Marc and the Mambas forever can be considered the blueprint for Marc Almond's solo career. As Soft Cell developed into an excellent mix of pop and electronic "dark" dance music, Marc and the Mambas picked up there - but more and more got rid of the dance beat.
While their first album still was searching for its own voice - with a mix of ballads with and without dance beats, Torment and Toreros was an incredible mix of Vaudeville, French chanson, goth sensibility, guitar noise, piano, string sections and a singing hero that went mad during the course of this album. Marc Almond later noted ironically, this album was an attempted suicide put on vinyl, and in a way it was. However, looking back at it almost 25 years later, it still goes strong, since there was never anything like that before and after.
Interesting was on top of that the group as such was an outfit that was closer to a jazz outfit rather than a rock group. The band members changed from album to performance and back each time something new was started. The only really consisting members were Marc Almond, of course, and Annie Hogan. Further members, such as Billy McGee and Martin McCarrick went later on to join Marc for his first solo efforts (called Marc Almond and the Willing Sinners). But Martin McCarrick left for Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1987, and the rest of that band (then called La Magia) dissolved in 1988. Since then Marc has been a true solo artist, working closely together with Neal X (of Sigue Sigue Sputnik fame) since 1993.
As for the Mambas, David Ball was an associated member for their first single, "Sleaze" and Matt Johnson from The The was a member for the first and second album but did not join anymore for the last concerts in 1983 (put to Vinyl and later to CD as Black, Bite & Blues.) Never a full but an associated member was Jim Foetus (aka Jim Thirlwell/Clint Ruin), who did guest vocals and percussion on "A Million Manias" as well as "Love Among the Ruined."
It was in 1983, that Marc as well as Soft Cell were very close to the avant-garde scene around Foetus, Psychic TV, and Einstürzende Neubauten.
Antony from Antony and the Johnsons quotes "Torment and Toreros" as the most important influence on his life and his work.
Terrapin
Marc and the Mambas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The star above you, crystal blue
Well, oh baby, my hairs on end about you
I wouldn't see you and I love to
I fly above you, yes I do
Well, oh baby, my hairs on end about you
The fins a luminous
Fangs all 'round the clown
Is dark below the boulders hiding all
The sunlight's good for us
'Cause we're the fishes and all we do
The move about is all we do
Well, oh baby, my hairs on end about you
Floating, bumping, noses dodge a tooth
The fins a luminous
Fangs all 'round the clown
Is dark below the boulders hiding all
The sunlight's good for us
'Cause we're the fishes and all we do
The move about is all we do
Well, oh baby, my hairs on end about you
I really love you and I mean you
The star above you, crystal blue
Well, oh baby, my hairs on end about you
The opening lines of Marc and the Mambas' song Terrapin express a deep and intense love for someone. The lyrics suggest that this person is special, and the very thought of them makes the singer's "hairs on end." The second verse speaks of flying above this person, indicating that they may be below, and suggests an almost god-like reverence for them.
The following verses speak of fish swimming in water, and the image of the "fins a luminous / fangs all 'round the clown" suggests danger and unpredictability. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for the singer's intense feelings for this person, that they are both alluring and potentially dangerous. The final verse repeats the opening lines, creating a circular narrative that reflects the intensity and cyclical nature of love.
In short, Terrapin is a song about a deep and intense love that brings excitement and uncertainty into the singer's life. The aquatic imagery suggests that this love is both alluring and potentially dangerous, but the singer is unable to resist its pull.
Line by Line Meaning
I really love you and I mean you
I deeply love and care for you
The star above you, crystal blue
The sky is clear and bright with stars shining over you
Well, oh baby, my hairs on end about you
My intense feelings for you give me goosebumps
I wouldn't see you and I love to
I miss you even when I am with you
I fly above you, yes I do
I feel high and euphoric when I am with you
Floating, bumping, noses dodge a tooth
We are swimming and maneuvering around obstacles
The fins a luminous
Our fins are gleaming and radiant
Fangs all 'round the clown
There are danger and unpredictability lurking around us
Is dark below the boulders hiding all
The darkness conceals secrets and mysteries underneath the surface
The sunlight's good for us
We need the warmth of the sun to survive
'Cause we're the fishes and all we do
We are creatures of the water, and swimming is our primary function
The move about is all we do
We are constantly in motion, gliding and darting through the water
Well, oh baby, my hairs on end about you
My intense feelings for you never cease to amaze me
Contributed by Bentley Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.