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Rainbow (1992) failed to follow the success of the Butterfly album: its lush, pristine production rendered hopelessly out of date by the emergence of the rave-influenced Madchester scene and the US grunge invasion.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."

Salome
The House of Love Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I love the way she cries
Skin is red and muscles stretch
And loose in love, oh happy death
I love the way she cries

I'm walking on the street
In a crowd but not alone
Cool and sharp, I've really grown

I'm walking on the street
Like someone

Peel away your dream
Take a finger, use a tongue
You're not alone, you're not alone
Just blow away those darker dreams

I'm walking on the sea
Salome is dead, the king is free
Oh not a man without the greed
I'm sailing on the sea, back to me

I love the way she cries

I love the way she cries
I love the way she cries

Overall Meaning

The House of Love's song Salome is a hauntingly beautiful ode to a woman that the singer is clearly infatuated with. The repetition of the phrase "I love the way she cries" throughout the song is both intriguing and slightly unsettling. The first verse starts with an image of physical pain, with the mention of skin turning red and muscles stretching. It seems that the singer finds this somehow alluring and describes it as a "happy death." Perhaps he is drawn to the intensity of the woman's emotions and the way she expresses them so passionately.

In the second verse, the singer is walking in a crowd but feels cool and sharp, as if he has become stronger and more confident. He mentions "peeling away your dream," which could imply that he is shedding the illusions and fantasies of youth and embracing a more realistic view of the world. He urges the listener to do the same, to let go of the darker dreams that hold us back. The final verse references the story of Salome and King Herod. Salome is dead, and the king is free, but the singer is still searching for something. He is sailing on the sea, looking for himself.

Overall, the lyrics to Salome are poetic and enigmatic, perhaps intentionally so. The repeated phrase "I love the way she cries" leaves the listener to wonder what exactly the singer finds so captivating in this woman's tears. The references to Salome and King Herod add a layer of mythological symbolism, giving the song a more epic feel.

Line by Line Meaning

I love the way she cries
The singer takes pleasure in witnessing their lover's tears and the physical reactions that come with it.

Skin is red and muscles stretch
The physical reaction referred to earlier includes changes in the color of the skin and the tension in the muscles.

And loose in love, oh happy death
The feeling of being free and completely surrendered to love is like a happy death for the singer.

I'm walking on the street
The artist is describing their physical movement on a public road.

In a crowd but not alone
Even though the artist is surrounded by other people, they still feel a sense of isolation and loneliness.

Cool and sharp, I've really grown
The singer has grown more confident and mature in their demeanor and behavior.

Like someone
The singer feels as though they are resembling some unspecified person or archetype.

Peel away your dream
The artist instructs someone to remove their illusions and fantasies.

Take a finger, use a tongue
The methods for removing these illusions are physical in nature and involve the use of body parts.

You're not alone, you're not alone
The artist reassures the person removing their illusions that they are not alone in this process.

Just blow away those darker dreams
The singer encourages the other person to get rid of their more negative and oppressive fantasies and desires.

I'm walking on the sea
This is a metaphor for sailing through life's difficulties.

Salome is dead, the king is free
The story of Salome - a legendary dancer in the Bible - is at an end and the king (possibly a reference to the biblical figure of King Herod) is now liberated from that narrative.

Oh not a man without the greed
Despite this newfound freedom, the king cannot shake off his own desire for gain and material possessions.

I'm sailing on the sea, back to me
The singer is sailing towards a truer, more authentic version of themselves after overcoming difficulties.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GUY CHADWICK

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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