They met at a Sheffield party, when Murphy had no prior professional singing experience. Meanwhile, Brydon had a thirteen-year musical résumé, first with Chakk / Hula pioneering EBM (then, aka big beat). Subsequently, within dance music, he formed and produced various pop and house acts, e.g. producing Krush's hit "House Arrest" (1987, FON) and his 1993 Cloud Nine project. Murphy approached Brydon with the chat-up line "Do you like my tight sweater? See how it fits my body!", hence their debut album's title. Respectively, 'Moloko' originates from the Nadsat slang word for "milk" (from the Russian, молоко), in Anthony Burgess' novel "A Clockwork Orange".
Recorded while the pair were dating, Do You Like My Tight Sweater? gained notice on underground dance and trip-hop scenes, then more so with I Am Not a Doctor (Jul 1998, Echo). The latter yielded "Sing It Back", which broke Moloko into the mainstream. Remixed by house producer Boris Dlugosch, "Sing It Back (Boris Musical Mix)", was a massive Ibiza hit and entered the top-five of 1999 weekly UK singles charts, helped by a psychedelic video featuring Murphy in a very short metallic flapper dress and cap. "Sing It Back" was eventually featured on more than 110 music compilations. Dlugosch's remix also appears on faux radio station Rise FM in the action-adventure game "GTA: Liberty City Stories" (2005, Rockstar Games).
In 2000 Moloko started touring as a full band along with percussionist Paul Slowly, keyboardist Eddie Stevens, and guitarist Dave Cook.
The band also had chart success with "The Time Is Now", the first single from their third album, Things to Make and Do. This album had relied less on the leftfield beats of the previous albums, and featured more organic instrumentation.
Murphy and Brydon ended their relationship in 2001. After their breakup they recorded and released their fourth and final studio album, Statues, in 2003. Statues continued a segue into more traditional instrumentation, along with electronica elements from their earlier releases. The album majorly incorporated the theme of the couple's split: all of the songs deal with a troubled and/or ending romance.
In 2004 Moloko released a live DVD, 11,000 Clicks, recorded on stage at the Brixton Academy. It contained many of their well known songs including "Indigo", "Sing It Back", and "The Time Is Now".
After concluding the tour supporting Statues, Moloko mutually parted ways, with Róisín Murphy launching a solo career.
A "best of" album, Catalogue, was released in 2006. Murphy and Brydon, along with long-time Moloko guitarist Dave Cook, played a select number of acoustic radio performances to promote the album.
Since 2006 they have been on an indefinite hiatus.
Take My Hand
Moloko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Into deeper pools I dive
To re-emerge
Almost submerged
Ultraviolet
Is it slight of hand
Or the surest touch
And put me on a pedestal
Can you be sure that's right?
My king of hearts
Are we the only two
To feel so powerless
And yet so powerful
And all at once
We are all at one
So take my hand and
Well explore a land of mellow truthfulness
Something deep in you
Touches something
So deep in me
And suddenly destiny
Lays down in front of me
Its what I
Was designed to do
To touch something so deep in you
And suddenly awake sleeping sensitivity
I was a run away
But what was I running too
You stopped me in my tracks
When I turned back
All I could see is you
The wind
telling tales of golden histories
Whispering among the trees
Of heaven and its mysteries
And soon
We two will commune
Like the spheres of sun and moon
The perfume of the rose in bloom
Something deep in you
Touches something
So deep in me
And suddenly destiny
Lays down in front of me
Its what I
Was designed to do
To touch something so deep in you
Suddenly awake sleeping sensitivity...
The lyrics to Moloko's song "Take My Hand" is a love song that captures the feeling of falling in love and exploring the beauty of the feelings that come along with it. The song begins with the refrain "pins, needles, and butterflies" which paints the picture of the initial rush of emotions felt when someone falls in love. It then continues into deeper pools, creating a contrast from the initial rush to a more profound and thoughtful exploration of the relationship. The reference to "Ultraviolet" gives a sense of the mystical and ethereal quality of the emotions being experienced.
The second verse of the song talks about the uncertainty that people often feel when they fall in love. The imagery of something "slight of hand" or a "surest touch" provides an additional contrast, the former representing the possibility of deception or trickery, while the latter represents the trust that a person puts in the other. The song then moves on to the question of whether the person is right to be placed on a pedestal. The chorus takes over and talks about the powerlessness and yet power that comes when two people fall in love. The lines "We are all at one/So take my hand and/We'll explore a land of mellow truthfulness" echo the idea of exploring the depths of the other person's soul.
The third verse of "Take my Hand" again talks about how love can awaken something that has been dormant within people, which brings them to true happiness. Running away from something, which could be one's own self-doubt and past pain in this context, is the norm until one meets the person who could stop them in their tracks. Love offers solace and plays a crucial role in instilling sensitivity in individuals. The last verse uses a metaphor of two spheres - sun and the moon - to convey that two people in love connect to each other in a mystical and complementary way. The scent of the perfume from the rose, which symbolizes love and affection, fills the air.
Line by Line Meaning
Pins, needles and butterflies
Experiencing a mix of nervousness, excitement, and anxiety
Into deeper pools I dive
Going deeper into emotions and vulnerability
To re-emerge
To resurface and face reality
Almost submerged
Being close to getting lost in one's emotions
Ultraviolet
A representation of the intensity of emotions
Is it slight of hand
Questioning if the connection is genuine or just an illusion
Or the surest touch
Wondering if the connection is real and strong
You caught me as I fell
Feeling rescued and supported when in a vulnerable state
And put me on a pedestal
Making the other person feel special and important
Can you be sure that's right?
Asking if this is the right decision
My king of hearts
Referring to the other person as the most important in one's life
Are we the only two
Questioning if the connection is unique
To feel so powerless
Feeling out of control in the presence of the other person
And yet so powerful
Feeling empowered by the connection with the other person
And all at once
Suddenly and unexpectedly
We are all at one
Feeling in sync and connected with each other
So take my hand and
Inviting the other person to take a journey together
Well explore a land of mellow truthfulness
Going on a journey of honesty and vulnerability
Something deep in you
Referring to the other person's emotions
Touches something
Connecting with something within oneself
So deep in me
Referring to one's own emotions
And suddenly destiny
Feeling like fate brought the two together
Lays down in front of me
Feeling like the world is open to endless possibilities
Its what I
Referring to the purpose in life
Was designed to do
Feeling like it was meant to happen
To touch something so deep in you
Connecting with the other person on a deep emotional level
And suddenly awake sleeping sensitivity
Becoming more aware and attuned to one's emotions
I was a run away
Feeling lost and disconnected before meeting the other person
But what was I running to
Questioning the direction in life before the connection
You stopped me in my tracks
Feeling like the other person changed the path in life
When I turned back
Looking back at the past and realizing the impact of the connection
All I could see is you
Realizing the importance of the other person
The wind
A metaphor for change and transition
telling tales of golden histories
A reference to the past as something beautiful and valuable
Whispering among the trees
A sense of nature as a mediator of emotions
Of heaven and its mysteries
A sense of spirituality and the unknown
And soon
Looking forward to the future
We two will commune
The connection with the other person is a source of comfort and understanding
Like the spheres of sun and moon
A metaphor for the perfect balance and harmony of the connection
The perfume of the rose in bloom
A metaphor for the beauty and tenderness of the connection
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Thomas A. Dorsey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind