Roughly half a decade later, in 2004, that end turned out not to be a permanent one. Secret Discovery were back, with a new prayer up their sleeves. "Pray" was the title of their … let's call it "comeback album", which went down extremely well with the public. The band presented themselves more mature in terms of their song-writing, as well as their stylistic elements, mixed by the quintet to develop their very own Secret Discovery sound.
Little wonder, you might be tempted to think, after all Secret Discovery, alongside acts such as Project Pitchfork, Deine Lakaien, Das Ich, Lacrimosa and Goethes Erben, were not only a strong motor for the renaissance of the German gothic scene in the early Nineties, but also forerunners of gothic metal made in Germany, and their 1993 offering, "Into The Void" is still considered a genre classic. The more years that passed, the more the band opened themselves to new ideas and different styles. "Question Of Time" manifested their status on the Mount Olympus of rock, metal and crossover, "Slave" being the final and definitely worthy swansong of this unique act.But why waste time on all this background information?
Secret Discovery have tasted blood again. The success of "Pray" and the thoroughly enthusiastic reactions to their hand-picked gigs motivated the band further, inspiring them to work on their latest release, "Alternate".
"Alternate" is aptly entitled, because Secret Discovery's sonic update alternates, too. Their guitars rock heavily, the keyboards caress Kai Hoffmann's constantly progressing vocals, and then there are those hook lines! Secret Discovery have come up with their very own version of contemporary pop music, and that's a real compliment.
"We're used to falling between the stools, and we don't want to be categorized in a single pigeonhole," frontman Kai Hoffmann explains, adding with a smug undertone: "We've always enjoyed helping ourselves to various genres, to be honest. We're open to different musical directions, and looking at it in a positive way, we may end up creating a new pigeonhole, just for ourselves." Right he is. In terms of their lyrics and their music, "Alternate" is Secret Discovery's coming of age. And what a coming of age!
"Our lyrics are always marked by our own personal experiences, the highs and lows in our lives. Dreams and fears, love or hate can be found in the themes of our lyrics," Kai adds, "and we always strive for a lyrical style that's not overly clear, but subtle instead. There should always be enough room for personal interpretation. Our musical influences still stem from the Eighties, the early days of new wave and gothic, particularly when it comes to our songwriting, but pop acts such as Coldplay, R.E.M. or Placebo have also left their traces." And it's still good to be back, isn't it?
"Oh yes," Kai replies, "'Pray' was important in that it helped us collect our thoughts, musically. In terms of sound, it's a fairly typical Secret Discovery recording, sounding a little like a journey in time through the tracks on our first albums, only in a modern outfit. Looking at it this way, 'Pray' was a statement first and foremost: 'We're back, we still sound like Secret Discovery – we are Secret Discovery!'"
"'Alternate' was different. This time around, it was our aim to develop the overall sound, we wanted to do something that still sounds like Secret Discovery, but is different at the same time; contemporary in true SD style on the one hand, and at the same time different enough to make it impossible to compare to its predecessors. When it came to the songwriting, we freed ourselves of all parameters, it materialized in the process which direction we were going to take. We definitely didn't want any templates to restrict our creativity in any way." Mission accomplished. "Alternate" is Secret Discovery Mark 2006.
Without limits, without pigeonholes, without parameters, more from the gut, with more authenticity and even more amazing hooklines.
Thomas Thyssen (Winter 2005)
One Good Reason
Secret Discovery Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
give me a reason to be strong when I´m falling further down
I´m on a trip to nowhere,
I don´t remember where I go and I´m falling further down
I´m on a trip to nowhere,
I have a way so far to go, and I´m falling ...
Feel it, it´s a way so far,
And I know, this way is strange,
and always I need more, this addiction drags me down
it´s the greed that leads my hands,
it´s the greed for what I don´t have, I take it ...
And I wonder where I am, this place i´ve never seen, I´m falling ...
It´s more than I can take,
there is no reason to be strong ... I´m falling ...
Feel it, it´s a way so far, I don´t think about, but I still need more ...
don´t you feel it ..
The lyrics to Secret Discovery's song One Good Reason describe a person's struggle with addiction and the internal battle they face to resist it. The singer pleads for someone to give them a reason to be strong as they feel themselves falling further and further down into their addiction. The imagery of being on a trip to nowhere and not remembering where they go emphasizes the feeling of being lost and aimless. Despite this, the singer is still drawn to their addiction and needs more of it, even though they know it's a strange and dangerous path.
The lines "it's the greed that leads my hands, it's the greed for what I don't have, I take it" highlight the destructive nature of addiction and the constant desire for more, even at the cost of one's own well-being. The singer wonders where they are and realizes they're in a place they've never seen before, emphasizing how addiction can take someone to dark and unfamiliar places. The repeated line "I'm falling" reinforces the sense of helplessness and descent.
Overall, the song touches on the universal struggle with addiction and the need to find a reason to resist it and be strong.
Line by Line Meaning
Please give me one good reason,
Asking for justification or motivation to continue, despite feeling like falling.
give me a reason to be strong when I´m falling further down
Asking for a rationale to hold on amidst adversity.
I´m on a trip to nowhere,
Feeling lost and without purpose or direction.
I don´t remember where I go and I´m falling further down
Feeling like life is a blur, with no clear recollection of events or decisions.
I´m on a trip to nowhere,
Reinforcing a sense of aimlessness and confusion.
I have a way so far to go, and I´m falling ...
Acknowledging that there's still a long way to go while feeling overwhelmed and lost.
Feel it, it´s a way so far,
Realizing the journey is a long one and not an easy path.
I don´t think about, but I still need more
Craving for more without considering the consequences.
And I know, this way is strange,
Admitting that the path taken is not typical or conventional.
and always I need more, this addiction drags me down
Being aware of the addictive nature of the behavior that causes them to fall further down.
it´s the greed that leads my hands,
Acknowledging that the behavior is fueled by greed and wanting more than they can handle.
it´s the greed for what I don´t have, I take it ...
Acting on the desire for what they don't have yet, even if it leads them down the wrong path.
And I wonder where I am, this place i´ve never seen, I´m falling ...
Feeling left dumbfounded and lost, not recognizing where they are or how they got there, and slipping further down.
It´s more than I can take,
Feeling overwhelmed and unable to bear the weight of the situation or behavior any longer.
there is no reason to be strong ... I´m falling ...
Feeling like they can no longer hold on, as there's nothing left to motivate or justify putting up a fight.
don´t you feel it ..
Asking if anyone else can relate to this feeling or situation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KAI HOFFMANN, MATHIAS GLATHE, LARS GRAEBE, FALK HOFFMANN, SCHOLZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind