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.
Cowboy Song
my bloody valentine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It won't be long before they find out
How you do it
Sometimes evil
I doubt someone's telling a lie
How can you do it?
Oh, you've got nothing to do
Hey, you're some kind of fool
So I think I'll leave
When you're away
This fool's out to play
Yeah, that's how I do it
How soon comes today?
I can't be sure I will find a way
That's how I do it
Oh, so you're playing a game
______________ leaves
Hey, now you do it again
You're what I need
Step this time way out
It won't be long before they find out
How you do it
Sometimes evil
I doubt someone's telling a lie
How can you do it?
Oh, you've got nothing to do
So don't doubt me
Hey, you're some kind of fool
So I think you should leave
The lyrics to My Bloody Valentine's song Cowboy Song are cryptic and hard to decipher. The song seems to be about someone who is doing something secretive and possibly even evil, and the singer is questioning how they are able to do it. The chorus is a bit more optimistic, with the singer encouraging the person to stick around and not doubt them. The second verse seems to confirm that the person is playing a game of some sort, and the singer once again encourages them to keep staying around.
The song overall has a dark and haunting vibe, and the lyrics are fairly open to interpretation. Some have speculated that the song is about addiction or substance abuse, while others have suggested that it's about a dishonest or manipulative relationship. The title "Cowboy Song" doesn't seem to have much to do with the lyrics directly, though it could be a reference to the American West and its notorious history of violence and lawlessness.
Line by Line Meaning
Stepping some way out
Pushing boundaries
It won't be long before they find out
Awareness of inevitable consequences
How you do it
The method of taking risks
Sometimes evil
Understanding the negative implications
I doubt someone's telling a lie
Questioning others that appear artificial
How can you do it?
Questioning the feasibility and rationale of the approach
Oh, you've got nothing to do
Creating time to take risks
So don't doubt me
Believing in oneself
Hey, you're some kind of fool
Calling out reckless individuals
So I think I'll leave
Not wanting to be associated with recklessness
When you're away
Taking advantage of opportunities when no one is watching
This fool's out to play
Engaging in risky behavior
Yeah, that's how I do it
Justification for participating in risky behavior
How soon comes today?
Wondering if there will be consequences soon
I can't be sure I will find a way
Uncertainty about the success of this approach
Oh, so you're playing a game
Acknowledging that risky behavior is similar to playing a game
______________ leaves
Ambiguity surrounding who is participating
Hey, now you do it again
Encouraging others to take risks
You're what I need
Believing in the value of taking risks
Step this time way out
Encouragement to go beyond limits
Contributed by Mason D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Kain128
0:00 Sugar (Only Shallow B-Side)
4:02 Cowboy Song (AKA "How Do You Do It?") (EP's 1988-1991)
7:32 Good For You (EP's 1988-1991)
10:14 Glider (Glider EP Remixes)
20:10 Just Like Us (AKA "Kevin's Song") (Previously Unreleased)
23:48 Time of the Day (Previously Unreleased)
28:31 Map Reference 41 N 93 W (Cover of a Wire song) ("Whore: Various Artists Play Wire" compilation)
32:40 Instrumental No. 1 (Instrumental 7")
36:01 Instrumental No. 2 (Instrumental 7")
40:43 We Have All The Time In The World (Cover of a Louis Armstrong song) ("Peace Together" compilation)
@cleaningmyroom1000
Bring your kiss up to my lips and better get the world I get
Lucky (I) could
I need you photo(graph)
Did you think why (the worst (world turns)}
Give me some
Bring your photo cam where I'm really loving life
Dream it up into you
And I want you to remember me
@Kain128
0:00 Sugar (Only Shallow B-Side)
4:02 Cowboy Song (AKA "How Do You Do It?") (EP's 1988-1991)
7:32 Good For You (EP's 1988-1991)
10:14 Glider (Glider EP Remixes)
20:10 Just Like Us (AKA "Kevin's Song") (Previously Unreleased)
23:48 Time of the Day (Previously Unreleased)
28:31 Map Reference 41 N 93 W (Cover of a Wire song) ("Whore: Various Artists Play Wire" compilation)
32:40 Instrumental No. 1 (Instrumental 7")
36:01 Instrumental No. 2 (Instrumental 7")
40:43 We Have All The Time In The World (Cover of a Louis Armstrong song) ("Peace Together" compilation)
@LuksFrikiMaster
"Time of the day" is officialy called "Angel" on the ep's 88-91 compilation, but it sounds a lot brighter, maybe it's has some new recordings or they just did some mastering to it
@ejenplitobarces
@ImJinxBitch! it was also called "Bilinda song"
@christheant1431
@ImJinxBitch! yeah just mastering i'd say. it's probably because this is some old downloaded mp3 whereas the band would have the original high-quality version which is what they would've whacked onto the 88-91 compilation, with some slight mastering too perhaps
@lucioandriulo9011
I can't get ever enough of listening to MBV songs. Never ever.
@therealmccoymccoy5629
Lucio Andriulo in
@JODIDO84
Saw MBV at the Reading Festival back in 89 (NEW ORDER was the main attraction) where I discovered the band live..."Isn't anything" had been just released back then! Still listening to MBV up to these days !
@jasonisamu9989
Lucio Andriulo ......<3
@miked4309
Joël DI DOMIZIO i loved shoegaze when i was in college back in the late 80's early 90's and beyond but didnt see MBV til 2013 and it got me back into shoegaze. i started listening to MBV on spotify and i discovered cool new gaze bands like Ringo Deathstarr and NO JOY so check em out if you want more bands with the lovely sound
@TheseBitchesWantNikes
Never gets boring. Always fascinating in its intoxicating nature.