The Legendary Pink Dots are a Netherlands-based band formed in August 1980 … Read Full Bio ↴The Legendary Pink Dots are a Netherlands-based band formed in August 1980 in the UK who, although distinctly underground, have been musically influential over the years. The band name was derived from pink dots of nail varnish on the piano in their squat, where founding members Edward and April lived. The band has as its focal point vocalist Edward Ka-Spel, who is, along with Phil "The Silverman" Knight, one of the original remaining members of the band. In the mid eighties the band resettled in the Netherlands, where they still reside today. Apart from Edward and Phil, the line-up has gone through many changes. Members such as Ryan Moore, a Canadian bass player, who joined in 1991 after the recordings of the Last Man to Fly with the Tear Garden (he joined as a session musician), went on to form their own labels and musical projects. See Twilight Circus and M Records. Their music is nothing if not original and it is difficult to categorise, but comparisons may be drawn with bands like Pink Floyd and Can.

Their sound has been described as an amalgamation of psychedelic rock, industrial, synth-pop and avant-garde. They have released over 40 records and continuously tour the world.

Members of the band have also collaborated with Nurse With Wound, The Dresden Dolls, Jarboe, HNAS, Jim O'Rourke, Skinny Puppy's cEvin Key, forming The Tear Garden. Ka Spel accompanied Skinny Puppy for a small part of their 1988 European 'Head Trauma' tour in Sweden. Key also appears on the 1994 album 9 Lives to Wonder.

Crushed Velvet
The Legendary Pink Dots Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Through your eyes I saw the red sun burst and slowly melt into the Dead
Sea... Through your eyes I watched your hand expand, and crush a dozen
trees, like they were dead leaves. Through your ears I heard the mountain
laugh, the banshee cry, the statue of Mohammed roll a dice to plastic
Buddah, screaming "Christ! Another six - I guess it's time to pack my
things and head back slowly to Nirvana. Through your senses I kissed dying
time. Dying time. (Is it?) So it goes we stand alone by standing stones and turn them into
circles.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Legendary Pink Dots' song Crushed Velvet paint a surreal and vivid picture of experiences seen and felt through the eyes, ears, and senses of another person. The song starts with a visual image of a red sun bursting and melting into the Dead Sea, symbolizing a fiery end and transformation. The singer then watches the hand of the other person expanding and crushing a dozen trees with ease, like they were dead leaves, emphasizing their power and dominance.

The lyrics then shift to the sounds heard through the ears of the other person. The mountain laughs, a banshee cries, and even religious icons such as the statue of Mohammed and plastic Buddha come to life, rolling dice and planning their journey to nirvana. The senses of the other person then allow the singer to experience the intimacy of kissing dying time, lamenting the transience of life.

The lyrics conclude with a reference to standing stones being turned into circles, symbolizing the cyclical nature of life and existence. Overall, the song Crushed Velvet invites listeners to explore the limitless potential of imagination and see the world through a different perspective.

Line by Line Meaning

Through your eyes I saw the red sun burst and slowly melt into the Dead Sea...
I saw the end of the world through your eyes, where the sun turned red and melted into the sea of death.

Through your eyes I watched your hand expand, and crush a dozen trees, like they were dead leaves.
I saw you exert your power through your eyes as you expanded your hand and effortlessly crushed many trees.

Through your ears I heard the mountain laugh, the banshee cry, the statue of Mohammed roll a dice to plastic Buddah, screaming "Christ! Another six - I guess it's time to pack my things and head back slowly to Nirvana.
I experienced a surreal and chaotic world through your ears. I heard the mountain laughing, banshees crying, and even statues of religious figures playing games and contemplating returning to paradise.

Through your senses I kissed dying time. Dying time. (Is it?)
I felt the fleeting nature of our existence through your senses. I contemplated whether or not our time on this earth is really dying time.

So it goes we stand alone by standing stones and turn them into circles.
Despite our experiences and perceptions, we stand alone among the ancient standing stones, using our power to transform them into something new, but still circular and endless in nature.

Contributed by Isabella J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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