In 1980, they recorded and released their first 7" single, "Clock," on their own newly-formed record label, Society Records. The Seduction was their first independent album released on Society Records in 1982, a six-track album containing the live favourites "Godsend", "Ambition" and "Danse Move" as well as the atmospheric classic "In Heaven Everything is Fine". They recorded several Radio 1 sessions including a released John Peel session 'Woman's Own" and "Were So Happy" and topped the Independent Charts with the single "Somewhere".
Their most well known album, Heaven is Waiting, was released in December, 1983 by Arista. The album contained the singles "Wake Up" and "Heaven is Waiting" and a cover of The Rolling Stones song, "2000 light years from home", released in 1984 as a 12" single and as a limited edition double single. They released two further singles under Arista "Say it Again' and "Hold On". In 1986, after releasing their final album "Looking Through" back on their own label again, the band split from Rawlings and the other band members left to form Johnny In The Clouds.
Rawlings later reappeared in 1987 as Society with the single, "Saturn Girl". After 1987, Rawlings continued to pursue his path in music in America with Meridian Dream.
At the end of 2009, former members Paul Nash, Paul Gilmartin and David Whitaker met up for the first time in 24 years and decided to reform the band with the initial agreement of Steve Rawlings also re-joining the band. Over the next 9 months instrumental tracks were recorded and Steve briefly met the band in the UK in Oct 2010 but returned to America after recording just one vocal track. Plans changed when after that initial meeting, the band lost contact with Steve.
In January 2011 founder of Blooding Mask vocalist Maethelyiah joined the band and recorded vocals on all 13 tracks and the official news was revealed in May 2011. Since then the album Change of Skin has been refined and mixed and was released in July 2011.
2 official video clips were produced ("Revelation" and "God Cry") and a new one for the track "Vatican" is in the making.
A new EP is soon to be released.
2012 will see the The Danse Society back on stage again for new live shows.
Continent
The Danse Society Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All I do is wait
Pushy and hungry for more
Curtis, do you know what our lives are for now?
That it's been 3 weeks and no one talks about you anymore?
All I do is wait
We are a sea of fragility
And so ready to surf the sink
All I do is wait
I'm so good at condescending
It's so good for my weak ego
Can't get past what comes naturally to me
It comes natural to use
There's a fairness in the city
There's a new smell in the air
Satisfaction promised
But the sentiment ends there
All the Capricorn reactions
In the river up to my knees
A hundred little baby fishes
With baby bottle mouths to feed
Crooners crawl themselves like whores
Across the barroom floor
My mother used to hold me,
I hold her now that she's old
After all it's just a notion
Nothing really in the end
'Til a good one leaves the continent
You just can't write words to send
I guess everything's just perfect
It's all true, what you've been told
Run and tell your good friends that you just got sold
The lyrics to The Danse Society's song Continent reflect the confusion and disorientation that comes with youth and the search for meaning in life. The opening lines suggest that the singer is feeling disconnected from the world and themselves, perhaps because of the effects of drug use or a lack of direction. The repeated refrain of "all I do is wait" suggests a feeling of helplessness and a lack of agency, as if the singer is waiting for something to happen or some external force to give their life meaning.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more abstract and dreamlike. Images of sponges and baby fish suggest a kind of underwater world, a place of fragility and dependence. The singer is condescending to others as a means of propping up their own ego, while acknowledging that this behavior comes naturally to them. The reference to crooners crawling like whores across the barroom floor is a particularly vivid image that emphasizes the seediness and desperation of the world the singer inhabits.
The song ends with a note of resignation and acceptance. The singer reflects that "after all it's just a notion" and that "nothing really in the end" matters. The reference to a "good one" leaving the continent suggests that there may be some kind of hope or possibility for escape, but ultimately the singer acknowledges that they can't write words that will make a difference. The final line of the song, "run and tell your good friends that you just got sold," is a bitter and sarcastic commentary on the emptiness of modern life.
Line by Line Meaning
Dumb and numb, from young and wired
I am feeling dull and emotionless since my early years and being constantly connected to the internet
All I do is wait
I have nothing to do but wait for something to happen
Pushy and hungry for more
I am ambitious and looking for more opportunities and success
Curtis, do you know what our lives are for now?
I am questioning the purpose of our lives to my friend Curtis
That it's been 3 weeks and no one talks about you anymore?
I am realizing no one has talked about Curtis for the last three weeks and wondering why
We are a sea of fragility
We are vulnerable and easily breakable like the sea
And so ready to surf the sink
We are prepared to face the worst possible outcome
'Til the sponges are flooded and we're all forced underneath
We are waiting until everything is ruined and we sink down together
I'm so good at condescending
I have a talent for talking down on others
It's so good for my weak ego
Being condescending helps to boost my low self-esteem
Can't get past what comes naturally to me
It's hard for me to change my behavior since it comes naturally to me
It comes natural to use
It's natural for me to take advantage of people and situations
There's a fairness in the city
The city is perceived as having a fair and just society
There's a new smell in the air
Something has changed and there's a new atmosphere
Satisfaction promised
Promises of being satisfied
But the sentiment ends there
The promises are not fulfilled, and that's where it all ends
All the Capricorn reactions
Refers to a zodiac sign and its characteristics
In the river up to my knees
Being knee-deep in problems and struggles
A hundred little baby fishes
Refers to small and insignificant matters
With baby bottle mouths to feed
Refers to the need to take care of minor and unimportant things
Crooners crawl themselves like whores
People are acting shamelessly and obnoxiously
Across the barroom floor
In a bar setting
My mother used to hold me,
I used to be comforted by my mother's embrace
I hold her now that she's old
Now that my mother is old, I hold her and take care of her
After all it's just a notion
Everything we experience is just a thought or an idea
Nothing really in the end
In the grand scheme of things, nothing really matters
'Til a good one leaves the continent
Only when a good person leaves or dies, do we understand their worth
You just can't write words to send
You can't express your true feelings through words
I guess everything's just perfect
Everything might seem perfect, but it's not
It's all true, what you've been told
Everything you've heard or been told is true
Run and tell your good friends that you just got sold
Go ahead and tell your friends that you have been deceived or tricked
Contributed by Alice B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.