Originally coming to fame in the mid-1960s singing orchestral pop ballads as the frontman of The Walker Brothers, Walker went on to a solo career balancing a light entertainment/MOR ballad approach with increasing artistic innovations in arrangement and writing. Despite a series of acclaimed albums, a disastrous drop in sales forced him back into straight Middle of the road recordings with little of his own artistic input. This in turn eventually led to a Walker Brothers reunion in the mid-1970s (although the latter eventually moved, by mutual consent, into more avant-garde areas).
From the mid-1980s, Walker revived his solo career while drastically reinventing his artistic and compositional methods, via a series of acclaimed and vividly avant-garde albums. These combined his iconic voice with an unsettling avant-garde approach which owed more to modernist and post-modernist classical composition than to his pop singer past. This change in approach has been compared to "Andy Williams reinventing himself as Stockhausen".
Walker has been a continuing influence on other artists, in particular The Last Shadow Puppets, Marc Almond, Goldfrapp, Douglas Pearce of the band Death in June, Billy MacKenzie of The Associates, David Sylvian, Julian Cope, Antony Hegarty, Thom Yorke, Steven Wilson, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Trey Spruance, Perry Blake, Radiohead, Noah Lennox, Mikael Γ kerfeldt, and the Divine Comedy/Neil Hannon.
Walker continued to release solo material until his death, and was signed to 4AD Records. As a record producer or guest performer he worked with a number of artists including Pulp, Ute Lemper, Bat For Lashes and Sunn O))).
Montague Terrace
Scott Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're swallowed in the stomached rue
The only sound to tear the night
Comes from the man upstairs
His bloated belching figure stomps
He may crash through the ceiling soon
The window sees trees cry from cold
And claw the moon
But we know, don't we?
And we'll dream, won't we?
Of Montague Terrace in blue
The girl across the hall makes love
Her thoughts lay cold like shattered stone
Her thighs are full of tales to tell
Of all the nights she's known
Your eyes ignite like cold blue fire
The scent of secrets everywhere
A fist filled with illusions
Clutches all our cares
But we know, don't we
And we'll dream, won't we?
Of Montague Terrace in blue
All in blue
The lyrics of Montague Terrace by Scott Walker paint a vivid and haunting picture of a dark and unsettling night. The clock has stopped ticking, and the atmosphere is consumed by a sense of foreboding. The only sound that can be heard is the belching figure of the man upstairs, who threatens to crash through the ceiling at any moment. Outside, the trees cry from the cold and claw at the moon. Yet in the midst of this eerie scene, the singer holds on to a sense of hope and dreams of Montague Terrace in blue.
The song then turns to a description of the girl across the hall who makes love. Her thoughts are cold and her thighs are full of tales to tell of her past experiences. The singer's eyes ignite with cold blue fire, and the scent of secrets is everywhere. He clutches his illusions as he dreams of Montague Terrace in blue. The song ends with a repetition of this refrain, "But we know, don't we? And we'll dream, won't we? Of Montague Terrace in blue. All in blue."
Overall, Montague Terrace is a haunting and evocative song that paints a vivid picture of a dark and unsettling night, yet it also captures the universal human desire for hope and dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
The little clock stopped ticking now
The clock has stopped ticking, indicating that time has stopped and everything seems to be at a standstill
We're swallowed in the stomached rue
We are consumed by the bitter, unpleasant feeling of regret and sadness
The only sound to tear the night
The only noise that cuts through the silence of the night
Comes from the man upstairs
The sound is produced by the man living in the apartment above
His bloated belching figure stomps
The man's overweight and repulsive appearance is accompanied by his heavy footsteps
He may crash through the ceiling soon
Due to his large size and loud movements, there is a possibility that he might break through the ceiling
The window sees trees cry from cold
The window overlooks the trees, which seem to be shedding tears due to the cold
And claw the moon
The trees appear to be reaching out to the moon, as if attempting to grasp it
But we know, don't we?
Despite the dreary surroundings, we are aware of something, aren't we?
And we'll dream, won't we?
We choose to indulge in our dreams, won't we?
Of Montague Terrace in blue
We dream of Montague Terrace, a place that is possibly characterized by its blue hue
The girl across the hall makes love
The girl in the neighboring flat is having sexual intercourse
Her thoughts lay cold like shattered stone
Her thoughts are icy and emotionally detached, likened to broken fragments of stone
Her thighs are full of tales to tell
The girl has had many sexual encounters, evident by her body
Of all the nights she's known
She has had numerous sexual encounters throughout her life
Your eyes ignite like cold blue fire
Your eyes are ablaze with a piercing, icy blue
The scent of secrets everywhere
There is a pervasive atmosphere of mystery and secrets
A fist filled with illusions
There is a feeling of being trapped by unrealistic beliefs and fantasies
Clutches all our cares
These illusions exacerbate all of our anxieties and worries
But we know, don't we
Despite our illusions, we are still conscious of something, aren't we?
And we'll dream, won't we?
We will continue to dream
Of Montague Terrace in blue
We still dream of Montague Terrace in blue
All in blue
Everything, including Montague Terrace, is characterized by the color blue
Lyrics Β© Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Scott Engel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@johnanthony9313
Scott Walker had a unique connection to the truth of music. His incomparable voice came from a man who was inspired by something non-earthly.
@rogerjohansson2356
Back then pop music was a serious art form and Scott Walker was one of the best artists. Today nothing is left of it, it's all shape without form nor content and thousands of wanna be artists who are only in it for the money. God knows what Scott did for music. Genius of the highest level in every aspect....
@hikikomori_eu
To know Scott Walkerβs music, is to love him. Eternal melodies, eternal emotions.
@myspace4ever106
A most stunning arrangement, and performances by everyone
@helenastokes3694
The best story teller of all his songs
And of course that voice
Beautiful man. rip Scott.π
@shutyersxymth
The production and arrangement is so enchanting I still haven't listened to what he's singing about for over 20 years now
@purplyhaze53
My absolute favourite song from an unbelievable talent, great voice, great lyrics, great song .......
RIP Scott
@ChristopherMatson
Scott Walker brings us not only the greatest voice but also the greatest bass guitar part on every song.
@yellowgorse3878
This song comes from a place few artists can access. Ambivalent, meloncholic, and yet life affirming and compassionate.
No regrets Scott Walker.
@levoldunom
Yellow Gorse absolutely. Someone else would have sounded critical and apathetic here.