Andy Oppenheimer and Martin Lloyd met at the 1979 World Science Fiction Con… Read Full Bio ↴Andy Oppenheimer and Martin Lloyd met at the 1979 World Science Fiction Convention in Brighton, England. They quickly became good friends, sharing an interest in the work of David Bowie, electronic music and early synthesizer bands such as the Human League and Soft Cell. They also shared a love of old science fiction movies, 1950s graphics and comic book imagery and a fascination with post-World War II propaganda, the politics and aesthetics of the Cold War, and the social impact of the atomic bomb.

Over the next few years Andy and Martin frequented the growing club scene, including Studio 21 in Oxford Street, and became involved in the developing Futurist and New Romantic style sub-cultures. During this period Martin recorded as Analysis, both alone and with David Rome of Drinking Electricity. They released their first single, "Surface Tension/Connections" on David's Survival label in 1981. Meanwhile Andy held his own occasional club nights and continued to work as a science writer and editor, later becoming a nuclear expert.

In 1982 Andy and Martin began writing and recording together at Feedback Studio in Battersea, and performed several times as Oppenheimer Analysis at The Bell, Islington, the 1983 World David Bowie Convention in Hammersmith, the Starzone Birthday Party at Camden Palace, the 1984 European Science Fiction Convention in Brighton and other live venues. Their first demo tape and the later twelve-track “New Mexico” cassette were sold at gigs and by mail-order, and were reviewed in Melody Maker, Sounds and Soundmaker.

Andy subsequently recorded and performed with Chris Ransome as Oppenheimer Ransom, supporting Bronski Beat at the 1984 Miners’ Benefit at the Electric Ballroom, Camden, Erasure at The Bell, and other gigs such as the Shaw Theatre, London.

Although they have been musically inactive during the last twenty years, Andy and Martin have stayed in touch. They are now recording again following the recent revival of interest in early electronic minimalism and Cold Wave music.

A limited edition 12" release of their early hits can be on www.minimal-wave.org. This 12" includes the songs "The Devil's Dancers" and "Cold War" and was released in December 2005 as MW001.

Radiance
Oppenheimer Analysis Lyrics

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If the radiance of a thousand suns
Were to burst into the sky
If the radiance of a thousand suns
Were to burst into the sky
That would be like the splendor of the Mighty One
I am become Death
Destroyer of Worlds
Destroyer of Worlds

If the radiance of a thousand suns
Were to burst into the sky
That would be like the splendor of the Mighty One
I am become Death
Destroyer of Worlds
Destroyer of Worlds

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Oppenheimer Analysis's song "Radiance" are quite enigmatic and somewhat sinister. The song appears to be referencing the infamous quote from physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer upon witnessing the first successful nuclear bomb test in 1945: "I am become Death, destroyer of worlds." The line "if the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst into the sky" suggests the overwhelming power of a nuclear explosion, and the subsequent "splendor of the Mighty One" could be interpreted as either a reference to the deity or a sarcastic jab at the idea of a powerful government.

Oppenheimer's quote has been widely interpreted as expressing both awe and regret at the destructive power of the atomic bomb, and the song's lyrics likewise carry a sense of both wonder and horror. The repetition of the line "destroyer of worlds" serves to reinforce the apocalyptic nature of the song's subject matter. Overall, "Radiance" appears to be a reflection on the immense power of humanity, both for creation and destruction, and the responsibility that comes with it.

Line by Line Meaning

If the radiance of a thousand suns
Imagine the brilliance and brightness of one thousand suns

Were to burst into the sky
Suddenly appearing in the sky, illuminating everything around

If the radiance of a thousand suns
Again, picturing the overwhelming brightness of one thousand suns

Were to burst into the sky
The same sudden burst of light and radiance as before

That would be like the splendor of the Mighty One
This brightness and intensity would be similar to the grandeur of a supreme being or god

I am become Death
I have transformed into a bringer of doom and destruction

Destroyer of Worlds
My actions have the power to destroy entire planets and their inhabitants

Destroyer of Worlds
Repeating the previous line for emphasis

Contributed by Liam T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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