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.
Vision
Marc Almond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Locked inside my head
It creeps upon my mind
And warms me in my bed
A vision shimmering, shifting
Moving in false firelight
A vision of a vision
Protecting me from fear at night
And my love stayed strong
I don't know where you end
And where it is that I begin
I simply open my mind
And the memories flood on in
I remember waking up
With your arms around me
I remember losing myself
And finding that you'd found me
And the seasons rolled on
And my love stayed strong
Be my child, be my lover
Swallow me up in your fire glow
Take my tongue, Take my torment
Take my hand and don't let go
[Chorus]
Let me live in your life
For you make it all seem to matter
Let me die in your arms
So the vision will never shatter
And the seasons rolled on
And my love stayed strong
The seasons rolled on
My love stayed strong
My love stayed strong
And my love stayed strong
[Repeat chorus]
In Marc Almond's song "Vision", he expresses his undying love for someone who only exists in his mind, a vision locked inside his head that warms him at night. The vision is described as shimmering, shifting, and moving in false firelight, yet it protects him from fear. As the seasons pass by, his love stays just as strong. Marc reminisces about waking up with his arms around him and losing himself, only to find that his vision had found him. It is unclear whether this is an actual person that he once loved or if it is just a figment of his imagination, but either way, the memory of this person brings him comfort and peace.
The chorus of the song speaks of wanting to live and die in the arms of his vision, so that the vision will never shatter. The creator of this "vision" is left to the listener's interpretation; it could be a former romantic partner, an imaginary friend, or even a projection of himself.
Overall, "Vision" is a haunting and romantic song that explores the enduring power of love and the ability of memories to bring us comfort.
Line by Line Meaning
I have a vision of you
I have a vivid image of you in my head.
Locked inside my head
I cannot get rid of this mental image of you.
It creeps upon my mind
It comes into my consciousness unexpectedly.
And warms me in my bed
It gives me feelings of comfort and security.
A vision shimmering, shifting
The image of you is not static but fluid, always changing.
Moving in false firelight
It is not real, but an illusion in my mind.
A vision of a vision
It is a mental image of you, not the real thing.
Protecting me from fear at night
It gives me a sense of safety and wards off my fears.
As the seasons rolled on
Time passed by.
And my love stayed strong
Despite the passage of time, my love for you did not wane.
I don't know where you end
I cannot separate you from me in my mind.
And where it is that I begin
I wonder if I can exist without you.
I simply open my mind
I let my thoughts and feelings flow freely.
And the memories flood on in
And I am flooded with memories of you.
I remember waking up
I recall the moment of waking up.
With your arms around me
I remember how comforting it felt to have your arms around me.
I remember losing myself
I recall the moment of surrendering to my feelings.
And finding that you'd found me
And realizing that you felt the same way about me.
Be my child, be my lover
I want you to be both my partner and my child.
Swallow me up in your fire glow
I want to be consumed by your love and passion.
Take my tongue, take my torment
I want you to take away my pain and suffering.
Take my hand and don't let go
I want to hold on to you forever.
Let me live in your life
I want to be a part of your life.
For you make it all seem to matter
Because with you, everything seems worthwhile.
Let me die in your arms
I want to be with you until the very end.
So the vision will never shatter
So that I can remain in this blissful, idealized state of mind forever.
My love stayed strong
Despite everything, my feelings for you did not change.
And my love stayed strong
I am still deeply in love with you.
The seasons rolled on
Time continued to pass by.
And my love stayed strong
But my feelings for you remained the same.
Repeat chorus
Sing the chorus again.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PETER HAMMILL, PETER JOSEPH ANDREW HAMMILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Charlie Magri
I have a vision of you
Locked inside my head
It creeps upon my mind
And warms me in my bed
A vision shimmering, shifting
Moving in false firelight
A vision of a vision
Protecting me from fear at night
As the seasons rolled on
And my love stayed strong
I don't know where you end
And where it is that I begin
I simply open my mind
And the memories flood on in
I remember waking up
With your arms around me
I remember losing myself
And finding that you'd found me
And the seasons rolled on
And my love stayed strong
Be my child, be my lover
Swallow me up in your fire glow
Take my tongue, Take my torment
Take my hand and don't let go
Let me live in your life
For you make it all seem to matter
Let me die in your arms
So the vision will never shatter
And the seasons rolled on
And my love stayed strong
The seasons rolled on
My love stayed strong
My love stayed strong
And my love stayed strong
Let me live in your life
For you make it all seem to matter
Let me die in your arms
So the vision will never shatter
fourthfloor16
I truly believe this is one of the greatest songs ever written and sung
Lloydie Buoy
Some tracks can take us back years and remind us of that time like it were yesterday, But the nostalgia of these tunes when we`re older and wiser are a nice reward. One of my all time favourites
Alan Kilroy
Awesome song. Fantastic band.
Andrew Taylor
Holy shit, I have loved Marc for years, but I just discovered this era. Kudos!
Adam Kimmel
I have only just found out about this version of one of my favourite Peter Hammill songs. Brilliant and brave, thank you!
omarshinken
so beautiful want to send this to my lover then she will understand how serious i feel
krustyk1969
one of my all time favorites
Richard Humphreys
This is really beautiful.
Eric Hudson
So beautiful, touches my heart if i only had a heart
Lost in Musik
Brilliant version of a beautiful song