Mother Love Bone was established in 1988 by former Green River members Jeff Ament, Bruce Fairweather and Stone Gossard, former Malfunkshun frontman Andrew Wood and former Ten Minute Warning and Skin Yard drummer Greg Gilmore. Initially, the group was formed in 1987 out of the cover band Lords of the Wasteland which featured Wood, Gossard, Ament and Malfunkshun drummer Regan Hagar. By early 1988 the band had added Fairweather, replaced Hagar with drummer Greg Gilmore and changed its name to Mother Love Bone.
This new line-up quickly set about recording and playing area shows and by late 1988 had become one of Seattle's more promising bands. Wood's exuberant on-stage personality, outlandish clothes and dreamy lyrics helped bring attention to the band. In the 1996 grunge documentary, Hype!, Seattle engineer Jack Endino called Wood "the only stand-up comedian frontman in Seattle," a reference to Wood's playful style of interacting with Mother Love Bone fans.
In early 1989, the band signed to PolyGram subsidiary Mercury Records. As part of its contract PolyGram also created the Stardog Records imprint exclusively for the band. In March 1989, the group issued its debut EP, Shine, becoming the first of the new crop of Seattle bands to have a release on a major label. The record sold well and rapidly increased the hype surrounding the band. John Book of Allmusic said the "record contributed to the buzz about the Seattle music scene."
In late 1989, the group returned to the studio (this time in San Francisco, California) to record its debut album, Apple. Despite some initial difficulties, the record was on-time for its projected March 1990 release. By this point interest in the band had hit a fever pitch and it seemed destined that the band were going to make it big. Only days before Apple was slated to be released, however, frontman Andrew Wood, who had a long history with drug problems, overdosed on heroin. After spending a few days in the hospital in a coma, Wood died, effectively bringing the group to an end. The album would see release later that year on July 19, 1990. Kim Neely of Rolling Stone said that the album "succeeds where countless other hard rock albums have failed, capturing the essence of what made Zep immortal – dynamics, kids! – and giving it a unique Nineties spin."
Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns
Mother Love Bone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chloe just like me, only beautiful
A couple of years of difference
But those lessons never learned
Chloe danced the tables in the french quarter
She always been given so I can't always make her laugh
But I'm proud to say
And I won't forget
Time spent laying by her side
And dreams like this must die
And dreams like this must die
And dreams like this must
You ever heard the story of Mr.Faded Glory?
Say he who rides a pony must someday fall
Been talkin' to my alter
Say life is what you make it
And if you make it death well then rest your soul away
Away away yeah child
It's a broken kind of feeling
She'd have to tie me to the ceiling
A bad moon's a comin' better say your prayers, child
I want to tell her that I love you
But does it really matter?
I just can't stand to see you dragging down Again
Again
My baby again, oh, yeah
So I'm singing
And this is my kinda love
It's the kind that moves on
It's unkind and leaves me alone
Yes it does
And this is my kinda love
It's the kind that moves on
It's unkind that leaves me alone
I uses to treat you like a lady
Now you're a substitute teacher
This bottle's not a pretty, not a pretty sight
I owe the man some money so I'm turnin' over honey
You see Mr.Faded Glory is once again doin' time, oh yeah
And this is my kinda love
It's the kind that moves on
It's the kind the leaves me alone
Yes, it does
And this is my kinda love
It's the kind that moves on
It's the kind that, it's the kind that
It leaves me alone, yeah
Like a crown of thorns
It's all who you know, yeah
So don't burn your bridges woman
'Cause someday, yeah
Kick it, oh yeah
And this is my kinda love
It's the kind that moves on
It's the kind that leaves me alone, yeah
This is my kinda love
It's the kind that moves on
It's the kind that, it's the kind that, yeah, yeah
Baby
I said com' on, com' on, com' on com' on yeah
I said baby
Don't burn your bridges, woman
Don't come back here
I said good times, tu tu tu
Tu tu tu
I said tu tu tu
The song Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns by Mother Love Bone tells the story of Chloe, a beautiful woman who is reckless and carefree. Her beauty and free spirit attract the attention of the singer, who spends time with her and loves her despite her faults. However, as the song progresses, the lyrics reveal that Chloe's free-spirited ways lead her down a dark path, and that the singer is powerless to save her from her own self-destructive tendencies. The lyrics use vivid imagery to paint a picture of Chloe dancing on tables in the French Quarter, and the metaphor of a "crown of thorns" is used to imply that Chloe's life is full of hardship and suffering.
The second part of the song seems to take on a more introspective tone, with the singer reflecting on his own life and his own mistakes. He refers to a man named Mr. Faded Glory, who rides a pony and someday falls, as a metaphor for the fleeting nature of life. The lyrics suggest that life is what you make of it, and that if you make it full of death, then you will rest your soul away. The singer also reflects on his own failed relationship with Chloe, and the fact that he no longer treats her like a lady, but rather as a substitute teacher. The song ends with the repeated refrain of "this is my kind of love", which suggests that the singer has come to accept his own flaws and the impermanence of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Chloe don't know better
Chloe is not aware of better life choices.
Chloe just like me, only beautiful
I have similarities with Chloe, but she is more attractive than I am.
A couple of years of difference
Although we have an age difference, she's someone I admire.
But those lessons never learned
Despite our age difference, she has much to teach me.
Chloe danced the tables in the french quarter
Chloe had a wonderful time at the French Quarter by dancing.
She always been given so I can't always make her laugh
Chloe is someone who gets everything she wants, I try to make her happy but can't always succeed.
But I'm proud to say And I won't forget
I feel proud because I managed to spend time with her and won't forget that experience.
Time spent laying by her side
The time I spent lying beside Chloe was worth it.
And dreams like this must die
This love dream cannot be realized.
You ever heard the story of Mr.Faded Glory?
Have you heard the story of Mr. Faded Glory?
Say he who rides a pony must someday fall
Those who remain happy and successful will someday experience a downfall.
Been talkin' to my alter
I have been talking with my other self.
Say life is what you make it
Life is about the choices we make.
And if you make it death well then rest your soul away
If we make wrong choices in life, we will no longer exist.
Away away yeah child
We should move away from our path towards destruction.
It's a broken kind of feeling
The feeling of disappointment is like being broken.
She'd have to tie me to the ceiling
I'd rather be tied to a ceiling than keep my hopes up for a lost cause.
A bad moon's a comin' better say your prayers, child
There is a destructive force coming and we must protect ourselves.
I want to tell her that I love you
I want to tell Chloe that I love her.
But does it really matter?
It seems there's no point in telling her my feelings.
I just can't stand to see you dragging down Again
I don't want Chloe to experience a downfall or lose hope.
My baby again, oh, yeah
I don't want to lose Chloe.
So I'm singing
I am singing.
And this is my kinda love
This is the kind of love I feel.
It's the kind that moves on
This love will keep moving on.
It's unkind and leaves me alone
It is a harsh love that leaves me alone.
Yes it does
It certainly does.
I uses to treat you like a lady
I used to treat Chloe like a lady.
Now you're a substitute teacher
Now, Chloe is a substitute teacher.
This bottle's not a pretty, not a pretty sight
Drinking alcohol is not good for me.
I owe the man some money so I'm turnin' over honey
I owe someone money, so I'll sell myself as a substitute teacher.
You see Mr.Faded Glory is once again doin' time, oh yeah
Mr. Faded Glory is once again experiencing hard times and is struggling.
Like a crown of thorns
It is like a crown of thorns.
It's all who you know, yeah
The people you know can be very important to your success and happiness.
So don't burn your bridges woman
Don't destroy all possible opportunities for the future.
'Cause someday, yeah
Someday, it may be the right time again.
Kick it, oh yeah
Let's get this started!
I said com' on, com' on, com' on com' on yeah
Come on, let's do this together!
I said baby
I am addressing Chloe.
Don't burn your bridges, woman
Do not ruin all possible opportunities for the future.
Don't come back here
Do not return here.
I said good times, tu tu tu
I remember the good times we had.
Tu tu tu
Just reminisicing.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDREW WOOD, BRUCE IAN FAIRWEATHER, GREG A. GILMORE, JEFFREY ALLEN AMENT, STONE C. GOSSARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@peterdente6826
There will never be anything that compares to being a teenager in the early 90's. At almost 50 now, my life is amazing, but I miss the simpler days of no cell phones, no social media, no distractions; just great times and great music!
@jameslannon9788
hit the nail on the head right there.. great times, great music... miss those days.
@serabera0
Agreed!
@nathanricepriv
I wish i was around to see those days. I was born in 2001, i missed by two years.
@trippenwizard
54
@JT-vm7oz
For sure LFG in the 90's
@mixedplate7080
We are all 50-55 who listen this song, welcome soulmates! Yes amazing, old good days..
@smdinkel77
The 90's were a simpler time. I know every generation says the had the "best" music, but 90's were awesome
@kathrynrippley2395
Who's listening to this masterpiece in 2023?
@TuajanaNicholaswshC
Me right now