The Psychedelic Furs is an English post punk / new wave band that was found… Read Full Bio ↴The Psychedelic Furs is an English post punk / new wave band that was founded in London in the late 70s. They came together in England's burgeoning punk scene of 1977 and initially consisted of Richard Butler (vocals), Tim Butler (bass guitar), Duncan Kilburn (saxophone), Paul Wilson (drums), and Roger Morris (guitars). By 1979, this line-up had expanded to a sextet due to the addition of John Ashton on guitar and Vince Ely replacing Wilson on drums.

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.

No Release
The Psychedelic Furs Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Wait 'til midnight comes
Wearing fashion black
She's on a high heel kick
Singing don't look back
And all my broken stars
They can make it shine
And all the motown girls
Singing one more time

Out of all belief
You're gonna call my name
Out of all belief
In a lonely place
I was killing time
I landed on my knees
I got free money
But no release
I was hit and run
I landed on my face
And I got free money
But no release
There's a neon light
Selling some new sin
And there's a rainbow moon
Singing don't look down
You're on a one way ride
Down a dead end street
You better realize
Never walk on by
Out of all belief
You're gonna call my name
Out of all belief
In a lonely place
I was killing time
I landed on my knees

And I got free money
But no release
I was hit and run
I landed on my feet
And I got free money
But no release
I was killing time
I landed on my knees
I got free money
But no release
I was hit and run
I landed on my feet
And I got free money
But no release
I was killing time
I landed on my knees
And I got free money
But no release
Out of all belief
You're gonna call my name
Out of all belief
In a lonely place
Out of all belief
You're gonna call my name
Out of all belief

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Psychedelic Furs' song No Release paint a vivid picture of the struggles of the singer in the song. The opening lines talk about waiting until midnight while wearing "fashion black" and being on a "high heel kick," alluding to the idea of going out to party and escape reality. The next few lines talk about broken stars that can be made to shine and Motown girls singing one more time, possibly referring to the idea of finding hope and comfort in music to escape or forget about life's struggles.

The chorus states, "Out of all belief, you're gonna call my name, in a lonely place," emphasizing the feeling of desperation and longing for connection that the singer is experiencing. The lines, "I got free money but no release" are repeated throughout the song, again highlighting this idea of trying to fill the void or escape life's problems through temporary fixes like money, but still feeling unfulfilled and unsatisfied. The closing lines once again emphasize the feeling of hopelessness, with the singer repeating the phrase "out of all belief" while lamenting the lack of release or escape from their situation.

Overall, the song No Release discusses the idea of attempting to escape or find relief from life's struggles through temporary fixes like partying or money, but ultimately feeling unfulfilled and longing for deeper connections or solutions. The repeated emphasis on the phrase "out of all belief" highlights the desperation and lack of hope that the singer is experiencing.

Line by Line Meaning

Wait 'til midnight comes
The singer waits for something to happen in the middle of the night.

Wearing fashion black
The singer is dressed in black clothing.

She's on a high heel kick
Another person is wearing high heels.

Singing don't look back
The person is singing a phrase about leaving the past behind.

And all my broken stars
The singer's dreams have been shattered.

They can make it shine
The singer can make their broken stars shine again.

And all the motown girls
Girls who love Motown music.

Singing one more time
The Motown girls are singing the same song once again.

Out of all belief
Something is happening that's hard to believe.

You're gonna call my name
The singer is anticipating someone calling their name.

In a lonely place
The singer feels alone in a particular place.

I was killing time
The singer was passing time without a specific purpose.

I landed on my knees
The singer fell and landed on their knees.

I got free money
The singer received money without effort.

But no release
Despite the money, the singer doesn't feel free from their problems.

I was hit and run
The singer was involved in a hit-and-run accident.

I landed on my face
The singer fell and landed on their face.

There's a neon light
A particular place has a bright, colorful light.

Selling some new sin
Someone is promoting a new way to do something, which may not be morally right.

And there's a rainbow moon
A colorful moon is present or being imagined.

Singing don't look down
Someone is singing to not look below something or stop doing something.

You're on a one way ride
The singer is on a path that only goes in one direction with no turning back.

Down a dead end street
The path the singer is taking leads to a dead end.

You better realize
The singer wants someone to become aware of something important.

Never walk on by
The singer doesn't want someone to ignore something happening right in front of them.