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.
Simple Twist of Fate
Tim Curry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As the evening sky grew dark
She looked at him and he felt a spark
Tingle to his bones
'Twas then he felt alone
And wished that he'd gone straight
And watched out for a simple twist of fate
A little confused, I remember well
And stopped into a strange hotel with a neon burning bright
He felt the heat of the night hit him like a freight train
Moving with a simple twist of fate
A saxophone someplace far off played
As she was walking on by the arcade
As the light bust through a beat up shade
Where he was waking up
She dropped a coin into the cup of a blind man at the gate
And forgot about a simple twist of fate
He woke up; the room was bare
He didn't see her anywhere
He told himself he didn't care; pushed the window open wide
Felt an emptiness inside to which he just could not relate
Brought on by a simple twist of fate
He hears the ticking of the clocks
And walks along with a parrot that talks
Hunts her down by the waterfront docks
Where the sailors all come in
Maybe she'll pick him out again. How long must he wait
One more time for a simple twist of fate
People tell me it's a sin
To know and feel too much within.
I still believe she was my twin, but I lost the ring
She was born in spring, but I was born too late
Blame it on a simple twist of fate
The lyrics of Tim Curry's song "Simple Twist of Fate" tell a story of two people who meet and share a brief but profound connection. The first stanza describes how they sat together in the park, and the man felt a spark of attraction that made him wish he had done things differently in his life. In the second stanza, they walk by a canal and end up in a strange hotel, where the man feels overwhelmed by the heat of the night and the intensity of the moment. He knows that his encounter with this woman is a result of a simple twist of fate - something he could never have predicted or planned for.
The third stanza describes how the woman drops a coin into the cup of a blind man, a small but significant act of kindness that the man takes note of. He wakes up later to find that the woman has left, and he feels an emptiness inside that he can't ignore. He hears the ticking of clocks and walks along with a talking parrot, hunting for her along the waterfront docks. The final stanza suggests that the man feels guilty for his intense feelings and his belief that the woman was his twin. He blames it all on a simple twist of fate that brought them together but also kept them apart.
Throughout the song, Curry uses rich imagery and powerful metaphors to convey the emotions and experiences of the two characters. He captures the excitement, confusion, and pain of a chance encounter that changes everything for two people who were just strangers moments before.
Line by Line Meaning
They sat together in the park
A couple sat next to each other in a park
As the evening sky grew dark
The sky got darker as the evening progressed
She looked at him and he felt a spark
She looked at him amorously and he felt the same attraction
Tingle to his bones
A shiver ran up his spine
'Twas then he felt alone
In that moment, he felt isolated
And wished that he'd gone straight
He regretted not making better choices
And watched out for a simple twist of fate
He wished he had taken precautions against something unexpected happening
They walked alone by the old canal
They strolled together along an old canal, with no one around
A little confused, I remember well
I recall them being a bit lost or unsure of where to go
And stopped into a strange hotel with a neon burning bright
They entered a peculiar hotel with a bright neon sign
He felt the heat of the night hit him like a freight train
The warm, humid air of the night washed over him suddenly
Moving with a simple twist of fate
This happened because of an unforeseeable event
A saxophone someplace far off played
The melody of a saxophone playing in the distance caught their attention
As she was walking on by the arcade
While she was passing by a game arcade
As the light bust through a beat up shade
The light shone through a worn-out piece of fabric
Where he was waking up
This is where he regained consciousness
She dropped a coin into the cup of a blind man at the gate
She donated money to a blind beggar near the exit
And forgot about a simple twist of fate
She moved past the idea of an unforeseeable event happening
He woke up; the room was bare
He regained consciousness, but the room was empty
He didn't see her anywhere
He didn't see her in the room with him
He told himself he didn't care; pushed the window open wide
He disavowed that he was concerned, and opened the window widely
Felt an emptiness inside to which he just could not relate
Although he didn't feel hurt or bothered, he just felt empty inside
Brought on by a simple twist of fate
The reason for feeling this way is because of an unforeseeable event
He hears the ticking of the clocks
He can hear the sound of clocks ticking
And walks along with a parrot that talks
He strolls along accompanied by a parrot that can speak
Hunts her down by the waterfront docks
He searches for her by the docks at the water's edge
Where the sailors all come in
This is the spot where boat crews arrive
Maybe she'll pick him out again
Perhaps she'll recognize him again
How long must he wait
He is wondering how much longer he has to wait
One more time for a simple twist of fate
He hopes there will be no more unexpected events this time
People tell me it's a sin
He has heard that others believe it's improper
To know and feel too much within.
Being introspective and emotive is considered inappropriate
I still believe she was my twin, but I lost the ring
He still believes that she was his ideal match, but something went wrong
She was born in spring, but I was born too late
She was born during spring, but he was born too late to ever meet her as a child
Blame it on a simple twist of fate
The reason he never met her is due to an unforeseeable event
Contributed by Joshua N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.