The group gained some notoriety when a single from its first album, Blood and Roses, was included on the soundtrack for and as the theme song of the 1986 Albert Pyun movie Dangerously Close and the video got some moderately heavy rotation on MTV. The group spent some time in its initial semi-celebrity phase defending itself in Rolling Stone against thinly-veiled accusations of sounding too much like The Byrds and The Beatles, pointing out that its Marshall Amplifier-heavy live sound was closer to heavy metal than it was to The Beatles.
Along with a basic Eastern-coast roots-rock sound that owed much to the inspirations of DiNizio, including Buddy Holly, The Who, The Clash, Elvis Costello, and Nick Lowe, the Smithereens deployed a uniquely retro obsession with Mod, the late British Invasion pop of John's Children and The Move, and other artifacts of fifties and sixties culture that lent its music substance and style. The highest position a Smithereens album attained on the Billboard pop charts was in 1990, when 11 peaked at #41 on the strength of the single A Girl Like You (which hit #38). The group is still active and tours frequently, but went for seven years without releasing a new studio album, following God Save the Smithereens in 1999.
In January 2007, the band released a cover of the album Meet the Beatles titled Meet the Smithereens. Bassist Mike Mesaros does not appear on the album, replaced by Severo "The Thrilla" Jornacion . An album of original material was promised for later in the year, but Christmas with The Smithereens, released in October 2007, included only three original songs along with nine covers of Christmas songs.
Blood & Roses
The Smithereens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Saw you standing in the rain
Then I heard you say
I want to love, but it comes out wrong
I want to live, but I don't belong
I close my eyes and I see blood and roses
October we were wed
In winter time the roses died
Her blood ran cold and then she said
I want to love, but it comes out wrong
I want to live, but I don't belong
I close my eyes and I see blood and roses
It was long ago, it seems like yesterday
I saw you standing in the rain
Then I heard you say
I need your love, but it comes out wrong
I tried to live, but I don't belong
I close my eyes and I see blood and roses
Blood and roses (roses)
Blood and roses (roses)
Blood and roses (roses)
The Smithereens's song Blood and Roses tells the heart-wrenching story of a person who is struggling to find love and belonging in their life. The song starts off with the verse, "It was long ago, it seems like yesterday/Saw you standing in the rain/Then I heard you say," which sets the tone for the rest of the song. The importance of memory is emphasized as the person reminisces about their past with their loved one. The use of imagery of standing in the rain reveals a sense of loneliness and despair.
The chorus, "I want to love, but it comes out wrong/I want to live, but I don't belong/I close my eyes and I see blood and roses," encapsulates the inner turmoil of the singer. The idea that love is something that they struggle with and something they cannot achieve is reinforced by the metaphor of their blood being mixed with roses. The image of the roses dying in winter further intensifies the sense of loss, as does the mention of the loved one's blood running cold.
The verse, "I need your love, but it comes out wrong/I tried to live, but I don't belong/I close my eyes and I see blood and roses," serves to drive home the idea that the singer is suffering from alienation and social isolation. The repetition of the line "blood and roses" serves as a reminder of the pain of love and the loss of the loved one. Overall, Blood and Roses is a poignant song about the hardships of love, belonging, and ultimately, loss.
Line by Line Meaning
It was long ago, it seems like yesterday
The feeling of this experience is constantly present, even though it happened in the past
Saw you standing in the rain
Picture of the moment when the singer first saw the other person
Then I heard you say
The singer remembers hearing something important
I want to love, but it comes out wrong
Statement of inability despite the desire for love
I want to live, but I don't belong
Statement of isolation and feeling out of place
I close my eyes and I see blood and roses
The memory of the other person is mixed with dark and beautiful images
Wild flowers in the springtime
Description of natural life and its beauty
October we were wed
Specific time and event in the past
In winter time the roses died
The beauty of the roses faded with time
Her blood ran cold and then she said
The memory is mixed with the pain of loss
I need your love, but it comes out wrong
Confession of need despite inability to love properly
I tried to live, but I don't belong
The artist tried to find meaning in life, but feels out of place
Blood and roses (roses)
Repeating motif to represent the mix of beauty and pain in memories of the other person
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: PATRICK DINIZIO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tales of Mere Existence
I really dig this song. For people on here who are complaining about their haircuts, allow me to repeat a quote I saw recently:
"Music was better when ugly people were allowed to make it".
Alexander Steiner
+AgentXPQ amen
kimberly Williams
+Alexander Steiner
So true!
stephen rusnak
+AgentXPQ yes.. these guys were great but did not stack up in the fashion looks department with Duran Duran or Loverboy
epistte
+AgentXPQ "Music was better when ugly people were allowed to make it". is brilliant. I love it!
john gonzalez
+AgentXPQ To me, those are the coolest haircuts, especially Pat's beatnik look. Plus, as you poignantly state- who cares about their looks? These guys R-O-C-K!!!
Jerry Lopez
That bass line is just epic
Mike Hilbert
Always loved that bass line
NaTosha Ward
Sticks in my head like a fucking leech, bass or nothing 🤘🤘🤘🤘 my folks used to bang on my door as I was goin slap happy on my bass.,.to be young again ..
Anthony White
This is one of the best bands ever!!!