The band orig… Read Full Bio ↴Pram are a band formed in Birmingham, England in 1990.
The band originally consisted of vocalist Rosie Cuckston, guitarist Matt Eaton, Sam Owen on bass, and drummer Andy Weir. Their first album "Gash" was self-released and sold by mail order and at gigs. The band attracted the attention of Too Pure Records (already home to Stereolab, Mouse on Mars and PJ Harvey), and between 1993 and 1995 the label released several increasingly sophisticated albums and EPs. Early recordings were a krautrock-influenced blend of rhythmic guitar, keyboards and percussion, with Cuckston's eerie vocals and lyrics dealing with depression, loneliness and the dark side of childhood. A trumpeter (credited only as "the Verdigris Horn") played on several tracks, including the quarter-hour In Dreams You Too Can Fly, on debut album "The Stars Are So Big...". Second album "Helium" (1994) featured increasing use of the sampler, and later recordings show a marked interest in "exotica". In 1995 Pram left Too Pure, and released a cassette compilation of early demos and live recordings, "Perambulations" - some of these recordings were added to the CD reissue of "Gash". Singles and EPs were recorded for a variety of labels (including Stereolab's Duophonic Records), before the band found a new home at Domino Records. The first album for Domino, "North Pole Radio Station", was originally recorded for Wurlitzer Jukebox Records, but the label shut down before it could be released. 1999's "Keep in a Dry Place and Away From Children" was the soundtrack to an animated film, and also featured a remix by Mouse on Mars – while never strictly an electronica group, Pram have been remixed by several artists ("Somniloquy" features remixes by fellow Brummie experimentalists Plone and Tele:funken amongst others), and remixed LFO and the Aphex Twin for the Warp Records 10th anniversary compilation. Following the 2008 EP "Prisoner of the Seven Pines", the band took a lengthy hiatus, with Cuckston abandoning music for academia.
In subsequent years, band members worked on other projects, both separately and together. After live performances together (without Cuckston) in 2017, the band released Across the Meridian in 2018 on Domino, featuring Owen (now on vocals as well as bass) and Eaton, plus Max Simpson on keyboards and Harry Dawes on brass.
Bewitched
Pram Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or openly declared war on me
But a child's a radar for signals from above
How to get or not get love
They use the ether to bewitch us
They use the ether to build a bridge to us
The opening lines of Pram's song "Bewitched" reflect on the idea of freedom and the absence of any open hostility towards the singer's life. However, despite the lack of any declared opposition, the person feels a kind of radar that receives messages and signals from some kind of superior force. This force could be interpreted as the universe or a divine entity. The second line speaks to the subconscious nature of these messages, stating that the signals are invisible and almost impossible to detect consciously. The following line embodies the idea of love, highlighting how a child's interaction with the external world is deeply influenced by its desire to receive or withhold love.
The song's chorus focuses on the idea of being "bewitched." In the context of this lyrical narrative, the idea of witchcraft seems to signify something manipulative or powerful. The usage of the "ether" is an interesting metaphor, as it suggests a mystical, all-encompassing force that can either be harnessed for good or evil. Here, the ether is used to "bewitch us" or, in other words, influence us, to make us believe or do something we wouldn't have otherwise. The phrase "build a bridge to us" hints at the idea of communication or connectivity, implying that the ether is used to close the distance between two otherwise disparate entities.
Line by Line Meaning
No one ever said my life wasn't free
Nobody has explicitly told me that I am not free to live my life as I want.
Or openly declared war on me
Nobody has openly stated their intention to harm me.
But a child's a radar for signals from above
A child has a natural instinct for detecting signs and messages from a higher power.
How to get or not get love
Children learn from these signals how to seek or avoid love, depending on what they perceive as the right thing to do.
They use the ether to bewitch us
Those who seek to control us use intangible forces or influences - 'ether' - to cast spells on us that we are unaware of.
They use the ether to build a bridge to us
Those who want to connect with us or influence us use intangible forces - 'ether' - to establish a conduit of communication with us.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind