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
Psykick Dancehall
The Fall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah!
Rock Rock Rock Rock Rock
Rocky! Rocky!
Is quester psykick dance-hall
Step forward for
ESP medium discord
My garden is made of stone
There's a computer center over the road
I saw a monster on the roof
Its colors glowed on the roof
Round the corner
Is quester psykick dancehall
Step forward for
ESP medium discord
Here they have no records
They know your questions about no words
Just bumble stumble to the waves
Twitching out to the waves
Clock it! Clock it!
It's quester psykick dance-hall
Never bored with
ESP medium discord
When I'm dead and gone
My vibrations will live on
In vibes on vinyl through the years
People will dance to my waves
Rock it! Rock it!
It's quester psykick dance-hall
Step aboard for
ESP medium discord
You gotta come
For a mental orgasm
The song "Psykick Dancehall" by The Fall is a post-punk classic that seamlessly blends experimental instrumentals with cryptic, abstract lyrics. As with many of the band's songs, the lyrics are open to interpretation but seem to hint at themes of psychic abilities, technology, and futurism.
The song begins with a call and response between the lead singer and an unseen narrator, with the singer asking if anyone is there and receiving an affirmative response. The rest of the song is a series of disjointed lines that reference a "psykick dancehall" and "ESP medium discord." These phrases could be interpreted as a reference to a psychic club or gathering, with the singer suggesting that those who are interested should step forward.
The verses also contain oblique references to technology and the futuristic qualities of the environment the singer is in. They mention a "computer center over the road" and seeing a "monster on the roof," with its colors glowing. These could be interpreted as references to the way technology is changing the world around us, with new inventions and structures taking on an otherworldly, almost monstrous quality.
The chorus of the song seems to suggest that the "psykick dancehall" is a place where people can come for an otherworldly experience. The singer speaks of "waves" that people can "twitch out to," and suggests that attending the dancehall can lead to a "mental orgasm." The song's final lines suggest that although the singer may be dead, their "vibrations" will live on through music, as people will continue to dance to their waves.
Line by Line Meaning
Is there anybody there?
Asking if anyone is present and ready.
Yeah!
Affirmative response to the question.
Rock Rock Rock Rock Rock
Rocky! Rocky!
Excited chanting or cheering.
Is quester psykick dance-hall
Step forward for
ESP medium discord
Invitation to participate in a psychedelic dance party with ESP and telepathy.
My garden is made of stone
Describing a garden made of stone, possibly indicating a lack of nature.
There's a computer center over the road
Noticing a nearby computer center.
I saw a monster on the roof
Its colors glowed on the roof
Observing a monster on a roof with glowing colors.
Round the corner
Is quester psykick dancehall
Step forward for
ESP medium discord
Repeating invitation for others to participate in the psychedelic dance party.
Here they have no records
They know your questions about no words
Just bumble stumble to the waves
Twitching out to the waves
Describing a place or situation where there are no answers, and people are left to stumble or twitch along.
Clock it! Clock it!
It's quester psykick dance-hall
Never bored with
ESP medium discord
Encouraging clocking or observing the party and reassuring that it will never be boring with ESP and telepathy.
When I'm dead and gone
My vibrations will live on
In vibes on vinyl through the years
People will dance to my waves
Believing that one's vibrations or energy will survive through music, leading people to dance.
Rock it! Rock it!
It's quester psykick dance-hall
Step aboard for
ESP medium discord
Urging more participation in the psychedelic dance party with ESP and telepathy.
You gotta come
For a mental orgasm
Emphasizing the need for others to join the psychedelic dance party and experience a mental orgasm.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MARK E. SMITH, CRAIG SCANLON, MARK RILEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind