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.
The Fall
Lene Lovich Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of the army that comes from the east
Burning each village and town
The temple bell sounds the alarm
Invasion x 3
Look out it?s happening right now
Fires on the hillside surrounding the town
Fires and night coming down like a blanket
And fear at the gate
And there¹s nothing to do, but wait
Danger x 3
Look out it?s happening right now
Knock on the door in the night now
Blood on the paving stones, blood on the walls
As the city of wisdom falls
Conquering squadrons march in
With banners the colour of sin
Darkness x 3
Look out it?s happening right now
Knock on the door in the night now
Some old men grab all the books that are in sight
Then escape into the night
Carrying their truth far away
You can see them still running today
Freedom x 3
Look out it¹s happening right now
Knock on the door in the night now
The Fall by Lene Lovich is a song about an invasion. The lyrics describe a group of people gathered at a feast when rumors begin to spread about an army approaching from the East. The invading army is called out for destroying villages and towns, and the temple bell sounds the alarm in response. The first verse lays a foundation for the rest of the song, which describes the events that unfold once the invasion begins.
In the second verse, the lyrics describe the fires that can be seen on the hillside surrounding the town. Fear grows as the night comes down like a blanket. The situation becomes dire as an invader approaches the gate. It is said that there is nothing to do but wait. The third verse describes the horror of the city's fall. Blood is on the walls and paving stones as the invading army arrives with banners, the color of sin.
In the final verse, some old men grab all the books they can find and run away into the night, carrying their truth far away. The song ends on a hopeful note with the word freedom repeated three times. The Fall offers a powerful message about war and the destruction it causes, while also highlighting the human desire for freedom and the lengths people will go to protect it.
Line by Line Meaning
Rumours arrived as they sat at the feast
As they were eating, they heard hearsay about an impending threat.
Of the army that comes from the east
They heard that an army is approaching from the east.
Burning each village and town
The army is destroying every village and town they come across.
The temple bell sounds the alarm
People are warned of the invasion by the sound of a temple bell.
Invasion x3
The army invasion is imminent and threatening.
Look out it's happening right now
The threat they heard earlier is now actually happening at this moment.
Knock on the door in the night now
They are being woken up in the middle of the night by someone knocking on their door.
Fires on the hillside surrounding the town
The army has set fires on the hills surrounding the town.
Fires and night coming down like a blanket
The town is covered in darkness and smoke from the fires.
And fear at the gate
There is fear and panic at the town's gate.
And there's nothing to do, but wait
They are helpless and can only wait for the invasion to happen.
Danger x3
There is danger all around and they are exposed to it.
Blood on the paving stones, blood on the walls
The army has begun invading the town, leaving traces of blood and destruction on the pavements and walls.
As the city of wisdom falls
The town, which was once considered a place of learning and knowledge, is being destroyed by the invaders.
Conquering squadrons march in
The army is marching victoriously into the town.
With banners the colour of sin
The army's banners are dark and symbolize wrongdoing and criminality.
Darkness x3
The town is left in darkness and despair.
Some old men grab all the books that are in sight
A group of elderly men are trying to save the books they can find before the invaders destroy them all.
Then escape into the night
They are running away into the darkness of the night to save the books.
Carrying their truth far away
The books contain knowledge and facts, their truth, which they are trying to save.
You can see them still running today
Even after all this time, the memory of those men running to save knowledge is still alive.
Freedom x3
The men running with the books symbolize the human desire for freedom and the right to knowledge.
Look out it's happening right now
The threat to our freedom and knowledge is always lurking around and can happen again.
Knock on the door in the night now
The importance of vigilance and staying alert to any threats.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LUKE SMITH, YANNICK DIEKENO ILUNGA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind