<… Read Full Bio ↴Spooky Tooth was an English progressive rock band from the late 1960s.
They formed in October 1967, out of a combination of The Ramrods (1960 - late 1963), The V.I.P.'s (late 1963 - April 1967) and Art (April - October 1967). The line-up changed several times, but typically included the following members:
Mike Harrison (keyboards/vocals)Greg Ridley (bass guitar/vocals)Luther (Luke) Grosvenor (guitar/vocals)Mike Kellie (drums)Gary Wright (organ/vocals)
It was the addition of Gary Wright that signalled the name change from Art to Spooky Tooth.
The song "Better By You, Better Than Me" recorded by Judas Priest is a Spooky Tooth cover. It was taken from 1969's Spooky Two LP which is generally considered to be the best effort by the group. It was the last album release from the original line-up. Ridley joined Humble Pie in 1969 and was replaced by Andy Leigh who went on to Matthews Southern Comfort with ex-Fairport Convention vocalist Ian Matthews. The experimental nature of Ceremony received mixed reviews and following its release Wright also bowed out. The core of Harrison, Grosvenor and Kellie struggled on for one more album, aptly titled The Last Puff, (featuring a cover of "I am the Walrus") completed with friends from Joe Cocker's Grease Band.
They broke up in the autumn of 1970. After solo efforts, Harrison and Wright reformed Spooky Tooth in September 1972 with a different (and frequently changing) line-up. The best known member of these line-ups (March 1973 - September 1974) was Mick Jones (guitar/vocals), later of Foreigner. From February to May 1974, Mike Patto (vocals) replaced Harrison for the 1974 release The Mirror. The group then split again in September 1974.
DISCOGRAPHY
Art
Mike Harrison (vocals), Greg Ridley (bass guitar), Luther Grosvenor (guitar), Mike Kellie (drums)
* 1967 - Supernatural Fairy Tales
Spooky Tooth
* 1968 - It's All About
* 1969 - Spooky Two
* 1970 - Ceremony (with Pierre Henry)
* 1970 - The Last Puff
* 1971 - Tobacco Road (=It's All About)
* 1973 - You Broke My Heart So I Busted Your Jaw
* 1973 - Witness
* 1974 - The Mirror
* 1999 - Cross Purpose
* 1999 - The Best of Spooky Tooth: That Was Only Yesterday
* 2000 - Comic Violence
* 2001 - BBC Sessions
* 2007 - Nomad Poets (DVD)
The Mirror
Spooky Tooth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I looked into the mirror and it poisoned my mind twice
It left me both time crippled
And it tossed my fate like dice
I looked into the mirror and the devil smiled both times
My flesh was sold with no feelings
The smile on my face gave way to my feeling
But only time was there to tell
Somewhere in space my thoughts are still reeling
The miror looked through hell
And damned me where I fell
You mistreated the boxer
You held his spirit down
(Yes she did, yes she did, yes she did, yes she did)
You colored his reflection
'Cause you didn't like his sound
But now my head is clearing
And I'm startin' to see the light
(see the light, see the light, see the light, see the light)
Now I'm lookin' to the mirror
And I don't know if it's day or night
The smile on my face gave way to my feeling
But only time was there to tell
Somewhere in space my thoughts are still reeling
The miror looked through hell
And damned me where I fell
see the light, see the light, see the light, see the light...
The Spooky Tooth's song, The Mirror, depicts the torment of a person who has looked into the mirror twice, and it has poisoned their mind each time. The first time, it left the person crippled, and the second time it tossed their fate like dice. The devil smiles both times, and the person's flesh is sold with no feelings, and no reason to it. The smile on the person's face fades away, revealing their true feelings, but there is only time to tell what happens next. The mirror looks through hell, and the person is left damned where they fell.
The second verse talks about someone who mistreated a boxer and held their spirit down. They colored the boxer's reflection because they didn't like his sound. However, the singer's head is clearing, and they are starting to see the light. When they look into the mirror again, they are unsure if it's day or night. The final repetition of "see the light" implies that the person is finally starting to see things for what they truly are.
The song seems to be about the negative impact mirrors can have on people. The mirror can reveal aspects of a person that they may not want to see or confront, and it can also be a tool for torment and manipulation. The song may also be commenting on the destructive nature of society and how it can color people's perceptions of themselves and others.
Line by Line Meaning
I looked into the mirror and it poisoned my mind twice
When I looked in the mirror, it affected my mind adversely not once, but twice.
It left me both time crippled
The impact of the mirror on my mind was so strong that I appeared to be injured and powerless to act twice.
And it tossed my fate like dice
That's how much of an impact the mirror had on my fate; like a gambler, fate was thrown around carelessly.
I looked into the mirror and the devil smiled both times
Both times when I gazed into the mirror, there was an image of the devil's smile present that smirked back at me.
My flesh was sold with no feelings
In a way, my fate was out of my control and my agency was depleted.
With no reason or rhyme
The reasoning behind my fate and the mirror's impact was unclear and unexplained.
You mistreated the boxer
The subject of this song is accusing someone of disrespecting a boxer or robbing them of their potential.
You held his spirit down
Whoever was mistreating the boxer had undermined their sense of self-confidence and stuck them in place.
You colored his reflection
The accuser believes that whoever mistreated the boxer distorted how the boxer viewed themselves in the mirror, and possibly in their minds.
'Cause you didn't like his sound
It's implied that the reason this person mistreated the boxer was because they didn't enjoy the sound of the boxer's voice. This is metaphorical language for the deeper meaning behind their actions.
But now my head is clearing
The struggle with the mirror and its implications is being resolved, and clarity is being achieved.
And I'm startin' to see the light
From the clarity is the recognition of a resolution or solution to the mirror's power.
Now I'm lookin' to the mirror
After struggling with the mirror's impact, the singer is able to turn towards the mirror without feeling overwhelmed.
And I don't know if it's day or night
There is uncertainty and ambiguity about what the relationship with the mirror now means for the singer's life.
The miror looked through hell
The mirror acted and haunting simultaneously and it felt as though it was a form of punishment, a descent into hell.
And damned me where I fell
The mirror felt like punishment, as it held the power to condemn the artist, no matter where they were.
see the light, see the light, see the light, see the light...
The lyric emphasizes the artist's need and desire to escape the darkness and to seek clarity and enlightenment.
Contributed by Kaylee I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.