Pretty Maids is a Danish hard rock/heavy metal band formed in Horsens, Denm… Read Full Bio ↴Pretty Maids is a Danish hard rock/heavy metal band formed in Horsens, Denmark, by Ronnie Atkins and Ken Hammer in 1981.

Over the years Pretty Maids have sold hundreds of thousands of records, but have never broken through in a major way. They have supported such well known acts as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Saxon, Nazareth and were also featured at the 1987 German version of Monsters of Rock where Metallica headlined along with Deep Purple.

The new 2006 album "Wake Up to the Real World" shows the band back in former glory. Great hard rock/melodic rock with a metal touch to it. The album includes a cover of Deep Purple's classic gem "Perfect Strangers". Pretty Maids is currently signed to Frontiers Records.

Cielo Drive
Pretty Maids Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Out in the desert summer 1969
A crazy vision in a psychopathic mind
Out of the desert rides the devil's concubines
To do the devil's business, helter skelter time

Pure evil in disguise
Approaching paradise

On through the canyon rides out Charlie's hell patrol
The disciples of death are out to take their toll
The piggies will be slain up on the mountain side
Sharon the angel's gonna get her wings tonight

And death to innocence
Won't see the sun again

Acid intoxicated hippies on a killing spree tonight
The knifes are flashing as the darkness steal away the light
Ritual atrocity underneath the California sky
Hell tonight
No one left alive on Cielo drive

The shocks are spreading through the LA hills at dawn
In pain and agony the world is left to mourn

No mercy no remorse
Evil has made it's course

Overall Meaning

"Cielo Drive" by Pretty Maids is a song that tells the story of the infamous Manson Family murders that took place on Cielo Drive in August 1969. The Manson Family was a cult led by Charles Manson, who believed in a racially charged ideology that predicted an apocalyptic race war. "Out in the desert summer 1969, a crazy vision in a psychopathic mind" refers to the times leading up to the murders and Manson's delusional beliefs. The chorus, "Pure evil in disguise, approaching paradise," speaks to the way the Manson Family portrayed themselves as a peaceful hippie commune, but were in fact deeply disturbed and violent.

The song goes on to describe the murders themselves, with "The disciples of death" riding out to attack the residents of Cielo Drive. Sharon Tate, who was heavily pregnant at the time and married to director Roman Polanski, was among those killed. The line "And death to innocence, won't see the sun again" speaks to the tragedy of the victims, who were innocent people caught up in Manson's madness. The "acid intoxicated hippies on a killing spree" describes the drug use and the cult's debased state of mind, while the "ritual atrocity underneath the California sky" adds to the horror of the event. The song concludes with "No mercy no remorse, evil has made its course," summarizing the senselessness of the murders and the lack of regret on the part of those who committed them.

Line by Line Meaning

Out in the desert summer 1969
The setting of the story takes place in the desert during the summer of 1969.

A crazy vision in a psychopathic mind
The idea to commit violent acts came from a mentally unstable individual.

Out of the desert rides the devil's concubines
Evil entities emerge from the desert to carry out their sinister plans.

To do the devil's business, helter skelter time
The group is motivated by their belief that they are carrying out the devil's work, which will bring chaos and disorder.

Pure evil in disguise
The group appears ordinary, but their actions reveal their true nature as malevolent forces.

Approaching paradise
The group is heading toward their idea of an idyllic world, where their distorted values reign supreme.

On through the canyon rides out Charlie's hell patrol
The leader of the group, Charlie, leads his followers on their mission of violence.

The disciples of death are out to take their toll
The group is focused on taking the lives of innocent victims.

The piggies will be slain up on the mountain side
The group's targets will be killed in a brutal, merciless manner.

Sharon the angel's gonna get her wings tonight
One of the victims, Sharon, will die and ascend to heaven.

And death to innocence
The group's actions are destroying the purity and goodness of humanity.

Won't see the sun again
Those who lose their lives at the hands of the group will never experience the joys and beauty of life again.

Acid intoxicated hippies on a killing spree tonight
The perpetrators of the violence are drugged and driven by their own distorted beliefs.

The knifes are flashing as the darkness steal away the light
The violence is so brutal that it is spiritually and emotionally damaging for all around.

Ritual atrocity underneath the California sky
The tragic events that take place are both planned and unitary in purpose.

Hell tonight
The events of the night are almost supernatural in their severe wickedness.

No one left alive on Cielo drive
The attack was so thorough that no survivors were left at the scene.

The shocks are spreading through the LA hills at dawn
The shockwaves of the tragedy are felt by many in the surrounding area.

In pain and agony the world is left to mourn
The attack causes great suffering and grief for many.

No mercy no remorse
The group feels no guilt or regret about their actions, and is determined to continue their violent mission.

Evil has made it's course
Their violent mission has been executed and its effects will endure forever.

Contributed by Zachary L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS