As a teenager, DeVille had a band named Billy and the Kids. He moved to London looking to form a band, but was unsuccessful in finding like-minded musicians. Eventually he landed in San Francisco where he formed a band with bassist Ruben Siguenza and drummer Tom "Manfred" Allen. The band played under the names Billy DeSade & the Marquis and the Lazy Eights before settling on the name Mink DeVille. Later, DeVille took the band to New York City, where they helped to pioneer punk rock music and were one of the original house bands at CBGB, the New York nighclub where punk rock music was born in the mid-1970s.
The typical DeVille song -- if any of his songs can be called "typical" -- is filled with romantic conviction and yearning. Latin rhythms, Blues riffs, and strains of country music can be heard in DeVille songs. Spanish Stroll was a hit in the U.S. and the UK in 1978; Storybook Love (nominated for an Academy Award in 1987) is the theme song of the movie The Princess Bride.
DeVille suffered from drug addiction for many years, which stifled his career. Among fellow musicians and songwriters, he was widely respected. Songwriter Doc Pomus said about Deville, "He knows the truth of a city street and the courage in a ghetto love song."
DeVille died of pancreatic cancer during the night of August 6, 2009 in a New York hospital.
DeVille had homes in New Orleans and Mississippi.
Slave To Love
Willy DeVille Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the usual place
With the tired and weary
There's no escape
To need a woman
You've got to know
How the strong get weak
And the rich get poor
Slave to love
oh, slave to love
you're running with me
Don't touch the ground
We're the restless hearted
Not the chained and bound
The sky is burning
A sea of flame
Though your world is changing
I will be the same
Slave to love
oh, slave to love
Slave to love (na na na na, na na na na)
slave to love (No I can't escape, i'm a slave to love)
The storm is breaking
Or so it seems
We're too young to reason
Too grown up to dream
Now spring is turning
Your face to mine
I can hear your laughter
I can see your smile
Slave to love (na na na na, na na na na)
slave to love (No I can't escape, i'm a slave to love)
Slave to love (na na na na, na na na na)
slave to love (No I can't escape, i'm a slave to love)
(na na na na, na na na na)
slave to love (No I can't escape, i'm a slave to love)
(na na na na, na na na na)
slave to love (No I can't escape, i'm a slave to love)
(na na na na, na na na na)
slave to love (No I can't escape, i'm a slave to love)
The first verse of Willy DeVille's "Slave to Love" talks about someone waiting in the usual place for their lover to come back. The tired and weary lyrics suggest someone who has been waiting for a long time and is likely a bit frustrated about the lack of change in their relationship. The second line, "There's no escape," further enforces the idea that this person is trapped in their love for the other.
The next few lines explore the idea that needing a woman has the power to weaken even the strongest person and make the rich poor. This line suggests that love can be a force that can overpower even the most powerful people. This is where the chorus comes in - the person in the song is a slave to love and cannot escape it, no matter how hard they try. Throughout the song, the singer talks about how they are bound to their lover and cannot escape them.
Later in the song, the lyrics shift to talk about the two of them running together, not touching the ground, and being restless-hearted. The idea of being chained and bound is turned on its head, where the couple is free to roam together. The sky is burning, suggesting there is passion between them. Even though time is passing and the world is changing, the singer says that they will always be the same - bound to their love.
Overall, the song is an exploration of the intense feelings of being in love and being unable to escape it. It talks about the ways that love can change people, and how sometimes it can be the most powerful force in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell her I'll be waiting
Let her know that I'll be in the usual place, waiting for her
In the usual place
Referring to a place where the singer has met the woman before
With the tired and weary
The place where the singer is waiting is known for being full of people who are tired or have been rejected in some way, making it an unromantic setting for a romantic encounter
There's no escape
The singer is helpless in his feelings for this woman and cannot escape them
To need a woman
In order to truly desire and appreciate a woman,
You've got to know
One must understand
How the strong get weak
How even the strongest people can be brought to their knees by love
And the rich get poor
How even the most wealthy people can feel impoverished without love
Slave to love
The singer feels helpless and controlled by his love for this woman
oh, slave to love
Reinforcing his overpowering feelings
you're running with me
The singer feels a deep connection to the woman and that she is his companion in love
Don't touch the ground
They feel so passionate about each other that they are on cloud nine and not touching the ground
We're the restless hearted
They feel a sense of yearning and longing for each other
Not the chained and bound
They are not constrained by anything or anyone
The sky is burning
Their love is all-consuming and intense
A sea of flame
Their love is fiery and passionate
Though your world is changing
Even if everything else in her life is changing, their love will remain constant
I will be the same
The singer is steadfast in his love for her
The storm is breaking
The tumultuousness of their relationship is coming to an end
Or so it seems
The outcome of their relationship is uncertain
We're too young to reason
They are too swept up in their emotions to think rationally
Too grown up to dream
But they are also too mature to simply dream about each other and not act on their feelings
Now spring is turning
The season is changing and bringing new life and renewal
Your face to mine
The singer is focused only on her face and being with her
I can hear your laughter
He can hear her joy and happiness, which brings him joy as well
I can see your smile
He can see her smile, which brings him happiness as well
(na na na na, na na na na)
Repeating a memorable musical phrase
No I can't escape, i'm a slave to love
The singer is still helpless and controlled by his love for this woman
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Bryan Ferry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tangomike15
I love this soulful version of this song. For me it’s the only version that exists.
Gabriele Stockhausen
You are absolutely right. Only he could bring this song over like that.
Jacobo Pacheco
Dos de los más grandes. Willy y Bryan.
Gran versión de una canción de un gran artista cuyas versiones mejoran el original.
Aquí, tablas.
Marcelo Gobello
One of the greatest of all time! Pure emotion!
giovane Holden piùOldchegiovane
Grazie Willy, grazie davvero per le emozioni senza fine.
Evelio Romero
I LOVE YOU WILLY - THIS BRINGS BACK MEMORIES!
JOSE ANTON SEVERO
FANTÁSTICO!!
Assumpta Danés
I'm slave to your music! R.I.P Mr. Deville
Roberto Pediconi
L'urlo dell'amore,la sofferenza del Soul ... grande Willy
Terry Felt
I watched a interview of willy and he said he covered this song to let people know how he felt about losing his wife