In the beginnin… Read Full Bio ↴Love of Lesbian is a Spanish indie pop/indie rock band.
In the beginning they were influenced by The Cure (they toured with them in Spain), Radiohead and R.E.M. Today they have the personal Love of Lesbian sound and style. There is always a "sold out" at all their concerts. Each one is a mix of party-concert-celebration-catharsis.
Santi Balmes, the writer, main composer, and charismatic leader brings to each album excellent lyrics of high composition, from a delicious sense of humour to deep emotional tales. Their first three albums are sung in English, but their more acclaimed album is Maniobras de Escapismo (2005), the first sung in Spanish. With "Cuentos Chinos Para Niños Del Japón" (2007) they confirm again the band in the scene.
In 2009 (March 24) , they publish "1999 (o como generar incendios de nieve con una lupa enfocada a la luna)" a concept album that tells, 10 years later, the life of a relationship between a boy and a girl during 1999 (the year of their first album). It includes songs to dance to, to listen to in intimacy or just to think about.
Videoclips are another face of the LOL experience; the first video of "1999..." is "Club de fans de John Boy" and the second one is "Te hiero mucho (Historia del amante guisante)" both directed by the influent director Lyona, who also directed "Universos Infinitos" from "Cuentos chinos para niños del Japón".
Band websites:
www.myspace.com/loveoflesbian
www.lacoctelera.com/loveoflesbian
(lol)
http://www.diario-e.com/blog/vidas_ejemplares
http://www.fotolog.com/lampart
(santi balmes)
Band members:
Santi Balmes (voice, guitars)
Jordi Roig (guitars)
Joanra Planell (bass)
Uri Bonet (drums, percussion)
Julián Saldarriaga (accoustic guitar, guitars, backing vocals)
Marlene
Love of Lesbian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
creí que hablaba al revés,
pero Marlene era de Ucrania.
Pronto aporreaba en su portal,
del todo preso de ansiedad,
culpa de mis circunstancias.
creí que le iba a sentar bien
ver mi transformación.
Para conseguir un gran impacto,
escondí con sumo tacto
mi medicación.
Tengo una crisis para ti,
ya empieza el show
de las sesenta voces.
Y si te como en el parquet,
fiesta con mis vocecillas, ¡qué ilusión!
Hay un Phil Collins en mi cabezón.
Llaman a la puerta, ¿serás tú?
Pues sí, resulta que eras tú,
cómo son las circunstancias.
No vas a creerlo, había una vez,
vivía un hombre que hablaba por diez,
cambió por arte de magia.
Llaman a la puerta,
¡oh por Dios, queréis callaros por favor!
Creo que ya empieza el show.
Llaman a la puerta, abre tú,
tú la invitaste, fuiste tú,
qué curiosa situación.
Tengo una crisis para ti,
ya empieza el show
de las sesenta voces.
Y si te como en el parquet,
fiesta con tus huesecillos, ¡qué ilusión!,
con tus huesecillos, ¡qué ilusión!
Yo soy Phil Collins.
Siguen en la puerta, ¿eres tú?
Pues sí, resulta que eras tú,
cómo son las circunstancias.
Marlene se acuchilla en mi salón,
creo que está peor que yo,
deben ser las circunstancias.
Marlene vienes por tu voluntad,
qué mala que es la soledad,
no hagas eso en mi sillón.
Para conseguir un gran impacto,
me enseñó a un pobre urbano
en un bote de formol.
Ella es Phil Collins.
Escuchad amigos, no estamos solos,
nos tenemos a nosotros mismos.
The lyrics to Love of Lesbian's Marlene tell the story of the singer's encounter with a woman who goes by the name Marlene. She has recently moved into the attic of the singer's building and he is fascinated by her, although he initially struggles to understand her as she is from Ukraine and speaks in a language that he is not familiar with. Suffering from anxiety and the circumstances of his life, he arranges to meet with her, hoping to make an impact and show her his transformation. He conceals his medication in order to give an impressive performance with his "sixty voices". However, it becomes clear that Marlene is not all that she seems and she soon cuts herself in front of the singer, causing him to realize that she may be more unstable than he is. While the lyrics are rich in symbolism, they appear to be exploring themes of identity, social pressure, and the fragility of the human psyche.
The opening lines set the stage for the story, immediately drawing us in with the image of Marlene moving into the attic. The singer is intrigued by this new person in his life, but he is initially unable to connect with her. As the song progresses, we see him struggling to find his place in the world and seeking affirmation through performance. Marlene seems to represent an escape from his struggles, but ultimately she is not the answer he is looking for. The singer's realization that they are not alone and have each other is a poignant moment that suggests a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dark tale.
Line by Line Meaning
Se instaló en el ático hace un mes,
creí que hablaba al revés,
pero Marlene era de Ucrania.
A Ukrainian woman named Marlene moved into the singer's attic, and at first they thought she was speaking backwards.
Pronto aporreaba en su portal,
del todo preso de ansiedad,
culpa de mis circunstancias.
The singer became anxious about Marlene and frequently knocked on her door, blaming his circumstances for his behavior.
Acordé una cita con Marlene,
creí que le iba a sentar bien
ver mi transformación.
The singer arranged a meeting with Marlene, hoping she would appreciate his transformation.
Para conseguir un gran impacto,
escondí con sumo tacto
mi medicación.
To make a bigger impression, the artist hid his medication carefully.
Tengo una crisis para ti,
ya empieza el show
de las sesenta voces.
The artist is experiencing a crisis and his condition results in him having 60 different voices.
Y si te como en el parquet,
fiesta con mis vocecillas, ¡qué ilusión!
Hay un Phil Collins en mi cabezón.
If Marlene dances with the singer, he imagines it would be like a party with his 60 voices, and even imagines he is Phil Collins.
Llaman a la puerta, ¿serás tú?
Pues sí, resulta que eras tú,
cómo son las circunstancias.
There is a knock on the door and the singer wonders if it's Marlene, and indeed it is, finding the coincidence amusing.
No vas a creerlo, había una vez,
vivía un hombre que hablaba por diez,
cambió por arte de magia.
The artist tells Marlene a story about a man who spoke with ten voices, but magically changed.
Con tus huesecillos, ¡qué ilusión!
Yo soy Phil Collins.
The artist continues to imagine himself as Phil Collins if he gets to dance with Marlene.
Marlene se acuchilla en mi salón,
creo que está peor que yo,
debe ser las circunstancias.
Marlene starts cutting herself in the artist's living room, making him think she is even worse off than he is, probably due to their circumstances.
Marlene vienes por tu voluntad,
qué mala que es la soledad,
no hagas eso en mi sillón.
The singer realizes that Marlene came to see him out of loneliness, but pleads with her not to hurt herself on his couch.
Para conseguir un gran impacto,
me enseñó a un pobre urbano
en un bote de formol.
Ella es Phil Collins.
Marlene showed the artist a preserved urban person in a jar to make a bigger impression. In his imagination, she is Phil Collins.
Escuchad amigos, no estamos solos,
nos tenemos a nosotros mismos.
The singer reminds everyone that they are not alone, and that they have each other.
Contributed by Elliot S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.