Marc Almond has had a long and varied career spanning circa 40 years. During this time, after a career with Soft Cell and Marc and the Mambas, he has collaborated with an extremely wide range of artists including Antony and The Johnsons, Jools Holland, Siouxsie Sioux, Nick Cave, P.J. Proby, Nico, Kelli Ali of the Sneaker Pimps, Neal X (on the albums Fantastic Star and Open All Night), Marie France, Agnes Bernelle, Lydia Lunch, Gene Pitney on the #1 UK single "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart", Foetus (a.k.a. J. G. Thirlwell), Jimmy Somerville of The Communards and Bronski Beat, Psychic TV, Coil, Sally Timms of Mekons, King Roc, John Cale and David Johansen of The New York Dolls and German band Rosenstolz.
Almond initially shot to fame in the early 1980s as one half of synth duo Soft Cell, whose combination of drama and peep show sleaze set to an electronic beat gave them hits such as "Tainted Love" (UK #1), "Bedsitter" (UK #3), "Torch" (UK #2), "Say Hello Wave Goodbye" (UK #3), "Soul Inside" (UK # 16), "What?" (UK #3) and the club hit "Memorabilia". They were first spotted by David Oddie, boss of Wakefield based Ambergris Records in a Bradford club, who passed his enthusiasm onto Dead Good Records in Lincoln, famous for their Hicks From The Sticks compilation, who in turn approached Polygram, the newly formed amalgam of Polydor and Phonogram. Although Soft Cell disbanded in 1984 just before the release of fourth album, This Last Night In Sodom, the duo reunited in 2001 for live shows and in 2002 released a new album entitled Cruelty Without Beauty, from which the single "The Night" (UK #39) was taken.
His biggest UK hits as a solo artist have been cover versions; the aforementioned 1989 number one duet with Gene Pitney and another near chart-topper in 1991 with David McWilliams' "The Days of Pearly Spencer", which peaked at #4. In 1985, he duetted with Jimmy Somerville and Bronski Beat on a cover of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love (Medley)" and it hit #3. The highest UK positions his self-penned singles have reached so far have been "Stories of Johnny" (#23 in 1985), "Tears Run Rings" (#28 in 1988) and "Adored and Explored" (#25 in 1995).
Almond's work runs the gamut from electronica and dance music to French chanson, traditional piano ballads, and Russian romance songs, as exhibited on his 2003 album Heart on Snow. Influences include David Bowie, a childhood hero of his, as well as early 1960s Northern Soul and disco. Other major influences have been Scott Walker from Walker Brothers and Jacques Brel, 12 of whose songs Almond reworked in English for his 1989 album Jacques. Almond's own lyrics are a creative expression of what he sees and are not to be confused with his own life. He also operates a record label, Blue Star Music, on which he has released many of his solo and collaborative records in the UK.
Almond currently lives in the Bermondsey area of south east London. In his autobiography he describes previously living in Earl's Court, in a converted church in Fulham and most memorably in Soho's Berwick Street, where he lived in a flat overlooking the Raymond Revuebar.
Black Heart
Marc Almond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With little pictures that my mind sends
Counting the moments ‘til my world ends
All I remembered are the bad times
And its chewing away at my insides
Chorus
Oh I knew you wanted to hurt
You killed all of my dreams
With your black, black heart
Night creeps
Its wicked way just like a spider
Stealing, the feelings that hide
Black heart and wild
You were so like an angry child
Repeat chorus
Pushing
Your icy fingers always crushing
Your jealous mind so disapproving
You laughed at all my ideas
And then purged my fears
Repeat chorus
Leave me alone
Stop pushing at me
You got your revenge
For the love that I lent
You're destroying my mind
You're destroying my soul
Black heart
The lyrics of Marc Almond's song "Black Heart" depict the aftermath of a toxic relationship. The singer is haunted by memories of the past, and he can't shake off the feeling that his partner was maliciously trying to hurt him. He recalls how his partner would ridicule his ideas, purge his fears, and always disapprove of his actions, leading to a slow but painful destruction of his mind and soul. The night attacks him like a spider, stealing all of the positive emotions that attempt to hide. The chorus is the crux of the song, where the singer laments the damage caused by his partner's black heart, which killed all of his dreams.
The phrase "Black Heart" is an idiom used to describe someone who has a heart devoid of genuine feelings and emotions, cruel and insensitive towards others. The song shows how a lack of empathy and caring can have dire consequences for the people involved. In the end, the singer must appeal to his partner to leave him alone, as he is sick and tired of being pushed around.
Line by Line Meaning
Playing
Engaging in trivial activities and distracting oneself from reality
With little pictures that my mind sends
Indulging in one's imagination and letting their mind wander with irrelevant thoughts
Counting the moments ‘til my world ends
Anticipating the worst possible outcome and feeling helpless about it
All I remembered are the bad times
Focusing only on the negative experiences and disregarding the good ones
And its chewing away at my insides
Causing emotional distress and internal conflicts
When you looked that way
When you gave that certain look
Oh I knew you wanted to hurt
Realizing that the other person had malicious intentions
You killed all of my dreams
Crushing one's aspirations and ambitions
With your black, black heart
Due to the person's cold, malicious, and unforgiving nature
Night creeps
The darkness of the night gradually approaching
Its wicked way just like a spider
The gradual and subtle approach of something harmful, like a spider's method of catching prey
Stealing, the feelings that hide
Robbing one of their emotions and concealing their true feelings
Black heart and wild
Describing the person's brutal and untamed nature
You were so like an angry child
Behaving childishly with fits of rage and anger
Pushing
Continuously harassing and provoking someone
Your icy fingers always crushing
The person has a cold and unfeeling touch, suppressing the other person's ability to be happy
Your jealous mind so disapproving
The person is constantly suspicious of others, disapproving of their actions and motives
You laughed at all my ideas
Mocking and ridiculing one's thoughts and opinions
And then purged my fears
Making one confront their deepest fears and causing psychological distress
Leave me alone
Requesting the other person to stop contacting and harassing them
Stop pushing at me
Ceasing to provoke and aggravate one's negative emotions
You got your revenge
The other person is retaliating after feeling wronged or humiliated
For the love that I lent
Punishing one for loving or caring for them at one point
You're destroying my mind
Causing one to feel psychological anguish and emotional instability
You're destroying my soul
Taking away one's confidence, self-esteem, and happiness
Black heart
The person is cold-hearted and cruel
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DJJezzebella
Marc and the Mambas - Black Heart
Playing
With little pictures
That my mind sends
Counting
The moments 'til my world ends
All I remembered are the bad times
And its chewing away at my insides
When you looked that way
Oh I knew you wanted to hurt
You killed all of my dreams
With your black, black heart
Night creeps
Its wicked way just like a spider
Stealing, the feelings that hide
Black heart and wild
You were so like an angry child
When you looked that way
Oh I knew you wanted to hurt
You killed all of my dreams
With your black, black heart
Pushing
Your icy fingers always crushing
Your jealous mind so disapproving
You laughed at all my ideas
And encouraged all my fears
When you looked that way
Oh I knew you wanted to hurt
You killed all of my dreams
With your black, black heart
Leave me alone
Stop pushing at me
You got your revenge
For the love that I lent
You're destroying my mind
You're destroying my soul
Black heart
Off the 1983 album:
"Torment and Toreros"
(1983)
Album: "Three Black Nights Of Little Black Bites With Marc And The Mambas"
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters:
Marc Almond / Anne Hogan
Black Heart lyrics © Metropolis Music B.v., Arto Music Ltd
@angelicagarcia738
Playing
With little pictures that my mind sends
Counting the moments 'til my world ends
All I remembered are the bad times
And its chewing away at my insides
When you looked that way
Oh I knew you wanted to hurt
La suite des paroles ci-dessous
You killed all of my dreams
With your black, black heart
Night creeps
Its wicked way just like a spider
Stealing, the feelings that hide
Black heart and wild
You were so like an angry child
When you looked that way
Oh I knew you wanted to hurt
You killed all of my dreams
With your black, black heart
La suite des paroles ci-dessous
Pushing
Your icy fingers always crushing
Your jealous mind so disapproving
You laughed at all my ideas
And encouraged my fears
When you looked that way
Oh I knew you wanted to hurt
You killed all of my dreams
With your black, black heart
Leave me alone
Stop pushing at me
You got your revenge
For the love that I lent
You're destroying my mind
You're destroying my soul
Black heart
@ScottishTeeVee
1 of over 2000 music videos on this channel, all taken from my videotape collection,
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@carlosgarciaruiz1102
I love your channel! Thanks for the amazing vids
@ScottishTeeVee
@@carlosgarciaruiz1102 Thank You!
@beavisbonce
ScottishTeeVee yes I’ll sub we love Marc
@ScottishTeeVee
@@beavisbonce Brilliant, thanks for subscribing, I hope you found all my other Marc Almond videos
@ellenchapman2896
So happy to have found you and become a subscriber. Awesome channel 😃
@keith-leecastle6700
Can’t begin to explain how much this man and the album this came from meant to me as a 15 year old in 1983.
@didierdebail8080
I feel the same ☺️
@Sheff-is-Utd
And we still keep coming back to it 🐣
@phillipaconnolly4209
Ditto x