Initially, the band was comprised of Steve Strange, Rusty Egan and Midge Ure (also previously of The Rich Kids). Also in there, and credited as a co-writer of FADE TO GREY was Chris Payne,a member of Gary Numan's band. The trio recorded a demo which included a cover of the Zager and Evans hit "In the Year 2525". Ultravox's multi-instrumentalist Billy Currie and the core of post-punk band Magazine – bassist Barry Adamson, guitarist John McGeoch, and keyboardist Dave Formula – joined the studio-only band later. Visage signed to Radar Records and released their first single, "Tar" (which was originally composed whilst Strange was in The Photons), in September of 1979. The single failed to chart, but the band managed to secure a deal with a larger record company, Polydor, the following year.
1980 saw the release of their second single, "Fade to Grey". The single became a huge hit (making the top ten in the UK and topping the chart in several other countries) and was quickly followed by the release of their self-titled debut album which was also a chart success.
After further Top 40 hits with "Mind of a Toy" and the title track "Visage", Strange struggled to reunite the band's members again to record a second album because of their commitments with their respective bands (Ure and Currie with Ultravox; Formula and Adamson with Magazine; and McGeoch with Siouxsie and the Banshees). However, in the autumn of 1981 all musicians (except McGeoch) went into the studio again and recorded The Anvil. The album was released in March of 1982 and became Visage's first (and only) UK top ten album, producing two top twenty singles with "The Damned Don't Cry" and "Night Train". The Anvil earned Silver disc status in the UK, as did the band's first album.
Following this, Ure left the band to concentrate on his work with Ultravox, who were by now becoming even more successful than Visage were. Creative differences with Strange were also cited as reasons for his departure at the time. Visage, now without Ure and Adamson but with the addition of bassist Steve Barnacle, recorded the stand-alone single "Pleasure Boys", which was released in October of 1982. Unfortunately, the single failed to prolong their string of hits and peaked just outside the UK top 40.
Although still recording, Visage then took a two year hiatus from releasing any new material due to contractual difficulties.
With their contractual problems resolved, 1984 saw the return of Visage for what would become their third album and final released for many years. Beat Boy was released in September of 1984 but was a critical and commercial failure, peaking at #79 in the UK. Two singles from the album, "Love Glove" and "Beat Boy", also failed to make the UK top 40. By this time, Billy Currie and Dave Formula had also departed the band (though they received a "special thanks" credit on the album sleeve for their input), leaving only Strange and Egan from the original line-up along with newer musicians Steve and Gary Barnacle and Andy Barnett. A decision to make Visage a live band instead of a strictly studio-based project also failed to meet with success and the band subsequently split in 1985. Their final release was a Visage VHS video compilation of the band's renowned promotional videos and also included footage of Strange's trip to North Africa the year before. The compilation does not, however, include the original video for the "Love Glove" single which was filmed at a late-night Dockland location in London in 1984.
Following the demise of Visage, Strange then formed the short-lived band Strange Cruise. They released one album in 1986, though this too proved unsuccessful. Visage returned to the charts once more when a Bassheads remix of "Fade to Grey" was a UK Top 40 hit in 1993.
In 2004 Steve Strange reformed Visage with an entirely new line-up. The line-up included Steven Young, Sandrine Gouriou and Rosie Harris from Seize and Ross Tregenza from Jetstream Lovers/Goteki. The new line-up released the track "Diary Of A Madman" in 2007, written by Strange and Tregenza.
Strange released another album using the moniker Visage in 2013 called "Hearts and Knieves.
In December 2014, Visage released Orchestral, a mostly live album containing twelve Visage songs remade with a Czech symphony orchestra.
On 12 February 2015 Steve Strange died due to heart attack while visiting Egypt, He died at 55.
There is another band that use the same name:
2) Visage (ヴィサージュ) was a Japanese visual kei band, who was signed to the Undercode VK label.
The Damned Don't Cry
Visage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No place to go
Nameless towns with faceless people
No place I know
Time to close my mind and drift off
To other scenes
Lose myself in glossy pages
Moments pass by, oh so slowly
Makes me lonely too
Twisting street light, in the darkness
Makes me lonely too
Ah The Damned Don't Cry
No The Damned Don't Cry
Climbing smoke climbs upward slowly
Past my trembling face
I see myself in rain soaked windows
In a different place
Single heartbeats in the dim light
Makes me lonely too
Hearing sounds of celebrations
Makes me lonely too
The song "The Damned Don't Cry" by Visage tells the story of someone who is traveling aimlessly without a clear destination in mind. They are visiting nameless towns and encountering faceless people along the way. The person feels lost and disconnected from the world around them. They seek solace in escaping reality through reading glossy pages and dull magazines. As they wander, time seems to pass by slowly, which only exacerbates their loneliness. The street lights at night seem twisted, and the smoke seems to climb ever so slowly, creating a sense of unease.
Despite the person's isolation and feelings of despair, they realize that they are not alone in their suffering. The chorus, "Ah the damned don't cry, no the damned don't cry," implies that there are others like them who are silently struggling. The imagery of a rain-soaked window reflects their own emotional turmoil as they envision a different life for themselves. Single heartbeats in the dim light further emphasize the person's solitude as they hear sounds of celebration from afar.
Overall, the song tells a relatable story of feeling lost and disconnected in a vast and indifferent world. The somber melody and poignant lyrics convey a sense of longing and melancholy, yet the final line of the chorus offers a glimmer of hope that despite the challenges, the person is resilient and will persevere.
Line by Line Meaning
Traveling with no destination
Wandering aimlessly without a clear purpose or direction in mind
No place to go
Feeling lost and without a specific destination in mind
Nameless towns with faceless people
Passing through unfamiliar, insignificant towns populated by anonymous, unremarkable individuals
No place I know
Lacking familiarity and connection to any particular place
Time to close my mind and drift off
Deciding to mentally disengage and detach from the present moment
To other scenes
Redirecting thoughts towards different scenarios and settings
Lose myself in glossy pages
Getting lost in magazines with polished images and superficial content
Dull magazines
Publications lacking depth or substance
Moments pass by, oh so slowly
Time seems to move at an agonizingly sluggish pace
Makes me lonely too
Further intensifying feelings of isolated sadness
Twisting street light, in the darkness
An object that should provide illumination and guidance is distorted and ineffective in the shadows
Ah The Damned Don't Cry
An expression of resigned acceptance that in difficult situations, one is left to suffer alone
No The Damned Don't Cry
A repetition of the previous expression, emphasizing the sense of solitude and despair
Climbing smoke climbs upward slowly
Smoke rising gradually, reflecting a sense of slow, tedious progress
Past my trembling face
Drifting past the singer's fearful, shaky countenance
I see myself in rain soaked windows
Glimpsing one's own reflection in water-streaked panes, like a distorted mirror
In a different place
Imagining one's self transported to a distant and contrasting location
Single heartbeats in the dim light
Heartbeats pounding slowly and resoundingly in the dim, quiet atmosphere
Hearing sounds of celebrations
Being aware of distant noise emanating from a joyful gathering
Makes me lonely too
Again feeling heightened loneliness and detachment from positive experiences
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: WILLIAM CURRIE, MIDGE URE, RUSTY EGAN, DAVE FORMULA, STEVE STRANGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mnmlstellar
#LYRICS
Travelling with no destination
No place to go
Nameless towns with faceless people
No place I know
Time to close my mind and drift off
To other scenes
Lose myself in glossy pages
Dull magazines
Moments pass by, oh so slowly
Makes me lonely too
Twisting street light, in the darkness
Makes me lonely too
@anttitheinternetguy3213
Ah The Damned Don't Cry
No The Damned Don't Cry
Climbing smoke climbs upward slowly
Past my trembling face
I see myself in rain soaked windows
In a different place
Single heartbeats in the dim light
Makes me lonely too
Hearing sounds of celebrations
Makes me lonely too
@jean-lucpicard4467
Highly underrated this one. Can't get enough off it.
@TheElvisDiet
I concur ♡♡♡♡
@victorpegala2698
Pareil ..j’avais 13 ans
@genomizer2763
Perhaps the best VISAGE song, this is so timeless. Takes my heart and soul everytime!
@FadGadget1
Isolation with Visage and a couple of bottles of red wine, ain’t so bad. x
@DameDarcy999
In Idaho in the 80s i was an isolated Goth teen. Propaganda magazine had a pen pal section in the back. Through this I met a girl with my same birthday june 19th and a guy who became my highschool bf of 3 years who also shared the same birthday. We were all Gemini twins and I flew to LA to hang with them. My bf was a dj for the college Loyola, he played this song and the girl gave it to me on a mixed tape. I’ve traveled around the world several times over and i think this song still exemplifies how I’ve felt like a stranger everywhere, but the people who know it too are my kind.
Everyone loves Fade to Grey and it’s the more well known song from Visage. But this one is the real deal. Hearts ❤️ and bats 🦇 to you my dearest darklings and it’s truly lovely seeing you here🙏🥰 Dame Darcy
@stevengatewood2725
As a fellow Gemini who was into Punk and New Wave in the early 80s (still am), and still seeing tons of bands, I feel you. I had tickets to see Steve, but his sickness had him cancel the show, and he passed not long after. I am saddened by every passing of a musical hero. Hope your life journey is going well. FYI, saw The Fixx last night, and am seeing Midge Ure and Modern English tonight. Do you see a lot of concerts still?
@bitteralmonds666
Visage and Japan/David Sylvian were my jamz in high school and college in the 90s. Nobody I knew listened to them, so it was still a solitary pleasure: Big hair, big over-the-ear headphones, a Walkman or a Discman - the soundtrack to my every day life.
@gearoidmacruari2292
Great comment 😊
@DameDarcy999
@@gearoidmacruari2292
Hello! Nice to hear from you 😍