Lush was a shoegaze/alternative rock band, formed in 1987 in London, Englan… Read Full Bio ↴Lush was a shoegaze/alternative rock band, formed in 1987 in London, England. The group consisted of Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson on guitars and vocals, Philip King on bass, and Chris Acland on drums. Other members were the bassist Steve Rippon (from 1987 to 1992) and the vocalist Meriel Barham (from 1987 to 1988). Lush was one of the first shoegaze bands, later moving toward Britpop.

Anderson and Berenyi had been friends since the early 1980s, and published the Alphabet Soup fanzine together. In 1986 Anderson joined The Rover Girls as bassist and Berenyi joined The Bugs as guitarist but neither band lasted long.

Lush formed in 1987, initially named The Baby Machines, with a line-up of Meriel Barham (vocals), Emma Anderson (guitar), Miki Berenyi (guitar), Steve Rippon (bass), and Chris Acland (drums). After Rippon joined, the band members decided on a change of name to Lush, making their live debut at the Camden Falcon on 6 March 1988. Barham was fired, with the rest of the band deciding she lacked commitment (she later joined Pale Saints). Anderson and Berenyi then took on lead vocal duties.

Lush gained recognition when Robin Guthrie helped the band sign to 4AD. The band's first release was Scar, an EP, in 1989. Critical praise for Scar and a wildly popular live show established Lush as one of the best-selling alternative bands of the period. That year the EPs Mad Love, produced by Robin Guthrie, and Sweetness and Light, produced by Tim Friese-Greene of Talk Talk fame, followed.

In 1990 the compilation Gala, which combined the material from the first three EPs, was released by Reprise in the United States, this being the first exposure of Lush in North America.

Lush's first full-length album of completely new material was Spooky in 1992. Produced by Robin Guthrie, Spooky featured a sound very similar to Guthrie's band Cocteau Twins, with walls of sound and a great deal of flange. Reviews were mixed and critics of the album hold that Guthrie's production brought the sound away from the band's original creative vision. Bassist Steve Rippon left the band at this stage in order to concentrate on writing, though his book Cold Turkey Sandwich - a fictionalized chronicle of his time in touring - was rejected by publishers. He was replaced by Phil King. Also in 1992, Lush toured America as part of the Lollapalooza festival.

The band's second studio album Split was released in 1994 and featured a harsher sound alternated with long and softer tracks as "Desire Lines" and "Never-Never". Despite critical praise, the album sold poorly.

After adapting to the newly popular sounds of the Britpop era, Lush's 1996 Lovelife became the biggest seller of their career, including the hit singles "Ladykillers", "500" and "Single Girl", which was released in several different versions with different tracks along with the title track. Also on this album, Jarvis Cocker from Pulp contributed guest vocals to "Ciao!" and the record included the now classic/melancholic favorite "Last Night".

In 1996, drummer Chris Acland committed suicide by hanging, at his parents' house, allegedly due to depression. The situation proved too hard for the band, and in 23 February 1998 the three remaining members of Lush decided to disband.

Emma Anderson has since formed a new band, Sing-Sing, who have released two full-length albums to date.

On September 28th 2015 Lush announced their reunion. The reunited band consists of Anderson, Berenyi & King with the addition of Justin Welch on drums, an old friend of Acland.

Lush discography:
Scar EP (1989)
Mad Love EP (1990)
Sweetness and Light EP (1990)
Gala compliation of the above EPs (1990)
Spooky (1992)
Split (1994)
Lovelife (1996)

Carmen
Lush Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Carmen tells me what she's done
Says she's having fun
Wants to be a mom

Copper hair and golden smile
Sparkles all the while
But life can be a trial

Carmen's in a world of pain
Don't cry now for yesterday
Babys' gone but she's okay

Carmen tells me where she's been
Nightmares that she's seen
Makes me want to scream

Hear the things that she's been through
Grey and black and blue
Life can be so cruel

Sit down here and take a drink
Tell me about everything
And he shrugs and then he winks again

Chocolate box and photograph
Life is hard and life is tough
Carmen smiles and then she laughs again

It's time we started heading home now
I've made mistakes along the way
It makes no sense but I'm okay now
Its happened again
I guess I'll live another day

Sit down here and take a drink
Tell me about everything
And he shrugs and then he winks again

Chocolate box and photograph

Life is hard and life is tough
Carmen smiles and then she laughs again

Overall Meaning

In the opening stanza, Carmen (presumably a friend of the singer) tells the singer that she has been having fun and wants to be a mother. However, despite her confident exterior with her copper hair and golden smile, the second stanza reveals that Carmen has been through some difficult times, currently residing in a "world of pain." Yet she manages to keep her composure and even assures the singer that she is "okay" after losing her baby. It is clear that Carmen has been through a lot, as she discusses the "nightmares" and the "grey and black and blue" she has experienced.

The third stanza paints a picture of Carmen opening up to the singer about her struggles, accompanied by a sense of frustration and desperation, reflected in the singer's desire to scream. However, Carmen's resilience is highlighted as she smiles and laughs again, despite the difficulties she has faced. The song ends with the singer reflecting on their journey together and feeling grateful for another day of life.

Line by Line Meaning

Carmen tells me what she's done
Carmen confides in me about her actions

Says she's having fun
She claims to be enjoying herself

Wants to be a mom
She desires to have children

Copper hair and golden smile
Carmen's hair is reddish-brown and smile is radiant

Sparkles all the while
She shines with enthusiasm constantly

But life can be a trial
Difficulties are part of life

Carmen's in a world of pain
Carmen is in emotional distress

Don't cry now for yesterday
It's not worth crying over the past

Babys' gone but she's okay
Her baby is no longer with her, but she is coping

Carmen tells me where she's been
She shares her past experiences with me

Nightmares that she's seen
She's had terrible dreams