The House of Love are a British rock band who were primarily active from th… Read Full Bio ↴The House of Love are a British rock band who were primarily active from the late 1980s to early 90s, and reformed in 2005. The band's original lineup was: Guy Chadwick (vocals, guitar), Terry Bickers (guitar), Andrea Heukamp (vocals, guitar), Pete Evans (drums) and Chris Groothuizen (bass).

Bickers left in 1989 and was replaced by Simon Walker, who in turn was replaced by Simon Mawby in 1992. Andrea Heukamp left the band in 1988, returning briefly in 1991.

From the same genus as Echo and the Bunnymen, My Bloody Valentine and Jesus and Mary Chain, The House of Love arrived on the scene in the late 1980s with a psychedelic, textural rock sound. Songwriter Guy Chadwick provided personal, romantic musings over lush layers of 80s studio bliss, enhanced by Terry Bickers' guitar-playing.

The band formed in Camberwell, London, England in 1986, and released a series of singles, leading to their debut untitled album on Creation Records in 1988. They then signed to Fontana in a whirl of publicity and money. Things went off the rails at first as their next two singles flopped and work on their new album progressed slowly. Tensions grew between Chadwick and Bickers, exacerbated by drug use, leading to Bickers's departure in 1989. But the resulting album (again officially untitled but usually referred to as the 'Butterfly' album after its cover design) went top 10; and a remake of their early single Shine On caught the retro guitar-pop fashion in the wake of the Stone Roses and was a moderate hit. Later in 1991 a compilation of B-sides and outtakes was released, usually referred to as A Spy In The House Of Love as a paperback of the Anaïs Nin novel of the same title appears in the cover photo.

The following album Babe Rainbow (1992) failed to follow the success of the Butterfly album: its lush, pristine production rendered hopelessly out of date by the emergence of the rave-influenced Madchester scene and the US grunge invasion. Their final album, Audience With the Mind (1993) barely charted and the group disbanded.

Considering the previous animosity between Guy Chadwick and Terry Bickers, there was some surprise when in 2005 the two reformed The House of Love. Pete Evans returned on drums and Matt Jury handled bass duties. They went on to tour the U.K. and Ireland and release an album Days Run Away to some praise.

In March 2008 House Of Love played in Lima, Peru, for their first South American performance ever. Almost the entire concert is to be seen on YouTube. The gig featured two new songs bringing hope to fans that the band is still working on new material. In September 2008 Guy played solo at the South Pop festival in Isla Cristina, Spain.

After another long hiatus, Guy Chadwick reformed the group with an all-new lineup, and in 2022 released the album "A State of Grace."

All Night Long
The House of Love Lyrics

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Why does your skin flame
Down low when we
Form a gain weakly
I grow in you

Women from all around
Free this world
How?

We'd just love to know

Wicked for some
But I know, I know

You can stay all night long with me

And when our end comes
We fly like birds
Mother I trusted you
Gilded you
Formed you

I was the raging zion
Flung from higher
Only to find the soil
Why did you leave me

Down here, down here
You can stay all night long with me

Overall Meaning

The House of Love's song All Night Long is a powerful, emotional piece of music that captures the essence of desire and longing in a poetic way. The lyrics are quite cryptic and abstract, leaving plenty of room for interpretation. In the first stanza, the singer is addressing someone who makes their skin "flame" and speaks of a mysterious "gain" that they form "weakly." The imagery is sensual and evocative, but it's unclear exactly what is happening between these two people.

In the second stanza, the lyrics take a more political turn, as the singer muses about how women from all around might be able to "free this world" if they only knew how. It's not clear if this is meant to be a call to action or a lament for the state of the world. The phrase "wicked for some" could be interpreted as a commentary on the way society often vilifies those who challenge the status quo.

Line by Line Meaning

Why does your skin flame
What is the reason behind the flush in your skin?

Down low when we
When we get intimate

Form a gain weakly
As our connection forms, weak but hopeful

I grow in you
Becoming more attached to you

Women from all around
Females from different parts of the world

Free this world
How can we liberate the world?

How?
We would love to know the answer

Wicked for some
May seem evil for some people

But I know, I know
But I am aware of its real nature

You can stay all night long with me
You are welcome to spend the entire night with me

And when our end comes
When our time together is up