.
Over the following decade, Lovich attended several art schools, busked around the London Underground and appeared in cabaret clubs as an "Oriental" dancer. She also travelled to Spain, where she visited Salvador Dalí in his home. She played acoustic rock music around London, sang in the mass choir of a show called Quintessence at the Royal Albert Hall, played a soldier in Arthur Brown's show, worked as a "go-go" dancer with the Radio One Roadshow, toured Italy with a West Indian soul band, and played saxophone for Bob Flag's Balloon and Banana Band and for an all-girl cabaret trio, The Sensations. She recorded screams for horror films, adapted lyrics for French disco star Cerrone (including the sci-fi dance smash "Supernature," later recorded by Lovich in her own version) and worked with various fringe theatre groups. She was also one of thousands of people in the audience at the 1972 Lanchester Arts Festival when Chuck Berry recorded the risqué "My Ding-a-Ling" for Chess Records. As the audience was encouraged to sing-a-long technically this could be described as her first appearance on record. The record was a No. 1 hit in the U.K. and the U.S.A.
In 1975, Lene joined The Diversions, a funk group that put out five singles and an album on Polydor Records without success. In 1978, disc jockey and author Charlie Gillett presented her to Stiff Records boss, Dave Robinson, who quickly signed her to a contract. Her first single for Stiff was "I Think We're Alone Now", a cover of a song originally performed by Tommy James & The Shondells.
Invited to join the Be Stiff Route 78 Tour on 1978, Lovich quickly recorded her first album for Stiff, Stateless, which spawned the remixed hit singles "Lucky Number" and "Say When." Lovich's musical style combined ethnic influences with then current punk rock and new wave.
Maintaining her long term writing partnership with Les Chappell, Lovich recorded the albums Flex and No-Man's-Land for Stiff over the next few years, as well as an EP titled New Toy, the title cut penned by touring band member Thomas Dolby. She also recorded vocals for the track 'Picnic Boy' by The Residents. Following her departure from Stiff, Lovich released "Don't Kill The Animals," a single with Nina Hagen, with whom she had previously appeared in Cha Cha, a film that also starred Herman Brood; together, the three created the film's soundtrack.
In 1989, after an absence of several years, she recorded the album, March which was only moderately successful and was not released until nearly a year after the album's single "Wonderland" had been issued and become an American dance hit. Lovich continues to perform in much the same style she did back in the 1970s and 1980s, with Les Chappell still at her side. In 2005 she appeared on Hawkwind's Take Me to Your Leader CD, as well as appearing occasionally on stage with them.
Lovich's first album since March, entitled Shadows and Dust received a limited release on Mike Thorne's Stereo Society label on September 13, 2005.
Nightshift
Lene Lovich Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Another shade
Hypnotic waves undulate
From my head inner threads
Get the message once again
It's time to regenerate
Come down—Run down—Turn the world around
Dream pages flip—Memory skips
Across the mind
The Nightshift takes the tension
A rest unwinds
It's such a pleasure working overtime
Many pictures thrill and fade
Into a maze
O what a strange serenade
While the Nightshift is on
Better try to be calm
Till the day reawakes
Come down—Run down—Turn the world around
Dream pages flip—Memory skips
Across the mind
The Nightshift takes the tension
A rest unwinds
It's such a pleasure working overtime
Lene Lovich's "Nightshift" is an ode to the hours of the night when the rest of the world is asleep, and the soul can rest and regenerate. The lyrics convey a sense of release from the troubles of the day as the body and mind slow down, and the hypnotic waves of the night shift take over. The familiar message of the Nightshift that it is time to regenerate signals the beginning of a new phase of rest and relaxation.
The lyrics also convey a sense of uncertainty and disorientation as the dream pages flip, and memory skips across the mind. The Nightshift, with its strange serenade, creates a maze of pictures that thrills and fades into an endless cycle of rest and work.
The chorus of the song follows a pattern of "Slow down—Go down—Let the body drop, Come down—Run down—Turn the world around." This suggests a cyclical pattern of work and rest, and the need for balance in life.
Overall, "Nightshift" is a beautifully written and evocative song that captures the essence of the night shift and the need for rest and regeneration in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
When the day begins to haze
As the day becomes less clear and more hazy
Another shade
An additional layer of obscurity
Hypnotic waves undulate
Mesmerizing movements ebb and flow
From my head inner threads
Inner thoughts within my mind
Get the message once again
Understand the signal once more
It's time to regenerate
It's time to recharge and renew
Slow down—Go down—Let the body drop
Relax and surrender control of the body
Come down—Run down—Turn the world around
Change pace and perspective of the world
Dream pages flip—Memory skips
Unconscious images and memories fluctuate
Across the mind
Within the consciousness
The Nightshift takes the tension
The night shift relieves the stress
A rest unwinds
Relaxation unwinds the tension
It's such a pleasure working overtime
Working extra hours is enjoyable
Many pictures thrill and fade
Numerous images excite and disappear
Into a maze
Into a confusing network
O what a strange serenade
Oh, what a peculiar musical composition
While the Nightshift is on
During the time of working the night shift
Better try to be calm
It's better to attempt to keep calm
Till the day reawakes
Until the day returns in full force
Contributed by Julia P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Chris Olson
Fantastic! Masterpiece! Reviewers crack me up saying this is about work! Ummm...no! It's about sleeping and dreaming!