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)
Leaves Me Cold
Lush Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sleep peels sweet stealing my sighs
She breathes deep when he's inside
Dreams deep heat poisons my mind
Inside me there's a separate world
It's winning and I'm losing control
I'm coming but my eyes are closed
Night's bright lights dim in the day
Blind eyes smile at you today
I find I'm falling away
My eyesights never the same
Inside me there's a separate girl
She's winning and I'm losing control
She coming but my eyes are closed
She's coming but I wake up and it leaves me cold
In the song Leaves Me Cold by Lush, the lyrics speak about the confusion and disconnection between two separate personas within oneself. The first stanza portrays a dreamlike state where something desirable precedes a toxic aftermath. The lyrics talk about a deep dreaming heat that teases the mind and steals the breath, with her breathing deep when he's inside. However, the dream like state becomes poisonous, with the heat poisoning the mind. The lyrics suggest a disconnect within the self, as though there are two different persons within, with one persona winning over the other.
The second stanza describes how the night’s lights fade in the day, with blind eyes smiling while the person is falling away. The singer realizes that their perception is changing, with their eyesight no longer the same. The next verse suggests that there are two different personas again, with one persona winning and the other losing control. The act of coming is not fulfilling, represented as leaving the human feeling cold, disconnected, and distant.
Overall, the song signifies a rift within the singer's psyche represented by the two different personas. One persona is capable of experiencing pleasure, while the other persona struggles to connect and is left feeling cold and disconnected.
Line by Line Meaning
Dreams deep heat teasing my mind
The intense passion in my dreams is relentlessly tempting my mind.
Sleep peels sweet stealing my sighs
The sweet escape of sleep takes away my worries and breaths.
She breathes deep when he's inside
She takes deep breaths when they are intimate.
Dreams deep heat poisons my mind
The passionate dreams have turned into a poisonous obsession.
Inside me there's a separate world
My internal thoughts create a separate world within me.
It's winning and I'm losing control
My internal world is taking over and I am struggling to maintain control.
I'm coming but my eyes are closed
I am experiencing pleasure, but I am not fully present.
I'm coming but it leaves me cold
Even though I have reached the peak of pleasure, it still does not fulfill me.
Night's bright lights dim in the day
The bright lights of the night fade away in the daylight.
Blind eyes smile at you today
Those who are unaware of my internal struggles seem happy and content around me.
I find I'm falling away
I feel like I am slipping away from reality.
My eyesights never the same
My perspective on life has changed and it will never be the same.
Inside me there's a separate girl
A separate part of me, my feminine side, is gaining control.
She's winning and I'm losing control
My feminine side is taking over and I am struggling to assert my masculine identity.
She coming but my eyes are closed
My feminine side is expressing herself, but I am not fully present for it.
She's coming but I wake up and it leaves me cold
Even though my feminine side is expressing herself, it still does not fulfill me, and I am left feeling empty.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MIKI BERENYI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind