1. Synthpop band Pro… Read Full Bio ↴There are two Bands under the Name Propaganda :
1. Synthpop band Propaganda was formed in Germany by vocalist Claudia Brücken and drummer Michael Mertens plus keyboard players Susanne Freytag and Ralf Dorper. The quartet moved to England in 1983 and signed to ZTT Records, also the home of Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Art of Noise. Propaganda's first single, "Dr. Mabuse," reached the British Top 30 in early 1984, but the band's second release was more than a year in coming. Finally, in May 1985, "Duel" trumped the debut single by hitting number 21.
Propaganda's first album A Secret Wish appeared one month later, and the resulting tour necessitated the addition of bassist Derek Forbes and drummer Brian McGee -- both formerly with Simple Minds. After the release of the remix album Wishful Thinking later that year, Dorper became the first original member to leave the band, and Propaganda splintered soon after, due to a prolonged legal battle to leave ZTT. The group finally re-emerged in 1988 with Mertens, Forbes, McGee and American vocalist Betsi Miller. The quartet signed with Virgin, and released 1234 in 1990. The single "Heaven Give Me Words" broke the British Top 40 in 1990, and "Only One Word" placed modestly later that year.
Meanwhile, Claudia Brücken -- who had stayed with ZTT in large part because of her marriage to label-owner Paul Morley -- formed Act with Thomas Leer. The duo charted "Snobbery and Decay" in mid-1987 and released their only album, Laughter, Tears, and Rage in 1988. Brücken became a solo act by the turn of the decade, and charted only one single, "Absolut (E)," from her 1991 album Love, And a Million Other Things. Though neither the band nor Brücken had recorded recently, rumours flew during the mid-'90s that a Propaganda reunion was in the works.
2. Jason Emmanuel Petty (born May 27, 1979), better known by his stage name Propaganda, is an American Christian hip hop and spoken word artist and poet from Los Angeles, California. He has released four albums as an independent artist and one collaborative album with the rapper Odd Thomas, and has performed and recorded as a member of the underground hip hop group Tunnel Rats and associated act Footsoldiers.
Vicious
Propaganda Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Years become tears
Inside this maze
I've lost your trace
A prison cell
A lonely hell
All doors are locked
The key's been dropped
Your pretty mask has been an illusion
Stupefying ways of sinning
Makes me miss the web you're spinning
Days become years
Years become tears
Inside this maze
I've lost your trace
A prison cell
A lonely hell
No candlelight
Repels the night
I've fallen prey to a delusion
Your pretty mask has been an illusion
Stupefying ways of sinning
Makes me miss the web you're spinning
You captured me inside a vicious circle
A helpless fly
You captured me inside a vicious circle
A helpless fly tangled up
In your spider web of lies
Days become years
Years become tears
The silent wall
Embraces all
An empty heart
Ignores the pain
Of love that's lost
When love's in vain
I've fallen prey to a delusion
Your pretty mask has been an illusion
Stupefying ways of sinning
Makes me miss the web you're spinning
The lyrics to "Vicious Circle" by Propaganda are a reflection of a person who is trapped in a cycle of emotional pain and deception, caused by their relationship with someone who has pulled them into a web of lies. The repetition of the lines "Days become years, years become tears" emphasizes how the passing of time is only deepening the hurt and confusion felt by the singer. They describe feeling lost and trapped in a prison cell, with all doors locked and the key lost. This can be interpreted as a metaphor for the feeling of being stuck in a toxic relationship, where the singer is unable to escape and feels completely powerless.
The following lines describe the cause of this misery - the person they have been involved with has been hiding behind a pretty facade, but in reality, they have been deceiving the singer with their "stupefying ways of sinning." The singer is torn between their attraction to this person and the realization that they have been manipulated. They feel like a helpless fly, "tangled up in your spider web of lies", completely at the mercy of the other person. The final verse of the song describes the aftermath of the failed relationship, where the singer is left with an empty heart and a sense of pain and loss that they cannot ignore.
Line by Line Meaning
Days become years
Time is slipping by, and it feels like an eternity.
Years become tears
The passing of time only brings sadness and regret.
Inside this maze
The situation is complicated and confusing.
I've lost your trace
I can't find you, and I'm struggling to move on.
A prison cell
I feel trapped and confined, unable to escape my thoughts.
A lonely hell
My isolation is overwhelming and unbearable.
All doors are locked
There seems to be no way out of my predicament.
The key's been dropped
Even if there was a way out, I don't have access to it.
I've fallen prey to a delusion
I've been tricked and deceived by someone or something.
Your pretty mask has been an illusion
The attractive facade of something or someone is not what it appears to be.
Stupefying ways of sinning
The immoral tactics used to control me are paralyzing.
Makes me miss the web you're spinning
The artful way in which my captor operates makes me long for what I can't have.
No candlelight
There is no hope or illumination in my situation.
Repels the night
The darkness of my current state is all-consuming.
You captured me inside a vicious circle
I am trapped in a harmful cycle that I can't seem to break free from.
A helpless fly
I am powerless and at the mercy of my captor.
Tangled up
I am caught in a web of deceit and manipulation.
In your spider web of lies
The deceitful web that my captor has spun has ensnared me completely.
The silent wall
The obstacles before me are too great to overcome.
Embraces all
My anxiety and sorrow are all-consuming, and there seems to be no way out.
An empty heart
I am hollow and loveless, with no hope for a better future.
Ignores the pain
My heart is numb to the agony of my situation.
Of love that's lost
The love that I once had is gone and will never be regained.
When love's in vain
The feeling of hopelessness that comes from trying to rekindle lost love is overwhelming.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DEREK FORBES, ELIZABETH MILLER, MICHAEL MERTENS, RALF DOERPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Neuro NYC
This track is intensely brilliant despite Claudia’s absence; and I believe, in the U.S., this album is so OUT OF PRINT. So thanks for posting THIS Vicious Circle, inside this maze . . .
Robin Engelbertink
This album is so good. This is one the best pop albums ever!!
Daniel123
1234 is one my favorites albums. Only recently do I now "get it", the meaning behind the lyrics. Thanks for posting.
verinahus
Thanks for uploading...I haven't heard this song in years!
Lasse Mann
One of those albums you just gotta have...
youreale
wow, amazing song.
Cesar Rua Ana
Buena época para la música 🇪🇸,.
She Pablito
Asi ctm?
Sidnei Oliveira
Infelizmente som para poucos, aqueles com bom senso e gosto musical...
G-plan9 Future
Why is the full album not on here yet?