my bloody valentine is a shoegaze band formed in 1983 in Dublin, Ireland. T… Read Full Bio ↴my bloody valentine is a shoegaze band formed in 1983 in Dublin, Ireland. The band’s best known lineup is Kevin Shields (vocals, guitar), Bilinda Butcher (vocals, guitar), Debbie Googe (bass) and Colm Ó Cíosóig (drums). Their 1988 album Isn't Anything is generally regarded as one of the most influential records of the period, acting as an important precursor to the early '90s "shoegazing" scene. In 1991, the band released their second full length album Loveless, later declared one of the finest albums of the 1990s. The band struggled to record a follow up album and split in 1997. The band reunited in 2007 and performed several concerts the following year. The band released their third album, m b v, in February 2013.

The band’s key member is guitarist/singer/composer Kevin Shields, a reclusive perfectionist and radically inventive guitarist/engineer. The band’s other original member is drummer/studio maven Colm Ó Cíosóig; during their heyday MBV also included singer-guitarist Bilinda Butcher and bassist Debbie Googe. Their band shares its name with a low-budget Canadian slasher film.

MBV influences include The Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, Cocteau Twins, late-1970s Wire, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and independent artists such as The Pastels. Kevin Shields has also named The Beach Boys and The Ramones as a personal influence.

After leaving Creation Records in 1992 and signing with Island Records, the band fell into a creative black hole. Rumors spread among their fans of albums being recorded and then shelved. Debbie Googe left the band to form Snowpony; she had not played bass on their recordings since You Made Me Realise. Colm Ó Cíosóig eventually left and formed a band with Hope Sandoval, formerly of Mazzy Star, called Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions. Kevin Shields sporadically collaborated with other artists, most notably Experimental Audio Research, Curve, and Primal Scream. He revealed in a fall 2003 National Public Radio interview that Island Records quit financing his My Bloody Valentine endeavors after he spent half a million pounds of their money.

As of 2006, many rumors mentioned the possible reformation of MBV for a new studio album, but none of these were true. On November 15 2007, My Bloody Valentine announced three upcoming live gigs in the UK for 2008. On June 13 and 14, the band played in public for the first time in thirteen years, offering a pair of "Live Rehearsal" presentations at the ICA in London and officially starting their series of comeback performances. The band went on to play a slew of festivals in Summer and Fall of 2008. Following their appearance at the 2008 All Tomorrow's Parties festival, the New York Times reported that Shields was planning to complete the unfinished album.

On 2 February 2013 they self-released the self-titled album m b v as a download with both vinyl and CD copies shipping on 22nd Feb 2013. The Huffington Post reported that it caused such a public stir that the official MBV website crashed when fans attempted to access the site to purchase a copy.

Don'T Ask Why
My Bloody Valentine Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

See all your sorrow
But be happy tomorrow
From the back of my mind
I was searching (and I...)

From the look
In your face
I believe

It's not too late

See where you are
When did we go that far
From the things that we said
I was wishing us dead

Turn around
To the fool
Who believed
Don't ask why

(Pillow) pretend
That I do not defend
My own love in the back
Need no question to ask

If you need
To see

The (real)
Don't ask me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to My Bloody Valentine's song "Don't Ask Why" are deeply introspective and speak to the themes of self-realization and letting go. The opening lines "See all your sorrow, but be happy tomorrow" suggest a sense of hopefulness and a message of optimism that is echoed throughout the song. The lines "From the back of my mind, I was searching" implies a sense of self-reflection and inquiry, perhaps to gain a deeper understanding of one's own feelings and motivations.

The lyrics go on to describe the painful process of letting go of a relationship and the regret one may feel for things left unsaid. The line "From the look in your face, I believe it's not too late" suggests a desire to reconcile and move forward, but the line "I was wishing us dead" shows a recognition that sometimes it is necessary to let go of love and move on.

The final verse sees the singer offering advice to a "fool" who believed in the relationship, urging them not to ask why things ended and to instead focus on the present. The song ends with the singer asserting their own independence and telling the listener not to ask them for answers.

Overall, "Don't Ask Why" is a poignant exploration of the complexities of love and attachment, and the difficulty of letting go when things don't work out.

Line by Line Meaning

See all your sorrow
Observing all the pain you are going through

But be happy tomorrow
Letting you know that a better tomorrow is on its way

From the back of my mind
Deeply thinking and reflecting on the situation

I was searching (and I...)
Looking for answers to solve the problem at hand

From the look
Analyzing the expression

In your face
Clearly visible in your face

I believe
With confidence, having faith

It's not too late
There is still hope that things can be turned around

See where you are
Realizing the current state of things

When did we go that far
Wondering how things got so bad

From the things that we said
Remembering the words that were spoken