By 1983, Bauhaus broke up and Murphy went on to new projects not involving Bauhaus members Kevin Haskins, David J, or Daniel Ash. After some brief dabbling with acting and dance - including a slightly odd televised performance to Bauhaus's "Hollow Hills" - he soon formed Dalis Car with Mick Karn, the bass player from Japan.
Murphy's solo career over time became more varied than Bauhaus, ranging from pseudo-pop to haunting ballads that showcased his deep and complex vocals. After the commercial non-start of Dali's Car, Murphy's first solo album was similarly overlooked. Should the World Fail to Fall Apart did spawn several singles, including a cover of Pere Ubu's "Final Solution" that made a minor splash on the club scene.
The followup, Love Hysteria, did much better. It also marked the beginning of a long-term collaboration with songwriter Paul Statham, who co-wrote songs with Murphy until 1995. The resulting singles "All Night Long" and "Indigo Eyes" helped garner a wider following, and the black-and-white video for "All Night Long" entered rotation on MTV.
The pinnacle of Murphy's solo popularity came with the release of Deep. For this album Murphy reinvented himself as somewhat of a rock-god, now sporting hair dyed platinum blonde and performing a much more aggressive alt-rock sound. The single "Cuts You Up" from Deep held on to the top spot on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for longer than any other single before - displacing "So Alive" by his former Bauhaus-bandmates Love and Rockets.
In 2000, Murphy performed his international Just for Love tour, which resulted in the album aLive Just for Love. It is a live recording of the fully uninterrupted set from the El Rey show in Los Angeles on November 30, 2000. During the tour, Murphy chose to perform with only two back-up musicians, Canadian electric violinist Hugh Marsh and Peter DiStefano from Porno for Pyros on guitar, although former Bauhaus bassist David J sometimes joined the trio for an encore. At this point he also contributed to works by noted film composer Harry Gregson-Williams.
Also in 2000, Murphy gave a nod to the North American goth scene, where his solo works and his works with Bauhaus are still very popular, by making a surprise guest appearance at the sixth annual Convergence festival in Seattle, to perform a low-key, acoustic solo set.
In 2004, Murphy signed to yet another new label, Viastar, which was home to several other 1980s pop artists who had moved into more eclectic areas. Despite numerous problems with the label, the album Unshattered was released, showcasing Murphy returning to a more pop sound.
Murphy undertook extensive tours of the U.S.A and Europe to promote 'Unshattered' in 2005, with a live band featuring guitarist Mark Gemini Thwaite of The Mission UK and Tricky on guitar, Jeff Schwartoff of Human Waste Project and Professional Murder Music on bass and Justin Bennett of Skinny Puppy on drums. Murphy and the band reconvened in November 2007 for shows in Portugal and Spain, with Nick Lucero replacing Bennett on drums. In May 2008 Murphy recorded a cover of the song "Warm Leatherette" with Trent Reznor and Jeordie White from Nine Inch Nails. This was played live at an intimate studio performance, and the video recording was released on both the official Nine Inch Nails website and YouTube. A full-length album called Ninth was released in 2011, featuring the single "I Spit Roses".
Indigo Eyes
Peter Murphy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The lines are rocky rough
Red angels wait to pick remains
The cindered shoulder
Of confused men
separate from their awe
With grey desire
His soft grey indigo eyes
Indigo eyes
Asking
His heaven is uncovered not
A black tree blocks his way
His way is skating round a dome
(His way is in dismay)
The playmate sings
Like Orphee in some thunder world
Asking to be bathed in light
To be exemplified
With grey desire he looks out mad
His soft grey indigo eyes
Saw his past
He had dug for trust
With blind infected hands
And wondered as the hurt bit hard
Why the sacred weren't at hand
Only when his ears were deaf
To the angels light burst waves
Only when his ears were deaf
Did life turn from fog to fog
But not evil but estranged
But not evil but estranged
Indigo eyes, Indigo eyes
Indigo eyes, Indigo eyes
With grey desire
He looks out mad
His soft grey
Indigo eyes
Indigo eyes
Peter Murphy's song Indigo Eyes can be interpreted in a variety of ways, but it seems to explore themes of longing, struggle, and confusion in the face of an uncertain future. The opening imagery of a fire burning on a rocky hill, with red angels waiting to pick the remains of confused men, suggests an apocalyptic scene in which destruction and renewal go hand in hand. As the song progresses, the singer seems to be searching for some sense of purpose or direction, yet is constantly thwarted by various obstacles and setbacks.
The references to a black tree blocking his way, and his way being "in dismay," suggest a sense of frustration and powerlessness in the face of external forces that he cannot control. The lines "saw his past, he had dug for trust / with blind infected hands" suggest that the singer has struggled to find meaning and connection in the past, and that these efforts have left him feeling wounded and vulnerable. Ultimately, the song seems to suggest that the path forward is unclear, and that the singer must rely on his own internal resources - his "indigo eyes" - to navigate the uncertain terrain ahead.
Line by Line Meaning
Fire burning in a hill
A hill is set ablaze with fire.
The lines are rocky rough
The lines on the face of the person referred to are rough and uneven.
Red angels wait to pick remains
Imaginary beings that are red wait to take away the remains after the person referred to would have died.
The cindered shoulder
The person feels the weight of the world on their shoulder.
Of confused men
separate from their awe
Confused men are separate from their fears.
With grey desire
The person wants something, but it is not clear what exactly that is. The desire is a vague one.
He looks out mad
The person looks around angrily or eagerly for something.
His soft grey indigo eyes
The person's eyes are very distinct and are of a soft grayish color.
Indigo eyes
Asking
The person's eyes are asking for something.
His heaven is uncovered not
The person has not yet reached the happiness they are looking for in life.
A black tree blocks his way
There is a figurative obstacle that is preventing the person from reaching their goal.
His way is skating round a dome
(His way is in dismay)
The person's life is filled with troubles and they have to navigate around them. They are not happy about this.
The playmate sings
Like Orphee in some thunder world
The friend of the person sings in a very powerful way that is reminiscent of some imaginary world.
Asking to be bathed in light
To be exemplified
The friend is requesting some kind of inspiration or motivation from a higher power.
Saw his past
The person looked back at their past.
He had dug for trust
With blind infected hands
The person searched for trust all their life, but they have not always done this in the most ethical of ways.
And wondered as the hurt bit hard
Why the sacred weren't at hand
The person was in pain and could not understand why no one was helping them.
Only when his ears were deaf
To the angels light burst waves
Only when his ears were deaf
The person was only able to find meaning and purpose when they were not actively listening to someone else or looking for validation from the outside world.
Did life turn from fog to fog
But not evil but estranged
But not evil but estranged
The person's life was filled with confusion and doubt and they were isolated from the rest of the world, but they never became evil or malicious.
Indigo eyes, Indigo eyes
Indigo eyes, Indigo eyes
With grey desire
He looks out mad
His soft grey
Indigo eyes
Indigo eyes
The person's eyes are still searching for something and the person is driven by their desire.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL STATHAM, PETER JOHN MURPHY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind