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.
You Can't Kill Me
Lene Lovich Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can't kill me, you can't kill me
You can't kill me, you can't kill me
You can blow me up with an atom bomb
But I'll be right back and it wont take long
I can't kill you, I can't kill you
If I shoot you down as a mean old man
You'll be coming to a bade me in Japan
You can't kill me, you can't kill me
You can't kill me
A driver of a flesh machine, is what you really are.
(really are)
A you can't stop a rebel just by smashing up his car
We can't kill we, we can't kill we
We can't kill we, we can't kill we
Since we'll both be here again, we might as well try being friends
We can't kill we
The lyrics to Lene Lovich's "You Can't Kill Me" portray the resilience of the human spirit and the refusal to be defeated, no matter the circumstances. The repetition of the phrase "you can't kill me" emphasizes the determination to survive and overcome any obstacle. The first verse describes the potential destruction of an atom bomb, yet the singer states that they will still come back. This represents the idea that even if someone or something tries to take away one's life or well-being, their spirit will remain resilient and strong.
In the second verse, Lovich explains that even if one were to attack her physically, she would not be defeated. Even though the attacker may win the battle, she suggests that they will eventually have to confront their actions and possibly even make amends with her. The line "you'll be coming to a bade me in Japan" suggests that the attacker may find redemption and ultimately become friends with Lovich.
The final verse brings the lyrics together and emphasizes the importance of working together and finding common ground. The line "we can't kill we" suggests that while we may have disagreements and conflicts, we must find ways to peacefully coexist and work towards a shared goal. The song ultimately conveys a message of hope and perseverance in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
You can't kill me, you can't kill me
Emphasizes that the singer cannot be killed
You can blow me up with an atom bomb
Even if the person is blown up, they will come back and it won't take long
If I shoot you down as a mean old man
Even if the person is shot down, they will come back and be better
You can't kill me
Reiterates that the singer cannot be killed
A driver of a flesh machine, is what you really are.
People are just drivers of their bodies
(really are)
Emphasizes the previous line
A you can't stop a rebel just by smashing up his car
You can't stop someone who rebels by destroying their physical property
We can't kill we, we can't kill we
Neither of us can be killed
Since we'll both be here again, we might as well try being friends
Since both people will be around again, they should try to be friends
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: CHRIS JUDGE SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind