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.
Melancholy Rose
Marc Almond Lyrics
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Love in a silk black slip
In dark waters
Sinking like a ship
Trouble on your lips
Murder in your song
Song of a mean man
Lovers come and gone
Oh Melancholy Rose
Oh Melancholy Rose
Come souls' midnight
We'll both sail away
Leaving red sunsets
To end our passion play
Bitter allows
Tingles on the tongue
Body and soul
Lovers come and gone
Oh Melancholy Rose
Oh Melancholy Rose
Always running away
Black Sobraine hair
Turning cigarette ash grey
Sprawled across troubled beds
Hands outstretched
Reaching for the pills
In lonely rundown motels
Life, love, men
Dust to dust
Disaster after disaster
Must be some dark kiss on your lips
A promise of heaven or hell in your song
Tomorrow it'll all be gone be gone
Oh Melancholy Rose
Lovers come and gone
Oh Melancholy Rose
Love has come and gone
Oh Melancholy Rose
Murder in your song
In the song "Melancholy Rose" by Marc Almond, the singer describes a dark and mysterious woman who is equally alluring and dangerous. The singer initially sees her in a black silk slip in dark waters, sinking like a ship, with "trouble on her lips" and "murder in her song." The woman is described as having a history of lovers who have come and gone, and the imagery of "melancholy" and "bitterness" pervades throughout the song.
As the song continues, the singer suggests that he and the woman will sail away together, leaving behind their passion play and the red sunsets of their past. The woman is again described in terms of her destructive tendencies, with her hands outstretched and reaching for pills in rundown motels. The singer acknowledges that life and love are fleeting, as evidenced by the line "dust to dust, disaster after disaster." Despite this, the woman remains alluring, with a promise of either heaven or hell in her song.
The lyrics of "Melancholy Rose" suggest a woman who is simultaneously alluring and dangerous, with a history of lovers and a tendency towards destruction. The song captures a sense of fleeting passion and the inevitability of loss, as the singer acknowledges that everything will be gone tomorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
First I saw you
I saw you for the first time
Love in a silk black slip
You were wearing a black silk slip and I fell in love with you
In dark waters
We are drowning in depressing thoughts or circumstances
Sinking like a ship
Our emotions and relationship are sinking like a ship
Trouble on your lips
You have problems and difficulties that you express through your words
Murder in your song
Your music has dark and violent themes
Song of a mean man
You sing like a bitter and cruel person
Lovers come and gone
You have had many romances that did not last long
Oh Melancholy Rose
Addressing someone with the nickname 'Melancholy Rose'
Come souls' midnight
At midnight, our spirits will leave our bodies and go somewhere else
We'll both sail away
We will escape together
Leaving red sunsets
We will leave behind beautiful sunsets stained with blood
To end our passion play
Our experience of love will soon come to an end
Bitter allows
Alcohol that has a bitter taste
Tingles on the tongue
The way alcohol feels on one's tongue
Body and soul
Every aspect of our being
Always running away
You have a habit of avoiding problems and situations
Black Sobraine hair
Hair that is dark like the brand of cigarette called Sobranie
Turning cigarette ash grey
Hair that is becoming discolored and ashy, much like cigarette ash
Sprawled across troubled beds
You lay across beds that are messy and difficult
Hands outstretched
Your arms are stretched out as if reaching for something
Reaching for the pills
You are taking pills to cope with problems
In lonely rundown motels
You are staying in seedy motels with few amenities
Life, love, men
All aspects of your life, including romantic relationships with men
Dust to dust
One day you will die and return to dust
Disaster after disaster
You have been through many calamities and tragedies
Must be some dark kiss on your lips
You seem to have a dark or dangerous aura around you
A promise of heaven or hell in your song
Your music seems to foreshadow either great happiness or great torment
Tomorrow it'll all be gone be gone
Everything will come to an end soon
Love has come and gone
You have experienced love that has ended
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARC ALMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind