The Fish era is often categorized as neo-progressive. They originally started as "Silmarillion" (from Tolkien's book) with heavy influences from classic Genesis but went on to develop their own distinctive sound. The band was formed in 1979 by Mick Pointer (drums), Steve Rothery (guitar), Doug 'Rastus' Irvine (bass), and others, soon adding vocalist Fish (real name Derek W. Dick), Diz Minitt (bass), and Brian Jelliman. By the time of their first album, 1983's Script for a Jester's Tear, the bass position had been taken over by Pete Trewavas and keyboards by Mark Kelly.
The studio albums Fugazi (1984), Misplaced Childhood (1985), and Clutching at Straws (1987), as well as the 1984 live album Real to Reel all sold respectably, and the band scored a hit single in Britain with Kayleigh in 1985.
When Fish left the band in 1988 after four albums he was replaced by Steve Hogarth. A former member of The Europeans and some-time collaborator with The The and Julian Cope, Hogarth brought a new energy to the band.
Across a further ten albums, Hogarth – along with existing members Rothery, Kelly, Trewavas, and Mosley – have reinvigorated and constantly redefined Marillion’s sound. They forged into new musical territories with a succession of inventive, emotional albums, displaying little regard to the vagaries of hit charts or radio playlists.
After the release of 1999’s marillion.com the band freed themselves from record company pressure once and for all by launching their own record label, the Intact imprint.
Thanks to their pioneering embrace of the Internet through their website http://marillion.com, Marillion have developed a unique and intimate relationship with their fans. From sponsoring entire tours of the USA to funding the recording of recent albums, Marillion’s global fan-base is unique in its affection and dedication. As a result, such passionate, wholesale support has allowed Marillion to step outside of the conventional music industry and find their own path.
In 2001 Anoraknophobia saw Marillion take the groundbreaking step of asking fans to pre-order an album 12 months before release. An amazing 12,000 people signed up, helping to finance the recording. The band once again took pre-orders for the 2004 release Marbles, but this time the money was channelled into a campaign fund to promote its launch. The success of singles Don't Hurt Yourself and You're Gone – the latter making it all the way to number 7 – vindicated the band's independent strategy.
Their 2007 album Somewhere Else reached number 24 in the UK album chart with their most recent single Thankyou Whoever You Are hitting the UK singles chart at number 15. The band shows no signs of fading away after more than 25 years of activity.
Their 15th album, "Happiness is the road", was physically released in October 2008 but was originally available exclusively from the band's website. It was released with little promotion and a deluxe pre-order package was made available as with Marbles. 'Happiness is the Road' is the second studio double album of a long career (2004's Marbles was the other). A UK and European tour followed the album's release, and the band is taking special effort to record every show in the "Happiness on the Road" tour, making the recordings available from the band's website.
Hard As Love
Marillion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I guess you're used to having everything you want
But you know that love can be as hard as sticks and stones
I tell you nothing else can be as hard as love can
Well I hear you got my number and you want my name
I'm a stream of noughts and crosses in your are-A-M
But you know that love can be as hard as algebra
Hard as love
Well I hear that you were lookin' out to take me home
And I hear that you can handle it and you're not scared
Have you heard about the pictures on my bedroom wall?
Baby nothing else has ever been as hard as love
Hard as love
Well it makes you hungry and it makes you high
It makes you suffer and it makes you cry
But it's all worthwhile
It makes you humble and it makes you crawl
It makes you tremble and it makes you fall
But it's all worthwhile
It makes you desperate and it makes you dream
It makes you dangerous and it makes you scream
But it's all worthwhile
Just lie back and smile
"We will continue to love you even though the rest of the world hates you."
It makes you hungry and it makes you high
It makes you suffer and it makes you cry
It makes you panic and it makes you vain
It makes you primitive and sick inside
It makes you angry and it makes you blind
It makes you guilty and it makes you lie
Tied up and beaten
Spat out and eaten
Suicidal
Nothing's ever been as hard
Well I hear that were lookin' out to change my faith
You can bash me with your book of words, hammer me down
But you know that love can be as hard as six inch nails
Baby nothing else has ever been as hard as love
Hard as love
The lyrics of Marillion's song Hard As Love deal with the theme of the complicated nature of love. The song starts with the singer acknowledging his fear of being hunted down by someone who has always gotten everything they wanted. The lines "But you know that love can be as hard as sticks and stones, I tell you nothing else can be as hard as love can" suggest that love can be as painful as physical violence. The singer then talks about how the other person wants to know more about him, but they may not comprehend the complexity of love, which can be as difficult as solving a mathematical problem.
The second verse talks about how the other person wants to take the singer home, and suggests that they are not scared of what they might discover about him. The lines "Baby nothing else has ever been as hard as love, Hard as love" continue to reiterate the point that love can be difficult and challenging. The bridge of the song talks about the different ways that love affects a person. It can make them feel desperate and dreamy, panicked and vain, angry and blind, guilty and dishonest. The lines "Tied up and beaten, spat out and eaten, Suicidal, Nothing's ever been as hard" suggest that love can be very damaging.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I hear that you were looking out to hunt me down
I've heard that you've been trying to find me, maybe even with the intention to harm me.
And I guess you're used to having everything you want
It seems like you're accustomed to getting everything you desire.
But you know that love can be as hard as sticks and stones
However, even though you may be adept at obtaining things, love can still be challenging and hurtful.
I tell you nothing else can be as hard as love can
There's nothing that can be more difficult than love sometimes.
Well I hear you got my number and you want my name
I've heard that you have my contact information and are wanting to know who I am.
I'm a stream of noughts and crosses in your are-A-M
To you, I might just be meaningless letters and numbers.
But you know that love can be as hard as algebra
Despite this, love can be as complex as solving a difficult math equation.
Baby nothing else has ever been as hard as love
Nevertheless, nothing else has been as difficult as love can be.
Well I hear that you were lookin' out to take me home
I've heard that you wanted to bring me home with you.
And I hear that you can handle it and you're not scared
I've also heard that you feel confident in your ability to handle the situation and that you aren't afraid.
Have you heard about the pictures on my bedroom wall?
But have you heard or seen the pictures I have in my bedroom?
Baby nothing else has ever been as hard as love
Regardless, nothing else has been as taxing as love might be.
It makes you hungry and it makes you high
Love can be exhilarating and all-consuming.
It makes you suffer and it makes you cry
On the other hand, love can also cause immense pain and make you cry.
But it's all worthwhile
Yet, despite the highs and lows, it's still worth it.
It makes you humble and it makes you crawl
Love can make you feel small or insignificant and have you begging for forgiveness.
It makes you tremble and it makes you fall
You might become unsteady and lose your footing because of love.
But it's all worthwhile
Still, the difficulties are worth it in the end.
It makes you desperate and it makes you dream
Love can make you desperate or have you envisioning your wildest dreams.
It makes you dangerous and it makes you scream
It can also make you edgy and have you screaming or rebelling.
But it's all worthwhile
But once again, ultimately it's worth it all.
Just lie back and smile
So, despite the hardships or madness that love can bring, just lay back and enjoy it.
It makes you hungry and it makes you high
This line is repeated for emphasis.
It makes you suffer and it makes you cry
This line is repeated for emphasis.
It makes you panic and it makes you vain
Love can invoke moments of panic or make you selfish.
It makes you primitive and sick inside
It can lower you to your most primitive instincts and make you feel unwell.
It makes you angry and it makes you blind
It can make you irate or cloud your judgement.
It makes you guilty and it makes you lie
Love can make you feel fault or cause you to tell untruths.
Tied up and beaten
This line is a metaphor for being defeated by love.
Spat out and eaten
This line means the same thing just using different words.
Suicidal
This line carries extreme meaning, almost as if to suggest that love can drive one to intense emotional states or behaviors.
Nothing's ever been as hard
The theme of the song is stated plainly here, nothing has been as difficult as love.
Well I hear that we're lookin' out to change my faith
I've heard that you're trying to alter my religious beliefs.
You can bash me with your book of words, hammer me down
Perhaps you're trying to use religion as a tool to force or encourage submission from me.
But you know that love can be as hard as six inch nails
But no matter what you try, love can still be as painful as nails piercing the skin.
Baby nothing else has ever been as hard as love
Once more, love is emphasized as the hardest thing to deal with.
Hard as love
This line is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing that there is nothing harder than love.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: S. HOGARTH, PETER JOHN TREWAVAS, STEVEN THOMAS ROTHERY, MARK COLBERT KELLY, IAN FRANCESKO MOSLEY, JOHN PHILIP HELMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind