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.
Glider
My Bloody Valentine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't fear
I want to
Love you
Yeah (doll of pain)
I let you get to me
Yeah yeah
Don't be
Afraid of me
Soon
That (I'll harm you)
Your eyes are blue
Blue jewels
Yeah yeah
Come back
Have faith
Someone like you
Can find the reason
Of what I did to you
Yeah yeah
Wake up
Don't fear
I want to
Love you
Yeah (doll of pain)
I let you get to me
Yeah yeah
The lyrics to My Bloody Valentine's song Glider seem to be about a remorseful and apologetic individual who is seeking the forgiveness of their partner. The opening lines of "Wake up, don't fear, I want to love you" suggest an effort to bring their partner back to their senses after a rift in their relationship. The familiar refrain of "Yeah (doll of pain), I let you get to me, yeah yeah" suggests that this person is familiar with the pain they have caused their partner and that they are willing to take responsibility for their actions.
The second verse of "Come back, don't be afraid of me, soon / That I'll harm you" reveals that the subject's partner has been hurt in some way, and the singer is trying to assure them that harm will not be inflicted again. The mention of "Blue jewels" in reference to their partner's eyes seems to suggest that they see their partner as precious and valuable, and that they are willing to make amends in order to keep them close.
The final verse of "Come back, have faith / Someone like you / Can find the reason / Of what I did to you, yeah yeah" reveals that the singer feels that they are not a bad person, but that they made mistakes that they are willing to learn from. They are asking their partner to have faith in them, that they will be able to reason through what happened and come to a resolution.
Overall, the song seems to be an attempt to reconcile a damaged relationship, with the singer acknowledging their wrongdoing and asking for their partner's forgiveness. The repetitive nature of the lyrics, with the "Yeah yeah" refrain, emphasizes the sincerity and urgency of the singer's plea.
Line by Line Meaning
Wake up
Don't remain unaware any longer
Don't fear
Don't worry or be scared
I want to
I desire
Love you
Have feelings of strong affection towards you
Yeah (doll of pain)
Yes (referring to a doll that represents pain)
I let you get to me
I allowed you to affect me emotionally
Yeah yeah
Yes (repeated)
Come back
Return to me
Don't be
Don't exist as
Afraid of me
Don't be frightened by me
Soon
In a short amount of time
That (I'll harm you)
That (I will cause you injury or distress)
Your eyes are blue
The color of your eyes is blue
Blue jewels
Precious objects that are blue
Come back
Return to me
Have faith
Believe and trust
Someone like you
A person with similar qualities to you
Can find the reason
Can discover the explanation
Of what I did to you
Regarding the actions I took towards you
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KEVIN SHIELDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Shreya Basu
Tracklist:
Soon: 0:00
Glider: 7:02
Don't Ask Why: 10:14
Off Your Face: 14:17
Shanksphere the First
tthanks
Adrian Loewen
One of the greatest compilation/EPs of all time.... it was pivotal to creating the sound of the 90s
Ejenplito Barces
I used to think "Don't ask why" was mediocre until I heard it recently. It has reconquered me!! Now I definitely love it and this whole EP!!
Final_Mile_Music
‘Off your face’ is just fantastic isn’t it?
Sjobeck7
Indeed it is!!
Thomas Rowlinson
I lost my copy of this in a move years ago! Thank you so much for posting this!
Felipe Avaron
Like staring into a pool of apathy but instead of going for a swim you just acknowledge its existence and hang around the borders watching people dive, watching people afraid of it, watching the invisible movement
Michael Venezia
What a great way to put it...To be able to put images to music like you just did is a beautiful creative skill....
PR P
MBVs little eps are seriously some of the best music of the last century!!!