Motörhead released 23 studio albums, 10 live recordings, 12 compilation albums and five EPs over a career spanning 40 years. Usually a power trio, they had particular success in the early 1980s with several successful singles in the UK Top 40 chart. The albums Overkill, Bomber, Ace of Spades and, particularly, the live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith cemented Motörhead's reputation as a top-tier rock band. The band are ranked number 26 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. As of 2016, they have sold more than 15 million albums worldwide.
Most often classified as heavy metal, Motörhead has been credited with being part of and influencing numerous musical scenes, thrash metal and speed metal especially. Lemmy, however, always insisted that they were a rock and roll band. He said that they had more in common with punk bands, but with their own unique sound, Motörhead is embraced in both punk and metal scenes. Their lyrics typically covered such topics as war, good versus evil, abuse of power, promiscuous sex, substance abuse and, most famously, gambling, the latter theme being the focus of their hit song "Ace of Spades".
Lemmy died on 28 December 2015 from cardiac arrhythmia and congestive heart failure, after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. The day after his death, drummer Mikkey Dee and guitarist Phil Campbell both confirmed that Motörhead had disbanded. By 2018, all three members of Motörhead's best-known line-up (Lemmy, Taylor and Clarke) had died.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motörhead
Discography
Motörhead (1977)
Overkill (1979)
Bomber (1979)
On Parole (1979)
Ace of Spades (1980)
Iron Fist (1982)
Another Perfect Day (1983)
Orgasmatron (1986)
Rock 'n' Roll (1987)
1916 (1991)
March ör Die (1992)
Bastards (1993)
Sacrifice (1995)
Overnight Sensation (1996)
Snake Bite Love (1998)
We Are Motörhead (2000)
Hammered (2002)
Inferno (2004)
Kiss of Death (2006)
Motörizer (2008)
The Wörld Is Yours (2010)
Aftershock (2013)
Bad Magic (2015)
Nightmare/The Dreamtime
Motörhead Lyrics
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Red death to set you free
We turn the screws to make you die
Soft flesh and razor blades
Golgotha, ace of spades
Steel needles kiss your pretty eyes
All mine, all mine, black night, moonshine
All mine, all mine, nightmare, the dreamtime
Black terror stalks the night
Claws to clutch and fangs to bite
A dark and faceless crawling fear
Despair, you can't resist
Now the lizard's kiss
The reptile hisses in your ear
All mine, all mine, black night, moonshine
All mine, all mine, nightmare, the dreamtime
Dead voices speak through me
Of things that should not be
The prince of wounds, the lord of flies
Evil within ourselves
We need nobody else
We tell ourselves the best of lies
All mine, all mine, black night, moonshine
All mine, all mine, nightmare, the dreamtime
Nightmare, the dreamtime
The lyrics of Motörhead’s “Nightmare / The Dreamtime” are a vivid portrayal of a horrifying dream or a terrifying reality. The singer addresses the listener, instructing them to close their eyes and dream of him while red death set them free. The twisted hallucination is then explored through descriptions of razor blades, steel needles, and Golgotha, the place where Jesus was crucified. The alliteration of ‘soft flesh and razor blades’ adds a poetic, but disturbing element to the lyrics. The imagery then switches to a dark terror that stalks the night, with claws and fangs that bite. The fear is described as crawling and faceless- making it even more ominous. The listener is then warned that even if they try to resist, they can’t when the reptile kisses them with despair in their ear. Finally, the lyrics shift to a voice speaking through the singer of things that should not be, such as the prince of wounds and the lord of the flies. The listener is told that we all have evil within ourselves, and we tell ourselves the best of lies.
The duality of the nightmare and the dreamtime is an interesting aspect to explore as well. The possibility that the entirety of the experience may just be a fabrication of the listener's mind heightens the overall horror of the song. Additionally, the symbol of ‘red death’ could have many different interpretations, and could be seen as a metaphor for many things. The ‘soft flesh’ and ‘steel needles’ could serve as a commentary on sadomasochistic desire or addiction.
Line by Line Meaning
Lie back and dream of me
Relax and picture me in your thoughts as you sleep
Red death to set you free
Death will release you from your pain and suffering
We turn the screws to make you die
We are the cause of your death as we manipulate and control the situation
Soft flesh and razor blades
Your tender skin is no match for the sharp and deadly blades we possess
Golgotha, ace of spades
You are facing death, represented by the infamous Ace of Spades card associated with the Grim Reaper
Steel needles kiss your pretty eyes
We use metal needles to puncture your eyes, causing pain and discomfort
All mine, all mine, black night, moonshine
I have complete control over everything, including the black night sky illuminated by the bright moonlight
All mine, all mine, nightmare, the dreamtime
I am the ruler of your nightmares and can enter your dreams at will
Black terror stalks the night
An overwhelming sense of fear and dread pervades the darkness
Claws to clutch and fangs to bite
Dangerous and predatory creatures are lurking and ready to strike
A dark and faceless crawling fear
An amorphous and indescribable horror is slowly creeping towards you
Despair, you can't resist
You are powerless and unable to fight against the overwhelming feelings of hopelessness
Now the lizard's kiss
You are being poisoned by a venomous lizard's bite
The reptile hisses in your ear
The lizard is taunting and threatening you with its hissing and slithering movements
Dead voices speak through me
I am possessed by the spirits of the deceased
Of things that should not be
These spirits are speaking of unnatural and forbidden topics
The prince of wounds, the lord of flies
These spirits speak of powerful and malevolent entities, such as the demon lord Beelzebub
Evil within ourselves
We all have darkness and wickedness within our own hearts and minds
We need nobody else
We do not require the assistance or approval of others to act on our darkest impulses
We tell ourselves the best of lies
We are masters at deceiving ourselves and convincing ourselves that our evil actions are justified
Nightmare, the dreamtime
The terrifying world of nightmares that we enter during our dreams
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MICHAEL BURSTON, PHILIP CAMPBELL, IAN KILMISTER, PHILIP JOHN TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind