my bloody valentine is a shoegaze band formed in 1983 in Dublin, Ireland. T… Read Full Bio ↴my bloody valentine is a shoegaze band formed in 1983 in Dublin, Ireland. The band’s best known lineup is Kevin Shields (vocals, guitar), Bilinda Butcher (vocals, guitar), Debbie Googe (bass) and Colm Ó Cíosóig (drums). Their 1988 album Isn't Anything is generally regarded as one of the most influential records of the period, acting as an important precursor to the early '90s "shoegazing" scene. In 1991, the band released their second full length album Loveless, later declared one of the finest albums of the 1990s. The band struggled to record a follow up album and split in 1997. The band reunited in 2007 and performed several concerts the following year. The band released their third album, m b v, in February 2013.

The band’s key member is guitarist/singer/composer Kevin Shields, a reclusive perfectionist and radically inventive guitarist/engineer. The band’s other original member is drummer/studio maven Colm Ó Cíosóig; during their heyday MBV also included singer-guitarist Bilinda Butcher and bassist Debbie Googe. Their band shares its name with a low-budget Canadian slasher film.

MBV influences include The Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, Cocteau Twins, late-1970s Wire, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and independent artists such as The Pastels. Kevin Shields has also named The Beach Boys and The Ramones as a personal influence.

After leaving Creation Records in 1992 and signing with Island Records, the band fell into a creative black hole. Rumors spread among their fans of albums being recorded and then shelved. Debbie Googe left the band to form Snowpony; she had not played bass on their recordings since You Made Me Realise. Colm Ó Cíosóig eventually left and formed a band with Hope Sandoval, formerly of Mazzy Star, called Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions. Kevin Shields sporadically collaborated with other artists, most notably Experimental Audio Research, Curve, and Primal Scream. He revealed in a fall 2003 National Public Radio interview that Island Records quit financing his My Bloody Valentine endeavors after he spent half a million pounds of their money.

As of 2006, many rumors mentioned the possible reformation of MBV for a new studio album, but none of these were true. On November 15 2007, My Bloody Valentine announced three upcoming live gigs in the UK for 2008. On June 13 and 14, the band played in public for the first time in thirteen years, offering a pair of "Live Rehearsal" presentations at the ICA in London and officially starting their series of comeback performances. The band went on to play a slew of festivals in Summer and Fall of 2008. Following their appearance at the 2008 All Tomorrow's Parties festival, the New York Times reported that Shields was planning to complete the unfinished album.

On 2 February 2013 they self-released the self-titled album m b v as a download with both vinyl and CD copies shipping on 22nd Feb 2013. The Huffington Post reported that it caused such a public stir that the official MBV website crashed when fans attempted to access the site to purchase a copy.

Cigarette in My Bed
my bloody valentine Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Falling down
I like to watch you
Crawl around

Arms untied
Scratching your eyes out
With a smile

Strange stare
Strangled by the blade left
In your heart

I glide by

Slip a cigarette
In your bed

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to My Bloody Valentine's song "Cigarette in My Bed" are rather cryptic and can be interpreted in various ways. The opening line, "Falling down," could suggest a sense of loss, instability, or depression. The line "I like to watch you/Crawl around" could indicate a passive interest in someone's suffering or a sadomasochistic relationship. The verses continue with references to physical violence and emotional pain, such as "Arms untied/Scratching your eyes out/With a smile" and "Strange stare/Strangled by the blade left/In your heart." The chorus then uses smoking as a metaphor for emotional distance and romantic disconnection: "I glide by/Slip a cigarette/In your bed."

Overall, the song may be about a dysfunctional or abusive relationship, where one partner enjoys inflicting pain on the other or is indifferent to their suffering. The cigarette in the bed could symbolize a lack of intimacy or a final act of disregard for the other person's well-being. The song's dreamy, shoegaze-style music creates an eerie and disorienting atmosphere that reinforces the dark themes of the lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

Falling down
Feeling lost and helpless

I like to watch you
Finding comfort in observing someone else's struggles

Crawl around
Moving with difficulty and desperation

Arms untied
No longer bound or restrained

Scratching your eyes out
Fighting against internal pain and anguish

With a smile
Hiding emotions behind a facade of happiness

Strange stare
A look of confusion and bewilderment

Strangled by the blade left
Suffering from the hurt caused by someone else's actions

In your heart
Internalizing and feeling the pain deeply

I glide by
Moving effortlessly and without a care

Slip a cigarette
Offering a small comfort or escape from reality