The band began in 1978 in the North-Wales town of Rhyl, under the name of 'Seventeen'. Its 4 members were Mike Peters, Dave Sharp, Eddie Macdonald and Nigel Twist. They knocked around the music scene for a while with little success and reformed as 'Alarm Alarm' (taken from one of Seventeen's songs) in 1981. Then revered BBC DJ John Peel compared them to Duran Duran and Talk Talk and they quickly changed their name to 'The Alarm'. With the change of their name, came a change of location. The Alarm moved to London and shared a small flat in the city to save money for their first single, 'Unsafe Building' b/w 'Up For Murder'. They came to the attention of U2 in '82 and toured with them as their support band (they frequently reprised that role). In 1983, 'Sixty-Eight Guns' was released. It became their biggest hit, propelling them to #17 in the charts, and they appeared on Top of The Pops for the first and last time. Throughout the decade, the band made more albums, including 'Strength' and 'Eye of the Hurricane'; but by the late 80's The Alarm had begun to drift apart, with Dave Sharp feeling isolated and left out of the song writing process. The relationships within the band were deteriorating. Their last album, 'Raw', was fragmented and the group were breaking apart. On June 30th 1991 at the Brixton Academy, Mike Peters announced on stage that he was leaving 'The Alarm' without telling the rest of the band. And thus The Alarm ended.
The Alarm can lay claim to a series of 15 Top 50 UK singles, including their classic hits, "68 GUNS", "SPIRIT OF 76", "RAIN IN THE SUMMERTIME", "STRENGTH" "45 RPM" and of course "THE STAND".
Ten successful albums and over 5 million sales worldwide, The Alarm's pioneering use of acoustic guitars brought the band into direct contact with the likes of Bob Dylan, Neil Young and U2, all whom have appeared and sung on stage with The Alarm.
Both Mike Peters and Dave Sharp embarked on solo careers with Peters again fronting the second generation of The Alarm with James Stevenson (Gene Loves Jezebel, Chelsea), Craig Adams (Sisters of Mercy, The Mission) and Steve Grantley (Stiff Little Fingers).
In 2004 The Alarm returned to the singles charts with 45RPM, the first single released from the bands album, "IN THE POPPYFIELDS".
The story of how the band released the single under a pseudonym, appearing to be a brand new musical act, complete with a group of 21 year olds appearing in the video for 45rpm to help complete the scam, became an international controversial news story and elevated the bands profile to new heights and a major motion picture based on the story is scheduled for production.
In late December 2005, singer Mike Peters revealed he has been diagnosed with a form of cancer called chronic lymphocytic leukemia, but it was diagnosed in its early stages and his prognosis is favourable. This came after he had been in remission from cancer previously that he had fought in the 1990s. Indeed the 1996 solo album Feel Free has a song titled "Regeneration" in which he discusses his diagnosis and subsequent alternative medicine that he believes help cure him.
In 2007 Mike launched the 'Love Hope Strength' foundation which sets to raise funds andand awareness in fighting cancer.
Most recently, in July 2008, The Alarm will be releasing their latest full length album "Guerilla Tactics" Mixed by Gilby Clarke ( Guns N' Roses) on 7 July 2008 and will embark on a U.S. tour this summer on the "Rockin' The Colonies" tour with The English Beat and The Fixx to be followed by The Guerilla Tactics UK Residency tour in 4 Major UK Cities in November 2008.
Mike peters and the band in various forms still meet and play on occasions at local venues. Mike has a strong following and working on his solo career and still is heavily involved in music
Strength
The Alarm Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Give me hope
Give me strength
Give me someone to live for
Who will light the fire
That I need to survive?
Who will be the life blood
Like a river flowing
That will never change
I need someone
I can depend on
Oh, oh
'Cause I'm a man of emotions
Who can't hide the tears
I'm a man of feeling
Who can't hide the pain
I'm alone on the outskirts of town
Where no one knows my name
I'm at the point in my life
Where I need affection
Oh, oh
Won't you give me love (give me love)
Give me hope (give me hope)
Give me strength
Give me someone to live for
Give me love (give me love)
Give me hope (give me hope)
Give me strength
Give me someone to live for
I need it now
I need it now
Someone write me a letter
I need to know that I'm still alive
Someone give me a telephone call
I need to hear a human sound
Someone open up a door
And let me out of this place
I've been caged up for oh so long
I don't know if I'm living or dying
Oh, oh
Someone better give me love (give me love)
Give me hope (give me hope)
Give me strength
Give me someone to live for
Give me love (give me love)
Give me hope (give me hope)
Give me strength
Give me someone to live for
I walk alone across the outskirts of town
I can't control what I'm going through now
Will you light the fire that I need to survive?
Will you donate the life blood coursing through my veins?
Will you open up the door and let me out of this place
I've been caged up for oh-so long
I don't know if I'm living or dying
Oh, oh
Won't you give me love (give me love)
Give me hope (give me hope)
Give me strength
Give me someone to live for
Give me love (give me love)
Give me hope (give me hope)
Give me strength
Give me someone
Someone to live for, I need it now
Na, na-na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na
Na, na-na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na
Na, na-na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na
Na, na-na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na
The song "Strength" by The Alarm is an emotional plea for someone to give the singer love, hope, strength, and someone to live for. The song is about feeling alone and trapped in life, with nobody to turn to for support. The singer is asking for someone to "light the fire" that he needs to survive and to be the "life blood" coursing through his veins.
The lyrics paint a picture of someone who is struggling with their emotions and is unable to hide their tears and pain. They are at a point in their life where they desperately need affection and human connection. The chorus repeats the plea for love, hope, and strength, with the addition of the phrase "I need it now" emphasizing the urgency and desperation the singer feels.
Towards the end of the song, the singer asks for someone to write them a letter, to give them a phone call, or to open up a door and let them out of their cage. The lyrics express a longing for human connection and a desire to be free from their current circumstances.
Overall, "Strength" is a powerful song that captures the feelings of loneliness, desperation, and the need for human connection that many people experience at some point in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Give me love
I need to feel loved and cared for by someone
Give me hope
I need to have faith in something or someone to keep me going
Give me strength
I need the power to endure and overcome the challenges of life
Give me someone to live for
I need a purpose and reason to keep living
Who will light the fire
Who will inspire and motivate me to keep going
That I need to survive?
That I need to keep going in order to survive
Who will be the life blood
Who will provide the energy and vitality to keep me going
Coursing through my veins?
Flowing steadily and constantly through my body
Like a river flowing
Like a constant, reliable source of life and sustenance
That will never change
That will always remain the same and dependable
I need someone
I need a person who will always be there for me
I can depend on
I can rely on and trust completely
Oh, oh
Expressing a sense of urgency and desperation
'Cause I'm a man of emotions
I am a person who feels deeply and strongly
Who can't hide the tears
I am unable to keep my emotions from showing
I'm a man of feeling
I am someone who experiences emotions intensely
Who can't hide the pain
I am unable to conceal my emotional pain
I'm alone on the outskirts of town
I am isolated and detached from society
Where no one knows my name
Where I am a complete stranger to others
I'm at the point in my life
I have reached a critical moment in my existence
Where I need affection
Where I require warmth, love and tenderness
Someone write me a letter
Someone send me a message of support and caring
I need to know that I'm still alive
I need to feel connected to others and know that I matter
Someone give me a telephone call
Someone talk to me and show me that they care
I need to hear a human sound
I need to feel the presence of another human being
Someone open up a door
Someone let me leave this place and find solace and comfort
And let me out of this place
And allow me to escape from my isolation and loneliness
Someone better give me love
Someone has to show me love and care
I walk alone across the outskirts of town
I wander by myself in the periphery of society
I can't control what I'm going through now
I am overwhelmed and helpless, unable to manage my situation
Will you donate the life blood coursing through my veins?
Will you give me the energy and vitality I need to keep going?
Na, na-na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na
Vocalization expressing a sense of yearning and longing
Lyrics Β© Peermusic Publishing
Written by: David William Kitchingman, Edward James Macdonald, Michael Leslie Peters, Nigel Phillips
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Redplanetfilms1
If the was ever a song or an album that helped me survive this crazy life, this would be it. In my most difficult days I would put this on and gather strength from Mike Peters words and passion for life. Sometimes you need help, this was mine.
Ikrananka
Mike Peters and The Alarm helped me survive this crazy and tough life as well. I thank them for that from the bottom of my heart.
Danny R.
This has been one of my favorite songs for many years. The louder I play it the better I like it. I'm thinking my neighbors must like it by now also.
Jaime Gonzalez
There is an acoustic version of this song with The Stray Cats band and I think The Cars as backup out there somewhere..
Terrace Apartments
that is funny.. good comment
Bob Baldwin
Possibly the best single they released, still amazing in 2019
Lynn Findlay
Absolutely brilliant....this band have been a massive part of my life since 1983
Lawrence Henry
I seen them on American Bandstand when I first heard this song.
Jo-Ann Benoit
I don't care how much time passes, I absolutely LOVE this song.
tarasded
As massive fan of U2's first three albums, I always loved when another band sounded like their early material...and this song is every bit as good.