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Rainbow (1992) failed to follow the success of the Butterfly album: its lush, pristine production rendered hopelessly out of date by the emergence of the rave-influenced Madchester scene and the US grunge invasion.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."
FEEL
The House of Love Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It comes to you
And whatever you say
It was in his eyes
A raging fire
that says "see me"
that says "I need
At twenty-five
and sick of life
and not the time
to say "I care
to see the sign
of a million eyes"
but not the way
to say "I need
to feel the love
to feel the love"
As safe as sand
we know this world
To slide away
this need to die
At twenty-five
and justified
to loose the time
and say "I care."
It's not a crime
to find the will
but it's not the way
to say "I need
to feel the love
to feel the love"
At twenty-five
and sick of life
and not the time
to say "I care
to see the sign
of a million eyes"
and not the way
to say I need
At sixty-five
and justified
to loose the time
and say "I care"
It's not a crime
to find the will,
but not the way
to say "I need
to feel the love
to feel the love"
The House of Love's "Feel" is a poignant song expressing the universal human need for love and the difficulty of verbalizing this need. The song could be interpreted as the inner monologue of a person who is struggling to express what they need in a relationship. The opening lines "You see a sign, It comes to you, And whatever you say, It was in his eyes" implies that the singer is seeing signals of love but is failing to express their own feelings. The line "A raging fire that says 'see me', that says 'I need to feel the love'" suggests the singer's desire for a deep, passionate connection is burning within them, but they are unable to express it to their partner.
The singer's age is mentioned several times in the song, which suggests that they may feel like they are running out of time to find love. The line "At twenty-five and sick of life, and not the time to say 'I care to see the sign of a million eyes' but not the way to say 'I need to feel the love to feel the love'" is a powerful representation of the singer's frustration with their inability to express themselves. Later in the song, this frustration is replaced with resignation, as the singer realizes that they are "at sixty-five and justified to lose the time" and express themselves without fear of judgment.
Overall, the song "Feel" is a beautiful representation of the universal human need for love and the difficulty of expressing oneself, especially when there is fear of rejection or judgment.
Line by Line Meaning
You see a sign
You notice a sign or signal
It comes to you
The sign catches your attention
And whatever you say
No matter what you say or do
It was in his eyes
You can tell from his eyes
A raging fire
An intense feeling of passion or desire
that says "see me"
That is a cry for attention
that says "I need
to feel the love"
That wants to experience love and affection
At twenty-five
and sick of life
and not the time
to say "I care
to see the sign
of a million eyes"
At a young age, feeling disillusioned and not yet ready to seek out a greater purpose or meaning in life
but not the way
to say "I need
to feel the love
to feel the love"
Not yet knowing how to express the need for love and connection
As safe as sand
we know this world
To slide away
this need to die
Feeling that life is mundane and uneventful, and wanting to escape the feeling of emptiness inside
At twenty-five
and justified
to loose the time
and say "I care."
Feeling that it is acceptable to put off finding purpose and connection for now
It's not a crime
to find the will
It is not wrong to want to find meaning and purpose
but it's not the way
to say "I need
to feel the love
to feel the love"
But not yet knowing how to express that need for love and connection
At sixty-five
and justified
to loose the time
and say "I care"
Later in life, feeling that it is still acceptable to put off finding purpose and connection for now
It's not a crime
to find the will,
It is not wrong to still want to find meaning and purpose at an older age
but not the way
to say "I need
to feel the love
to feel the love"
But not yet knowing how to express that need for love and connection
Contributed by Mila K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
vous and I
what a treasure. what a perfect song. and made all the more priceless because it's just unknown to everyone. it's like secret knowledge.
Paul Bird
Yeah, its like, we don't care if they're on Greatest Hits Radio or not - it would take something away - they are our secret!!
meinholundermann
not a secret: purchased the 10" in 1992, cheers pal!
vous and I
A secret for fans was what I was referring to, of course.
Jess G
most underrated band of the 90’s….I miss this vibe so much
Future Shock
I've still got their debut album on vinyl bought (Cough) back in the 90's they were ahead of their time imo
Emma McA
Definitely. Their music is fantastic. It's timeless. Listen to it now and brings me back to my student days in the 90s 💔
Dennis
This is such a great song, I've loved it ever since I first heard it.
I've never seen this video, so thanks a lot!
It reminds me a lot of the early 1990s! :)
(The entire album "Babe Rainbow" is superb in my opinion...
...and I love the rest of the music this band has done too!)
Rothgo
Una de las mejores canciones que he oido en mi vida
Ronnie Sapp
Love this song can play it over and over