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.

Hotel Noir
The Legendary Pink Dots Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Two glasses on a glass-top table.
Lights are low, the ashtray's full.
he talks of all his conquests--
letters ringed with hearts and crosses.
He left them in the drawer (at Hotel Noir)--
unanswered, yet he read them for her time and time again . . .
She looked clean through him
and told him how she loved white horses,

riding on a swing and laying in a cornfield
on a warm summer's night. She'd watch the dancing lights.
Alone but never lonely--until now.
He ordered whisky but the waiter walked clean through him.
He sadly shook his head, and lit his fifteenth cigarette . . .
and slowly, surely pictures formed he never could forget . . .
Loretta sent him sea shells, Henrietta sent a rose,
and Margaretta said they'd marry in a letter that he'd never answered
(left it in the drawer at Hotel Noir . . .)
And she said how she loved the sea at full moon.
Running down a silver beach with silver ribbons trailing from her hands.
She found a doorway in the sand where she'd store away her stones.
Precious stones that could be diamonds, just because they sparkled in rain.
And there she'd sleep, and there she'd dream. And there she died.
The tide rolled backwards and it dried and left a headstone made of salt.
The warm breeze turned to steam.

And even the vegetables screamed and screamed and screamed . . .
He stretched his hand out just to touch her--but she said she had to leave . . .

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Hotel Noir by The Legendary Pink Dots depict a conversation between two people sitting in a dimly lit room. One of them boasts about their conquests and reads the letters received from their admirers, which they never bothered to answer but kept in the drawer of the hotel they were staying in. The other person talks about their love for white horses, swings, cornfields, and watching dancing lights, revealing that they have never been lonely before but are now in the company of this person. However, the person seems distant and detached, as the waiter walks clean through them and they light their fifteenth cigarette. The conversation takes a surreal turn as the person describes receiving sea shells, roses, and a proposal of marriage in letters they never responded to. The other person speaks of their love for the sea under a full moon, running down a silver beach with ribbons trailing from their hands and storing away precious stones that could be diamonds because they sparkle in the rain. They then describe finding a doorway in the sand where they store their stones and where they sleep, dream, and die. The tide rolls back and leaves a headstone made of salt, while the warm breeze turns to steam, and even the vegetables scream. The other person stretches their hand out to touch them, but they say they must leave.

The lyrics of Hotel Noir are intriguingly complex and can be interpreted in many ways. The song could be about the fleeting nature of human connection and the loneliness that can exist even in the company of another person. The conversation could be a metaphor for the distance that exists between two people who are unable to connect emotionally, or it could represent the struggle between reality and imagination, with each person living in their own world. The sea, the beach, the stones and the headstone made of salt could allude to the idea of mortality and the inevitability of death. The surreal images in the song add to its mysterious appeal, making it a song that leaves a lasting impression.

Line by Line Meaning

Two glasses on a glass-top table.
The scene is set with two glasses on a glass-top table.

Lights are low, the ashtray's full.
The lights are dim and the ashtray is full of cigarette butts.

he talks of all his conquests-- letters ringed with hearts and crosses.
He talks about his past relationships, and she notices that he still treasures love letters he received from them.

He left them in the drawer (at Hotel Noir)-- unanswered, yet he read them for her time and time again . . .
He keeps the letters in a drawer at Hotel Noir, and while he never replied to them, he still reads them often in the presence of the person he's with.

She looked clean through him and told him how she loved white horses, riding on a swing and laying in a cornfield on a warm summer's night. She'd watch the dancing lights.
She sees right through him and discusses her own interests, including her admiration of white horses and her love of watching the dancing lights on warm summer nights.

Alone but never lonely--until now.
She has previously been comfortable being alone, but now she feels lonely in his presence.

He ordered whisky but the waiter walked clean through him. He sadly shook his head, and lit his fifteenth cigarette . . .
He orders whiskey, but the waiter ignores him. He sighs and lights his fifteenth cigarette instead.

and slowly, surely pictures formed he never could forget . . .
Memories and images begin forming in his mind that he knows he will never be able to forget.

Loretta sent him sea shells, Henrietta sent a rose, and Margaretta said they'd marry in a letter that he'd never answered (left it in the drawer at Hotel Noir . . .)
He received gifts and love letters from women named Loretta, Henrietta, and Margaretta. Margaretta even proposed, but he never replied, and all of these items were left in the drawer at Hotel Noir.

And she said how she loved the sea at full moon. Running down a silver beach with silver ribbons trailing from her hands. She found a doorway in the sand where she'd store away her stones. Precious stones that could be diamonds, just because they sparkled in rain.
She talks about her affinity for the sea during a full moon and describes running on a silver beach with ribbons in her hands. She also mentions keeping precious stones that sparkle like diamonds during rainfall in a door in the sand.

And there she'd sleep, and there she'd dream. And there she died. The tide rolled backwards and it dried and left a headstone made of salt.
She would sleep and dream in that spot, and eventually died there. The tide rolled backwards, leaving a headstone made of salt in its place.

The warm breeze turned to steam. And even the vegetables screamed and screamed and screamed . . .
The atmosphere around them suddenly changes, and even the vegetables (presumably in a nearby garden or farm) seem to be screaming.

He stretched his hand out just to touch her--but she said she had to leave . . .
He tries to touch her, but she informs him that she has to leave.

Contributed by Zachary S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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