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.
One More Word
The Psychedelic Furs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't taste so sweet
When the world comes down
Like a satellite
I could make it blue, yeah
Cool and sharp
I got vanity, yeah
Tearing me apartI want one more word
That don't taste so sweet
When love comes true
It don't come free
You got chemistry, yeah
I can see it burn
I've been out all night
In the big city
I know it hurts
I need one more word
And I need it now
Ah, I've been told
Don't make no sense
When it all comes down
I want one more word
That don't taste so sweet
When love comes true
It don't come free
I want one more word
That don't taste so sweet
When love comes true
It don't come free
I want one more word
That don't taste so sweet
When love comes true
It don't come freeI want one more word
That don't taste so sweet
When love comes true
It don't come free
The lyrics of The Psychedelic Furs's song One More Word appear to be about the struggles of a painful relationship. The singer of the song is disillusioned by empty promises and is looking for more truth in love. The metaphor of the "world coming down like a satellite" suggests a feeling of extreme pressure, perhaps influenced by outside factors that have put strain on the relationship. This is compounded by the singer's admission that they have "vanity...tearing me apart." The juxtaposition of this vanity with the desperation for genuine emotional connection is compelling.
There's a lovelorn quality to the song, as the singer admits to being "out all night in the big city," presumably searching for something that isn't there. The repetition of the desire for "one more word" that "don't taste so sweet" feels like a plea for resolution, even though the final lines acknowledge that love "don't come free." Ultimately, the lyrics convey the sense that the singer is stuck in an emotional purgatory, unable to move on from a painful experience but also unable to find the closure they need.
Line by Line Meaning
All your promises
All the commitments you made
Don't taste so sweet
Are not as pleasant as they sounded
When the world comes down
When everything falls apart
Like a satellite
Like a space object orbiting aimlessly
I could make it blue, yeah
I have the power to change things, but
Cool and sharp
It won't be easy or painless
I got vanity, yeah
I am overly concerned with how I look and how others perceive me
Tearing me apart
Which is causing emotional turmoil and distress
I want one more word
I need another assurance or explanation
That don't taste so sweet
That does not sound as promising
When love comes true
When romantic expectations are met
It don't come free
It comes at a cost
You got chemistry, yeah
You and I have a strong connection, attraction, or compatibility
I can see it burn
Which is causing intense feelings and passion
I've been out all night
I have been partying and socializing for hours
In the big city
In a vibrant and bustling metropolis
I know it hurts
I am aware of the pain and hardships that come with love
And I need it now
I am desperate and cannot wait any longer
Ah, I've been told
I have heard before
Don't make no sense
It does not sound logical
When it all comes down
When everything is over or revealed
I want one more word
I need reassurance or explanation, again
That don't taste so sweet
That does not sound as attractive or convincing
When love comes true
When romantic expectations are met
It don't come free
It comes at a cost
I want one more word
I need reassurance or explanation, yet again
That don't taste so sweet
That sounds less agreeable or appealing
When love comes true
When romantic expectations are met
It don't come free
It comes at a cost
I want one more word
I need... you get the idea
That don't taste so sweet
That is not as pleasant as expected
When love comes true
When romantic expectations are met (Can this cycle ever end?)
It don't come free
It comes at a cost (Apparently, it cannot.)
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN ASHTON, RICHARD BUTLER, TIMOTHY BUTLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@godzillaestarker6948
Hola , de los 80 siempre me gusto
@demonhalo67
This is the band aiming for broader reach in the late eighties as the synthesizer era reached its peak. Most bands did the same in the eighties with lots of big sounding-commercial songs to stay relevant. I don't believe this album deserved the flack it got at the time, it's a bit patchy but there are lots of excellent songs on Midnight to Midnight and this track is one of them.
@danielaverill521
Great song
@lastrada52
Guitars like Edge in U2 -- relentless, machine-gun style & electrifying and then the marvelous saxes to balance it all with a very Big Band style swinging with Butler's far more powerful voice than Bono. Only Jim Kerr in Simple Minds could compete with this. The drums are thunderous. The band is just marvelous. This is dance music I can listen to.
@glassbuddha
Yes, Sax made a huge difference
@lassemann1677
this is scary...just my opinion in -87. glad somebody shared it
@PlutoGang9
This is good and edgy
@lisetteheilman6361
The excellent dance music of the psychedelic furs. Nobody's topped you yet.
@erwinklement1215
❤️
@derekbaker3279
I always thought that this song was about songwriting, but I am open to being corrected....