Playing With Fire (1989) expanded on the psychedelic and drone themes of the earlier albums; its second single, "Revolution" reached #1 on the UK indie charts. But soon after, a combination of personnel changes, drug problems and intra-band tension (especially between Kember and Pierce) began to break the band apart. Recurring, released in 1991, was their last proper album, though its recording reflected the split between Pierce and Kember as each recorded their own side of the album in different studios, with a cover of Mudhoney's 'When Tomorrow Hits' to separate them (Mudhoney would later return the favour with a cover of Spacemen 3's 'Revolution'). It was their most popular record, but by its release Kember and Pierce had already formed new bands, Spectrum,were self described "noise experimentation" and Spiritualized, respectively. The final conflict that contributed to the split was Pierce's decision to release a cover of The Troggs' 'Any Way That You Want Me', as the first Spiritualized single, which Kember had been wanting to cover for years.
From the outset Spacemen 3 had a very defined set of aesthetic principles. They based almost their entire sound on their own concept of minimalism—droning guitars, feedback, as few chords as possible, pounding drums—with their motto “Taking drugs to make music to take drugs to”. Their minimalism bled into their stage show as well. Sitting down to play their guitars and covered in the spinning colours of a cheap psychedelic light show, their stage “act” was very anti-performance. Another striking aspect of Spacemen 3 was their willingness to cover and share their influences. Song titles, lyrics and interviews were peppered with references to bands and artists they believed shared their “minimal is maximal” aesthetic. The Velvet Underground, the Rolling Stones, The Stooges, MC5, early Captain Beefheart, out-there jazz legend Sun Ra, Silver Apples, garage punk of the 1960s such as the 13th Floor Elevators, Red Krayola, and the Electric Prunes; the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean and other surf bands; ’80s rockabilly groups The Cramps, the Gun Club, Tav Falco; blues and gospel acts like Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, the Staple Singers and John Lee Hooker; and the production techniques of Joe Meek, Brian Wilson and Delia Derbyshire were just some of the names mentioned by the band.
Since the break-up there have been a stream of semi-legitimate albums, early demos and live recordings, many of which have been issued by the Kember-affiliated Space Age Recordings. Highlights include Dreamweapon: An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music, a 45 minute drone piece performed in front of a live audience, Forged Prescriptions, a collection of Perfect Prescription demos and alternate versions (Kember claims in the liner notes that the alternate versions reproduce the layers of guitars they recorded but later removed because they felt they'd never be able to reproduce them live), and the band's singles compilation, which is perhaps the best introduction to the breadth of their work.
In 1998, a tribute album was released on Rocket Girl, which included tracks by Mogwai and Low. Kember’s Spectrum has toured under the banner “Songs the Spacemen Taught Us”, while Pierce routinely includes their songs in his Spiritualized set. In 2004, US journalist Erik Morse published his account of the band’s life and work, Dreamweapon: Spacemen 3 and the Birth of Spiritualized.
Members of the band went on to form Spiritualized, the Darkside and Spectrum (AKA Sonic Boom). Spiritualized carry on, to critical acclaim, though they have largely discarded the dark psychedelic edge. Sonic has also been on the road, playing gigs in London and occasional tours in the US as E.A.R. (Experimental Audio Research), which features synthesizers heavily. The Darkside split, while Rosco (AKA Sterling Roswell) went on to form the Sterling Roswell Blues Band and now is currently in The Gimps.
I Love You
Spacemen 3 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know that’s true
I’ve been abused
But what could I do?
Ah, but what could I do?
‘Cos honey I love you
Oh honey I love you
Oh honey I love you
But what could I do?
I got somethin’ to tell you
Oh little girl
I’ve been searchin’
I’ve been searchin’ all around the world
I got somethin’ to tell you
Pretty honey child
I’ve been searchin’, girl
Searchin’ far and wide
And now I’ve got you girl
Sittin’ by my side
Sittin’ here laughin’ and smilin’
I’m so glad I tried
‘Cos honey I love you
‘Cos honey I love you
‘Cos honey I love you
‘Cos honey I love you
Oh, what could I do?
You know bars cannot hold me
And brute force cannot control me now
I wanna show you that I love you girl
More than anything in the whole wide world
But what could I do?
‘Cos honey I love you
Oh honey I love you
Oh honey I love you
Oh honey I love you
What else could I do?
Yes my friend, my good friend
Well set me free
Yes my friend, my good friend
Well set me free again
Well set me free
Free
Oh set me free
Free
Oh set me free
Free
Oh set me free
Free, free, free
Oh set me free
I’ve been sittin’ here thinkin’
Listenin’ to my radio
Well I’ve been sittin’ here thinkin’
Listenin’ to my radio
Well I’ve been sittin’ here all week
Now I’ve gotta get up and go
Let’s go!
The lyrics to Spacemen 3's "I Love You" are centered around a speaker who seems to be acknowledging past wrongdoings and abuse, but also expressing love and adoration for their significant other. The line "I've been accused, you know that's true, I've been abused, but what could I do?" suggests a sense of guilt or responsibility for past harm, but also a sense of helplessness in the situation. The repetition of "honey, I love you" throughout the song reinforces the singer's affection and devotion.
The second half of the song takes a slightly different tone, with the singer expressing a desire to be set free ("yes my friend, my good friend, well set me free") and a sense of restlessness or urgency ("I've been sittin' here all week, and now I gotta get up and go"). This could be interpreted as a desire to break free from the past and move forward with the person they love.
Overall, the lyrics of "I Love You" seem to be a complex mix of emotions - love, guilt, remorse, longing, and a desire for freedom. The repetition of certain phrases adds to the hypnotic, dreamlike feel of the song, which was a hallmark of Spacemen 3's style.
Line by Line Meaning
I stand accused
I have been blamed for something
You know that’s true
You are aware that it is true
I’ve been abused
I have been mistreated
But what could I do?
I had no way to act differently
Ah, but what could I do?
I regret that I could not do anything
‘Cos honey I love you
Because I am in love with you
Oh honey I love you
Oh my dear, I am deeply in love with you
I got somethin’ to tell you
I have an important message for you
Oh little girl
My dear young lady
I’ve been searchin’
I have been seeking something
I’ve been searchin’ all around the world
I have been searching in many different places
Pretty honey child
You are a lovely, sweet woman
Searchin’ far and wide
Looking everywhere, no matter how distant
And now I’ve got you girl
Now I have found you, my love
Sittin’ here laughin’ and smilin’
We are sitting together, enjoying each other's company and sharing laughter and smiles
I’m so glad I tried
I am happy that I made the effort to find you and be with you
You know bars cannot hold me
I cannot be restrained by physical barriers
And brute force cannot control me now
Even forceful actions cannot dominate me
I wanna show you that I love you girl
I want to express my love for you
More than anything in the whole wide world
My love for you is the greatest thing in the world
Yes my friend, my good friend
Referring to someone close or trusted
Well set me free
Release me from constraints or restrictions
Free, free, free
Emphasizing the desire for freedom
I’ve been sittin’ here thinkin’
I have been pondering or considering something
Listenin’ to my radio
I am listening to music on the radio
Now I’ve gotta get up and go
I need to leave or take action
Let’s go!
Encouraging action or movement
Contributed by Scarlett L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@popacap21
first heard this song driving through the Nevada desert heading toward AZ while it was golden hour.. awesome experience
@jimihendrix6969
Nice image.
Hearing this music for the first time, anywhere, with anyone, at the right time is likely to elevate your day. All the best bud.
@feored
Peter Kember's side of Recurring is some of the best dream pop ever made. Recurring in general is still underrated as an S3 album.
@vanillaoo6586
Are you talking about the first half of the album?
@Beechgoose1
The Velvet Underground , re-incarnated in Rugby, Warwickshire. I bought this album when it came out. There was magic in the air, back then. xxx
@jordannietos
@@Tokelanddiaries smelled faintly of skunk
@mikenorledge4110
Anton Newcombe of BJM has taken up the baton from Peter Kember, Jason Pierce and Will Carruthers (Spacemen 3) .. all good bands are influenced by and perform with each other as a hobby cos they love the sound
@jimihendrix6969
Every great artist, scientist or philosopher has got there by standing on the shoulders of the great men before them.
That's just how it is,, I think.
I also just caught the era where i bought Spacemen 3 as a new release.
So glad i still get a kick listening to this today, decades later.
Only quality music bears the brunt of time.
@ertraccia
Paul McCartney would be jealous of this bass line
@andrewpoirier8163
Paul McCartney isn't jealous of ANY bass line!! ;) It is amazing though. Super chill