The Furs initially used Martin Hannett as a producer, but their initial self-titled album from 1980 was eventually produced by Steve Lillywhite. The LP quickly established the band on radio and was a top 20 hit in the UK. The album also found success in Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Australia. The US version of the album was re-sequenced, but failed to have as strong a commercial impact.
The Furs found success in the U.S. market with the 1981 release, titled 'Talk Talk Talk', which made its impact on the US album charts and received critical acclaim worldwide. In the UK, the album was a solid hit which spun off two charting singles, "Dumb Waiters" and the original version of "Pretty in Pink". The latter song served as inspiration for the 1986 John Hughes film of the same name, and was re-recorded for the platinum-selling soundtrack.
In 1982, the band was reduced to a four-piece with the departures of Morris and Kilburn. (Ex-Birthday Party drummer Phill Calvert would briefly join the group around this time.) The band's remaining members moved permanently to New York, where they recorded the album Forever Now with producer Todd Rundgren. This album contained "Love My Way", a breakthrough Top 40 hit in both the US and the UK. Ely left the band after this release, though he would return for the 1988 single "All That Money Wants" and the 1989 album Book of Days.
The Furs' 1984 release Mirror Moves was produced by Keith Forsey, and featured the songs "The Ghost in You" and "Heaven". Both charted in the UK, and "Heaven" became the band's highest charting UK hit at the time -- but inexplicably, "Heaven" was never released as a single in America. Instead, Columbia Records opted for "Here Come Cowboys", despite both international success and heavy MTV airplay on "Heaven." "Here Come Cowboys" failed to chart, but "The Ghost In You" was a hit on the US pop charts. The band had become popular in Canada as well, CFNY, Toronto's new wave radio station, listed Mirror Moves as the #1 LP of 1984.
By this time, the band had become somewhat of a staple on US college and modern rock radio stations. As well, they were building mainstream success, fairly consistently placing singles in the pop charts on both sides of the Atlantic, though they would "have more impact on future musicians than they ever did in the marketplace." In 1986, the band re-recorded a version of "Pretty in Pink", which was their biggest hit to that time in the US, and their biggest-ever UK hit.
Richard Butler later claimed that the success of "Pretty in Pink" caused the band to be pressured into entering the studio to record a follow-up release before they were ready. The result was Midnight to Midnight, an album which Butler characterized as "hollow, vapid and weak". A more overtly commercial effort than the Furs had ever recorded before, the album also featured the single "Heartbreak Beat", which was their highest charting top 40 US hit.
However, the Furs were dissatisfied with their new commercial direction, and subsequently returned to a rawer sound with "All That Money Wants", a 1988 track especially recorded for a 'best-of' collection. 1989's Book of Days saw a return to the old-school style and the temporary return of Vince Ely. 1991's World Outside was similarly more of a "back to basics" approach.
From 1988 on The Furs' chart success continued with three #1 hits on the US Modern Rock chart between 1988 and 1991.
The band splintered in 1991, with the Butler brothers going on to found Love Spit Love. After spending most of the decade apart, Butler, Butler and Ashton re-formed The Psychedelic Furs in 2000, and released a live album Beautiful Chaos: Greatest Hits Live, which also featured a new studio recording, "Alive (For Once In My Lifetime)." A DVD version of the performance included live versions of "Alive" and three other previously unreleased songs: "Anodyne (Better Days)," "Cigarette" and "Wrong Train."
Since then the Furs continue to tour the world along with former Love Spit Love drummer Frank Ferrer, ex-Information Society and World Party keyboardist Amanda Kramer and saxophonist Mars Williams who returned to the band after a stint in the late 1980s.
Showing the band's significant influence as a part of the new wave and post-punk movements, their songs have been covered by numerous other artists. Examples include Annie Lennox, Buffalo Tom, Icehouse, Powderfinger, Regenerator, and Robyn Hitchcock.
All Of This And Nothing
The Psychedelic Furs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
a girl to drive your car
a suit to wear on mondays
and a coat a magazine
a heavy rain a holiday
a painting of the wall
a knife a fork and memories
a light to see it all
that i can understand
hey i never meant that stuff
i want to turn you round
dominoes a pack of cards
a picture of the queen
a dress to wear on sundays
and a handle for the door
a letter that i sent for you
a note you left for me
a wave a pack of cigarettes
a pocket full of beads
you didn't leave me anything
that i can understand
hey i never meant that stuff
i want to turn you on
you didn't leave me anything
that i can understand
hey i never meant that stuff
i want to turn you round
you didn't leave me anything
that i can understand
hey i never meant that stuff
i want to turn you on
the sound of people getting drunk
a ceiling and a sky
a bank that's full of promises
a telephone that lies
a visit from your doctor
he crawls in through the door
a mirror you can look in
so that you know where you are
you didn't leave me anything
that i can understand
hey i never meant that stuff
i want to turn you round
you didn't leave me anything
that i can understand
now i'm left with all of this
a room full of your trash
In "All of This and Nothing" by The Psychedelic Furs, the singer is recounting the possessions their former lover left behind. The lyrics depict various random objects and memories, ranging from a phonebook full of accidents and a suit to wear on Mondays to memories and a pocket full of beads. Despite the seemingly insignificant nature of these items, their presence proves overwhelming to the singer as their ex "didn't leave [them] anything that [they] can understand." The singer longs to "turn [their ex] round" and make them realize the emotional impact of abandoning these meaningless objects.
Line by Line Meaning
a phonebook full of accidents
A catalog of unpredictable events and mishaps.
a girl to drive your car
A woman hired to chauffeur you around.
a suit to wear on mondays
Formal clothing to display professionalism while at work.
and a coat a magazine
A coat featured in some publication.
a heavy rain a holiday
Rainy weather occurring during time typically set aside for leisure.
a painting of the wall
An image of a wall on canvas or paper, devoid of content or significance.
a knife a fork and memories
Cutlery and recollections of the past.
a light to see it all
An illumination to expose everything.
you didn't leave me anything that i can understand
You departed without a clear explanation or comprehensible justification.
hey i never meant that stuff
Hey, what I said before wasn't what I truly intended to communicate.
i want to turn you round
I want to make you reconsider your actions or decisions.
dominoes a pack of cards
Games to play to pass the time.
a picture of the queen
An image of royalty or authority, symbolic of the past.
a dress to wear on sundays
An outfit reserved for a particular day, signifying conventionality and routine.
and a handle for the door
A device used to gain entry or exit from a room.
a letter that i sent for you
A personal message dispatched on your behalf.
a note you left for me
A message addressed to me that you penned and left behind.
a wave a pack of cigarettes
An action of greeting and some cigarettes to smoke.
a pocket full of beads
Trinkets and items collected or gathered.
you didn't leave me anything that i can understand
You left without clarity or a logical reason.
now i'm left with all of this
I'm currently in possession of and dealing with all of these things.
a room full of your trash
A space filled with the remnants and debris of your previous existence.
the sound of people getting drunk
Audible evidence of people indulging in excessive consumption of alcohol.
a ceiling and a sky
A ceiling creating a boundary and the expansive sky beyond it.
a bank that's full of promises
Financial institutions offering assurances and commitments, often unfulfilled.
a telephone that lies
A tool of communication that is often deceptive or untrustworthy.
a visit from your doctor
A health professional arriving to provide medical attention.
he crawls in through the door
He enters the premises on his hands and knees.
a mirror you can look in
A reflective surface for self-examination and self-awareness.
so that you know where you are
To provide a sense of location or context to the individual.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DUNCAN KILBURN, JOHN ASHTON, RICHARD BUTLER, ROGER NICHOLAS MORRIS, TIMOTHY BUTLER, VINCENT DAVEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Paul Buswell
Lyrics:
A phone book full of accidents
A girl to drive your car
A suit to wear on Mondays
And a coat, a magazine
A heavy rain a holiday
A painting of the wall
A knife, a fork and memories
A light to see it all
You didn't leave me anything
That I can understand
Hey I never meant that stuff
I want to turn you 'round
Dominoes a pack of cards
A picture of the queen
A dress to wear on Sundays
And a handle for the door
A letter that I sent for you
A note you left for me
A wave, a pack of cigarettes
A pocket full of beads
You didn't leave me anything
That I can understand
Hey I never meant that stuff
I want to turn you on
You didn't leave me anything
That I can understand
Hey I never meant that stuff
I want to turn you 'round
You didn't leave me anything
That I can understand
Hey I never meant that stuff
I want to turn you on
The sound of people getting drunk
A ceiling and a sky
A bank that's full of promises
A telephone that lies
A visit from your doctor
He crawls in through the door
A mirror you can look in
So that you know where you are
You didn't leave me anything
That I can understand
Hey I never meant that stuff
I want to turn you 'round
You didn't leave me anything
That I can understand
Now I'm left with all of this
A room full of your trash
Mandy Worthington
One of my fave Furs tracks, totally brill, heard them when i was 14, couldnt believe my ears, never heard a sound like it, love it
Severin 77
Speciale the intro 🎷
Paul Buswell
Lyrics:
A phone book full of accidents
A girl to drive your car
A suit to wear on Mondays
And a coat, a magazine
A heavy rain a holiday
A painting of the wall
A knife, a fork and memories
A light to see it all
You didn't leave me anything
That I can understand
Hey I never meant that stuff
I want to turn you 'round
Dominoes a pack of cards
A picture of the queen
A dress to wear on Sundays
And a handle for the door
A letter that I sent for you
A note you left for me
A wave, a pack of cigarettes
A pocket full of beads
You didn't leave me anything
That I can understand
Hey I never meant that stuff
I want to turn you on
You didn't leave me anything
That I can understand
Hey I never meant that stuff
I want to turn you 'round
You didn't leave me anything
That I can understand
Hey I never meant that stuff
I want to turn you on
The sound of people getting drunk
A ceiling and a sky
A bank that's full of promises
A telephone that lies
A visit from your doctor
He crawls in through the door
A mirror you can look in
So that you know where you are
You didn't leave me anything
That I can understand
Hey I never meant that stuff
I want to turn you 'round
You didn't leave me anything
That I can understand
Now I'm left with all of this
A room full of your trash
tinfoilhatter
brilliant! fabuloso! RESPECTO!~
Brian Meskanen
She left you hard, didn't she brother. I wrote the lyrics out too.
Tony Myers
Bad ass lyrics
Wendy Swain
🙏
GALAXY Phone
Great song still confused
KEITH-LEE CASTLE
This album and the previous one are without a doubt their best.
To open an album with a track like Dumb Waiters is genius.
Left Hook
A-men!