Toy Love was a New Zealand new wave/punk rock band that originated in Duned… Read Full Bio ↴Toy Love was a New Zealand new wave/punk rock band that originated in Dunedin and was active from 1978 to 1980. Members included Chris Knox, Alec Bathgate, and Paul Kean. After Toy Love broke up, Bathgate and Knox remained together as the Tall Dwarfs. Kean was later a member of The Bats. In 2012, Toy Love was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame and given the Legacy Award at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.

The prototype was Dunedin punk rock band The Enemy. Then there was Toy Love, formed late '78, first gig early '79, they played 500 plus gigs in 19 months, then they were gone. They made an indelible impression on the New Zealand music scene though, upping the theatrics and giving the punters something to dance about. High hopes of making the big time, via Australia, gave way to tougher times ... Toy Love's dissolution soon followed.

Chris Knox, Toy Love's vocalist, was a key player in the foundation of iconic New Zealand record label Flying Nun, mastering some of the first recordings for the likes of The Clean. Knox has been a persistent figure in the NZ music scene and worked alone and on various projects such as Tall Dwarfs and Chris Knox & The Nothing, or simply The Nothing. He also ran his own label, cunningly called Major Label.

The members of Toy Love are said to have hated the sound of the Toy Love LP ("all tops, no bass"). The passage of twenty five years saw the release of Cuts (Flying Nun, 2005) - two discs of reconditioned tracks drawn mostly from previously unknown master tapes along with mixes from 45 singles, the AK79 compilation (Ripper Records, 1980), and demo versions.

Toy Love was:
Mike Dooley - Drums and Cymbals
Paul Christopher Kean - Stereo original with Di Marzio through Holden Graphic (and JBL K145) and Fender Jazz pickup through Jansen Combo.
Chris Knox - A throat, a body and a mind beyond repair.
Jane Walker - Hohner Clavinet, DG-EKO organ, bits of foam plastic, bits of 4x2, Holden graphic amp, speakers, phaser, electricity.
Alec Bathgate - Ibanez 59'er and Rockit 130

After Toy Love broke up, Bathgate and Knox remained together as the Tall Dwarfs. Kean was later a member of The Bats.

In 2012, Toy Love was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame and given the Legacy Award at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.

Toy Love Song
Toy Love Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I know, you took me by surprise
I know, you looked deep in my eyes
I know, you ripped off your disguise
But maybe that ain't enough
I know, I like your pretty eyes
I know, I like your silky thighs
I even like the way you lie
Maybe that's just a trap

I really cannot relax
When I see you by my side
I wonder if your suicide
Affects me like I feel it ought to do
Or was our loving just a toy
A crazy girl, a stupid boy
Ignoring things that
Could've made it true
I know, you had the final say
I know, you took the only way
That's fine, it really is OK
It's just what I would've done
But you beat me to the gun
When I see you by my side
I wonder if your suicide
Affects me like I feel it ought to do
Or was our loving just a toy
A crazy girl, a stupid boy

Ignoring things that
Could've made it true

Overall Meaning

The Toy Love Song by Toy Love is a song that is full of complex emotions that are articulated in a very raw and straightforward way. At first listen, it seems as though the song is discussing a relationship that has ended in suicide, but as the lyrics progress, it becomes more apparent that the singer is grappling with the aftermath of the loss of the relationship and trying to understand what it meant to them. The opening lines, "I know, you took me by surprise, I know, you looked deep in my eyes, I know, you ripped off your disguise" suggest that there was some deception in the relationship, or at least that the singer feels as though they were not completely honest with each other. Despite this, the singer continues to express small areas of affection for the other person, such as their pretty eyes and silky thighs.

However, the most striking line in the song comes when the singer asks, "Or was our loving just a toy, a crazy girl, a stupid boy, ignoring things that could've made it true?" This line is a reflection on the nature of the relationship, and how it may have been more a game to them than a real connection. The line "Ignoring things that could've made it true" suggests that they were both aware of what needed to be done to make the relationship work, but chose not to do it for their own reasons.

As the song progresses, the singer reflects on the suicide of the other person, and how it affects them. They wonder if they feel the way they "ought to" in response to the suicide, or if their feelings are a result of something else entirely. The last lines of the song, "But you beat me to the gun, when I see you by my side, I wonder if your suicide affects me like I feel it ought to do" suggest a certain level of guilt and confusion on the part of the singer, as they try to come to terms with the loss of the relationship.

Overall, the Toy Love Song is a powerful and emotionally complex exploration of love, loss, and the aftermath of painful experiences.

Line by Line Meaning

I know, you took me by surprise
I am aware that you caught me off guard

I know, you looked deep in my eyes
I acknowledge that you gazed intensely into my eyes

I know, you ripped off your disguise
I perceive that you removed your facade

But maybe that ain't enough
However, that may not suffice

I know, I like your pretty eyes
I understand that I am fond of your attractive eyes

I know, I like your silky thighs
I accept that I find your smooth legs appealing

I even like the way you lie
I confess that I am attracted to your deceitful behavior

Maybe that's just a trap
Perhaps that is a deceptive ploy

I really cannot relax
I really can't unwind

When I see you by my side
Whenever I see you next to me