Both Marc Almond and Dave Ball grew up in seaside towns (the former, Southport, and the latter, Blackpool), and later met while students at the Leeds Polytechnic Fine Arts University (now Leeds Metropolitan University). Almond, a performance artist, collaborated with Ball on a few avant-garde multi-media performances at the university. Although Ball's musical background consisted of guitar, he had access to the university studio and was experimenting with the nascent synthesizer technology at the time. The two students became the prototypical synth duo and were initially associated with other New Wave scenesters dubbed "New Romantics" by the British Press. Other bands associated with this scene included Visage, Duran Duran, and Spandau Ballet.
Marc Almond had a productive career as a solo artist later in the 80s and 90s and with Marc & the Mambas and other collaborations. Dave Ball has done a few solo productions with other British new wave acts in the early 80s. He also later was involved in the electronic dance act The Grid with Richard Norris.
Almond and Ball's reunion as Soft Cell became official with well-received initial concerts - they performed at the opening of the Ocean nightclub in London in March 2001 to strong reviews, and a mini tour followed later in the year. The track "God Shaped Hole" featured on the Some Bizzare compilation titled "I'd Rather Shout at a Returning Echo than Kid Someone's Listening", released in 2001. The album Cruelty Without Beauty was released in late 2002, followed by a European tour and a partial US tour in early 2003. The new album featured their first new songs together in almost twenty years. One of those songs was their 2003 single "The Night" (UK #39). Interestingly, Soft Cell had considered recording "The Night" in place of "Tainted Love" back in 1981 as their last-ditch attempt to score a chart hit. In a 2003 interview with BBC's Top of the Pops, keyboardist David Ball asserted, "I think history has kind of shown that we did make the right choice [in 1981]."
In August 2007, the band announced they were working on a remix album, "Heat - The Remixes". The remix album is expected to be released in May 2008 and will include classic Soft Cell tracks remixed by such acts as Manhattan Clique, Cicada, Richard X, Ladytron, MHC, Mark Moore, Kinky Roland, Spektrum, George Demure, Yer Man and many more.
You Only Live Twice
Soft Cell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, so it seems
One life for yourself
And one for your dreams
You drift through the years
And life seems stray
Till one dream appears
I'd love you to strangers
Ooh, beckon you on
Don't think of the danger
For a stranger is gone
This dream is for you
So pay the price
Make one dream come true
You only live twice
This dream is for you
So pay the price
Make one dream come true
You only live twice
You only live twice
The lyrics to Soft Cell's song You Only Live Twice are about the idea of living two lives, one for yourself and one for your dreams. The song suggests that throughout our lives, we do things for ourselves, but there's always a part of us that craves something more. The lyrics acknowledge that our lives can seem tame as we drift through the years until one day, a dream appears, and suddenly love is all we can think of.
The song's focus on love as a stranger is an interesting aspect of the lyrics. It suggests that no matter how well we know ourselves or how long we've lived our lives, love is something that comes along unexpectedly, and we can't control it. The lyrics suggest that we shouldn't be afraid to follow our hearts, even if it means taking risks and facing potential danger.
Line by Line Meaning
You only live twice, or so it seems
Life is too short, it appears as if one gets only two chances to live.
One life for yourself, and one for your dreams
A person should live one life for themselves, and the other for their dreams and aspirations.
You drift through the years and life seems tame
As the years pass by, life seems uneventful and monotonous.
Till one dream appears and love is its name
Until a dream or love comes along, that adds meaning and purpose to life.
And love is a stranger who'll beckon you on
Love is unpredictable and unknown, yet it will pull you towards it.
Don't think of the danger or the stranger is gone
Do not worry about the risks involved, or the opportunity will be lost.
This dream is for you, so pay the price
As this dream is meant for you, you have to make sacrifices for it.
Make one dream come true, you only live twice
Achieve one dream to make the most out of the two chances of life.
And love is a stranger who'll beckon you on
Love is unpredictable and unknown, yet it will pull you towards it.
Don't think of the danger or the stranger is gone
Do not worry about the risks involved, or the opportunity will be lost.
This dream is for you, so pay the price
As this dream is meant for you, you have to make sacrifices for it.
Make one dream come true, you only live twice
Achieve one dream to make the most out of the two chances of life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: John Barry, Leslie Bricusse
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Andrew Nick
This song speaks to me these days ...
"You drift through the years and life seems tame,
Till one dream appears and love is its name.
And love is a stranger who'll beckon you on,
Don't think of the danger or the stranger is gone."
...
"Make one dream come true ... "
Anyone else out there ... ?
simon g
Wow - I've never heard this 12 inch version - extraordinary ! there's so much more in it... their 12inches are all excellent, art in themselves.. what a perfect pair they were..
whssy
Same here. Only have this on 7". This needs to change.
Justine Bourke
This version by Soft Cell is by far the best of any . Perfection 💜
Andrew Nick
This song speaks to me these days ...
"You drift through the years and life seems tame,
Till one dream appears and love is its name.
And love is a stranger who'll beckon you on,
Don't think of the danger or the stranger is gone."
...
"Make one dream come true ... "
Anyone else out there ... ?
Jetlag003
Me too...love it
Andrew Nick
Going back to what?
omarshinken
The song is called going back
Andrew Nick
What Dusty Springfield song ... ?
omarshinken
Me to bro also dusty Springfield's song going back
Gordon free
Menuda versión de un tema mítico del gran John Barry, increíble improvisación de la voz de Almond.