While in-between Afghan Whigs albums and amidst a dispute with their record label, Elektra, Dulli recorded demos for the act with friends and collaborators Shawn Smith (Brad, Satchel, Pigeonhed) and Harold "Happy" Chichester (Royal Crescent Mob, Howlin' Maggie) in New Orleans. The demos have an exceptionally dark, tense, and New Orleans-flavored groove and swagger. As a result of The Afghan Whigs' label troubles, it is debated that Elektra leaked the demo tapes as they were widely circulated in the trader circuit.
The Afghan Whigs settled their dispute with Elektra and signed with Sony/Columbia in April 1998. Columbia optioned The Twilight Singers recordings; but preferred to release a new Afghan Whigs album instead. The Afghan Whigs' swan song 1965 was released in October 1998 to wide critical acclaim. The band toured for one year in support of the album but decided to disband in February 2001.
2000 saw Greg Dulli revive The Twilight Singers, reworking the original leaked demos with dance producers and remix auteurs Fila Brazillia. The final product was a mix of southern trumpet, Midwest idealism, and UK big beat, all masking a solemn dirge of life's transformation to death. Columbia released the album as Twilight as Played by the Twilight Singers in September 2000. The band toured with members of Howlin' Maggie and former Afghan Whigs' drummer, Michael Horrigan, on bass.
Dulli took time off following the short tour for Twilight.., investing in a bar in Los Angeles. In 2001, he began working on the follow up for Twilight.. tentatively titled Amber Headlights. The death of Dulli's friend, director Ted Demme in January 2002, forced him to shelve the project, and he took a second leave from writing and recording. After reading the Jack London book Martin Eden, and experiencing an earthquake, Dulli set about writing the concept album that became Blackberry Belle.
Working with a large cast of performers, including former Prince protégé Apollonia and former Screaming Trees singer Mark Lanegan, Blackberry Belle became a rolling expose' of the dark side of love and loss, a familiar topic revisited from former Afghan Whigs albums like Black Love. The critics welcomed Dulli's return and were eager to give his second album, independently financed and released through One Little Indian in October 2003, high marks.
A second touring version of The Twilight Singers including Jon Skibic (guitars), Scott Ford (bass) and Bobby Macintyre (drums), made two legs through the United States and Europe in 2003 and 2004.
August 2004, the band released their third album, She Loves You, a collection of cover songs from artists as varied as Fleetwood Mac, Mary J. Blige, and George Gershwin.
September 2005, Dulli finally released his formerly shelved Amber Headlights on his own Infernal Recordings label through his official website thetwilightsingers.com as his first solo album while working on his fourth Twilight Singers' album titled Powder Burns.
Dulli is also the other member of the duo called The Gutter Twins with Mark Lanegan who released their album entitled Saturnalia.
A third touring version of The Twilight Singers including Dave Rosser (guitars), Scott Ford (bass), singer/songwriter Jeff Klein (keys) and Bobby Macintyre (drums), played at the 2006 SXSW Music Festival in Austin, TX at the venue Friends (208 E 6th St) on March 16th to debut tracks from Powder Burns. Mark Lanegan also currently tours with the group.
The Twilight Singers released Powder Burns on May 16, 2006 supported by United States and European tours.
On January 3, 2007, The Twilight Singers made their television debut on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" show, performing their song "Forty Dollars" from Powder Burns. The band was joined by friend and musician Joseph Arthur on guitar and vocals.
In 2011 they released the full length album "Dynamite Steps".
www.thetwilightsingers.com/
The Conversation
The Twilight Singers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For all the world to see
I traveled through the ether
On the blood of my enemies
And if they dared to whisper
When they thought they were alone
Then I was just as deadly
And though I was a child
And though I knew it well
You'd only know deliverance
To hope I would never tell
The night began to close around
The neighborhood again
But as I walked the streets
The devil tumbled down like rain
And though I was a child
And I knew right from wrong
Three can keep a secret
If two are dead and gone
Not alone, anyway
All alone, let us pray
The secret of my mystery
Will never see the dawn
And you will never, ever know
If you were once my pawn
And when I was a child
And when I went away
You were not the victim
For it was you who let me stay
The first verse of The Twilight Singers' "The Conversation" describes a time when the singer felt invisible yet still commanded power. He traveled through the ether on the blood of his enemies while being visible to the world. The second stanza references how the singer had the power to eavesdrop on conversations, and if anyone whispered when they thought they were alone, he was just as deadly as a bug on a telephone. Even though he was a child, he knew he had the power to decide whether the person he was listening to would experience deliverance or not.
In the chorus, the singer talks about the night beginning to close around the neighborhood, and as he walks the streets, the devil falls like rain. As he reflects on his past, he acknowledges that he knew right from wrong even when he was a child. Then, he poses a riddle: if three people know a secret, two must be dead and gone for the secret to stay safe. The song's final verse comments on how the singer's mystery will never see the dawn, ultimately keeping his secrets secured forever.
Line by Line Meaning
Once, I was invisible
I felt like no one could see me or understand me in my struggle.
For all the world to see
Although I tried to hide, my pain was visible to everyone around me.
I traveled through the ether
My mind was always wandering, trying to escape from reality.
On the blood of my enemies
I achieved my sense of power by overcoming the obstacles in my life.
And if they dared to whisper
Anyone who talked behind my back would face my wrath.
When they thought they were alone
People thought they could express their opinion about me without any consequences.
Then I was just as deadly
I made sure to let them know that their opinions would not go unnoticed.
As a bug on the telephone
It was as if I was always listening to their conversations without them knowing.
And though I was a child
Despite my young age, I was still capable of inflicting harm on others.
And though I knew it well
I was aware of the destructiveness of my behavior.
You'd only know deliverance
You could only feel safe if you hoped that I would never reveal your secrets.
To hope I would never tell
The only way to feel safe was to trust me not to expose your vulnerability.
The night began to close around
As the darkness set in, I felt more in control of my environment.
The neighborhood again
I was familiar with the way the people around me behaved, and used it to my advantage.
But as I walked the streets
Even though I walked in the open, I felt like I was able to keep my true intentions hidden.
The devil tumbled down like rain
I felt like I was winning, and the consequences of my actions fell like rain on my enemies.
And though I was a child
Even though I was young, I knew the difference between right and wrong.
And I knew right from wrong
I had a strong sense of morality that I tried to ignore in order to gain power over others.
Three can keep a secret
If three people are involved in a secret, it's more likely to be exposed.
If two are dead and gone
The only way to ensure that a secret stays safe is by eliminating anyone who could expose it.
Not alone, anyway
I never felt alone, even when I was by myself.
All alone, let us pray
Despite feeling surrounded by people, I felt lonely and disconnected from others.
The secret of my mystery
The reason behind my behavior remained hidden and unexplained to those around me.
Will never see the dawn
The truth about what I've done will never be revealed.
And you will never, ever know
The true extent of what I've done will never be discovered by those around me.
If you were once my pawn
Even those who were close to me in the past were used to advance my own agenda.
And when I was a child
As a young person, I manipulated those around me to get what I wanted.
And when I went away
When I disappeared from people's lives, they didn't realize that they were better off without me.
You were not the victim
Despite my behavior, those around me were not powerless to resist my influence.
For it was you who let me stay
People were often complicit in allowing me to continue my harmful behavior.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GREG DULLI, MANUELE AGNELLI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind