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.
Possession
The Sound Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to show his face
There's a God in me
Wants to put me in my place
I've got to get a hold of myself
I've got to be in possession
There's a war being waged
It's the struggle for possession
I've got to get a hold of myself
I've got to be in possession
And I've got to ask you
What do you want from me?
You know the deeper you cut
The less there's left of me
I've got to get a hold of myself
I've got to get a hold of myself
I've got to be in possession
The Sound's song Possession is a haunting and introspective reflection on the internal demons that plague one's psyche, and the struggle for control over them. The opening lines "There's a devil in me, trying to show his face / There's a God in me, wants to put me in my place" suggest an ongoing battle between two opposing forces within the singer's mind - the devil representing temptation, self-destruction and chaos, while the God symbolizes morality, restraint and order. The singer recognizes the need to take control and to be in possession of their own mind, but acknowledges the difficulty of this task.
The song then describes a "war being waged that'll never be won" - a struggle for possession that is never fully resolved or overcome. The repetition of the line "I've got to get a hold of myself / I've got to be in possession" emphasizes the singer's desire to maintain control, but also hints at the constant vulnerability and fragility of the human psyche. In the final verse, the singer addresses an unnamed other, asking "What do you want from me?" - a question that suggests a sense of helplessness and confusion, as well as a desperate need for guidance and understanding.
Overall, Possession is a powerful and thought-provoking meditation on the complexity and fragility of the human mind, and the constant struggle for control and autonomy.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a devil in me
Within me, there is a part of me that is wicked and troublesome.
Trying to show his face
This wicked part of me is trying to manifest itself and be seen.
There's a God in me
I also possess a benevolent part of myself that is trying to exert control over my actions.
Wants to put me in my place
This benevolent part of me is attempting to rein in the wickedness and keep me on the right path.
I've got to get a hold of myself
I need to take control of my own thoughts and actions.
I've got to be in possession
I need to be the one who maintains control over myself and my behavior.
There's a war being waged
There is an ongoing conflict within my own mind and being.
That'll never be won
This internal struggle will not have a clear winner or resolution.
It's the struggle for possession
The conflict within myself is about who will maintain control over my actions and thoughts.
And I've got to ask you
I need to inquire of someone else about their intentions and desires for me.
What do you want from me?
I am seeking information about what is expected of me from an external source.
You know the deeper you cut
The more intensely you scrutinize or criticize me,
The less there's left of me
The less there remains of my true, unaltered self.
I've got to get a hold of myself
I must regain control over my own agency and behavior.
I've got to get a hold of myself
I need to take charge of my thoughts and actions.
I've got to be in possession
I am compelled to maintain control over my own mind and behavior.
Writer(s): Adrian Kelvin Borland, Craig David Adams, Andrew Eldritch, Wayne Hussey, Adrian Clive Janes Copyright: Warner/Chappell Music Ltd., Eldritch Boulevard Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Mgb Ltd.
Contributed by Aaliyah E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gerardo Chávez
There's a devil in me
Trying to show his face
There's a God in me
Wants to put me in my place
I've got to get a hold of myself
I've got to be in possession
There's a war being waged
That'll never be won
It's the struggle for possession
I've got to get a hold of myself
I've got to be in possession
And I've got to ask you
What do you want from me?
You know the deeper you cut
The less there's left of me
I've got to get a hold of myself
I've got to get a hold of myself
I've got to be in possession
Gerardo Chávez
There's a devil in me
Trying to show his face
There's a God in me
Wants to put me in my place
I've got to get a hold of myself
I've got to be in possession
There's a war being waged
That'll never be won
It's the struggle for possession
I've got to get a hold of myself
I've got to be in possession
And I've got to ask you
What do you want from me?
You know the deeper you cut
The less there's left of me
I've got to get a hold of myself
I've got to get a hold of myself
I've got to be in possession
missbehave777
The sound one of the most talented bands
Gioly Ros
true masterpiece ... like music, text and sound !
Antony M
My God this is beautifoul...!!!!!and powerfull too...!!!!
Dirty Young
POST-PUNK! ♥
The sound like chameleons
Masterpiece.
Paul M
And on the 8th day, God created Adrian Borland.
Apostolos Voulgaris
This song i think its gonna be my lost thoughts before passing by..
The sound like chameleons
3:01 phenomenal power🔋. - C
Stephane Canoen
quel groupe!!!