Prong was founded in 1986 by singer/guitarist Tommy Victor (then a soundman at New York City's renowned CBGB's). With bassist Mike Kirkland (formely of NYHC band Damage and doorman at CBGB’s) and ex-Swans drummer Ted Parsons, Prong released two independent CDs that were noted for their brutal hardcore sound.
Epic Records saw the band's potential and signed them in 1989. Prong's major label debut album Beg to Differ, was released in 1990.
In the following year, Kirkland left the band and was replaced by Ex-Flotsam and Jetsam bassist Troy Gregory. Prong issued their fourth release Prove You Wrong which saw the band experiment with programming and electronic samples while still retaining an aggressive yet melodic sensibility.
By 1994, Troy Gregory was out of the band and was replaced by Paul Raven (bassist) and John Bechdel (keyboard), both from Killing Joke and Murder, Inc. The new line up released Cleansing (Prong’s 5th major release). With a strong industrial sound that still managed to be hard and heavy, Cleansing contained songs that are still considered Prong classics ("Broken Peace" and "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck") and is Prong’s most successful release to date. The videos for these two songs became staples of MTV’s legendary Headbangers Ball.
Prong's sixth album Rude Awakening was released in 1996. The album was not as successful as the last three albums. Shortly thereafter Parsons left the band to join Godflesh. Tommy Victor left New York and moved to Los Angeles. As the band Prong sat idle, Tommy Victor worked with legends of the rock world, including Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, celldweller and Glenn Danzig.
In 2002, Victor re-formed Prong with bassist Brian Perry, drummer Dan Laudo and guitarist Monte Pittman (Madonna). In 2002, after a 42-show American tour that was recorded for a live CD (100% Live, Locomotive Music) Prong entered the studio and recorded a new CD titled Scorpio Rising which was received with mixed responses.
Victor played on and off again with Glen Danzig from 1998 -2005 in between time with Prong. His final goal of playing and writing on a Danzig record was met with Circle of Snakes in 2004.
Prong released a live 2-disc DVD in 2005 entitled "The Vault" which features performances from the Hulstsfred and With Full Force festivals and a full show in Amsterdam. This disc has Mike Longworth on bass as well, who later replaced Perry. As a result of the drum performance on Scorpio Rising , band members Tommy Victor and Monte Pittman decided a change needed to be made. This resulted in the firing of Dan Laudo and the enlistment Aaron Rossi, who used to be in the bands Strife (Victory Records), Shelter (Century Media Records), John 5 (Shrapnel Records), and Ankla (Bieler Bros. Records)
Victor and Raven joined Ministry in 2005 to write and tour in support of their album Rio Grande Blood (2006). They were nominated for a Grammy in 2007 for the song Senior Peligro in the "Best Metal Performance" category. The two also appear on Ministry's follow up album The Last Sucker (2007), although in a more limited capacity.
On June 4th, 2007, Prong posted a MySpace bulletin stating that they were recording in El Paso, Texas. The band left Locomotive Music, and were signed to Al Jourgensen's 13th Planet Records, who released their latest album Power of the Damager on October 2, 2007.
The band embarked on the "Slicing Across America" and "Slicing Across Europe" tours supporting Power of the Damager in 2007 and early 2008. Joining Tommy Victor in the current live membership of the band is bassist Monte Pittman and drummer Aaron Rossi.
Paul Raven died of an apparent heart attack in his sleep on October 20, 2007 at the age of 46. He was recording with French recording artists Treponem Pal on their new album with Ted Parsons at the time of his death.
Aaron Rossi was joining Ministry as their new drummer on the "C U LaTour" which started in March 2008.
In February 2008, Headbanger's Ball premiered the video "Power Of The Damager".
Look Up at the Sun
Prong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turning
Eleven Thousand Degrees
Burning there's No Siren
No Firemen
Is It Night Or Day
Ninety Three Million Miles Away
He's Got A Gun
A Thousand Mistakes
Generalizations
He Was Beyond Reason
He Fired Three Shells (7x)
The lyrics to Prong's "Look Up At The Sun" are intense and full of contradictions. The opening line, "Turning eleven thousand degrees," is a reference to the temperature of the sun's surface. It's an interesting start to the song because it sets a tone of intensity, danger, and heat. The chorus questions whether it's day or night, and this could be interpreted as a sense of disorientation and confusion.
The lyrics then take a dark turn with the line, "He's got a gun, pulled out from behind." This suggests that the singer is witnessing some kind of violent event. The lines that follow, "A thousand mistakes, generalizations, he was beyond reason," paint a picture of a man who is mentally unstable and dangerous. The repetition of "fired three shells" at the end of the verse adds to the tension and sense of impending violence.
Line by Line Meaning
Look Up At The Sun
Direct your gaze towards the sun
Turning
The sun is revolving
Eleven Thousand Degrees
The sun's temperature is extremely high
Burning there's No Siren
Despite the intense heat, there is no alarm or warning.
No Firemen
There are no people employed to put out the sun
Is It Night Or Day
As the sun is always shining, it's impossible to tell if it's day or night just by looking at the sky.
Ninety Three Million Miles Away
The sun is exceptionally distant.
He's Got A Gun
An individual is holding a firearm.
Pulled Out From Behind
The gun was hidden and then revealed.
A Thousand Mistakes
Numerous errors have been committed.
Generalizations
Overly generalized statements have been made.
He Was Beyond Reason
The person firing the gun was unreasonable.
He Fired Three Shells (7x)
The person fires multiple rounds from the gun.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Theodore Parsons
One of Best Videos we ever did !
Gregory Diggs
Great song
MANASYt
amazing ;)
KRN1VOR
the bonehead from yesteryear - the real deal
Fredache Hammerhead
THIS was the real fucking good Prong...
vevanega
Hey! Cool one of the videos I Produced, Directed, Shot and Edited back in the late 80's early 90's. This was the first in a series of three; Prong "Look Up At The Sun" featuring original Bass Player, Mike Kirkland. #2 Was Cop Shot Cop, "Shine on Elizabeth" and #3 Helmet, "Blacktop". Thanks for sharing! Roni Evanega Blazing Girder Productions
SaznastiK75
one of my favorite songs also check out the jesus lizard
cthulhugamete
nice upload