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."
Thru Fade Away
Mother Love Bone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Remember your faces, through fade away
Bless all of your eyes, I realize you're my reason
And I will always cherish the days, when our souls will be together
She's my sunshine, my moonshine
She's ma' hot, ma hotma Gandhi
She's my lady, she's from Euphrates
You're just another one, just another statistic
You're needle-sickness, illed weakness
Yeah, you killed, yeah you killed, yeah you killed me boy
The lyrics of "Thru Fade Away" by Mother Love Bone discusses the longing for the memories of a loved one who has passed away. The first verse "You can fade away my love I will always remember your faces, through fade away" expresses the acceptance of the fading of the person's presence, but the memory of them will always be imprinted. The second verse "Bless all of your eyes, I realize you're my reason and I will always cherish the days, when our souls will be together" reflects on the impact the person had on the writer's life, they were the reason for them. The writer cherishes the memories of the days, and still holds the hope of afterlife when they may reunite again.
The bridge "She's my sunshine, my moonshine, she's ma' hot, ma hotma Gandhi, she's my lady, she's from Euphrates, sure 'nugh give that woman to me" seems to be somewhat unrelated to the rest of the song. It could be interpreted as a tribute to an important woman in the writer's life or the woman they hope to meet someday. The last verse, "You're just another one, just another statistic, you're needle-sickness, illed weakness, yeah, you killed, yeah you killed, yeah you killed me boy" is a harsh realization of the damage the person has caused. The writer acknowledges them as another victim of drug addiction and shows the hurt they've caused by their choices.
Line by Line Meaning
You can fade away my love I will always
Even if you disappear, my love for you will always persist
Remember your faces, through fade away
I will forever retain vivid memories of you, even as time passes
Bless all of your eyes, I realize you're my reason
I deeply appreciate everything about you, especially your gaze, and I know that you keep me going
And I will always cherish the days, when our souls will be together
I will never forget the moments when we felt a deep connection, and I hope we can experience more of them in the future
She's my sunshine, my moonshine
She brings light and joy into my life, in both an everyday and a romantic sense
She's ma' hot, ma hotma Gandhi
She is incredibly attractive to me, and also possesses qualities of nonviolence, honesty, and leadership associated with the Indian activist Mahatma Gandhi
She's my lady, she's from Euphrates
She is my beloved partner, and has an exotic, far-off quality that makes her even more special
Sure 'nugh give that woman to me
I will stop at nothing to make her mine, because I am so enamored of her
You're just another one, just another statistic
You are nothing special to me, just one in a long line of people with similar traits or experiences
You're needle-sickness, illed weakness
You are addicted to something harmful, which makes you physically and mentally ill
Yeah, you killed, yeah you killed, yeah you killed me boy
Your drug abuse and associated behaviors have harmed me deeply and left me feeling emotionally devastated
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