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)
Skin
Lush Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've got you deep in the heart of me.
So deep in my heart that you're really a part of me.
I've got you under my skin.
I'd tried so not to give in.
I said to myself, this affair never will go so well.
But why should I try to resist when, baby, I know down well
I've got you under my skin?
I'd sacrifice anything come what might
For the sake of havin' you near
In spite of a warnin' voice that comes in the night
And repeats, repeats in my ear,
Don't you know, you fool, you never can win?
Use your mentality, wake up to reality.
But each time that I do just the thought of you
Makes me stop before I begin
Cause I've got you under my skin.
I would sacrifice anything come what might
For the sake of havin' you near
In spite of the warning voice that comes in the night
And repeats, how it yells in my ear,
Don't you know, you fool, ain't no chance to win
Why not use your mentality, get up, wake up to reality?
And each time I do just the thought of you
Makes me stop just before I begin
Cause I've got you under my skin.
And I like you under my skin.
The song Skin by Lush is a cover of the classic song "I've Got You Under My Skin" by Cole Porter. The song explores the theme of deep love and obsession with someone. The first verse, "I've got you under my skin. I've got you deep in the heart of me. So deep in my heart that you're really a part of me," describes the intensity of the singer's love; the person they love is so deeply ingrained in them that they are a part of who they are.
Despite trying to resist this love, the singer cannot help but be consumed by it. They sing about sacrificing anything to have this person near, even though they know deep down that they may not win. The warning voice they hear in the night tells them to use their mentality and wake up to reality, but they cannot seem to resist the pull of their love. They end the song repeating, "And I like you under my skin," showing that they are willing to embrace this love and obsession completely.
In a way, the song Skin can be seen as a nod to the history of Cole Porter's song, which was originally written as a metaphor for addiction to drug use. Lush's take on the song is more focused on romantic obsession rather than literal drug addiction, but the theme of being under someone's skin remains a constant.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got you under my skin.
You have a strong hold on me emotionally, making it feel like you are a part of me.
I've got you deep in the heart of me.
You are deeply ingrained in my emotional center and identity.
So deep in my heart that you're really a part of me.
You are such a significant part of my emotional self that it feels like you are integrated into my identity.
I'd tried so not to give in.
I attempted to resist my feelings and thoughts about you.
I said to myself, this affair never will go so well.
I tried to convince myself that pursuing a relationship with you would end badly.
But why should I try to resist when, baby, I know down well
However, why should I attempt to fight my feelings when I know them to be true.
I'd sacrifice anything come what might
I am willing to give up anything, regardless of the consequences.
For the sake of havin' you near
Just to be close to you.
In spite of a warnin' voice that comes in the night
Despite a nagging voice in my head that tries to warn me about the potential risks and harm.
And repeats, repeats in my ear,
And continuously reminds me of the possible negative consequences.
Don't you know, you fool, you never can win?
You are foolish to believe that you will have a positive outcome with this pursuit, as it is unlikely.
Use your mentality, wake up to reality.
You need to use your rational thinking and become aware of the true situation.
But each time that I do just the thought of you
However, every time I attempt to use reason, the mere thought of you pulls me back in.
Makes me stop before I begin
Halting any attempt at resistance before it even begins.
Cause I've got you under my skin.
Because you have such an emotional hold on me, I cannot resist my feelings towards you.
And I like you under my skin.
I relish the feeling of being so emotionally connected to you, despite its potential negative consequences.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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