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.
Sunset Gun
The Danse Society Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No time to cry, come back for more
Loose control, squeeze for fun
Close my shattered eyes Sunset gun
Caress my body caress my soul
And when death has won, caress my sunset gun
White lines, white faces, white eyes, white flesh
Walk with god now it's done
Point me in the right direction sunset gun
Caress my body caress my soul
And when death has won, caress my sunset gun
The lyrics to The Danse Society's song Sunset Gun paint a vivid picture of a person on the edge of a breakdown. The opening line, "Fragments of emotion lie on the floor," sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer seems to have been shattered emotionally, with little time to process their feelings before having to move on. The second line, "No time to cry, come back for more," suggests that this is a pattern - perhaps the character is stuck in a cycle of emotional turmoil and is unable to break free.
The chorus of the song is particularly haunting. It speaks of "sunset gun" as a metaphor for death. The singer seems to be asking for someone to caress their body and soul in life, and then again in death when their "sunset gun" goes off. The idea of finding comfort in death is jarring and suggests that the character has little hope left for their future.
The third verse is particularly striking, with its imagery of "Hollow lines marked out in chalk" and "White lines, white faces, white eyes, white flesh." It's unclear exactly what this is meant to represent, but it's possible that it's a reference to drug addiction or a particularly traumatic experience. The line "Point me in the right direction sunset gun" is a plea for help - perhaps the character knows that they are in danger and is asking someone to guide them towards safety.
Overall, Sunset Gun is a powerful and evocative song that deals with heavy themes such as emotional pain, addiction, and death. The stark imagery and haunting chorus make it a particularly memorable track.
Line by Line Meaning
Fragments of emotion lie on the floor
Scattered remnants of feelings are scattered all around, representing intense emotional turmoil.
No time to cry, come back for more
The singer has no time to dwell on their pain because there's more suffering to be had in the future.
Loose control, squeeze for fun
The singer relinquishes control and gives in to the pleasure of causing pain to themselves or others as a form of entertainment.
Close my shattered eyes Sunset gun
The artist tries to shut out the world and forget all of their troubles, picturing a gun to the head as a form of escape.
Caress my body caress my soul
The artist craves physical and emotional touch as a way to alleviate their pain and make them feel alive.
And when death has won, caress my sunset gun
Even if death ultimately claims them, the singer will find comfort in knowing they have a way out through a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Hollow lines marked out in chalk
The white lines on the ground symbolize the emptiness of life and the inevitability of death, almost like a chalk outline of a body.
White lines, white faces, white eyes, white flesh
Everyone is the same, stripped down to bare bones, with no distinguishing features that make them unique.
Walk with god now it's done
Death is a journey to the afterlife, where one hopes to find peace and purpose.
Point me in the right direction sunset gun
The artist needs a clear sign that this is the right path, and the image of a setting sun represents the end of this chapter of their life.
Contributed by Joshua D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.