Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automatic Dlamini as a vocalist, guitarist and saxophonist. The band's frontman, John Parish, became her long-term collaborator. In 1991, she formed an eponymous trio called PJ Harvey and subsequently began her career as PJ Harvey. The trio released two studio albums called Dry (1992) and Rid of Me (1993) before disbanding, after which Harvey continued as a solo artist. Since 1995, she has released a further nine studio albums with collaborations from various musicians including Parish, former bandmate Rob Ellis, Mick Harvey and Eric Drew Feldman, and has also worked extensively with record producer Flood.
Among the accolades Harvey has received are both the 2001 and 2011 Mercury Prize for Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000) and Let England Shake (2011), respectively, making her the only artist to have been awarded the prize twice. She has also garnered eight Brit Award nominations, seven Grammy Award nominations and two further Mercury Prize nominations. Rolling Stone awarded her three accolades: 1992's Best New Artist and Best Singer Songwriter, and 1995's Artist of the Year. Rolling Stone also listed Rid of Me, To Bring You My Love and Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea on its list of their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2011, she was awarded for Outstanding Contribution To Music at the NME Awards. In the 2013 Birthday Honours, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to music.
EVOL
PJ Harvey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You don't know what I know and how much?
How much will you give me
To tell you what some would kill for about love
Yeah
Love
It'll twist out your limbs with pain
Love, evol
Baby, how much money?
Read my lips, baby
How much money?
Read my lips, baby
How much money?
How much, baby
Will you give me?
Some call it the beating heart
Some call it the God
They're just romantic fools
I call it evol
Love, you got a lot to answer for
Love, you got a lot to answer for
Love, you got a lot to answer for
Love, you got a lot to answer for
Evol, evol, evol, evol, evol
PJ Harvey's song Evol is a haunting and provocative exploration of love's many faces. The opening lines pose a question about love - what do you know about it? - that seems to be directed both at the listener and at some unnamed person who thinks they understand what love is. The singer then challenges this person, asking how much they would give to learn what some would kill for about love. This sets the stage for a dark and disturbing journey through the complexities of love.
The chorus, "Love, it'll twist out your limbs with pain / It'll stomp out your eyes and everything / Love, evol," captures the song's central theme - that love can be both beautiful and destructive. The word "evol" is, of course, "love" spelled backwards, which reinforces the idea that there's a darker, more twisted side to love that we don't always like to acknowledge. The singer then asks for money, repeating the question over and over, as if trying to hammer home the idea that love has a price.
The second verse takes a more philosophical approach, with the singer noting that some people call love the beating heart or even God, but dismissing these ideas as mere romantic foolishness. She then circles back to the idea of "evol," repeating the word over and over again until it becomes almost hypnotic. Throughout the song, Harvey's vocals are spare and intense, adding to the sense of unease that permeates the track.
Line by Line Meaning
What do you know about love?
What do you truly understand about love?
You don't know what I know and how much?
You cannot comprehend the depth of my knowledge and experience about love.
How much will you give me
What are you willing to sacrifice in exchange for my insights on love?
To tell you what some would kill for about love
I will share with you what few have discovered and some would be willing to die for - the true secrets of love.
Love
It'll twist out your limbs with pain
It'll stomp out your eyes and everything
Love, evol
Love is not always beautiful - it can cause unimaginable pain and destruction. This dark side of love is what I refer to as 'evol.'
Baby, how much money?
My knowledge about love is valuable - what are you willing to pay for it?
Read my lips, baby
Pay attention to my words, I am serious.
Some call it the beating heart
Some call it the God
They're just romantic fools
I call it evol
Others may see love as a heart or a god, but I believe their views are naïve - I see it for both its beauty and darkness, which I call 'evol.'
Love, you got a lot to answer for
Love is responsible for so much pain and turmoil in the world.
Evol, evol, evol, evol, evol
Love's negative impact, or 'evol,' is something that cannot be ignored or denied.
Contributed by Lincoln S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dylan
It would be amazing to see her live one day. Her music has always been a big influence on me throughout my life.
Dawn Has Broken
She has an extraordinary sense of time.
Brad Field
Her time signatures are part of her ‘signature’ sound and I find it odd and frustrating that no one ever talks about that aspect of her music.
inphanta
PJ Harvey seriously needs to release a b-sides compilation. She is sitting on some belters that aren't particularly easy to find. I don't know why she won't release something like that.
Adar March
+inphanta I strongly agree!
Arthur Nares
She already has several b sides and rarities compilations (woulda thought you'd google for it before commenting lol :P) Although she could seriously release more!
Mag Pie
Belters!!! Its her and Nirvana 😀
Mike Altfish
Has she?
Which albums? I don't know any.
Silvia D.B.
Well .. finally a compilation of their singles b-side comes out together with the reissue of all the vinyl discography! 👏💗
Ulysses Peguero
Perfection... thanks PJ!