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.
Rain Bird
Love And Rockets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a broken guitar
Rain bird sings a song so sad in blue
Like a stranded insect
Stuck in a bowl of glue
He tries to fly
But he will die
If he ever leaves the zoo
Rain Bird, Rain Bird
Rain bird swoops through the
Chimney pots and rain
Rain bird flies to the edge of a gilded cage
Hiding in the spotlights
Of a famous stage
He tries to become invisible
Whilst stealing the front page
Rain Bird, Rain Bird, Rain Bird, Rain Bird
When you were a boy
You used to wish for this
But like the cat who turns his nose
Up at the dish
Now that you have it
You want to give it away
When you had to work so hard
Slogging for a pittance
In a boot and shoe yard
That's when you wanted
What you now give away
Rain Bird
You're all the rage, bird
Rain Bird
You're all the rage, bird
The lyrics of Love and Rockets's song Rain Bird give a clear imagery of a bird that is trying to fly away but is trapped in a zoo. The bird is blue and sad and it sings a sorrowful song as it tries to navigate its way through life while being trapped in a cage. The lyrics dive deeper into the emotions of the bird as it tries to become invisible while stealing the front page, showing how the bird might feel overwhelmed and helpless in a situation that is not benefiting it.
The chorus of the song, "When you were a boy, You used to wish for this But like the cat who turns his nose Up at the dish, Now that you have it, You want to give it away," paints a stark contrast between the life that the bird is living and the desires that one might have had as a child. The bird's life is unfulfilling and not what it hoped for, while the person reflects on how things that they might have once wished for are now not as appealing.
Overall, Rain Bird is a tragic yet beautiful song that illustrates the struggles of being trapped in a situation that is not fulfilling or allows for personal growth. The image of the rain bird is powerful, as it symbolizes a creature that is caught between the natural world and the man-made world, unable to fully exist in either.
Line by Line Meaning
Rain bird dives through the hole
The Rain bird enters a place where it doesn't belong
In a broken guitar
The place is old and run-down
Rain bird sings a song so sad in blue
Despite its seemingly carefree nature, the bird expresses a profound melancholy
Like a stranded insect
The bird is trapped and helpless
Stuck in a bowl of glue
It cannot escape, no matter how hard it tries
He tries to fly
The bird wants to break free from its confinement
But he will die
But it fears the consequences if it does succeed
If he ever leaves the zoo
If the bird deviates from the path chosen for it
Rain Bird, Rain Bird
The bird is constantly mocked and kept in view
Rain bird swoops through the
The bird makes a daring escape from its captivity
Chimney pots and rain
It evades detection thanks to the poor weather conditions
Rain bird flies to the edge of a gilded cage
The bird escapes but is still conscious of the trappings of its former life
Hiding in the spotlights
It seeks shelter in precisely the place where it's most visible
Of a famous stage
The bird is now the subject of much attention and scrutiny
He tries to become invisible
The bird tries to avoid notice and scrutiny by hiding in plain sight
Whilst stealing the front page
But the bird's very visibility means that it's likely to make headlines
When you were a boy
The singer addresses a hypothetical person, probably himself
You used to wish for this
This person longed for attention and popularity
But like the cat who turns his nose
Now that the person has it, they pay it no mind
Up at the dish
They disregard what was once precious to them
Now that you have it
The singer emphasizes how the person's attitude has changed
You want to give it away
They now want nothing to do with their newfound attention
When you had to work so hard
The singer contrasts this attitude with a time when the person had to struggle to get by
Slogging for a pittance
They worked hard for very little reward
In a boot and shoe yard
At a menial job with low pay
That's when you wanted
At that time, the person desired the very thing they now disdain
What you now give away
They now reject what they once sought after
You're all the rage, bird
Despite its own indifference, the Rain Bird is still an object of great adoration and respect
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DANIEL GASTON ASH, DAVID JAY, KEVIN HASKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind