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.
If There's a Heaven Above
Love and Rockets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Throw the world off your shoulders tonight Mr. Smith
He's been looking now for a long time
It seems the more he looks the less he wants to see
He turned to the west for a long time
He turned to the east then he turned to the west again
If there's a heaven above, let it be near
If there's a heaven above, in the meantime
Then let it be near, let it be near to me
We've been talking now for a long time
It seems the more we speak the less we seem to say
If there's a hell below in the meantime
Then let us shut up unless we want to pray
He saw everything real too clearly
So close that the bones would show
And to see everything so clearly
Isn't always the best thing you know
If there's a heaven above, in the meantime
If there's a heaven above then let it be near
If there's a heaven above, in the meantime
Let it be near, let it be near to me
Throw the world off your shoulders tonight Mr. Smith
Throw the world off your shoulders tonight Mr. Smith
Throw the world off your shoulders tonight Mr. Smith
Throw the world off your shoulders tonight Mr. Smith
Throw the world off your shoulders tonight Mr. Smith
Throw the world off your shoulders tonight Mr. Smith
The song "If There's a Heaven Above" by Love and Rockets touches upon the theme of disillusionment with the world and the search for meaning and escape. The repeated plea to "throw the world off your shoulders" emphasizes the heavy burden that the singer, Mr. Smith, feels. It seems that he has been on a search for something, perhaps enlightenment or purpose, but the more he searches the more disillusioned he becomes. He has turned to both the east and the west, symbolizing a search for something both exotic and familiar, but has found no answers.
The lyrics suggest a longing for an afterlife, as seen in the repetition of "If there's a heaven above, let it be near to me." The idea of heaven is contrasted with the idea of hell, with the lyrics suggesting that if there is a hell below, then it's best to keep quiet unless you're praying. The lines "He saw everything real too clearly, so close that the bones would show, and to see everything so clearly isn't always the best thing you know" suggest that perhaps Mr. Smith has seen too much and it has left him disillusioned and unhappy.
Overall, the song is a mixture of despair, longing, and a plea for escape - either from this world or from one's own worries and burdens.
Line by Line Meaning
Throw the world off your shoulders tonight Mr. Smith
Relax and take a break from your burdens tonight, Mr. Smith
He's been looking now for a long time
He has been searching for a long time
It seems the more he looks the less he wants to see
The more he searches, the more disillusioned he becomes
He turned to the west for a long time
He looked to the west for a considerable time
He turned to the east then he turned to the west again
He searched in different directions
If there's a heaven above, in the meantime
While we are still alive, if there is an afterlife
If there's a heaven above, let it be near
If an afterlife exists, let it be close to us
Then let it be near, let it be near to me
If there's a heaven, let it be near to the singer
We've been talking now for a long time
They have been conversing for an extended period of time
It seems the more we speak the less we seem to say
The more they speak, the less meaningful their conversations become
If there's a hell below in the meantime
While we are still alive, if there is a place of punishment
Then let us shut up unless we want to pray
Let us be quiet unless we want to pray for redemption
He saw everything real too clearly
He understood the truth of the world too vividly
So close that the bones would show
To the point where the harsh reality was exposed
And to see everything so clearly
But to understand everything so deeply
Isn't always the best thing you know
Isn't always the most desirable experience
Throw the world off your shoulders tonight Mr. Smith
Relax and take a break from your burdens tonight, Mr. Smith
Throw the world off your shoulders tonight Mr. Smith
Relax and take a break from your burdens tonight, Mr. Smith
Throw the world off your shoulders tonight Mr. Smith
Relax and take a break from your burdens tonight, Mr. Smith
Throw the world off your shoulders tonight Mr. Smith
Relax and take a break from your burdens tonight, Mr. Smith
Throw the world off your shoulders tonight Mr. Smith
Relax and take a break from your burdens tonight, Mr. Smith
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DANIEL GASTON ASH, DAVID JAY, KEVIN HASKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@californioxochipilli
They were "perfect" in their early days.
Sometime by "Sweet FA" L&R just seem to loose their initial spirit.
Excellent music with lyrics that had meaning, beautiful concept.
They made my teen years soar...
@californioxochipilli
To each their own...
I knew some people who liked The Cure's "Japanese Whispers" and couldn't stand "Pornography".
In the history of things, Sweet FA was intended to be a good album and production. But when the studio burned down (hence the charred guitar on the cover) the recording was stripped and straightforward.
There are some good songs on Sweet FA, but the whole album feels like various singles - not the continuity of their earlier albums - like a spirit or theme.
Lift was like a style that came a little late for thar genre. But I like "My Drug". It feels like Daniel and David are going in different directions by that point.
Even Daniel's "Stripped" solo album is like a "Lift"ification of his earlier work. I listened to it a few times, kind of felt empty - a disappointment. There was this feeling that "... this mix would have been cool in the 80's"
But I'm listening to their earlier work to this day.
🌜🌈It could be sunshine🌞✌🍄
@R.Byleth
How perfect were these men? David, Kevin, and Daniel are all so beautiful. I love them all, and their music has helped me live to the best of my abilities, as well as Peter Murphy and David Bowie.
@jeffrobodeenyehcmon5925
So creative and original. Still sounds awesome today. Such an underrated band, they should be a household name.
@johnlennonsstalker2560
Daniel Ash’s hair is so perfect I can’t-
@markash6094
Right!? That's how I wanted to style my hair in my youth. Fun.
@blairholben6297
@@markash6094 I still do!
@ijustneedmyself
2:29 - that guitar... I can barely handle how good it is 🥹
@sons1869
Sublime
@celiaayneto9232
plenty of colors i've always loved!
@fairdose
I love this video because you see Daniel smile!
@shelseamoen227
Shortcake07 I KNOWWWWW