The Brian Jonestown Massacre was formed in San Francisco in 1990. The band … Read Full Bio ↴The Brian Jonestown Massacre was formed in San Francisco in 1990. The band has had over 40 members since then, but its driving force and main songwriter is Anton Newcombe. Other prominent members have included Matt Hollywood, Dean Taylor, Jeff Davies, Brian Glaze, and Joel Gion. Their sound is heavily influenced by the psychedelic sounds of the 1960s, but also carries influences from shoegaze, jangle pop, garage rock, and lo-fi genres.

Over its decade-long history, the band has undergone a large number of personnel changes. Multi-instrumentalist and main songwriter Anton Newcombe is the only member who has stayed with the Brian Jonestown Massacre since its beginning, when it was founded by Newcombe, tambourine player Joel Gion (who stayed with him the longest), and guitarist/bassist/vocalist Matt Hollywood. There are at least two dozen musicians who have been in the BJM at one point or another.

Ex-members include: guitarist Jeff Davies; Matt Hollywood, a founding member of Portland band The Out Crowd; Peter Hayes, founding member of San Francisco rock trio Black Rebel Motorcycle Club; Joel Gion, a founding member of San Francisco band, The Dilettantes; Rob Campanella, a Los Angeles producer and engineer who has worked with The Tyde, Beachwood Sparks, Dead Meadow, Mia Doi Todd, Frausdots, Scarling., and his band The Quarter After; Bobby Hecksher, founding member of Los Angeles band The Warlocks; solo recording artist Miranda Lee Richards; Matt Tow, founding member of the Australian band The Lovetones.

Current long-term members include Collin Hegna (bass), Frankie Teardrop (guitar,noise,etc), and Dan Allaire (percussion). Long-time guitarist Ricky Rene Maymi was recently replaced by Irina Yaikowsky for a short tour, who was in turn, replaced by Ricky Rene Maymi.

Much has been made of the fact that Newcombe is head strong and has just one vision in mind: his own. However, many of the musicians who quit his band have stayed in his orbit and continue working with him in some capacity. Newcombe was, at one point, a drummer in Hecksher's Warlocks. Campanella produces or engineers many of the records on Newcombe's record label, the Committee to Keep Music Evil and has also been on the last 2 highly successful European tours, playing keyboards and on occasion, guitar. Gion is forever showing back up shaking the tambourine at BJM shows. Even the Dandy Warhols appear to have buried the hatchet with Newcombe, as he joined them onstage at Lollapalooza in July of 2005.

In 2005 the band released the EP We Are the Radio, on Newcombe's record label The Committee to Keep Music Evil.

The band announced the release of a new studio album, tentatively titled My Bloody Underground, which was released in 2008. On September 3, 2007, the band released rough recordings from the album for download from their website. Music videos of the songs on the album have also been released, including a music video compilation DVD entitled 'Book of Days'. Songs from Brian Jonestown Massacre were specially adapted for use in the score to the critically acclaimed independent film, "Four Eyed Monsters."

True Love
The Brian Jonestown Massacre Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

One I'd boo, the other pray
Marching by, I heard him say
I looked far for so long, I can't find my way
Back to my sad lover's heart

I took my lover
Down to the river
I drew my silver dagger

Straight through my true lover's heart
Straight in my true lover's heart

One eye blue, the other gray
Staring down, I heard you say
I looked far for so long, I can't find my way

Back to my sad lover's arms
Back to my sad lover's arms

Overall Meaning

The Brian Jonestown Massacre's song True Love is a hauntingly beautiful song that tells a story of two different individuals struggling with the complexity of love. The lyrics describe how one person would boo and the other would pray while they marched by, indicating that they have different perspectives on life and love. This is further emphasized when they both say that they looked far for so long but still cannot find their way back to their lover's heart and arms. This could mean that they have been searching for love for a long time, yet they still can't seem to find what they need.

The song takes a dark turn when the singer sings about taking their lover down to the river and drawing a silver dagger straight through their true lover's heart. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for the hurt and pain that comes with love, or it could be taken literally as a symbolic murder of the partner's love. The image of one eye being blue and the other being gray adds to the bleakness of the song, hinting at a sense of hopelessness and despair.

In conclusion, True Love is a powerful song that touches upon the complexities of love and relationships. It's a song that makes you feel like you're lost in a dark, mysterious forest where nothing is certain, but you keep on walking anyway hoping that someday you'll find your way out.

Line by Line Meaning

One I'd boo, the other pray
One part of me wants to reject love, while the other part wants to embrace it

Marching by, I heard him say
I was moving through life without much direction when I stumbled upon someone talking about love

I looked far for so long, I can't find my way
I've been searching for love unsuccessfully for a long time, and now I feel lost and unsure of how to find it

Back to my sad lover's heart
I want to return to the love that I lost, even though it causes me pain

I took my lover
I was in a romantic relationship with someone

Down to the river
I brought my lover to a place of importance, where I could better express my feelings

I drew my silver dagger
I did something that caused pain

Straight through my true lover's heart
I hurt the person I loved deeply

One eye blue, the other gray
I'm feeling very emotional, with a mix of sadness and uncertainty

Staring down, I heard you say
I was looking at my reflection, questioning my actions and desires while listening to my inner voice

Back to my sad lover's arms
I long to be comforted by the love of the person I lost, even though it may not be possible

Contributed by Caleb I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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