Throwing Muses is known for performing music with shifting tempos, creative chord progressions, unorthodox song structures, and surreal lyrics. The group was set apart from other contemporary acts by Hersh's stark, candid writing style; Donelly's pop stylings and vocal harmonies; and David Narcizo's unusual drumming techniques eschewing use of cymbals. Hallucinatory, febrile songs by Hersh occasionally touched on the subject of mental illness, more often drawing portraits of characters from daily life or addressing relationships.
Donelly left the band in 1991 and was a member of The Breeders and Belly, before starting to perform solo. She also contributed vocals to the Throwing Muses self-titled album in 2003. Hersh has also worked solo, and fronts the power trio 50 Foot Wave (which also includes Muses bassist Bernard Georges). Narcizo works in graphic design and has a musical project Lakuna.
In March 2003, Throwing Muses came back with their eighth album, Throwing Muses, which also saw the return of Tanya Donelly who provided backing vocals on the album. A greatest hits compilation titled Anthology was released in 2011. The band's ninth album, Purgatory / Paradise was released on October 29, 2013 in the UK and November 11 in the US. In early 2014, the band toured a few U.S. cities, with Donelly opening for the East Coast dates.
Dizzy
Throwing Muses Lyrics
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Red River shows so many eyes
One eye squinting shading from the sun, shoot me
Black as oil, his hair shone
Lily white his skin glistened
Restless as the reed between his lips blew
It makes me dizzy, dizzy, dizzy in my head
What day is this? I quietly asked the sky
What time is it? he asked me sitting up
Love that villain on the run
He's got me spinning 'round and falling on my head
What are you running from? I asked the white boy
From the guys who chased me there come run
I need your dark skin to sit beside me in my car
Light up my cigar, I'll light you
It's just that mean old Texas sun
It makes me dizzy, dizzy, dizzy in my head
Love that villain on the run
He's got me spinning 'round and falling on my head
And dizzy, dizzy, dizzy
In my head
He said, you're only Indian in Oklahoma
You could be melting in America
White on red, melt with my skin
These two hearts will beat along the walls of our hotel
I need your dark skin to sit beside me in my car
Light up my cigar, I'll light you
It's just that mean old Texas sun
It makes me dizzy, dizzy, dizzy in my head
The last I saw of Oklahoma
A gas station fading in the dusk
Goodbye to my father, I thought, I'm carrying the light
The light of my Comanche
Make sure the dog remembers me
I dream the sand beneath your feet
I hold the light
It's just that mean old Texas sun
It makes me dizzy, dizzy, dizzy in my head
Love that villain on the run
He's got me spinning 'round and falling on my head
And dizzy, dizzy, dizzy, dizzy, dizzy, dizzy, dizzy
In my head
The lyrics of Throwing Muses's song "Dizzy" paint a vivid picture of a scene unfolding in the Palo Duro canyon in Texas. The red river flowing through the canyon shows "so many eyes," and the heat of the sun is oppressive, making the singer dizzy in their head. The lyrics describe a chance encounter between the singer and a white boy who is "restless as the reed between his lips blew." The white boy is running from people who are chasing him, and he asks the dark-skinned narrator to sit beside him in his car and light his cigar.
The song is full of contrasts and contradictions, such as the blackness of the white boy's hair shining against his lily-white skin. The lyrics also reference the singer's Comanche heritage, and their desire to carry the light of their father with them as they leave Oklahoma. All of these elements combine to create a complex, dreamlike atmosphere that is both unsettling and mesmerizing.
Overall, "Dizzy" is a haunting and enigmatic song that defies easy interpretation. The sparse instrumentation, including a simple guitar riff and minimal percussion, allows the lyrics to take center stage and draw the listener into the world the song creates.
Line by Line Meaning
Along the Palo Duro canyon
Starting at the Palo Duro canyon
Red River shows so many eyes
The Red River appears like multiple eyes
One eye squinting shading from the sun, shoot me
One eye squinting to avoid the sun's rays, making me dizzy
Black as oil, his hair shone
His hair looked dark as oil but still shone
Lily white his skin glistened
His skin looked white like a lily and glistened
Restless as the reed between his lips blew
The reed between his lips was restless as it blew
It's just that mean old Texas sun
The hot and scorching Texan sun
It makes me dizzy, dizzy, dizzy in my head
It makes me disoriented and confused
What day is this? I quietly asked the sky
I wondered silently what day it was
What time is it? he asked me sitting up
He asked me while sitting up about the time
Love that villain on the run
I have feelings for that villain running away
He's got me spinning 'round and falling on my head
He's making me dizzy and unable to balance myself
What are you running from? I asked the white boy
I asked the white boy why he was running
From the guys who chased me there come run
From the people who chased me before
I need your dark skin to sit beside me in my car
I want you to be with me in my car because of your skin color
Light up my cigar, I'll light you
I will light your cigarette if you light mine
He said, you're only Indian in Oklahoma
He said that I'm the only Indian living in Oklahoma
You could be melting in America
You might face trouble in America due to your heritage
White on red, melt with my skin
Our skin colors might be different, but we'll still melt together
These two hearts will beat along the walls of our hotel
Our hearts will beat together while we are staying at the hotel
The last I saw of Oklahoma
The last thing I saw of Oklahoma
A gas station fading in the dusk
A gas station disappearing into the darkening sunset
Goodbye to my father, I thought, I'm carrying the light
I bid farewell to my father, knowing that I am carrying his legacy
The light of my Comanche
My light from the Comanche tribe
Make sure the dog remembers me
Ask the dog to remember me
I dream the sand beneath your feet
I dream about the sand beneath your feet
I hold the light
I preserve and hold onto the legacy
And dizzy, dizzy, dizzy, dizzy, dizzy, dizzy, dizzy
Feeling extremely disoriented and dizzy
In my head
Mentally, feeling dizzy
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Kristin Hersh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Crash Palace
Throwing Muses blew me away in concert and they ultimately outshined the headliner: REM. Blew my mind.
davidharte
REM were so inconsistent live. I saw them twice, and although the first time was fantastic, the second was bum numbingly boring, and almost uncomfortable to see a band so unhappy to be playing before an audience.
Crash Palace
@davidharte That's awful. I saw the same thing happen with Jane's Addiction. One show was brilliant and the next began with Perry Ferrell announcing: "I just drank a whole bottle of wine!" It was a disaster.
Jana Cahill
I heard that Deep Purple was an opener and was better than the Band they opened for,
Jana Cahill
@Crash Palace I heard that was the place where a Clown peed all over the stage.
Crash Palace
@Jana Cahill Damn! I'll have to ask my friend who had gone with me. I don't recall that at all - and I wasn't drinking!
Margit Detweiler
One of my fave bands of all time. I, too, had no idea there was a video! There's such a vivid love story in this song, and the way Kristin Hersch spools out her vocals is like a joyous ride unto itself.
paul elliott
Masterfully cool song
Hunkpapa a very fantastic album too, full of gems like this
Great to see this with Leslie on bass - and Tanya and Kristin looking very adorably young
Nothelfer Archive
FWIW, it's their deliberately and aggressively "stupid song" they stuck on the record for the label. Like most pop songs, ultimately, the dumber the better. And, yeah, I too liked this tune well enough back in the day.
Harry May
Saw them on their 1989 tour of the UK - absolutely fantastic live band and great people, too.