Named after the 1960 short story "The Day The Icicle Works Closed" by science fiction author Frederik Pohl, The Icicle Works joined Liverpool's early 1980s 'neo-psychedelia' wave, which also propelled Echo & the Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes to stardom.
The band was founded in Liverpool by 18-year-old singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and frontman Ian McNabb. In 1980, McNabb joined up with drummer Chris Sharrock (who had been playing with McNabb on and off since he was nine) and bassist Chris Layhe (who had been recruited though a classified ad), and they began playing as The Icicle Works. By the end of 1981, the trio had recorded a six-song independently released cassette, and in 1982 they released the independent single "Nirvana". The following year, The Icicle Works were signed to the Beggars Banquet label, who issued the single Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream) on their subsidiary label Situation Two.
Later that year, The Icicle Works' would release their biggest UK hit, 1983's Love Is a Wonderful Colour. Their debut eponymous album (1984) would follow shortly thereafter, reaching number 24 on the UK charts, and also hitting the U.S. top 40. Also appearing on the U.S. top 40 singles charts at around the same time (and hitting the Canadian top twenty) was Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly), a retitled and very slightly remixed version of The Icicle Works' Situation Two release of 1983.
However, commercial success for The Icicle Works after this point was minimal. Their second album, The Small Price of a Bicycle (1985) spun off no hit singles, and wasn't even released outside the UK. Later albums If You Want to Defeat Your Enemy Sing His Song (1987), and Blind (1988) were both issued in the UK and North America, and even spun off minor hits. Nevertheless, no post-1984 Icicle Works single would chart higher than 52 in the UK, and after "Whisper To A Scream", the band never again made the US Hot 100.
Some have attributed this unfortunate commercial decline to The Icicle Works' change in sound over the years, from an initial 'new wave' feel to a more straight-ahead rock sound inspired by Neil Young, The Doors, and the Ramones, amongst others. But whatever the cause, despite critical acclaim the band was unable to consistently record hit singles. As well, by the late 1980s, tensions within the group were increasing allegedly due to McNabb's controlling ways. By 1988, in addition to writing virtually all of The Icicle Works' material, as well as singing and playing guitar, McNabb was also producing the group's records.
Accordingly, shortly after Blind was issued, drummer Chris Sharrock departed to The La's. Sharrock would later be a member of The Lightning Seeds and World Party, and would also drum for Robbie Williams, Del Amitri and Eurythmics. Around this same time, Layhe also departed, and Beggars Banquet dropped the group from their roster.
Undaunted, McNabb soldiered on under The Icicle Works banner for a while. Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr, briefly occupied the drumstool, while various keyboardists, bassists, and guitarists passed through before the band released Permanent Damage (1990), recorded for Epic/Sony. By that time, the band's lineup was McNabb, bassist Roy Corkill, former 10cc and Jethro Tull drummer Paul Burgess, keyboardist Dave Baldwin, and backing vocalist Mark Revell.
This 'second-generation' version of The Icicle Works quietly broke up after Permanent Damage failed to chart, and Epic dropped the band. Ian McNabb's solo career officially began in 1991 with the release of the single Great Dreams of Heaven; for further details on McNabb's solo career, please see the entry for Ian McNabb.
In 1992, a compilation called The Best of The Icicle Works was released, containing the best of their work from the Beggars Banquet years. Two years later, a live recording of a 1987 concert was issued.
On December 31, 2005, after having been a solo act for 15 years, McNabb announced he was reviving "The Icicle Works" name in 2006 for a series of concerts and an album. However, this version of the band would contain no original members other than McNabb.
Lover
The Icicle Works Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We may have this cross to bear
Where elation meets disaster
You can always find us there
Our foolishness the key
We are architects of innocence
Delinquents of prestige
Don't hold us down
Don't cramp our style
This is lovers' day
We build boats and planes to get here
Lined them up along the shore
To cross this sea of emptiness
Which will bring us to your door
While upstairs in the penthouse
Tigers paw the velvet suite
Witness intellect and playfulness
Now they're filed and obsolete
Don't hold us down
Don't cramp our style
This is lovers' day
The Icicle Works' "Lover's Day" is a poetic reminder that life is full of contradictions and paradoxes. The song speaks to the human experience of constantly grappling with opposing emotions, from elation to disaster, from wisdom to foolishness. The lyrics suggest that these contradictions are part and parcel of what it means to be human and that it is precisely in these moments of tension that we can find some semblance of truth.
The song's central message is encapsulated in the lines "Our wisdom holds the secret, our foolishness the key / We are architects of innocence, delinquents of prestige." Here the songwriter suggests that it is precisely because we are capable of both wisdom and foolishness, of both innocence and delinquency, that we are able to navigate the complexities of life.
The song also suggests that the only way to truly appreciate the complexities of life is to embrace them fully, to not be held down or cramp our style. This message is conveyed in the refrain "Don't hold us down, don't cramp our style / This is lover's day." The song suggests that lover's day is not just an opportunity to celebrate love but also a time to celebrate the human spirit and all its contradictions.
Line by Line Meaning
We are seldom fully contented
We are rarely satisfied with what we have
We may have this cross to bear
We may have burdens and challenges to face
Where elation meets disaster
We experience intense emotional highs and lows
You can always find us there
We can be found in the midst of these extremes
Yes, our wisdom holds the secret
Our knowledge contains the answer
Our foolishness the key
Our mistakes help us unlock the solution
We are architects of innocence
We are responsible for preserving purity and simplicity
Delinquents of prestige
But we also pursue status recklessly
Don't hold us down
Do not restrain us from being our true selves
Don't cramp our style
Do not limit our creativity or freedom
This is lovers' day
Today is a celebration of love and passion
We build boats and planes to get here
We put in effort and take risks to reach this point
Lined them up along the shore
Our tools for adventure are ready and waiting
To cross this sea of emptiness
To overcome the vastness of our emotional voids
Which will bring us to your door
In search of connection and intimacy with you
While upstairs in the penthouse
Meanwhile, some live in luxury
Tigers paw the velvet suite
The rich and powerful play with extravagance
Witness intellect and playfulness
We behold their cleverness and fun-seeking nature
Now they're filed and obsolete
But even they will eventually lose relevance and fade away
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind