Wall of Voodoo had its roots in Acme Soundtracks, a film score business started by Stan Ridgway, later the vocalist and synth player for Wall of Voodoo. Acme Soundtracks office was across the street from the Hollywood punk club The Masque and Ridgway was soon drawn into the emerging punk/new wave scene. Marc Moreland, guitarist for The Skulls began jamming with Ridgway at the Acme Soundtracks office and the soundtrack company morphed into a New Wave band. In 1977, with the addition of Skulls members Bruce Moreland (Marc's brother) as bassist and Chas Gray as keyboardist, along with Joe Nanini, who had been the drummer for Black Randy and the Metrosquad, the first lineup of Wall of Voodoo was born.
Wall of Voodoo released a self-titled EP in 1980 which featured a unique, synthesizer-driven cover of the Johnny Cash song, "Ring of Fire". The band's first full-length album, Dark Continent followed in 1981. Bruce Moreland left the band for the first time soon after this, and Chas Gray performed on both bass and keyboard during this time. The band recorded their biggest-selling album, Call of the West in 1982. The track "Mexican Radio" was their only Top 100 hit and the video for the song got a great deal of exposure on the newly-formed MTV. Bill Noland was added as a keyboardist soon after the release of this album.
Stan Ridgway claims that the situation around the band was increasingly chaotic at the time, with a great deal of drug use and out-of-control behavior on the part of the band members, as well as shady behavior by the band's management and record label. Wall of Voodoo appeared at the second US Festival on May 28, 1983 (the largest concert the band had performed), immediately after which Ridgway, Nanini, and Noland all left the band. Stan Ridgway soon went on to a successful solo career, appearing as guest vocalist on a track on the Rumble Fish score and releasing his first solo album in 1986. Joe Nanini soon resurfaced in the country rock band Lonesome Strangers. Joe Nanini passed away in 2000.
The remainder of the band, Marc Moreland, Chas Gray, and a returning Bruce Moreland carried on under the name Wall of Voodoo. Soon after, Andy Prieboy, formerly of the San Francisco New Wave band Eye Protection, joined as singer and Ned Lukhardt was added as drummer. The band continued to record and perform under this lineup until 1988, though their sound was very different from the style of music they played in the earlier Stan Ridgway-fronted lineup. During this period, the entire membership of Wall of Voodoo (with the exception of Andy Prieboy) were also members of Nervous Gender, a lineup that was nicknamed "Wall of Gender". In 1988, Wall of Voodoo split up.
Andy Prieboy went on to a solo career. Marc Moreland formed Pretty and Twisted with Johnette Napolitano and Danny Montgomery from Concrete Blonde and later formed Department of Crooks. Marc Moreland passed away in 2002, a posthumous solo album was issued later as the Marc Moreland Mess.
Their influence has reached an interesting and eclectic range of artists, for example Swiss Death/Thrash Metal Band Celtic Frost covered "Mexican Radio" on their album "Into the Pandemonium"
Good Times
Wall of Voodoo Lyrics
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Its dark and lonely streets
Rain falls on my face
Mixed with salty tears
Confirm your happiness
Everything is looking good
Look down, feel the pain
Falling teardrops to the ground
Think back through the phrases
Restore sanity to the blind
You know she's gone now
Are these not the good times?
Good times, good times
Leavin' them pretty soon
When I'm over the pain of missing you
Good times, good times
Arrivin' just as soon as
All the flames extinguish the memories that I knew
Thinking as though things
Had worked out fine
When I knew it'd hurt you
If you knew you were hurting me
Day breaks, clouds move
And the sun comes through the rain
But for now I'm livin' back
In the stormy night
Chorus:
I gotta think back through the phrases
Restore sanity to the blind
You know she's gone now
Are these not the good times?
Think back through the phrases
Restore sanity to the blind
You know she's gone now
Are these not the good times?
Good times? Good times?
Good times, good times
Leavin' them pretty soon
When I'm over the pain of missing you
Good times, good times
Arrivin' just as soon as
All flames extinguish the memories that I knew
The song Good Times by Wall of Voodoo is a melancholic reflection on a past love, with the chorus questioning whether those remembered moments were truly good times. The lyrics describe a solitary journey through an empty city, with rain and tears mingling on the singer's face. There is a sense of longing for a lost love, yet also an acknowledgement of the pain that relationship caused. The chorus repeats the questioning of whether those remembered moments were truly good times, with the hope that there will be happier times in the future, once the pain has subsided.
The lyrics of Good Times capture a feeling of emotional turmoil, regret, and uncertainty. The verses describe a bleak present, while the chorus reflects on the past and raises doubts about the goodness of those memories. The theme of the song is that sometimes it takes distance and hindsight to truly evaluate an experience and decide whether it was positive or negative. The imagery of rain, tears and darkness contribute to the sense of sadness and nostalgia that permeates the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Night, the city
The darkness of the city is starting to take over and engulf everything.
Its dark and lonely streets
The city's streets are empty, and the feeling of loneliness is spreading fast.
Rain falls on my face
The rain worsens the negative feelings and starts to affect the singer emotionally.
Mixed with salty tears
The tears signify pain and sadness and mix with the rain as if they are one.
Confirm your happiness
The artist sees other people around who seem to be happy, and it contrasts with the artist's current emotional state.
Everything is looking good
The external world seems to be good, but the singer is not feeling the same.
Look down, feel the pain
The singer tries to ignore the happiness around and feel the pain inside.
Falling teardrops to the ground
The pain becomes too much, and the artist can't keep the emotions bottled up anymore.
Chorus:
The chorus seems to be asking a rhetorical question, reminding the artist of the good times with the ex-partner.
Think back through the phrases
The artist is trying to revisit the happy moments to make sense of the current situation.
Restore sanity to the blind
The singer wants to move on from the pain and find closure.
You know she's gone now
The artist accepts the fact that the ex-partner is gone and not coming back.
Are these not the good times?
Isn't remembering the good times with the ex-partner making the present situation more bearable?
Leavin' them pretty soon
The singer is about to move on from the good times into the present situation.
When I'm over the pain of missing you
Once the singer can get over the pain of the breakup, they can truly experience good times again.
Arrivin' just as soon as
As soon as the pain that comes with heartbreak goes away, good times will come again.
All the flames extinguish the memories that I knew
With time, the memories of the past relationship will begin to fade away.
Thinking as though things
The singer is daydreaming about the past and how things could have worked out differently.
Had worked out fine
Wondering what could have been different to make the relationship successful.
When I knew it'd hurt you
The artist is now admitting fault in the relationship and regrets causing the pain they did.
Day breaks, clouds move
The morning sun starts to rise, and the darkness of the night is beginning to dissipate.
And the sun comes through the rain
The rain showers are beginning to subside, and the sun is starting to emerge.
But for now I'm livin' back
The singer is still stuck in their own negative emotions and the painful memories.
In the stormy night
The past memories and pain still have a hold on the artist.
Chorus:
The chorus repeats the same message, asking if reminiscing about the good times is helpful or just a coping mechanism.
I gotta think back through the phrases
The singer still needs to fully process the past, learn from it, and move on.
Restore sanity to the blind
The singer must find a way to feel better and get closure.
You know she's gone now
The realization that the ex-partner is gone and not coming back should be accepted.
Are these not the good times?
Questioning whether remembering the good times are helpful or just making the pain worse.
Good times? Good times?
Still questioning if the good times were ever truly good.
Good times, good times
The repetition of the phrase emphasizes the importance of reflecting on the past to move on.
Leavin' them pretty soon
The artist is finally leaving the past behind and moving on.
When I'm over the pain of missing you
Reaching a point where the pain of heartbreak is no longer causing suffering and the artist is ready for new experiences.
Good times, good times
The repetition of the phrase further emphasizes the importance of moving on from the pain.
Arrivin' just as soon as
Good times will arrive, but only after the singer can fully leave the past behind.
All flames extinguish the memories that I knew
Once the flames of hurt and pain have been extinguished, the memories of the relationship will fade away.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: BRUCE MORELAND, STANARD RIDGEWAY FUNSTEN, CHARLES T. GRAY, MARK W. MORELAND, OLIVER NANINI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind