Fittingly enough, Borland's motivation to cut ties to the punk movement mirrored that of original Buzzcocks member Howard Devoto, who left his own band after Spiral Scratch. Like Devoto, who had gone on to pioneer yet another field called post-punk with Magazine, Borland looked around, saw all the bands who played straight-ahead chug-chug-chug rock & roll, and decided that the tired blueprint was in need of a little more depth and variation; atmospheres, tensions, and unfamiliar twists on the interplay between the instruments would be needed. Lyrics were another thing. Not content with simply railing against the government or grunting and yelping about trivial matters to merely keep a song moving, Borland became one of the few post-punk songwriters whose lyric sheets were truly worth ingesting and analyzing. Former Outsider Adrian Janes aided the cause, remaining involved with Borland in a behind-the-scenes manner, writing some of the band's lyrics with his former band mate.
The Sound made their first recordings in the living room of the Borland family home, with Adrian's supportive father Bob acting as recording engineer. As demonstrated on Propaganda, a posthumous release from 1999 that collects these sessions, the band was gradually -- not so drastically and suddenly -- leaving the Stooges/Velvets axis and applying touches that would be developed into something all their own. They received their first break of sorts from Stephen Budd, an early supporter since the Outsiders days, who had recorded and released some material by Bailey and Borland's electronically inclined side project, Second Layer. Budd's label, Tortch Records, made a small profit from a Second Layer release, so he opted to put it right back into the Sound's first release. Budd also became the band's manager, booking studio time for them with Nick Robbins in Elephant Studios and finding places for the band to gig.
The first release made a humble impression. Physical World was reviewed positively in the NME by Paul Morley, and DJ John Peel took minor interest, playing it a couple times during his influential BBC program. Though the Sound hadn't the will to pine for a major label deal, the WEA-affiliated Korova label (home of Echo & the Bunnymen) came knocking when they found out the band was going back into the studio to make a full album. Korova heard the rough mixes of the album and a deal was made. Regardless of the label's involvement, Jeopardy was recorded cheaply, and upon its release was reviewed extremely favourably by all the important outlets. Reviews in the NME, Sounds, and Melody Maker gave it five stars. Rightfully likened to the Bunnymen, the Teardrop Explodes, and Joy Division in those reviews, one only needs to hear the weakest song from the record to realize that the Sound -- from the very beginning -- belonged in that high class.
Bi Marshall left the band and was replaced by Max Mayers (aka Colvin Mayers) before the Sound went in to work with master producer Hugh Jones, who had previously worked with the Teardrops and the Bunnymen, for the follow-up. From the Lion's Mouth took full advantage of the band's atmospheric, mind-bending capabilities by coating their songs -- accessible and economical as ever -- with richly layered productions that didn't hide the rock-solid foundation the songs were built on. Another round of positive reviews and another round of general indifference from the public ensued, though a cult following was festering. Korova became a little anxious with the band and wanted some hits. Surely, the next one would break them.
It wouldn't happen. Working again with Nick Robbins, the band was pressured by the label to compromise and play the pop game. Not only that, but the band was shifted to WEA proper, a move that probably had more to do with taxes than music. The heat from the label and the climate it spawned resulted in All Fall Down, one of those historically troubled third albums (i.e., the one that super-diehard fans defend to their grave). The Sound responded to the situation with their least penetrable record by a couple brick walls. And WEA responded to the response with no promotion. Criticized for being too wilfully distant, for cannibalizing the back catalog, and for lacking immediacy (i.e., "tunes"), the record still has much to give the listener. Although it's not the band's best moment by a long shot, it's hardly something the band would feel ashamed of later on. To little surprise, the band wound up without a label and decided to reconsider their direction.
The period of dormancy involved a collective realization that the enthusiasm for making music and playing it, despite being a little drained from their experiences with WEA, had never really waned. Several major labels expressed interest in signing them, but in the end Statik won out; the band decided it would be better to go with the small independent. (Surprisingly enough, the band worked out a short-term deal with A&M to release material in the States, but it was pretty pointless.) Shock of Daylight, a six-song EP, was released in 1984. The time off served them well, resulting in some of the band's most fiery and uplifting material. This carried through to the following year's glassy/classy Heads and Hearts, the band's fourth studio album. Two dates at the Marquee during August were recorded for the double live album In the Hothouse, which was released in 1986.
For their final album, 1987's Thunder Up (released on Play It Again Sam in Belgium and Nettwerk in Canada), the band allowed the darkness from All Fall Down and the shivering, plaintive desolation of Shock of Daylight's "Winter" to creep back in. Few were still paying attention, but the Sound released a swan song that most of the members considered to be their finest work, with plenty of variety that hangs together. Nearly a decade of empty wallets and minor personality clashes had eroded the band's resilience, so the band decided to stop shortly after its release.
Borland continued in music throughout the next two decades, producing other acts and releasing another batch of under-appreciated records as a solo artist and as a member of a couple side projects (the Honolulu Mountain Daffodils, White Rose Transmission). Bailey, Dudley, and Mayers left music for the most part. Mayers passed away in the early '90s, a victim of AIDS. And on April 26, 1999, Borland took his own life. Thanks to the Renascent label's reissuing program in the late '90s and early 2000s, the Sound's discography has been restored and revitalized. "From the Lion's Mouth" is still regarded as a mark in new wave.
Contact the Fact
The Sound Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The real world to me
So watching you go
Is like watching a film in slow motion
Everything I touch
Turns to dust
And everyone I turn to
Turns on me
Strange the way
We accept our lot - living together
Strange the way
We self-destruct - dying together
All the beauty gets taken for granted
All the pain gets put in the way
Put in our way
Contact's the fact - I need it
Contact you because I need you
Take me out
You take me out of myself
You can take what you want from me
Because I know you
Hate it when I'm crazy
It's a side of love
You never wanted to see
Contact's the fact - I need it
Contact you because I need you
The lyrics of The Sound's song Contact the Fact portray a sense of desperation and loneliness, depicting the theme of human connectivity and the desire for meaningful relationships. The singer's world revolves around the person they address in the song, highlighting how significant this individual is in their life. The opening line "You mean the world, the real world to me" sets the tone for the rest of the song, where each passing moment without the person is unbearable. The second line "So watching you go is like watching a film in slow motion" reveals how painful this detachment is for the singer, evoking a sense of helplessness.
The chorus of the song "Contact's the fact - I need it, Contact you because I need you" is the crux of the narrative, portraying the fundamental human desire to connect with others, seeking some sense of belongingness in this world. The second verse of the song speaks about the paradox of human existence, where the good things in life are taken for granted, while the pain and suffering seem to overpower everything else. The repetitive line "Take me out" followed by "You can take what you want from me" showcases the singer's willingness to sacrifice anything and everything for the person they address. The final line "It's a side of love you never wanted to see" adds a layer of complexity to the relationship, allowing multiple interpretations of the narrative.
Line by Line Meaning
You mean the world
You are incredibly important to me
The real world to me
You are not just a passing fancy, you are real and meaningful to me
So watching you go
It is heartbreaking for me to see you leave
Is like watching a film in slow motion
It feels like time has slowed down and every moment is more painful and longer than it ought to be
Everything I touch
Things that I interact with are doomed to fail or be destroyed
Turns to dust
Things that I touch crumble or fall apart
And everyone I turn to
People that I turn to for support or help
Turns on me
End up turning against me instead
Strange the way
It's bizarre how
We accept our lot - living together
We come to terms with our situation and just live together, whether or not we are truly happy with our circumstances
Strange the way
It's strange that
We self-destruct - dying together
We are destroying ourselves and each other with our actions or inaction
All the beauty gets taken for granted
We often overlook or fail to recognize the beauty around us and it becomes underappreciated
All the pain gets put in the way
The pain that we experience becomes a barrier or hindrance to our happiness
Contact's the fact - I need it
I require interaction with you in order to feel alive
Contact you because I need you
I am reaching out to you in order to connect with you and feel fulfilled
Take me out
Remove me from my own headspace and problems
You take me out of myself
You have the ability to make me forget my own issues and focus solely on you
You can take what you want from me
I am willing to give you anything you need from me
Because I know you
I trust you completely
Hate it when I'm crazy
You dislike it when I am having a difficult time emotionally
It's a side of love
The fact that I can be vulnerable around you is a testament to how much I care for you
You never wanted to see
You tried to avoid seeing me at my weakest, but I trust you enough to show you now
Contributed by Blake B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.