W.A.S.P. began following the demise of Circus Circus, a Los Angeles-based band featuring Blackie Lawless and Randy Piper. The original lineup of W.A.S.P. was formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1982 by Lawless, Piper, Rik Fox, and Tony Richards.
The first lineup did not last for long, as Rik Fox was let go and went on to join the band Steeler with vocalist Ron Keel and guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen. He was replaced by Don Costa, the bassist in Richards' former band, Dante Fox (which later evolved into Great White). Shortly afterward, Costa also left the band and his position on the bass was filled by Brayden Parker. By the time they recorded their debut album "W.A.S.P.", Lawless had taken over on bass and Chris Holmes had joined on lead guitar. At the same time, guitarist Chris Holmes joined the band.
Shortly after the album's release in 1984, Richards was replaced by former Keel drummer Steve Riley. The group released "The Last Command" in 1985, before Piper left in July 1986. Lawless subsequently switched back to guitar, with Johnny Rod (real name John Tumminello) leaving King Kobra to take over as bassist. "Inside the Electric Circus" followed in October. A live album "Live...In the Raw" was released in 1987. Riley left during the subsequent tour to join L.A. Guns. He was replaced for future shows by a string of temporary substitutes. By early 1988, W.A.S.P. had started working on its fourth studio album with Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali.
The band's popularity peaked in the 1980s, yet they continue to record and tour, making them one of the most enduring of the West Coast heavy metal bands. W.A.S.P. gained notoriety for their shock rock themed image, lyrics and live performances. They have sold over 12 million copies of their albums.
The band was a prominent target in the mid-1980s of the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) led by Tipper Gore, who at the time was wife of then-Senator Al Gore (D-TN), an organization that pushed for warning labels on recorded music. The band immortalized its fight with the PMRC on the song "Harder, Faster" from their 1987 live album, Live...In the Raw.
"I Wanna Be Somebody" was the most successful single from W.A.S.P.'s debut album. and It was ranked at No. 84 in VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs of All Time.
In October 2007, W.A.S.P. embarked on The Crimson Idol Tour, to celebrate that album's 15th anniversary. It is the first time that the album, often regarded to be among the band's finest work, was performed in full from start to finish. The tour kicked off in Greece, in Thessaloniki at the Principal Club Theater on October 26, 2007.
Blackie Lawless remains the only member from the original line-up. They released their most recent album in November 2009, entitled Babylon.
On September 21, 2012, the band celebrated the 30th anniversary of their first ever live show by kicking off a world tour at The Forum in London. The set for the tour was split into three sections: songs from the first four albums, a cut-down rendition of the Crimson Idol performance and a final segment for newer material.
Heaven's Hung In Black
W.A.S.P. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I have no more wings
I can't take anymore
The gates of heaven sealed
Don't you hear me
Don't you hear me
Don't you fear me
Do you know what it's like
When heaven's hung in black
I can't take anymore
Our walls are black and bleak
I can't take anymore
No rooms here for your screams
Don't you hear me
Don't you hear me
Don't you fear me
Of never coming back
Oh, no more tears please
Hanging heaven black
No don't you leave me to die
Don't you leave me to die
Don't you leave me to die
No don't you leave me to die
And you'll know what it's like
The wailing wall of sighs
Hanging heaven black
And you'll know what it's like
When paradise is blind
When heaven's hung in black
Time – How can you say
That I've no time
Am I blind – now you say that
Heaven's blind, yeah
Across the bridge of sighs, blind, time, time
Oh lord, don't you leave me to die
No, don't you leave me to die
Don't you leave me to die
No lord, don't you leave me to die
And you'll know what it's like
The wailing wall of sighs
Hanging heaven black
And you'll know what it's like
When paradise is blind
Painting heaven black
Across the bridge of sighs
You're losing heaven's light
Heaven's hung in black
The lyrics of "Heaven's Hung In Black" by W.A.S.P. speak of desperation and despair, as the singer of the song feels like there is no hope left for him. He has lost his wings and cannot reach heaven, as its gates are sealed. The walls around him are also bleak, and there is no escape from the screams and tears. The chorus repeats the plea to be heard and not left to die, while warning of the consequences of the blackness hanging over paradise. The bridge of sighs represents a limbo between life and death, where time is irrelevant and blindness reigns.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't take anymore
I am overwhelmed and cannot endure any further pain or suffering
I have no more wings
I am depleted of strength and cannot escape my agony
The gates of heaven sealed
My prayers for relief have been unanswered and there is no hope for me
Don't you hear me
I am pleading for your attention and support
Don't you fear me
Don't ignore the seriousness of my situation and the consequences of my suffering
Of never coming back
I am afraid that my pain will never end and I will never recover
Do you know what it's like
Can you empathize with the intensity of my despair and the weight of my burden
When heaven's hung in black
When the promise of salvation and relief seems bleak and improbable
Our walls are black and bleak
Our surroundings are devoid of hope and life, and only add to our misery
No rooms here for your screams
There is no outlet for our anguish and we are forced to endure it in silence
Oh, no more tears please
I have cried and suffered enough, and cannot bear to endure any more pain
Hanging heaven black
The despair and hopelessness seems to pervade even the promise of salvation and relief
No don't you leave me to die
I am desperate for support and cannot endure this on my own
And you'll know what it's like
You will experience the same agony and despair that I am currently experiencing
The wailing wall of sighs
The sound of our collective anguish is deafening and all-consuming
When paradise is blind
The promised relief and respite seems elusive and unattainable
Time – How can you say
Time seems to drag on and prolong our suffering
That I've no time
I am consumed and preoccupied by my pain and suffering, time seems irrelevant
Am I blind – now you say that
I cannot see a way out of my agony and it seems hopeless
Heaven's blind, yeah
Even the promise of salvation and relief seems to be absent and unresponsive
Across the bridge of sighs, blind, time, time
Despite our desperate attempts to cross over into relief and salvation, we are confronted with only blind despair and the dragging on of time
Painting heaven black
Our despair and hopelessness pervades even the promise of relief and salvation
You're losing heaven's light
We are losing hope and faith in the promise of salvation
Heaven's hung in black
The despair and suffering seems to be all-consuming, even in the promise of relief
Contributed by Kayla M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.