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.
The Slave
Marc Almond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where, seeking paradise,
I'd disguised myself as a dog,
A slave told me:
Me, I'd like heavy pearls
Enamelled black pearls
To be dumb, and almost deaf
Words which resemble the sea
Words that one sees through
Words of bitterness and love
Tender words, severe words
Me, I'd like crowded rooms
Where stretched out naked on all fours
Encircled by dogs and chains
Tasting mysterious liquors
Drinks of life and drinks of death
Cups filled to the brim
I place my moist and eager lips
On the kneeling stools therein
Me I'd like a black slave
With the white teeth, strong and cruel
Who'd split my shackles wide
And who'll take me to the sky
In the damp languor of evening
Me all white, and he all black
He'd bite my body, sliding
With a serpent slow...attack
Me, I'd like to be a young woman
Behind glass and iron bars
As pleasure takes my every breath
Until sleep, until death
Beneath my purple-blue eyelids
You know, I have only one thought
To be a woman, yes, it's true
To be a real woman
God.....please...please
In "The Slave" by Marc Almond, the singer describes a desire for a life of servitude and submission, seeking to be controlled by another person's words and actions. The lyrics describe a fantasy of living as a slave in a Byzantine harem, where the singer longs to be surrounded by exotic and sensual experiences. They mention a desire for both tender and severe words, as well as indulging in mysterious liquors that taste both of life and death.
The singer goes on to describe a desire for confinement, specifically behind iron bars, as they find pleasure in every breath until they reach their ultimate end. They express a longing to be a real woman, indicating perhaps a gender identity struggle or a desire to experience a different kind of femininity.
Overall, the lyrics of "The Slave" are a vivid and intense portrayal of fantasies of submission and control, describing a desire to exist purely for the sake of another's pleasure.
Line by Line Meaning
In a Byzantine harem
I was in a place where exotic women were kept as a display of wealth and status in the Byzantine empire.
Where, seeking paradise,
I was there in search of pleasure and satisfaction.
I'd disguised myself as a dog,
I pretended to be a dog to enter the harem undetected.
A slave told me:
One of the servants approached me and spoke these words.
Me, I'd like heavy pearls
I desire to have black pearls with great weight.
Enamelled black pearls
Black pearls with a shiny finish.
To be dumb, and almost deaf
I would like to lose the ability to speak and hear.
So that you'd soothe me with words
Then, I would hope you'd speak to me with kind words to calm my spirit.
Words which resemble the sea
Speech that reminds me of the vast sea and its undeniable beauty.
Words that one sees through
Utterances that are transparent and honest.
Words of bitterness and love
Phrases that are both painful and affectionate at the same time.
Tender words, severe words
Words that are soft and kind as well as harsh and stern.
Me, I'd like crowded rooms
I prefer to be in areas with lots of people around me.
Where stretched out naked on all fours
To be in a position where I have no control and am vulnerable.
Encircled by dogs and chains
To be trapped and powerless with savage animals around me.
Tasting mysterious liquors
Drinking enigmatic and unknown substances.
Drinks of life and drinks of death
Intoxicating liquids that may either give life or cause death.
Cups filled to the brim
Drinking vessels overflowing with the liquid inside.
I place my moist and eager lips
I eagerly sip from the cup.
On the kneeling stools therein
I am kneeling before the cups, eager to imbibe.
Me I'd like a black slave
I would like to have an African slave serving me.
With the white teeth, strong and cruel
This slave would have powerful and frightening teeth.
Who'd split my shackles wide
This slave would undo my bonds with ease.
And who'll take me to the sky
The slave would take me to heights of pleasure and ecstasy.
In the damp languor of evening
During the slow and moody twilight hours.
Me all white, and he all black
I am fair and he is dark-skinned.
He'd bite my body, sliding
He would use his mouth to nip and caress my flesh.
With a serpent slow...attack
He would move in a seductive and languid manner as he bites me.
Me, I'd like to be a young woman
I would like to be a feminine female.
Behind glass and iron bars
I would want to be in a glass cage, unable to escape.
As pleasure takes my every breath
So overcome with satisfaction that I feel my very existence taken over.
Until sleep, until death
Until I drift off to slumber or until I am no more.
Beneath my purple-blue eyelids
With closed and colored eyelids.
You know, I have only one thought
There is only one thing occupying my mind.
To be a woman, yes, it's true
I yearn to be fully feminine and all that it entails.
To be a real woman
To experience womanhood in its entirety.
God.....please...please
A prayerful exclamation for relief from these desires.
Contributed by Lauren N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.