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.
Sleeping
W.A.S.P. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feeling the pain's denial
And your fingers in the fire
Look, look in the candlelight
See in the flame of life
And my spell is our lie
Taste the love
The Lucifer's magic that makes you numb
The passion and all the pain are one
You're sleeping in the fire
Taste the love
The Lucifer's magic that makes you numb
You feel what it does and you're drunk on love
You're sleeping in the fire
I gaze and the flame and fire burn
And cry out the name of which I yearn
(Chorus)
Taste the love
The Lucifer's magic that makes you numb
The passion and all the pain are one
You're sleeping in the fire
The W.A.S.P. song "Sleeping in the Fire" is a passionate, intense ode to the power of love and desire. The lyrics explore the idea that love, like fire, can be both beautiful and dangerous, leading the listener to question whether the pleasure of love is worth the pain that often accompanies it. The verses are rich with imagery: the "flame's desires" that the singer must touch, the "candlelight" that illuminates his love, and the "spell" that he weaves to keep his lover under his control. The chorus repeats the central idea of the song - that Lucifer's magic, or the power of love, can make one numb to both passion and pain. The singer is "sleeping in the fire," lost in the blissful, dangerous world of love and desire.
The lyrics of "Sleeping in the Fire" are a reflection of the heavy metal band W.A.S.P.'s gothic, theatrical style. The song expresses a sense of danger and abandon that was popular in the 1980s, when heavy metal was at its peak. The band's frontman, Blackie Lawless, is known for his dramatic stage presence and over-the-top lyrics, and "Sleeping in the Fire" is no exception. Although the song might be considered melodramatic by some, it is an anthem of passion and rebellion for many fans of the heavy metal genre.
Line by Line Meaning
Touch, touch in the flame's desires
Fulfilling your deepest, wildest desires that burn like flames
Feeling the pain's denial
Ignoring the pain that comes with giving in to those desires
And your fingers in the fire
Indulging in those desires, regardless of the consequences
Look, look in the candlelight
Reflecting on the fleeting nature of life while surrounded by its beauty
See in the flame of life
Finding meaning in the midst of life's unpredictable twists and turns
And my spell is our lie
Engaging in a deception that both parties have agreed to
Taste the love
Experience the intoxicating feeling of love
The Lucifer's magic that makes you numb
The seductive power of love that makes you oblivious to reality
The passion and all the pain are one
The intense emotions of love that are intertwined with its inevitable pain
You're sleeping in the fire
Being consumed by love to the point of being completely unaware of its dangers
I gaze and the flame and fire burn
Being entranced by the mesmerizing power of passion
And cry out the name of which I yearn
Longing intensely for the object of their affections
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BLACKIE LAWLESS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jameshenderson3925
Touch, touch in the flame's desire
Feeling the pain's denial
And your finger's in the fire
Look, look in the candle-light
See in the flame of life
And my spell is our lie
Taste the love
The lucifer's magic that makes you numb
The passion and all the pain are one
You're sleeping in the fire
Taste the love
The lucifer's magic that makes you numb
You feel what it does and you're drunk on love
You're sleeping in the fire
I gaze as the flame and fire burn
And cry out the name of which I yearn
Taste the love
The lucifer's magic that makes you numb
The passion and all the pain are one
You're sleeping in the fire
Taste the love
The lucifer's magic that makes you numb
You feel what it does and you're drunk on love
You're sleeping in the fire
Taste the love
The lucifer's magic that makes you numb
The passion and all the pain are one
You're sleeping in the fire...
@dwightrenfield4719
I am 48 and grew up with them... the solo in this song is the reason why I began to play guitar.... Here that guitar talks to you and cry with you.... In my opinion one of the best metal song in 80’s
@HIPPOSTOMPER
@Lester Shytles not 2 yoU
@theH0UNDSofD00M
W.A.S.P. are excelent band. I write are not were, if any doubts just listen to their previously unreleased tunes in the reworking of The Crimson Idol or the previous album. I'm 48 too, grew up listening to this, W.A.S.P. has fuck all to do with hair metal.
@anibalrivero5468
Very well said, man
@chrisocarr1177
That solo was Randy Piper all the way!!!!!!
@strangeproductions9483
It's probably the best metal song ever to me. It's badass and emotional at the same time
@juliegrafton93
One of the best guitar solos ever
@aggelikialexa6255
His voice at the beginning is pure gold.
@janneverho1768
Yes it is.
@panoseu3213
Nαι μωρη Ελλααδα, ναι.