VNV Nation's inspiration was originally the clash of the modern and classical European cultures, where mythology and technology live in an uneasy fusion, but this has since broadened to encompass a world view. The music ranges from electronic dance music to ballads and classically inspired music. Inspirations are taken from a wide range of styles including contemporary underground club culture, industrial, trance and classical music. The lyrics draw on philosophy, religion, literature, art, politics and different forms of symbolism, although VNV Nation does not advocate any ideology. It is a metaphor for expression. The letters VNV stand for "Victory Not Vengeance". The meaning behind this stylised motto is that one should strive to achieve, not sit in bitter regret.
VNV Nation's first releases were in 1990 with two self produced vinyl releases, "Body Pulse" and "Strength of Youth" (which are now long deleted with Ronan Harris himself not having a copy). After working on some VNV Nation tracks and supporting Nitzer Ebb on tour whilst living in Toronto, Canada, Ronan returned to London and released some tracks on sampler CDs. This caught the interest of German label Discordia and in July 1995, "Advance and Follow" was released. At around about the same time, Mark Jackson joined the band.
In January 1998, VNV Nation signed with the German label, Off Beat Records, releasing their second album "Praise the Fallen" in June 1998 and the EP "Solitary EP" in September 1998. With VNV Nation increasing in popularity, they began their first headline tour in Germany in September 1998.
In 1999, the Off Beat label collapsed, leading to VNV Nation (along with other artists such as Covenant, Suicide Commando and Velvet Acid Christ) collaborating with Stefan Herwig (a former A&R manager with Off Beat) to create Dependent Records. In late 1999, the album "Empires" was released, staying at number 1 in the German Alternative Chart (DAC) for seven weeks, and winning the award for DAC Album of the Year.
From "Empires" two singles were released "Darkangel", which tops the DAC for 5 weeks in mid 1999 and "Standing", which stays at no.1 in the DAC for 8 weeks in early 2000 (the maximum a single can remain in the DAC) winning a German Alternative Music Award for most successful single of 2000 and sharing the place for most successful single in the DAC's history with the Chemical Brothers. A limited edition of the "Standing" single was also released entitled "Standing / Burning Empires" which contained alternate versions and remixes by VNV Nation of tracks from "Empires". This remains one of the most sought after VNV rarities, fetching large sums on auction sites, although it has recently been released on iTunes to allow casual listeners to purchase it.
In March 2001, "Advance and Follow v2" was released as a limited edition, which was a remastered and partially re-recorded version of the original 1995 album "Advance and Follow". The band were never particularly happy with the first album due to it being recorded in less than a week, so the release was seen by the band as a way to put that right.
In October 2001, VNV Nation embarked on their "Futureperfect" tour of Europe and North America, promoting the album "Futureperfect" which was released in January 2002. It reached number 25 in the full German Album Charts, with the single "Beloved" reaching number 60 in the full German Singles Chart. Following the release of "Beloved", VNV Nation part ways with Dependant and create their own label "Anachron Records".
In June 2003, the Honour 2003 EP is released, promoting the "Pastperfect" live DVD, which following many delays and problems was finally released in May 2004. Following this the rest of 2004 and beginning of 2005 was spent producing the album "Matter and Form", which was released in April 2005. Preceeding the album release, one of the tracks "Chrome" was sold in March 2005 as a download on the VNV Nation website, as well as iTunes.
In April 2007, the album "Judgement" was released, and an extensive world tour in support of the album followed. In January 2009, VNV Nation published their plans for 2009 on their website, indicating that the long delayed "Reformation" EP would be available, but now as a full "CD Pack". Also due for release in 2009 is the new album entitled "Of Faith, Power and Glory".
In November 2017 Mark Jackson left the band to "pursue other paths in life".
To read more about Ronan Harris and his motivations behind the band and 2009's "Of Faith, Power and Glory," please visit http://www.dieselpunks.org/profiles/blogs/interview-ronan-harris-of-vnv
Cold
VNV Nation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Put your head against my head
Put your lips against my lips
Put self consciousness aside
No redemption
No confessions
No distractions
No possessions
Blade shall numb you from the pain
No tomorrows
Just submittance
No remorse of self indulgence
Just your body
Just your body
Just your body
Just your body
Just your body on my body
Want your thoughts of me inside
Let your hands run on my skin
Let me be the one you need
I shall be the one you feed
All I am and all you see
Is all I will and ever be
Invigoration
Angulation
Mortal acts of indignation
Put your lips against my lips
Put self consciousness aside
Invigoration
Angulation
Mortal acts of indignation
Crave it all (?)
Know no other
Crash your dreams and fall forever
Show me no place you hide behind
Only body soul entwined
Let me be the one you need
I shall be the one you feed
All I am and all you feel
All that will and ever be
Invigoration
Angulation
Mortal acts of indignation
Just your body on my body
Want your thoughts of me inside
No redemption
No confessions
No distractions
Or possessions
No tomorrows
Just submittance
No remorse of self indulgence
Invigoration
Angulation
Mortal acts of indignation
Mortal acts of VNV Nation
The lyrics to VNV Nation's "Cold" express the desire for physical intimacy and the abandonment of self-consciousness in favor of raw, unfiltered passion. The verses describe a longing for physical contact, urging the listener to put aside any distractions or possessions and embrace the visceral connection between two bodies. The chorus repeats the phrase "invigoration, angulation, mortal acts of indignation," which could be interpreted as a celebration of the powerful, intense emotions that come with physical intimacy, even if they may be seen as sinful or taboo by external forces.
The line "blade shall numb you from the pain" could be interpreted as a reference to self-harm or BDSM practices involving pain, suggesting a willingness to explore the darker aspects of physical pleasure. The repeated phrase "just your body" emphasizes the focus on physicality, with no need for emotional or intellectual connection.
Overall, the lyrics of "Cold" seem to explore the idea that true intimacy can only be found through the act of submitting oneself entirely to another person, abandoning societal and personal expectations in favor of pure physical pleasure.
Line by Line Meaning
Put your hand into my hand.
Let's hold hands and be together.
Put your head against my head
Let's be close and intimate with each other.
Put your lips against my lips
Let's kiss and be affectionate.
Put self consciousness aside
Let's not worry about our insecurities and just be in the moment.
No redemption
There is no need for forgiveness because we are not doing anything wrong.
No confessions
We don't need to confess to each other because we trust each other.
No distractions
Let's focus on each other and ignore anything else.
No possessions
We don't need to worry about material things because our love is enough.
Let your blood run through my veins
Let's be so close that we share everything, even our blood.
Blade shall numb you from the pain
The pain of our problems can be numbed if we ignore them and focus on each other.
No tomorrows
We don't need to think about the future because we have each other right now.
Just submittance
Let's submit to each other and let our love guide us.
No remorse of self indulgence
We should not feel guilty for indulging in our love and being happy.
Just your body on my body
Let's be physically close and intimate with each other.
Want your thoughts of me inside
I want you to think about me and have me on your mind.
Let your hands run on my skin
Touch me and feel my body, let's be intimate.
Let me be the one you need
Let me be the one who supports you and loves you unconditionally.
I shall be the one you feed
I will take care of you and provide for you.
All I am and all you see
I am who I am, and you see me for who I am, and that's all that matters.
Is all I will and ever be
I will always stay true to myself and not change for anyone.
Invigoration
Let's be excited and passionate about our love.
Angulation
We may have conflicts, but we should work them out together.
Mortal acts of indignation
We may face obstacles and challenges, but we should face them together.
Crave it all (?)
We should desire and want everything from each other.
Know no other
We only know and love each other, and that's all we need.
Crash your dreams and fall forever
Let's share our dreams and goals with each other and fall in love together.
Show me no place you hide behind
Don't hide your secrets and insecurities from me, I want to know everything about you.
Only body soul entwined
Our bodies and souls are intertwined, and we should cherish and appreciate that.
Mortal acts of VNV Nation
We experience mortal acts together and endure them as a unified force.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: SHATEK JAMAL KING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Forgottentear
Put your hand into my hand
Put your head against my head
Put your lips against my lips
Put self consciousness aside
No redemption
No confessions
No distractions
No possessions
Let your blood run through my veins
Blade shall numb you from the pain
No tomorrows
Just submittance
No remorse of self indulgence
Just your body
Just your body
Just your body
Just your body
Just your body on my body
Want your thoughts of me inside
Let your hands run on my skin
Let me be the one you need
I shall be the one you feed
All I am and all you see
Is all I will and ever be
Invigoration
Angulation
Mortal acts of indignation
Put your lips against my lips
Put self consciousness aside
Invigoration
Angulation
Mortal acts of indignation
Crave it all
Know no other
Crash your dreams and fall forever
Show me no place you hide behind
Only body soul entwined
Let me be the one you need
I shall be the one you feed
All I am and all you feel
All that will and ever be
Invigoration
Angulation
Mortal acts of indignation
Just your body on my body
Want your thoughts of me inside
No redemption
No confessions
No distractions
Or possessions
No tomorrows
Just submittance
No remorse of self indulgence
Invigoration
Angulation
Mortal acts of indignation
Mortal acts of VNV Nation
@Doomedmandy77
I've looked all over for this version!! Thank you!! Years+ me/my husband (b4 he was my husband)+car+ this song = a damn good memory!! ;-D
@WeltSchmerz1349
Yeah, a perfect soundtrack to have a good sex :)
@Electronaut87
Its the version from the first "Advance and follow" version, released 1995. The Track of "advance and follow v.2" is digitally remastered!
@Maurrokh
I love the raw sound of this version.
@moorddroom
speaking from experience..it's the best to have on during fun times.
@DeathSquadLegionaire
Awesome song. VNV Nation forever!!!
@Sion6
@Electronaut87 Someone really needs to upload v.2. Everything's loud and clear on that one!
@ValekHalfHeart
I will check them out now!
@sirwootalot
As much as I fucking love Automatic, if there was another song with filthy analog electronics like this, it'd make me oh so ridiculously happy.
@itsnotbob1002
sounds almost hollow compared to the other version