Razorlight is a four-piece consisting of Borrell (vocals & guitar), Björn Ågren (guitar), Carl Dalemo (bass) and Andy Burrows (drums)
Their debut album, Up All Night, was released on June 28, 2004, reaching number 3 in the UK album charts on 4 July. The critical reception was generally good, receiving good reviews from NME, Q magazine and Billboard, although they were also accused of lack of imagination and unoriginality for allegedly borrowing ideas from other influential bands, notably The Strokes. They appear to polarize opinion. NME wrote that the album: "bristles with passion, energy and, most importantly, amazing songs", while they were described elsewhere as "nearly everything wrong with rock and roll today". Their fans, though, embrace the music for its simple melodies and multi-layered, easy-going compositions.
Frontman Johnny Borrell caused some controversy and surprise when he likened himself to musical legend Bob Dylan, quipping "If Dylan's making the chips then I'm drinking the champagne". This led to suggestions of self-promotion. This statement was taken out of context however as Borrell was comparing his and Dylan's first albums, not their overall career. The band became very popular on the London music scene when they arrived earlier in the year. Large demand caused the band to play extra shows, including a 7,000+ capacity gig at Alexandra Palace. The album was heavily marketed in the UK.
Hostage Of Love
Razorlight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You blind yourself so you don't have to see
You turn your life to a power above
You make yourself a hostage of love
You turn from me, you turn from the strain
Devote yourself to the power again
Distance yourself from all that we vowed
I am a sinner and I am a saint
I am a devil, I am a ghost at the wake
God feed the swell and pull of your tears as they break
I am the limit of the load you can take
You are the pulley and I am the winch
I am salvation and you're herald of sin
I'll take you beyond your limits of trust
Ransom yourself, hostage of love
You see we've been born again
Since you've slept there in that lion's den, den
You can not be saved
You gave your innocence away, ohh
I've turned my cheek and I've suffered the blow
Truth of my story is widely unknown
Word of derision, I have swallowed with a smile
For telling my story I have been crucified
Now like a mad man, I give my laurels to you
Like a hero, forsake my trophies for you
No where disciple of this devil that is in the blood
Am I not also your hostage of love?
You see we've all been born again
Since you've slept there in that lion's den, den
You can not be turned
Until your innocence is old
And you seek out to live alone
Though it hurts to make it on your own, own
You cannot be saved
You gave your innocence away, ohh
You will be made a hostage of love
Hostage of love, hostage of love
The lyrics to Razorlight's "Hostage Of Love" seem to speak to a complex and often tumultuous relationship. The first stanza implies that one person has become so consumed by their love for the other that they have become oblivious to anything else. The line "You make yourself a prisoner of me" suggests that this person has given up their own autonomy in order to be with the other person. They have turned away from their previous commitments and have made the person they love the center of their universe. The use of the word "hostage" in the chorus further emphasizes this point, suggesting that this person is trapped by their own feelings.
The second stanza shifts the focus to the other person in the relationship. The lyrics "You turn from me, you turn from the strain" imply that this person has become distant, perhaps because they feel overwhelmed by the other person's love. The line "Devote yourself to the power again" suggests that this person has become preoccupied with other things, possibly with gaining power or influence. The chorus implies that despite this, the other person is still a "hostage of love," trapped by their feelings for the one who has pulled away.
The lyrics are evocative and full of vivid imagery, but their meaning is ultimately ambiguous. It's clear that the relationship described here is complicated and fraught with emotion, but it's up to the listener to decide how to interpret the sometimes cryptic lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
You make yourself a prisoner of me
You willingly become trapped in this relationship with me and give me power over you
You blind yourself so you don't have to see
You ignore the negative aspects of this relationship in order to maintain the illusion of love
You turn your life to a power above
You put this relationship on a pedestal and let it guide your actions and decisions
You make yourself a hostage of love
You become controlled by your love for me, limiting your freedom and choices
You turn from me, you turn from the strain
You avoid me and the difficulties in this relationship
Devote yourself to the power again
You return to the idea of love as an all-powerful force
Distance yourself from all that we vowed
You break the promises we made to each other
You broke those rules, you're my hostage now
Your actions have led to you being trapped by love for me
I am a sinner and I am a saint
I have both good and bad qualities within me
I am a devil, I am a ghost at the wake
I have caused harm and left a haunting presence behind me
God feed the swell and pull of your tears as they break
I hope to see your emotions overwhelm you
I am the limit of the load you can take
I push you to the limit of what you can handle emotionally
You are the pulley and I am the winch
You make things easier for me while I exert my control over you
I am salvation and you're herald of sin
I see myself as a savior while you are viewed as being responsible for our sins
I'll take you beyond your limits of trust
I will test your trust in me past what you can handle
Ransom yourself, hostage of love
You must pay a price of emotional sacrifice for being trapped by love for me
You see we've been born again
Our relationship has been renewed and reinvigorated
Since you've slept there in that lion's den, den
You have faced danger and risked it all for me
You can not be saved
You cannot escape from our love and the power it holds over you
You gave your innocence away, ohh
You have lost your purity and naivete by getting involved with me
I've turned my cheek and I've suffered the blow
I have forgiven and tolerated your negative actions towards me
Truth of my story is widely unknown
No one understands the real story of what we have been through
Word of derision, I have swallowed with a smile
I have endured criticism and ridicule with grace and nobility
For telling my story I have been crucified
When I try to explain our relationship, I am met with opposition and hostility
Now like a mad man, I give my laurels to you
I am giving you all that I have and sacrificing for our relationship
Like a hero, forsake my trophies for you
I am willing to give up my own achievements for the sake of our love
No where disciple of this devil that is in the blood
I am not a true follower of love, but rather am controlled by my own emotional impulses
Am I not also your hostage of love?
I am just as trapped by love for you as you are for me
You cannot be turned
You cannot change your mind about our love and leave me
Until your innocence is old
You will be trapped by love until you have become cynical and experienced enough to see through the illusion
And you seek out to live alone
You try to break away from our relationship by distancing yourself from me
Though it hurts to make it on your own, own
You find it painful but necessary to try and live independently
You will be made a hostage of love
You will continue to feel trapped by love even if you try to move on
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDY BURROWS, JOHNNY BORRELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Iluvpie6
I heard this song for the first time in a restaurant in Russia that was uncannily empty for dinnertime. It was surreal, and this amazing song just caught my attention. The restaurant was themed around “American” style food, and the menus and signs and music were all in English, and the waitress spoke English very well, and it was very comforting to our little group of Americans who were starting to feel quite homesick.
Baki Smaki
One of the more underrated songs of the last few years...
DerSibi
well done razorlight :P i really like this style and in my opinion, the whole song fits together =) love it how the speed goes up^^
oneilexpress
Words of derision i have swallowed with a smile, for telling my story i've been, crucified. GENIUS.
Lalo Casablancas
Amo esta rola :) Viva Razorlight!!!!
Taniou Lita
απίστευτο τραγούδι......
rockndancenroll
Γεια σου Ελλάδαρα 8 χρόνια μετά
Anouk
good job razorlight! this song is amazing
Andreas Bak Andersen
First 1min 30sec brings tears to my eyes, just gives me such good thoughts in my head - Good song!...
7h6
Love ir