In 1978, A&M Records released Tim Curry's debut solo album. Entitled Read My Lips, the album featured an eclectic range of songs (mostly covers) performed in diverse genre. Highlights of the album are a reggae version of the Beatles song "I Will", a rendition of "Wake Nicodemus" with full bagpipe backing, and an original bar-room ballad, "Alan".
The following year, Curry's second and most successful album was released. Titled Fearless, the LP was more rock-oriented than Read My Lips and mostly featured original songs rather than cover versions. The record included Tim Curry's only US charting songs: "I Do the Rock" and "Paradise Garage".
Curry's third and final album, Simplicity, was released in 1981, again by A&M Records. This record did not sell as well as the previous offerings, due in part to a less appealing, more maudlin sound. This record combined both original songs and cover versions, and is commonly held to be the weakest of the three albums.
In 1989, A&M released The Best of Tim Curry on CD and cassette, featuring songs from his albums (including a live version of "Alan") and a previously-unreleased song, a live cover version of "Simple Twist of Fate".
Curry toured America with his band through the late 1970s and the first half of the 1980s.
Curry's first full-time role was as part of the original London cast of the musical Hair in 1968. Here he first met Richard O'Brien, who went on to create his next full-time and perhaps still most famous role, that of Frank N. Furter in the Rocky Horror Show.
Originally Curry rehearsed the character with a German accent and peroxide blonde hair, but the character evolved into the sly, very upper-class English (He says 'dine' instead of down, 'brine' instead of brown etc) drag-wearing mad scientist incarnation that carried over to the movie version and made Curry both a star and a cult figure. He continued to play the character in London, Los Angeles and New York until 1975.
For many years, Curry was reluctant to talk about Rocky Horror, feeling that it was a trend that had gone too far and had distracted attention away from his later roles. However, in recent years he has been much more open about discussing the show and now recognises it as a "rite of passage" for many young people.
No Love on the Street
Tim Curry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She was sweating from the steam
Kicked off the covers
Fever burning bright
Paranoia night
Five alarm alert repeats
This city never beats you
But it buries you so deep 'Cause there ain't no love on the the street
Baby's breathing deeply
She's listening to her heart beat
Walks to the kitchen
Dishes in the sink
Baby doesn't think it matters
Maybe read a magazine
And the colored girls go
Whoop-de-doop-de-doop-de-doop-
Doop-de-doop-de-doop
'Cause there ain't no love
Ain't no love in the street
'Cause there ain't no love on the street
Baby needs a frame of reference
Some other place to go to
All night launderettes
Light a cigarette
Jump an usherette
Babe's an all night diner
And she's got a trucker's appetite
And there ain't no love
Ain't no love on the street
The opening lines of Tim Curry's 'No Love on the Street' are suggestive of a person who is struggling to fall asleep, plagued by anxiety and fear. They are gripped by their thoughts, unable to find peace, and trapped in the oppressive and stifling atmosphere of the city. This theme of helplessness is reinforced when the lyrics describe how the city 'never beats you, but it buries you so deep.' This line suggests that while the city is not overtly hostile, it is a place where people can easily get lost or trapped and lose touch with themselves.
The song's chorus, which repeats the refrain 'There ain't no love on the street,' provides a bleak and powerful commentary on modern urban life. It suggests that despite the city's hustle and bustle, people often feel isolated and disconnected from others. The absence of love in this environment is a metaphor for the lack of warmth, kindness, and human connection that people often experience in cities.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby woke up nervous
The person woke up feeling uneasy
She was sweating from the steam
They were sweating due to the heat created by their anxiety
Kicked off the covers
They couldn't stand the feeling of the bedding on top of them causing discomfort
Fever burning bright
They had a metaphorical fever caused by their anxious feelings
Paranoia night
The person was experiencing paranoia
Five alarm alert repeats
Their anxiety levels were rising and they needed to be alert
This city never beats you
The city does not defeat you physically
But it buries you so deep
The city can consume you mentally and emotionally to the point of feeling buried
'Cause there ain't no love on the the street
The city does not offer love and support to those living there
Baby's breathing deeply
The person is taking deep breaths, possibly to calm their nerves
She's listening to her heart beat
The person is tuning in to the rhythm of their heartbeat for comfort
Walks to the kitchen
The person walks to the kitchen
Dishes in the sink
The sink is full of dirty dishes
Baby doesn't think it matters
The person is indifferent to the state of the kitchen
Maybe read a magazine
The person considers reading a magazine as a possible activity
And the colored girls go
The women in the song are humming a tune
Whoop-de-doop-de-doop-de-doop-
The tune has syllables and sounds that aren't words
Doop-de-doop-de-doop
The women continue humming the tune
'Cause there ain't no love
The song repeats the fact that the city lacks love and affection
Ain't no love in the street
The song repeats the same message with a slight variation
Baby needs a frame of reference
The person needs a point of reference or a comparison
Some other place to go to
The person wants to leave where they currently are
All night launderettes
The song suggests going to a 24-hour laundromat
Light a cigarette
The person smokes a cigarette
Jump an usherette
The person makes a reference to jumping over someone who rips your ticket at the movie theatre
Babe's an all night diner
The person considers going to a 24-hour diner
And she's got a trucker's appetite
The person is really hungry
And there ain't no love
The song repeats the message of the city lacking love and support
Ain't no love on the street
The song repeats the same message with a slight variation
Lyrics © CAMERON MUSIC, INC. DBA ARRIVISTE INC MUSIC
Written by: MICHAEL KAMEN, TIM CURRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind