The one permanent fixture amidst the Fall's ever-changing line-up was Mark E. Smith (1957 – 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
In the Park
The Fall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I dream of the park up the road
I open the bushes, a couple of lovers
Trying to be [lust-rockers]
And although my spouse is in the other room
I think we can do it here
Yes, uh, and she makes me pay
For every girl I have the guts to look at
You thought it'd be great
You thought it'd be great
But a good mind does not a good fuck make
I take you to the park up the road
But here is the rain
Rain makes policemen no threat
Turns cars into little specks
Muffles the shouts of your neighbour
And we will have sex here
Here, here
Couch, shagged out
There's no hard-ons
It's just come and it's gone
I'm becoming everything I used to hate
But I can't go back there
Not back there, I can't go back there
Not back to the park
The brown monk ghost'll catch us
And make us lust-rockers
Make us wear huckleberry masks and, uh, huckleberry masks
You sing you don't believe in [couples]
But I can't believe that
Especially the crap about the huckleberry masks
The Fall's song In the Park appears to be a stream of consciousness narrative about a man's desire to engage in sexual activity in a nearby park despite the consequences it may bring. The lyrics reveal the struggle of the singer between his desires and social norms. The song lyrically narrates specific events in the life of the singer where he dreams of going to the nearby park, to engage in sexual activity with couple he finds there, while his spouse sleeps in the other room. He is aware of the consequences of his actions but cannot seem to shake off the idea of fulfilling his desires. He then takes the person he is talking to, or could be his partner, to the same park where it begins to rain. Despite natural inconveniences, he insists they must have sex there.
The song carries a strong undercurrent of fear, as the singer is aware of the consequences that his actions might bring. He remembers the story of the brown monk ghost who haunts the park and may catch them if they are not careful. The mentions of the huckleberry masks only add to the mystery and fear surrounding the park. The song also touches upon the theme of social norms, where the singer confronts his desires challenging a set of established social norms. The song can also be seen as a commentary on society's judgments and expectations about people's behavior and desires.
Line by Line Meaning
Night though I do not sleep
Even though I'm not sleeping, my mind is preoccupied
I dream of the park up the road
I imagine being in a specific park nearby
I open the bushes, a couple of lovers
I see a couple's intimate moment in the bushes
Trying to be [lust-rockers]
They're emulating a rockstar-like sexual experience
And although my spouse is in the other room
Despite the fact that my partner is in another room nearby
I think we can do it here
I believe we can have sex here despite the risks
Yes, uh, and she makes me pay
My partner forces me to pay for every woman I look at
For every girl I have the guts to look at
I get penalized for simply glancing at other women
Anyway here, quiet here
It's quiet here anyways
You thought it'd be great
You believed this encounter would be amazing
But a good mind does not a good fuck make
Just because we think about something doesn't mean it'll be good in reality
I take you to the park up the road
I guide you to the nearby park
But here is the rain
It's raining now
Rain makes policemen no threat
Rain reduces the danger of policemen finding us
Turns cars into little specks
The heavy rain obscures the view of cars
Muffles the shouts of your neighbour
The rain also conceals the sounds of nearby individuals
And we will have sex here
We take advantage of the privacy the rain provides
Here, here
We're having sex here, now
Couch, shagged out
The couch is worn out from past sexual activities
There's no hard-ons
Neither of us are particularly aroused at the moment
It's just come and it's gone
Our sexual encounter was fleeting and unsatisfying
I'm becoming everything I used to hate
I'm becoming the type of person I always disliked
But I can't go back there
I can't return to the version of myself I once was
Not back there, I can't go back there
I'm vehemently against reverting back to my former self
Not back to the park
I can't return to the same park
The brown monk ghost'll catch us
The mythological brown monk ghost will trap us
And make us lust-rockers
The brown monk ghost will force us to embrace a promiscuous lifestyle
Make us wear huckleberry masks and, uh, huckleberry masks
The brown monk ghost will make us wear masks and force us to engage in sexual activity
You sing you don't believe in [couples]
You claim to not believe in traditional relationships
But I can't believe that
I don't believe you're telling the truth
Especially the crap about the huckleberry masks
I definitely don't believe in the mention of the masks
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LONNIE LISTON SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind