The band is best known for their singles "Ball of Confusion" (1985, a Temptations cover), "No New Tale to Tell" (1987), "So Alive" (1989) and "No Big Deal" (1990).
L&R's first album was 1985's trippy Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven; Seventh Dream was followed in quick succession by 1986's Express;which featured a cover of Ball of Confusion, which became a club hit. 1987's Earth * Sun * Moon and 1989's eponymously titled release Love and Rockets (all on Beggar's Banquet). Love & Rockets was met with cries of sellout due to the overly slick So Alive (the band toured stadiums following the hit single) and the group disbanded. Tracks recorded for an abandoned EP Swing were added to a reissue of Love & Rockets in 2002.
After working on solo albums they reformed, recorded material for Hot Trip to Heaven which infused dance/electronica elements into their sound. Fearing the world wasn't prepared for it yet in 1992, they waited until 1994 to release it. A fire destroyed the studio they were working in, and all material was scrapped. The next album, Sweet F.A. features one of Daniel Ash's charred guitars on the front cover. The final album Lift was an epic dance/electronic swan song, owing much to producer Doug DeAngelis, who was given honorary L&R member status. After the Lift tour, they disbanded again in 1999 to work on solo projects, and to reform Bauhaus for a series of tours. L&R reunited in 2007 at Coachella. Plans for a 2009/2010 release fell through as the band went their separate ways again.
On 23 January 2023, Love and Rockets announced a reunion for an appearance at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, California on 20 May 2023, the band's first concert in 15 years. They later announced a 2023 U.S. tour in support of their appearance at Cruel World. A Bauhaus reunion was aborted in 2022 after Peter Murphy forced the band to cancel the tour as he entered rehab. Daniel Ash said that the 2023 tour would be the band's final.
Life in Laralay
Love And Rockets Lyrics
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Frozen stiff
Lost in the Hollywood hills
Where dreams as real as Fredericks
Are sustained on air by pills
Where all the red that's in the world
Bleeds into all the blue
Where film stars leave their footprints
Everywhere's a backdrop
To a scripted play
A film show of a preview
Of life in laralay
Life in laralay
Life in laralay
Life in laralay
In Laralay the custom is
For cash to call the tune
Usually a cabaret song
Sung to a neon moon
Down below the fairy lights
Twink on in tinsel town
Where everyone's in showbiz
And snowmen kick the downs
The palm tree shaded billboards
Advertise the style
That makes this fair land what it is
A money making smile
That dazzles as it razzles
The diamonds from your soul
Leaving you with nothing
Life in laralay
Life in laralay
Life in laralay
Life in laralay
The lyrics to Love and Rockets' "Life in Laralay" provide a critical commentary on the artificiality and excess of Hollywood and the entertainment industry. The song portrays Hollywood as a place where dreams can come true but are only sustained by a culture of drugs and superficiality that masks the pain and desperation of those who fail to make it.
The opening lines of the song immediately set the tone for this critique, describing the people of Hollywood as "dupes of a Disney" who are frozen in their pursuit of fame and fortune. The use of the word "Disney" suggests a fantasy world that is divorced from reality, and the image of people being "frozen stiff" implies a lack of authenticity or vitality. The reference to "Fredericks" is likely a nod to Fredericks of Hollywood, a lingerie store that became famous for its risqué advertisements, further emphasizing the artificiality of the Hollywood world.
The chorus of the song highlights the way in which Hollywood constructs a false reality, one that serves as a "backdrop to a scripted play" or a "film show of a preview." The repetition of the phrase "life in laralay" reinforces the idea that Hollywood is its own kind of fantasy world, one that exists apart from the realities of ordinary life. The use of the word "laralay" is likely a play on words, as it sounds similar to "la-la-land," a term often used to describe the Hollywood lifestyle.
Overall, "Life in Laralay" is a biting critique of the Hollywood lifestyle, one that suggests that the fame and fortune that so many people seek is ultimately hollow and unfulfilling. The song portrays Hollywood as a place where people lose themselves in a never-ending pursuit of a dream that is ultimately impossible to attain, and where the only currency that really matters is cash.
Line by Line Meaning
Dupes of a Disney
People in Laralay are easily deceived by the glamour of Hollywood
Frozen stiff
People in Laralay are emotionally numb due to the constant illusions they encounter
Lost in the Hollywood hills
The people in Laralay are consumed by the unrealistic aspects of Hollywood culture
Where dreams as real as Fredericks
The dreams that people have in Laralay feel real but are ultimately unattainable
Are sustained on air by pills
People in Laralay depend on pills to maintain their illusion of reality
Where all the red that's in the world
The intense glamour and entertainment in Laralay overwhelms everything else
Bleeds into all the blue
The darker, more realistic aspects of life are swallowed up by the superficial veneer of Hollywood culture
Where film stars leave their footprints
In Laralay, people worship the culture of celebrity and superstardom
And failed stars join the queue
Those who fail to achieve celebrity status are left feeling inadequate and unfulfilled
Everywhere's a backdrop
Laralay is characterized by the constant presence of entertainment and glamour
To a scripted play
The culture in Laralay always feels like it's following a predetermined script or plot
A film show of a preview
In Laralay, life feels like it's just a preview or trailer for something bigger and better in the future
Of life in laralay
This repeated line underscores the inescapable, addictive nature of Hollywood culture in Laralay
In Laralay the custom is
Laralay has a unique culture and way of life that is defined by Hollywood entertainment
For cash to call the tune
Money is the driving force behind everything in Laralay
Usually a cabaret song
The entertainment provided in Laralay is often cheap and flashy, lacking in depth and originality
Sung to a neon moon
The bright lights and neon colors of Hollywood are emblematic of the addictive, superficial nature of life in Laralay
Down below the fairy lights
The people of Laralay are blindly drawn to the bright lights and illusions of Hollywood culture
Twink on in tinsel town
The bright lights of Hollywood never shut off, creating a constant, overwhelming source of stimulation
Where everyone's in showbiz
In Laralay, everyone is obsessed with becoming a celebrity or being associated with the entertainment industry
And snowmen kick the downs
Even the most ordinary elements of life in Laralay are imbued with a sense of glamour and entertainment
The palm tree shaded billboards
The palm trees in Laralay serve as a backdrop for the constant advertising and promotion of Hollywood culture
Advertise the style
Laralay's advertisements are marketing the superficial, image-based lifestyle of Hollywood culture
That makes this fair land what it is
The culture of Hollywood entertainment is inseparable from the identity of Laralay
A money making smile
The culture in Laralay is all about making money by projecting an image of glamour and pleasure
That dazzles as it razzles
The entertainment culture in Laralay is both attractive and overwhelming, obscuring the more mundane aspects of life
The diamonds from your soul
The superficial nature of Hollywood culture in Laralay strips away people's true selves and identities
Leaving you with nothing
Those who become consumed by the illusions of Hollywood culture in Laralay ultimately lose sight of what really matters in life
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DANIEL ASH, DAVID J. HASKINS, KEVIN HASKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind