LAM has gained a large and loyal following all over the world, from the USA to Europe to Latin America (where the live band has toured extensively), and beyond. LAM has headlined and co-headlined concerts and major festivals with bands like The Cure, Green Day, HIM (HIM has cited LAM a favorite artist), Rammstein, Soft Cell and many more. LAM has performed to crowds of over 30,000 people as headliner and co-headliner on major music festivals around the world. However, London After Midnight maintains a strong underground and independent "personality" despite being a top seller (charting in the top 10 and top 20 German DAC, and other European independent charts, with each of 4 CDs released) and a major draw at music festivals year after year.
Songwriter, instrumentalist, producer and founder Sean Brennan is known for his strong stances in favor of animal rights, pro-environmental and human rights issues, anti-corporate control of media, and support for progressive and liberal political and social causes. Whatever the approach or subject matter, the music of London After Midnight is deeply touching, powerful, socially aware, romantic, emotional, disturbing, haunting, moving, and often exhibits a morbid wit with its sardonic humor (listen to the tongue-in-cheek "Your Best Nightmare" and try not to think of an Edward Gorey story).
LAM is all this, while at the same time appealing to a wide variety of people. There really is no classification that fits London After Midnight (despite LAM's "dark" image) because the music is so varied and the lyrical content (and even LAM's personality and causes) are unique and uncommon in today's music scene (often breaking boundaries- much to the outrage of people who live and die by genre labels). Sean Brennan shuns all labels (as any artist worth their salt will do) and the music he creates can really only be classified as "London After Midnight".
From 2015-2019 LAM headlined major festivals around the world, including Wave Gotik Treffen multiple times, and many other events. In 2019 Sean Brennan started his own record label, Darkride Records, and released "Selected Scenes from the End of the World: 9119", the original 1991 album remixed from the original master tapes (it is NOT A REMASTER- it's completely remixed from the multi-track master tapes). This new mix restored missing audio tracks and includes a never before released song from the 1991 sessions. Darkride Records released the "Oddities Too", similar in theme to the 1998 album "Oddities" with unreleased music, new music and much more. The all new un-named LAM album and a complete remix of "Psycho Magnet", remixed from the original master tapes, is also underway.
Main discography:
-Selected Scenes from the End of the World, 1995 CD (originally released as a cassette in 1991)
-Psycho Magnet, 1995 cassette, 1996 CD
-Oddities, 1998 cassette, 1998 CD
-Violent Acts of Beauty, 2007 CD
-Selected Scenes from the End of the World: 9119, 2019 CD (remixed from original multi-track master tapes)
- Live From Isolation, 2021 CD.
- Oddities Too, 2022 CD
Permanent line-up:
Sean Brennan: music, lyrics, vocals, most of the instruments.
Current live line-up:
Jeremy Kohnmann: guitar
Michael Areklett: bass
Pete Pace: drums.
America's a Fucking Disease
London After Midnight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They want to tell you what to feel
They want to tell you what is right and what is wrong
They want to tell you what is real
What ever happened to us? What ever happened to love?
We were the real thing, We were the real thing
America's a fucking disease, Get on your back or down on your knees
Don't question what you want to believe, Don't question what you want to believe
Are you afraid of the truth?
Are you afraid what you'd find?
Are you happy in denial?
Are you happy being blind?
Love turned to vanity, Truth turned hypocrisy
We were the real thing, Now we are nothing
America's a fucking disease, Get on your back or down on your knees
Don't question what you want to believe, Don't question what you want to believe
And you won't ever see the truth, You can't be questioned if you're strong
And you won't ever stop to think if what you've done is right or wrong
Because you're on the side of God and you've crowned yourself a king
But when you're not among your little sheep you just don't understand a thing
Love turned to vanity, Truth turned hypocrisy
We were the real thing, Now we are nothing
America's a fucking disease, Get on your back or down on your knees
Don't question what you want to believe, Don't question what you want to believe
America
America
America
America's a fucking disease
The opening lines of London After Midnight's song "America's a Fucking Disease" speak to the idea that we are being controlled and manipulated by those in power, who want to shape our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. The song then raises the question of what happened to love and truth in society, as they seem to have become replaced with vanity and hypocrisy. The lyrics suggest that America is at the center of this disease, with the listener being asked to submit to authority without questioning what they are being told to believe.
As the song progresses, it becomes apparent that the listener is being challenged to confront their own complacency and denial about the state of the world. The chorus becomes more urgent, with the repetition of the phrase "Get on your back or down on your knees" suggesting that the listener is being forced into a submissive position, whether physically or psychologically. The song ends with the stark indictment of America as a disease, with no resolution or path forward offered.
Line by Line Meaning
They want to tell you what to think
Authority figures want to control your thoughts and beliefs
They want to tell you what to feel
Authority figures want to control your emotions
They want to tell you what is right and what is wrong
Authority figures want to control your moral compass
They want to tell you what is real
Authority figures want to control your perception of reality
What ever happened to us? What ever happened to love?
The loss of love and connection between people is cause for concern
We were the real thing, We were the real thing
There was an authentic connection between people that has been lost
America's a fucking disease, Get on your back or down on your knees
The singer sees America as a corrupting force, demanding submission from its citizens
Don't question what you want to believe, Don't question what you want to believe
The artist sees blind belief as dangerous and discourages unquestioning acceptance of authority
Are you afraid of the truth?
The artist challenges the listener to confront the truth
Are you afraid what you'd find?
The artist suggests that people may avoid the truth due to fear of its implications
Are you happy in denial?
The singer suggests that people may choose ignorance to avoid difficult truths
Are you happy being blind?
The artist suggests that people may choose blind acceptance rather than facing reality
Love turned to vanity, Truth turned hypocrisy
The singer sees love and truth as corrupted by societal pressures
And you won't ever see the truth, You can't be questioned if you're strong
The singer suggests that those in power may be resistant to the truth and do not face challenging questions
And you won't ever stop to think if what you've done is right or wrong
The singer suggests that those in power may not have moral consideration for their actions
Because you're on the side of God and you've crowned yourself a king
The artist suggests those in power have an overinflated sense of self-importance and divine right
But when you're not among your little sheep you just don't understand a thing
The artist suggests those in power are out of touch with the average person and lack empathy
America's a fucking disease
The singer concludes that America is destructive and corrupting
America
Repetition of this word emphasizes the song's focus on criticizing American society
America
America
America's a fucking disease
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Sean Brennan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind