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
Lost in Music
The Fall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Perdu dans la musique)
(Crétin, va te faire foutre)
Le money est sur la table (l'argent est sur la table)
Le money est sur la table, sur
The palace of excess leads to the palace of access (sur la table)
Hideaway!
Le money, sur la table (hideaway)
Le money, sur la table (hideaway, hideaway)
I'm lost in music
Feel so alive
Hideaway
Sur la table
I'm lost in music
Caught in a trap
No looking back
Le money est sur la table
The brick house refurbishment
Of pubs in the hideaway
(Hideaway) excess leads to the road of access
I'm lost in music
Caught in a trap
And there's no looking back
I'm lost in music
I'm lost in music
I feel so alive
I quit my ten-to-five
I'm lost in music
And, lost in music
Lost in music
Hideaway
Snap, table top, snag, dip, dip!
Refurbishment of pubs
In the hideaway
And then I heard a voice say
"Hey, you're lost in music"
No turning back
Caught in a trap
You're lost in music
I'm lost in music
Caught in a trap
And there's no looking back
I'm lost in music
(L'argent est sur la table)
(Pris au piège)
(Inutile de regarder en arrière)
(Perdu dans la musique)
(Crétin, va te faire foutre)
I'm lost in music
I feel so alive
I quit my ten-to-five
I'm lost in music
(L'argent est sur)
The Fall's "Lost In Music" is a song that speaks about being lost in the rhythm, sound, and energy that music brings. The opening lines in French, "Inutile de regarder en arrière" means "no need to look back" and emphasizes the idea of getting lost and not looking back. "Le money est sur la table" refers to the excitement and frenzy surrounding the money and fame that comes with success. The line "the palace of excess leads to the palace of access" suggests that one has to indulge in excess to reach the top.
The chorus "I'm lost in music, feel so alive" expresses how being immersed in music can make one feel alive, free and unhindered. The bridge "And then I heard a voice say, 'Hey, you're lost in music'" adds a sense of paranoia and self-awareness of the danger of getting too lost in the music. The line "refurbishment of pubs in the hideaway" shows how music has the potential to revitalize and reinvigorate spaces and communities.
Interestingly, The Fall's version of the song is a cover of Sister Sledge's disco classic. The song was originally written by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic, who also collaborated with many of the biggest names in the music industry, including David Bowie and Madonna. The song was a hit for Sister Sledge and reached number four on the US R&B charts in 1979. The Fall's version was recorded in 1993 and was part of their album "The Infotainment Scan".
Line by Line Meaning
Le money est sur la table (l'argent est sur la table)
Money is right in front of me
Le money est sur la table, sur
Money is easy to access
The palace of excess leads to the palace of access (sur la table)
Being in a state of excess unlocks new opportunities
Hideaway!
Escape from reality
I'm lost in music
Fully immersed in the experience of the music
Feel so alive
Feeling a heightened sense of vitality
Le money, sur la table (hideaway)
Money is always present even in moments of escape
Le money, sur la table (hideaway, hideaway)
Money is always present even in moments of repeated escape
Caught in a trap
Being controlled by something beyond your control
No looking back
Not dwelling on past decisions
The brick house refurbishment
Renewal or modernization of outdated things
Of pubs in the hideaway
Refurbishment specifically of places to escape reality
(Hideaway) excess leads to the road of access
Indulgence in escapism can lead to newfound resources
And there's no looking back
Fully committed to the present
And then I heard a voice say
Entering a state of total immersion
Hey, you're lost in music
Being called out on one's escapism
I quit my ten-to-five
Leaving a mundane day job
(L'argent est sur la table)
Money is always present and important
(Pris au piège)
Trapped and powerless
(Inutile de regarder en arrière)
Not worth dwelling on the past
(Perdu dans la musique)
Fully immersed in the experience of the music
(Crétin, va te faire foutre)
Insulting and dismissive
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind