At first, they enjoyed some success on the dance charts on their original Y Records label, releasing material such as 1983's 'Care', but the guys left for the big time on Arista Records for 1984's 'Jam Science'. Finding little success there, they switched to Island Records for the next year's breakout, 'Oil & Gold'. This album signaled a shift for the band, with Carl Marsh leaving the group and rockers Martyn Barker and Lu Edmonds joining what was now Andrews' vehicle. Indeed, Allen left the band after the followup, 'Big Night Music', came about, and Shriekback remained a collaborative around Andrews.
Dave Allen would go on to play in King Swamp, The Elastic Purejoy, and most recently in the reformed Gang of Four. Carl Marsh went on to serve in the band Happyhead. Both Allen and Marsh did return to the studio to contribute to the recording of Shriekback's 2003 release, titled 'Having a Moment'. Shriekback's material has essentially been an outlet for Andrews' personal work for many years now, also including collaborations with alternative music artists such as Wendy & Sarah Partridge (formerly of Electric Guitars) and Finn Andrews (Barry's son who is also of The Veils).
The band's best-known song is "Nemesis", which has received wide airplay on the indie/college circuit. The new wave song was notable among the rock tracks of its day for its use of unusual imagery and lyrics, including the use of the word "parthenogenesis" in the chorus. Shriekback is also known for having their dark, dramatic songs used in the Hannibal Lecter film 'Manhunter', their work being influenced by previous horror soundtrack music.
Hostage
Shriekback Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I will take you my hostage
I will think of some names
Oh yeah, bring your hooligan gods
Your second hand language
And your dangerous games
I will struggle with nets
Keep my feet in the water
Swimming around
Your ridiculous fears
I know how to allay them
I can smile and be sweet
I will punish your crimes
I will warmly embrace you
I will sing you to sleep
Hush now
Stir this all around and around
Stir this all around and around
Stir this all around and around
Stir this all around and around
Stir this all around and around
Stir this all around and around
Stir this all around and around
Stir this all around and around
Stir this all around and around
Stir this all around and around
Stir this all around and around
Stir this all around and around
Stir this all around and around
Stir this all around and around
Stir this all around and around
I will wait your return
I will watch from my window
I will sweep off the snow
I will trample your corn
Hold my arms out for ever
I can't leave you alone
Oh no, I will bandage your hands
I will drink of your horrors
I will push you around
I will lick off your tears
I will dress you in flowers
Oh yeah I love you to bits
Love you to bits
The lyrics to Shriekback's song Hostage reflect a twisted and obsessive love, where the singer sings about taking their love interest hostage and controlling every aspect of their life. The lyrics suggest that the singer will do anything to have the other person, including sampling them off and punishing their crimes. The line "bring your hooligan gods, your second-hand language, and your dangerous games" implies that the subject may be someone who is rough around the edges and possibly involved in criminal activity. The singer acknowledges the subject's "ridiculous fears" but claims to know how to allay them, suggesting a level of control and manipulation.
The stanza "I will wait your return, I will watch from my window, I will sweep off the snow, I will trample your corn" reflects the singer's possessive nature and their desire to control the subject's life completely, including their home environment. The line "I will dress you in flowers, oh yeah, I love you to bits" suggests that the singer sees the subject as an object of their affection, someone to dress up and display rather than a person with their own thoughts and desires.
Overall, the song Hostage portrays a disturbing and unhealthy relationship dynamic where one party seeks complete control over the other.
Line by Line Meaning
I will sample you off
I will take a piece of you and make you mine
I will take you my hostage
I will hold you captive and make you a part of me
I will think of some names
I will give you a new identity as part of my control over you
Oh yeah, bring your hooligan gods
I want you to bring your reckless nature and everything that is important to you
Your second hand language
Your language that has been influenced and borrowed from others
And your dangerous games
The risky behavior and activities you engage in
I will struggle with nets
I will work hard to keep you under my control
Keep my feet in the water
Stay grounded and focused on my task
You're out there swimming around
You're living your life freely while I am trying to capture you
Your ridiculous fears
The unfounded things that scare you
I know how to allay them
I know how to ease your fears and manipulate you better
I can smile and be sweet
I can act friendly and nice to earn your trust
I will punish your crimes
I will hold you accountable for things I perceive as wrongdoing
I will warmly embrace you
I will physically show affection to create a sense of attachment and dependence
I will sing you to sleep
I will use manipulation and sweet words to lull you into a sense of comfort and security
Hush now
Be quiet and let me continue to control you
I will wait your return
I will be patient until you come back to me
I will watch from my window
I will keep an eye on you to make sure you don't escape
I will sweep off the snow
I will remove any obstacles that come between us
I will trample your corn
I will destroy what is important to you and take away your control
Hold my arms out for ever
I will always be there for you to control and manipulate you
I can't leave you alone
I am too attached to you and need to keep you with me
Oh no, I will bandage your hands
I will fix your problems and be there to take care of you
I will drink of your horrors
I will enjoy your pain and suffering
I will push you around
I will dominate and control you
I will lick off your tears
I will pretend to comfort you while taking pleasure in your pain
I will dress you in flowers
I will romanticize my control over you and put on a facade of love
Oh yeah I love you to bits
I love having control over you and seeing you submissive to me
Contributed by London S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tinhuviel
Thanks! One of my first movie-making attempts. Still kind of raw in places, but I think it's okay, considering I am still learning. Cheers!
Norjen Tee
Bravo, thanks!!!!
El is a superior dork
One of my favorite parts of shriekback, is that they are not a band who’s songs are mostly “oh I miss you baby why’d you leave me” love songs. Instead, most of them aren’t even love songs, and when they are, it’s never straight up like that, instead it’s deep, sensual, and fascinating, and clever. And hostage is possibly the most fascinating shriekback “love” song, if you can even call it that? I love it, love it, love it, and I fully expext any future partners of mine to put up with hearing this song, OFTEN.
Tinhuviel
I've always adored the combination of adoration and apprehension in their "love" songs. The Shrieks are nothing if not infinitely complex.