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.

Faded Photograph
The Legendary Pink Dots Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I found a faded photograph of you,
Clearing out this crowded room.
See me so proud, dressed up to the nines, sipping dandelion wine.
Did it seem the sun would never set...
We'd stay young, forever blessed in our Sunday Best.
But I'm Wednesday's child and I am cursed to stay
locked inside your purse.
It's night and I'll come to you once more,

I'll forget to use the door...Did I startle you?

Oh no... Not me.
For you see through me... It hurts.

Overall Meaning

The song "Faded Photograph" by The Legendary Pink Dots is a melancholy ballad about lost love and memories. The singer of the song discovers a faded photograph of his former lover while cleaning out a room. The photograph brings back memories of happier times when they were both dressed up and enjoying a glass of dandelion wine, feeling like they were going to stay young and blessed forever. However, the singer's cursed identity as "Wednesday's child" (associated with woe and suffering) means that he is fated to remain trapped in his former lover's memories and unable to move on. The singer's desperation to be with his former lover one last time is evident in the final lines of the song, where he resolves to visit her at night and forget to use the door.

Overall, the song paints a bleak picture of love lost and missed opportunities. The faded photograph symbolizes the transience of happiness and the way that memories can become distorted and painful over time. The singer's inability to move on from his former lover suggests that some emotional wounds may never fully heal, and that the past will always exert a powerful hold on our present lives.

Line by Line Meaning

I found a faded photograph of you,
I discovered an old, discolored picture of you,

Clearing out this crowded room.
As I tidied up this busy space.

See me so proud, dressed up to the nines, sipping dandelion wine.
Observe how content I am in my fancy attire, clinking glasses of a homemade beverage called 'dandelion wine'.

Did it seem the sun would never set...
Did you ever feel like the day would last forever...

We'd stay young, forever blessed in our Sunday Best.
We would remain youthful, always feeling fortunate and at our finest.

But I'm Wednesday's child and I am cursed to stay locked inside your purse.
Unfortunately, my birthright (according to an old nursery rhyme) indicates that I am destined to be closed off and under your control.

It's night and I'll come to you once more, I'll forget to use the door...Did I startle you?
Under the cover of darkness, I will visit you again but without announcing myself - Did I catch you off guard?

Oh no... Not me.
It's not my fault.

For you see through me... It hurts.
Because you can see right through me... and it's painful.

Contributed by Dylan B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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