The guitar and synth-laced album followed in the style of other 1980s bands such as a-ha, Duran Duran, Tears for Fears and Mr. Mister. The first single from Tyranny was "One Simple Thing," which peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100, helped by the band's performance of the song on American Bandstand. Two music videos were released to promote the album: "One Simple Thing", which was directed by David Fincher who would go onto greater success directing the feature films Alien³, Se7en and Fight Club and "Tyranny," helmed by renowned music video director David Hogan.
The "Tyranny" single failed to chart, and for the next five years, the band disappeared from view. Then, in 1991, an unreleased track from the Tyranny sessions, "Maybe This Time," surfaced on the soundtrack to the film If Looks Could Kill, but that was the last anyone would hear from the band.
Years active: 1981–1991.
Underground
Stabilizers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feel the night... it's tender arms are wrapped around me much too tight
Breathe the air... it comes to me but it will never take me there
I see the light... but it's only a blinding flash in my eye
[Chorus]
Hear the sound... the whispers around you now
The sounds cutting through somehow
I move in time... to a world I'm leaving far behind
I see a face... a shattered dream in a broken place
I touch the ground... it trembles to that familiar sound
I separate... right from wrong from love from hate
[Chorus]
The song "Underground" by Stabilizers is a powerful song that encapsulates the confusion and isolation that comes with being lost in the world. The verses of the song are written with beautiful imagery that creates a vivid atmosphere of hopelessness and despair. The first line of the song, "Hear the sound... it's calling out from empty faces all around" gives an indication of the dreary and haunting atmosphere that the singer is a part of. The use of the word 'empty' to describe the faces around him emphasizes the lack of life and vitality that he sees in the world around him. The sound that he hears is a call to something unknown, something that he cannot grasp. The second line of the song, "Feel the night... it's tender arms are wrapped around me much too tight" emphasizes the feeling that he is trapped in the world.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the feeling of being lost and the refrain 'the sound of the underground' emphasizes the feeling of being cut off from the world above. The use of the phrase 'the shadows are calling out' emphasizes the feeling of being lost in the darkness and the use of the word 'whispers' helps to create a sense of eerie intrigue. The phrase "the sound cutting through somehow" highlights the sense of importance that the sound has to the singer. In the second verse, the singer mentions that he is moving in time to a world that he is leaving behind, which again emphasizes the feeling of being lost and moving on to something new. The line "a shattered dream in a broken place" is a powerful metaphor that emphasizes the feeling of being lost, overwhelmed, and confused.
Line by Line Meaning
Hear the sound... it's calling out from empty faces all around
The sound echoes from the crowd around me, but no one truly speaks or communicates.
Feel the night... it's tender arms are wrapped around me much too tight
The darkness of the night feels like an embrace that restricts and suffocates me.
Breathe the air... it comes to me but it will never take me there
Even though I breathe in this space, I won't be transported or feel a change in my surroundings.
I see the light... but it's only a blinding flash in my eye
Although I witness the light, it's only a momentary and overwhelming experience.
[Chorus]
The sound of the underground is an enigmatic whisper that cuts through the silence and speaks to me.
I move in time... to a world I'm leaving far behind
I live in a present that takes me further away from my past.
I see a face... a shattered dream in a broken place
I encounter a face that represents unrealized aspirations and failed endeavors in a hopeless place.
I touch the ground... it trembles to that familiar sound
As I touch the earth, it rumbles with the same resonance I've heard before.
I separate... right from wrong from love from hate
I discern clear boundaries that define opposing and conflicting emotions and moral codes.
[Chorus]
The sound of the underground penetrates through the darkness and urges me to heed its call.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: VICTORIA SHARPE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind