The one permanent fixture amidst the Fall's ever-changing line-up was Mark E. Smith (1957 β 2018). Smith's lyrics are free, unboxed and unpredictable, touching on an extremely wide range of subjects and places, and caring little for being tied down to easily digestible messages.
Smith's singing could put off some people, but others find it a uniquely expressive instrument. Smith was not a conventionally great vocalist, but his keen sense of rhythm, his energy and personality more than made up for this.
The Fall's music changed depending on the line-up at a given time. Always experimental, Mark E. Smith claimed to invent several musical genres, including house music; "we were doing that years ago" and even the internet. "He told me I didn't understand, that we were from the bleak industrial wastes of North England, or something, and that we didn't understand the Internet. I told him Fall fans invented the Internet. They were on there in 1982." One thing that is for sure is that The Fall (and their fans) always pushed the boundaries, and were never afraid to experiment.
The Fall were a favorite group of DJ John Peel, recording 24 sessions for his BBC1 radio program over the years.
The Fall's back catalogue consists of 29 studio albums, and is very fragmented with a seemingly endless number of compilations and semi-official live albums.
In 2006, British music-critic Dave Simpson published an entertaining account of a journalist's attempt to track down all 43 former members of The Fall in the Guardian. Many previous members have been fired, often with little or no notice. Simpson's ongoing effort was subsequently described at greater length in his book "The Fallen" (2008). His effort to track down the final unaccounted stragglers of at least 50 previous members of The Fall - including drummer Karl Burns - continues in his blog. Having decried Simpson's book as a "hatchet job" in the pages of Pseud. Mag., a Fall fan-mag, Mark E. Smith countered in short order with his autobiography "Renegade: The Lives and Tales of Mark E. Smith" (Viking, 2008/Penguin 2009).
Mark E. Smith died on 24 January 2018, aged 60.
Key Albums include:
# Live At the Witch Trials (debut)
# Dragnet
# Totale's Turns (It's Now Or Nevr)
# Grotesque (after the Gramme)
# Perverted By Language
# Hex Enduction Hour
# This Nation's Saving Grace
# Middle Class Revolt
# Bend Sinister
# Extricate
# The Infotainment Scan
# Country on the Click aka The Real New Fall LP
# Fall Heads Roll
# Reformation Post TLC (new)
Compilations/Singles/B-Sides:
# 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong: 39 Golden Greats
# The Complete Peel Sessions 1978-2004
# Totally Wired: The Rough Trade Anthology (disc 1) and Totally Wired: The Rough Trade Anthology (disc 2)
# 458489 A-Sides
# 458489 B-Sides
2nd Dark Age
The Fall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
[have to turn] a glass house
And the Arabs have it made
All their women in veils, eyes glazed
Second Dark Age. Death of the USA.
Return of the family.
And the commune crapheads sit and whine
While the commons near my birthplace is now a police college
"Processed life starts Monday or any other day. The city is dead.
Plus [...]"
I could join a pray-peace group
Explain it all away
Cause groups can change the world
And meet Ms. Fjord and Benny.*
"Hi I am Benny. Peace trance.
No Czechoslovak groups are barny fools"
I'm mediocre anti-Jew
And single people are screwed
In the Second Dark Age
I am Roman Totale, 17,
The bastard offspring
Of Charles I and the Great God Pan.
[ Abba reference. ed.]
The lyrics of "Second Dark Age" by The Fall are a commentary on society in the present day. The song is written from the perspective of a disillusioned individual who observes the chauvinistic and materialistic society around him, where women are objectified and Arabs are privileged over others. The song sees the death of the USA, indicating that the current state of society is detrimental to the nation's future. The return of the family is a distinction between the personal and public realms of life. It implies that in the Second Dark Age, people will be more focused on their personal lives rather than caring about the society as a whole.
The lyrics go further to express the frustration with the counterproductive behaviors of some people in society. The singer seems disappointed with the "commune crapheads" who sit and complain rather than making a change. The commons where he was born is now a police college, indicating that things have gone wrong. The lyrics also suggest that society has become a sort of "processed life." People start their working week, come back home, and repeat the cycle without any real progress or satisfaction. The singer, in this case, acknowledges that he could join a peace group, but he feels that it's just another way of avoiding the problem. The song's overall tone indicates that society has devolved into a state of chaos and confusion, which is difficult to resolve.
Line by Line Meaning
Fat corpora's women
Overweight female executives
[have to turn] a glass house
Face scrutiny and criticism
And the Arabs have it made
Arab culture is flourishing
All their women in veils, eyes glazed
Women in Arab culture are oppressed and controlled
Second Dark Age. Death of the USA.
The current societal state reflects a new era of chaos and decline akin to a second Dark Age
Return of the family.
A traditional family structure is becoming more prevalent
And the commune crapheads sit and whine
People who advocate for communal living are seen as lazy and unproductive
While the commons near my birthplace is now a police college
The government is prioritizing law enforcement over communal resources
It's a second dark age.
The current societal state reflects a new era of chaos and decline akin to a second Dark Age
"Processed life starts Monday or any other day. The city is dead.
Plus [...]"
Daily life lacks excitement, variety, and authentic experiences due to pervasive industrialization and urbanization
I could join a pray-peace group
One option to cope with societal issues is to join a peaceful, religious community
Explain it all away
Attempting to justify societal problems is common
Cause groups can change the world
There is potential for group activism to bring about societal change
And meet Ms. Fjord and Benny.*
Meeting new people and expanding one's social circle is a possibility
"Hi I am Benny. Peace trance.
No Czechoslovak groups are barny fools"
A hypothetical interaction with a person who espouses countercultural beliefs and opposes Czechoslovak groups
I'm mediocre anti-Jew
Opinions of Jewish people vary, with some being anti-Semitic
And single people are screwed
Single people face additional societal difficulties
In the Second Dark Age
The current societal state reflects a new era of chaos and decline akin to a second Dark Age
I am Roman Totale, 17,
The singer introduces themselves as a fictional character
The bastard offspring
The artist's parentage is uncertain or questionable
Of Charles I and the Great God Pan.
Absurdly claimed lineage from two vastly different sources
[ Abba reference. ed.]
A non sequitur referencing the Swedish band ABBA
Lyrics Β© Peermusic Publishing
Written by: CRAIG ANTONY SCANLAN, MARC RILEY, MARK EDWARD SMITH, MIKE LEIGH, STEPHEN HANLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@UrosBjedov
0:00-0:16 - Kick
0:16-0:30 - Kick & Synth
0:30-0:59 - Drums, Synth & Synth Bass
0:59-1:03 - Hi-hats
1:03-1:18 - Drums & Synth Bass
1:18-1:33 - Drums, Synth Bass & Bass Guitar
1:33-1:36 - Drum fill
1:36-2:09 - Drums, Synth Bass, Choir & Strings
2:09-3:07 - Vocals, Synth Bass, Synth, Drums, Bass Guitar
3:07-3:21 - Drums, Synth Bass, Synth, Trumpet
3:21-3:34 - Drums, Sampling
3:34-4:02 - Vocals, Bass Guitar, Synth, Synth Bass
4:02-4:17 - Bass Guitar, Synth, Synth Bass, Drums
4:17-4:32 - Vocals, Synth Bass, Synth, Drums
4:32-4:47 - Drums, Bass Guitar, Synth, Synth Bass
4:52-5:24 - Drums, Synth Bass, Synth, Trumpet, Slapping
5:24-5:46 - Drums, Kick, Drum fills
5:46-6:08 - Drums, Synth Bass, Choir
6:08-6:22 - Drums, Synth Bass, Bass Guitar, Choir
6:24-7:30 - Drums, Synth, Strings, Synth Bass, Bass Guitar
@Xenwarrior5
So you know, this video is based off of how the original single was sold.
It was sold in a sleeve designed to look like a floppy disc, with the band and song's name printed on one edge with a colored block code. Due to the way the paper sleeves had to be made, how many colors were in the code, and the total lack of faith in this song selling any copies, it was actually sold for less than it cost to print. So, of course, it got so popular that it nearly bankrupted the printing company.
EDIT: In case you were wondering if the code is exactly the same in this video as it is on the album, the answer is YES. The code was used by the artist Peter Saville, who used it on four albums:
Power, Corruption and Lies; by New Order: FACT75 (also comes with decoder ring seen on this video's opening shot)
Blue Monday; by New Order: FAC 73 BLUE MONDAY AND THE BEACH NEW ORDER
Confusion; by New Order: FAC 93
It was also used on the cover of From the Hip by Section 25, unfortunately, the only picture I can find of the cover is so blurry I can't actually make out the code.
Also worth mentioning; they initially wrote this song because the band never did encores (which might explain the lyrics), and they wanted a song that they could just push a button on the synth machine and leave the audience to it. But they started having too much fun getting this weird, experimental (for the time) song to work, so they packaged it as a single, and have since become known to play this song as an encore.
@sephalon1
1:37: Based on the letter codes in the rest of the video, the text on the side of the floppy reads "FAC? BLUE MONDAY AND". The question mark is the fourth character from the top, which doesn't appear anywhere in the song. It should be noted that between the first space and the letter "B" there appears to be a letter that is black on the left and gray on the right, but that isn't a letter at all. It is the orientation notch of the floppy disk itself. So no letter was placed there at all.
Throughout the song, all letters are represented except X and Z. When putting the codes next to the letters in order, a very obvious pattern emerges. The letters are encoded in base 10. A=1, B=2, C=3, and so on. The colors are:
0=White
1=Green
2=Yellow
3=Pink
4=Orange
5=Cyan
6=Pink
7=Navy Blue
8=Magenta
9=Blue
For the first nine letters (A through I), they are simply solid blocks with their number's color. All subsequent letters are two rectangles, the left being the tens digit and the right being the ones digit. Example: U is the 21st letter of the alphabet, so its icon is Yellow on the left, green on the right.
From this pattern we can deduce that, although never shown, the letter X (24th letter of the alphabet) would be yellow on the left, orange on the right. And Z (26th letter) would be yellow on the left and pink on the right.
The mystery character is Navy Blue on the left and purple on the right, which would correspond to letter number 73 - far outside the range of possible letters. So this is either a mistake or a simple artistic choice. While the center portion of the message "BLUE MONDAY" makes perfect sense, the words before and after, "FAC?" and "AND" don't seem to make sense, even though the latter is a word.
A final note: There is a typo in the video. At 3:06 in the line "Just how I should feel today", the "T" in "just" is represented by a solid green square (which is "A"). In all other cases, T is correctly represented as Yellow on the left, White on the right.
And finally, the codes at the very beginning of the video read, unsurprisingly, "NEW ORDER BLUE MONDAY"
I have a lot of free time.
UPDATE: The record label that produced "Blue Monday" was named "Factory 73". This explains the "FAC" followed by the 73 character. The "AND" at the end is explained because the full name of the single was "BLUE MONDAY AND THE BEACH". Because it was released as a 45rpm record and the B-side was the New Order song "The Beach".
@simonzabell9770
@@chonkz5858
Goose bumps, goosebumps or goose-pimples[1] are the bumps on a person's skin at the base of body hairs which may involuntarily develop when a person is tickled, cold or experiencing strong emotions such as fear, euphoria or sexual arousal.[2]
Goosebumps
Other names
Goose-pimples, goose-skin, goose-flesh, cutis anserina, horripilation, horripilatio
The formation of goose bumps in humans under stress is considered to be a vestigial reflex.[3] Its function in other apes is to raise the body's hair, and would have made human ancestors appear larger to scare off predators or to increase the amount of air trapped in the fur to make it more insulating. The reflex of producing goose bumps is known as piloerection or the pilomotor reflex, or, more traditionally,[4] horripilation. It occurs in many mammals; a prominent example is porcupines, which raise their quills when threatened, or sea otters when they encounter sharks or other predators.
Wikipedia
Hope that helps :-)
@UrosBjedov
0:00-0:16 - Kick
0:16-0:30 - Kick & Synth
0:30-0:59 - Drums, Synth & Synth Bass
0:59-1:03 - Hi-hats
1:03-1:18 - Drums & Synth Bass
1:18-1:33 - Drums, Synth Bass & Bass Guitar
1:33-1:36 - Drum fill
1:36-2:09 - Drums, Synth Bass, Choir & Strings
2:09-3:07 - Vocals, Synth Bass, Synth, Drums, Bass Guitar
3:07-3:21 - Drums, Synth Bass, Synth, Trumpet
3:21-3:34 - Drums, Sampling
3:34-4:02 - Vocals, Bass Guitar, Synth, Synth Bass
4:02-4:17 - Bass Guitar, Synth, Synth Bass, Drums
4:17-4:32 - Vocals, Synth Bass, Synth, Drums
4:32-4:47 - Drums, Bass Guitar, Synth, Synth Bass
4:52-5:24 - Drums, Synth Bass, Synth, Trumpet, Slapping
5:24-5:46 - Drums, Kick, Drum fills
5:46-6:08 - Drums, Synth Bass, Choir
6:08-6:22 - Drums, Synth Bass, Bass Guitar, Choir
6:24-7:30 - Drums, Synth, Strings, Synth Bass, Bass Guitar
@phantom1715
Ok
@brunocriar
πππππ
@marklee1376
Thanks for thisππππ
@benjaminriveramorales5205
god has abandoned us
@p8ntballrDemon6667
@@phantom1715 This is useful even if it isn't to you. If one wanted to sample this is a good guide where to find the bit you wanted very easily for example.
@charlessomerset9754
As a club dj in the eighties, my fondest memory was the moment I could drop this masterpiece into my set. People would freak the fuck out, nearly tearing their clothes in an effort to get to the dance floor. I have never before and rarely since seen dancers experiencing such moments of total kinetic bliss. The word "floorgasm" was coined just to describe that scene. One of the highpoints of my 25+ years working as a DJ.
P.s. It's a year since I wrote this. Just wanted to thank all those who have shared their experiences and memories of this legendary track. The stories that you've told me are as varied as they are amazing. In clubs, on the radio, in the car. It still amazes me to this day that one track could change so many lives and fill people with such joy. So thanks again.
@FloodlightGamingReal
Did djs use aliases back then or is that a more recent thing, and if you did what was yours I'm legit curious
@charlessomerset9754
@@FloodlightGamingReal Not really. That was before the whole superstar dj Keoki sort of thing. People appreciated what I did, but few really cared what my name was. I just used my last name, which was Summers. A few clubs, a lot of private house parties, and a ton of Sci fi and fantasy conventions. Thanks for asking. I have some great memories. A little hazy, to be sure. It was a crazy sexy decade. Lots of blow, the introduction of E, and every person under 30 partying like we weren't going to survive the millennium. But I wouldn't change anything.
@jesescareno4498
Best comment of 2021! Got my laughing in my seat.