They are notable for being the first of the British punk bands to release a single, put out an album, and tour the United States. Their debut album, Damned Damned Damned, was released six months before The Sex Pistols' debut, Never Mind The Bollocks.
The Damned have dissolved and reformed many times, with singer Dave Vanian remaining the sole constant. They have incorporated many styles in their music, most notably garage rock, psychedelic music, the British theatrical rock of Screaming Lord Sutch and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, and New Romantic.
In addition to serving as inspiration for many of the young bands who created hardcore punk in the US, The Damned are also generally regarded as one of the founders of goth music.
Original members Dave Vanian (David Lett), Captain Sensible (Raymond Burns), and Rat Scabies (Chris Millar) were all members of the semi-legendary Masters of the Backside which included future Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde.
Original guitarist Brian James (Brian Robertson) was a member of the early punk band London SS, a unit that never played live, but whose members later found fame in bands including The Clash and Generation X. Rat Scabies was also tried as the drummer for London SS, but was rejected.
Maintaining the goth connection, between 1996 and 2004 the bass guitarist of the Damned was one-time the Sisters of Mercy / the Sisterhood / Gun Club member Patricia Morrison. Morrison married Dave Vanian in 1996 but left the band after the birth of their daughter Emily. She originally joined the band after bassist Paul Grey was injured during a concert.
Discography:
Damned, Damned, Damned – February 25, 1977 (# 36)
Music For Pleasure – November 18, 1977
Machine Gun Etiquette – November 2, 1979 (# 31)
The Black Album – October 20, 1980 (# 29)
Strawberries – October 1, 1982 (# 15)
Phantasmagoria – July 15, 1985 (# 11)
Anything – December 5, 1986 (# 40)
Not of This Earth – November 11, 1995 (Retitled I'm Alright Jack & The Beanstalk in the UK, Germany and Sweden)
Grave Disorder – August 21, 2001
So, Who's Paranoid? – October 28, 2008
Evil Spirits – April 13, 2018
Darkadelic - April 28, 2023
Street of Dreams
The Damned Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And if a fever grips you tight
There's a place we must explore
Open wide the door
We may be the haunted men
But we will hold our heads up when
We're walking down the street of dreams
The dead beats and the dispossessed
The seekers of a nightly nest
The beauty walks arm in arm
With the beast tonight
We may be the haunted men
But we will hold our heads up when
We're walking down the street of dreams
Oh, we-oh, we-oh
Down the street of dreams
Oh, we-oh, we-oh
We walk down the street of dreams
Oh, we-oh, we-oh
Ah, ah, ah
A thousand doorways open there
A thousand voices sweet and clear
Emotions felt with a passion
Never felt before
We may be the haunted men
But we will hold our heads up when
We're walking down the street of dreams
Oh, we-oh, we-oh
Oh, we-oh, we-oh
We're walking down the street of dreams
Oh, we-oh, we-oh
Ah, ah, ah
When you walk down the street of dreams
You gotta hold your head up high
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Doors will be always open for the streets of dreams
Oh, we-oh, we-oh
Oh, we-oh, we-oh
Who gonna street of dreams
Oh, we-oh, we-oh
Street of dreams
Oh, we-oh, we-oh
"Street of Dreams" by The Damned is a song that explores a fantastical place that can be found when one is unable to sleep or is in the grip of a fever. The lyrics suggest that this place is the solution to a need for escapism from the harsh reality of life. The street of dreams is a space where the dispossessed and the outcasts can find refuge, and it is also a space where beauty and the beast can coexist. The song emphasizes that even though the people who frequent this place may be haunted by their past, they are still able to hold their heads up high when they walk down the street of dreams.
The lyrics suggest that the street of dreams is a place where many doors are open and a multitude of emotions can be felt, emotions that might not be experienced when one is awake. The song suggests that the songs and voices of the street of dreams are sweeter and clearer than in reality. The song ends with a reminder that when one walks down the street of dreams, they must hold their heads up high.
Line by Line Meaning
If you can't sleep tonight
If you are unable to sleep tonight
And if a fever grips you tight
And if you are gripped tightly by a fever
There's a place we must explore
There is a place that we must go and explore
Open wide the door
Open the door wide for us to enter
We may be the haunted men
We might be the men that are haunted by something
But we will hold our heads up when
However, we will still hold our heads up high when
We're walking down the street of dreams
We walk along the street of our dreams
The dead beats and the dispossessed
Those who have given up and those who have lost everything
The seekers of a nightly nest
Those who fervently seek a place to shelter for the night
The beauty walks arm in arm
The beautiful people walk hand-in-hand
With the beast tonight
Together with the uglier or dangerous ones tonight
A thousand doorways open there
There are thousands of doors that are opened there
A thousand voices sweet and clear
There are a thousand clear and sweet voices
Emotions felt with a passion
Feelings are experienced with a great passion
Never felt before
Never felt like this before
Oh, we-oh, we-oh
Singing sounds
Down the street of dreams
Going down the street that we dreamt of
Ah, ah, ah
Vocalizing sounds
When you walk down the street of dreams
When you walk down the street you dream of
You gotta hold your head up high
You must keep your head up high
Doors will be always open for the streets of dreams
Doors will always stay open to greet us on the street that we dreamt of
Who gonna street of dreams
Who wants to come to the street of our dreams?
Street of dreams
The street we dreamt of
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Bryn Merrick, Christopher John Millar, David Vanian, Roman Jug
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Schaad
30 years on and STILL great!
Ania Amok 65
@hanz2602 No, not at all! 😆
hanz2602
@Ania Amok 65 Did I upset you pal...lol https://youtu.be/pM6RAz9BE2A
Ania Amok 65
@hanz2602 45 my friend 😆
hanz2602
42 years now my friend
Duan Torruellas
A very complicated and underrated piece of music , it has a horn section for gods sake , this studio version was a masterpiece and that's where they really put on the shine , in the studio.
This album was amazing and positive , aimed at the youth with a message that says let your best shine through and believe in yourself , stay positive and most of all , have good clean fun. Its the hard work that pays off and the band made alot of great music that was drowned out at the time by the extreme angst of the youth that were into the self destructive attitudes of bands like the sex pistols and others . Nowadays the damned will fit in perfectly with the new generation of responsible teens that are into positive things and not into destruction And I wish them all the best ,
Because my generation took the long way home , but these are lessons my children dont have to learn , and that's good.
Now a new generation can enjoy this great band as most of they're music was made when they were that young , and unlike the pistols, the damned could play they're instruments. ¤
Don Schneider
Great album, even in 2020. Love The Damned and I'm now 64 years old.
hanz2602
Watched them last night in Glasgow and the band have never been so tight as they are now. Dave and Cpt Sensible are pure legends.
Mac & Cheese Show
Yep.
Darth Vader
This once again confirms, the damned are one of the greatest bands in punk history, and one of the most overlooked