He continues to write and record new material and performs live frequently throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia.
Thompson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music. On 5 July 2011, the degree of Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa was conferred on Thompson by the University of Aberdeen, in a ceremony at the University's Elphinstone Hall.
Backlash Love Affair
Richard Thompson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Her siren songs seemed to call to me, O destiny
She spat her thrash metal lyrics right into my mind
The stage thundered and the smoke bombs made me blind
She sang "Hello liebchen, wollen-sie ein jig-a-jig-a, nein?"
She said "Left, right, right, left. Come on Joe don't be slow.
Up, down, down, up. Come on Joe, time to go.
I know it's art for art's sake but how much more can I take?
What's my share of this backlash love affair?
Her hair extension's down to her knees, what a tease
She got tattoos everywhere you look, she's a comic book
Why she goes for my type I'll never understand
She's so demure when we promenade hand in hand
And when we get back home she let's me know that she's in command
She said "Left, right, right, left. Come on Joe don't be slow.
Up, down, down, up. Come on Joe, it's time to go.
In, out, out, in. Do it if you love me Joe"
I know it's art for art's sake but how much more can I take?
What's my share of this backlash love affair?
Those iron maidens, cool as a marble slab
They wrap around you and the cold knives cut and stab
I can't live my life as someone else's shishkebab
She said "Left, right, right, left. Come on Joe don't be slow.
Up, down, down, up. Come on Joe, it's time to go.
In, out, out, in. Do it if you love me Joe"
I know it's art for art's sake but how much more can I take?
What's my share of this backlash love affair?
The lyrics of Richard Thompson's Backlash Love Affair depict a tumultuous love affair with a woman who embodies the extreme qualities of a rockstar. She is depicted as an "iron maiden" who steals the singer's heart away, implying that their relationship is one-sided and potentially abusive. The siren songs of her "thrash metal" lyrics are so alluring they are "destiny" to the singer. The metaphorical language used to describe this woman is evocative of medieval instruments of torture, such as the iron maiden, and suggests that her love is a form of punishment.
Throughout the song, the woman exercises power and control over the singer, doing so even in the lyrics that explicitly depict a sexual encounter. Despite this, the singer remains entangled with her and explains to the listener that he cannot understand why such an extreme figure would be interested in someone like him. In the final line, he asks "What's my share of this backlash love affair?" which suggests that although he is aware of the negative effects of this relationship, he is still willing to engage in it.
Line by Line Meaning
An iron maiden stole my heart away, O black day
An attractive woman, who sings thrash metal music, entranced and captured my soul.
Her siren songs seemed to call to me, O destiny
Her music seemed to speak to me, as if it were fate that I met her.
She spat her thrash metal lyrics right into my mind
Her music was so powerful that it felt like it was taking over my thoughts.
The stage thundered and the smoke bombs made me blind
The concert atmosphere was so overwhelming that I was lost in it.
She sang "Hello liebchen, wollen-sie ein jig-a-jig-a, nein?"
She sang in German, asking me if I wanted to dance, only for me to refuse.
She said "Left, right, right, left. Come on Joe don't be slow.
She told me what moves to make during sex, urging me not to waste any time.
Up, down, down, up. Come on Joe, time to go.
She gave me sexual direction, going through the motions and driving the point home.
In, out, out, in. Do it if you love me Joe"
She used sex as a way of demonstrating my love, persuading me to go through with it.
I know it's art for art's sake but how much more can I take?
I know that this is part of the art of the performance but it's getting to be too much for me to handle.
What's my share of this backlash love affair?
What is my role in this controversial romantic relationship of ours?
Her hair extension's down to her knees, what a tease
She uses her hair extensions to manipulate and tease men like me.
She got tattoos everywhere you look, she's a comic book
She uses tattoos to depict her personal story, making her an intriguing and complex character.
Why she goes for my type I'll never understand
I can't comprehend why someone like her would be attracted to someone like me.
She's so demure when we promenade hand in hand
Out in public, she seems shy and reserved when walking with me.
And when we get back home she let's me know that she's in command
However, behind closed doors, it's clear that she's the one in control.
Those iron maidens, cool as a marble slab
Women like her can be emotionally cold and cruel, like a cold metal surface.
They wrap around you and the cold knives cut and stab
They latch onto you, but their love can be painful and dangerous.
I can't live my life as someone else's shishkebab
I can't keep living my life as a puppet to her desires and expectations.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: RICHARD JOHN THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ken Soehn
on Love in a Faithless Country
At a show at the Culch (The Vancouver East Cultural Centre) decades ago, Thompson said the song was inspired by two British serial killers, who seemed to be inspiring each other through the newspapers. Now you know why it sounds so spooky.
Mark Apelman
on Devonside
Not sure what this song means, but I love the feeling of it.