Simply Living (Australia; #18, 1982)

After the success of "Lucky Number and "New Toy" plus their riveting film clips, we thought it time to track down this lady of such mystery and talent. Stiff Records were happy to put us in touch wth her but a late-night call to her London home was met with lonely, unanswered rings. Calls to the Stiff offices began an intense womanhunt to find this evasive creature, who is rumoured to be a psychic and 'traveller without a passport'. Just before midnight I received a call saying that Lene was now awaiting my call.

"Hi, sorry for not being in before," a light, 'normal' sounding voice said at the other end. Dark images of cryptic conversations with a thick, foreign accent fell away.

It seems that Lene spent her pre-pubescent years in Detroit and migrated to England at the impressionable age of 13 with her English-born mother to escape the violent outbursts of her Yugoslav father. [Note: Lene's father was not Yugoslav. It was her grandfather who emigrated from Hercegovina (later a part of Yugoslavia) to America. Lene's paternal grandmother was Anglo-American.] Times were tough and Lene decided to leave school and help support her family, organising a job at a boys' public school as an assistant to the matron. "I went to the headmaster and told him about this," she explained. "He was very kind and told me that I shouldn't leave because he thought I had some potential. So I went to live with the headmaster," she said, pausing . . . "and his family. I stayed on and managed to get some "O" levels and one "A" level. That was in religious knowledge! But I only took that class to get out of games because I didn't care for group sports."

[About journeying to Spain in 1970 to see Salvador Dalí] "I went to see him because I had always felt some kind of affinity with what he was doing. By chance, I met him as he was walking outside his house. I didn't really spend much time with him because he was quite ill and we couldn't say very much. He spoke French to me and I don't speak French," she chuckled. "But it was good communication without many words."

Lene's bio tossed up some peculiar history. At one stage, she - ". . . did some 'screaming' for a French horror film. I just stood in for somebody when they wanted someone who could scream well. I enjoyed it very much . . ." - and other jobs she is credited with doing include bingo caller, hot-dog seller and oriental dancer.

[About recording "I Think We're Alone Now"] "It was all Charlie's idea. He said that he'd never heard a girl's version and he felt that it would be quite suitable. In fact, I had never heard the original."

Her first album, "Stateless", is a record of locomotive drumming, interwoven rhythms and definitely out-of-the-ordinary lyrics. "Stateless" also allowed Lene to exhibit her prowess on the sax. "I think I could be much better if I would apply myself and practise, which I don't do enough. I just enjoy playing when it makes sense to play. I've never felt the need to be a soloist, in fact I've always been interested in rhythmic playing like King Curtis and Junior Walker. I can admire the technique of Charlie Parker, I just don't feel the need to do it myself," she explained.

The next album was recorded in Holland for some very good reasons. "One was that it was cheaper to do it that way. The other reason, and probably the main one, is that I didn't want to be too safe about what I was doing. I didn't want to go back into the same studio and rehash what I'd already done. I wanted a different atmosphere and Holland's only a few hours away." [Note: Another main reason to record the second album in Holland was to stay out of reach from Stiff boss Dave Robinson.]

In early 1981, "New Toy" slipped onto the radio playlists and buoyed the Lovich enthusiasm. The initial Australian release took the form of a six-track EP and included an extended version of "New Toy" and four previously released songs (this time recorded live at the Lyceum in London) [Note: Taken from 1980's "What Will I Do Without You" double 7"] plus a song called "Cat's Away". "New Toy" was written by Tom Dolby, a guy Lene met in America. "I met Tom when I did a tour with Bruce Woolley and The Camera Club. Later he just wrote me out of the blue and said that he'd had a dream about me." Dolby is now in her band and is also lurking around in the film clip.

[Note: The above-mentioned Australian six-track 12" EP and the Japanese six-track EP "New Toy" (both released in spring 1981, thus long before the actual "New Toy" EP (or mini-LP; see below) was even thought of) were just variations of the "New Toy" single release and have been decided for release by the Australian and Japanese local record labels. These releases, as well as the French five-track 12" EP "New Toy" (released in late 1982 or 1983), had no input from Lene or Stiff Records and are completely unrelated to the actual "New Toy" EP, which was an official new release of Lene's on her American label Epic Records (US, July 1981). The actual "New Toy" EP was also released in Canada and Australia (unrelated to the above-mentioned previously released Australian 12" EP).]

A "New Toy" mini-LP was released in the US and includes the title track, "Cat's Away" and four new songs. Lene is intently thinking about a new album. "My mind is so full of different directions at the moment. I suppose that's one problem of being commercially successful. The music we do is not in any particular vein and I'm not always the same person writing the same songs."

Did the 1981 Stiff Tour include some talented and sincere people? "On the last tour they had some great bands like Tenpole Tudor and Any Trouble, but," she added with a mischievous laugh, "I don't think there were enough girls on that tour!"

As the phone call drew to a close, Lene was at a loss to name some bands or artists that she was currently impressed with, saying only that she ". . . can appreciate almost anyone as long as they put a little depth in it and are sincere."

Music Sound Output (US; Aug 1983)

Judging from her new album and her successful shot at playing Mata Hari on stage, Lene Lovich remains the quirky godmother of the new wave.

"I don't have any one face really. My face is complicated, but it's also very plain. So it's easy for me to look different ways."

It was just a casual comment she tossed off about a photo of herself, but Lene Lovich's description of her face goes more than skin-deep. As time wore on, the artist and the person behind the costume became more and more apparent, and harder to pin down. Meanwhile, her music continued to grow, striking an agreeable balance between originality and accessibility.

After a hiatus of nearly two years, Lovich returned to the public eye last year with No Man's Land, her first full-length LP since 1980's Flex. The record places Lovich's throaty, evocative vocals in a musical setting that is perhaps her most diverse to date. Expanding on the sound of the New Toy mini LP, No Man's Land boasts an impressive array of synthesizer textures and places the guitar playing of Lovich's long-time partner Les Chappell even more squarely in the forefront.

"In the past, we used more piano and organ," the singer explains in a precise, gentle accent which reflects her mixed Anglo/American/European background. "We aren't using them so much now. We - Les in particular - are getting more into electronics. There is not more guitar actually, but it is more featured. Before, it was more a part of the orchestra."

Had Lovich had her way, the album would have come out much sooner, around the time the mini LP appeared. "That's when No Man's Land *should* have come out," she says, "but I was having a few problems with Stiff Records in England - over my musical direction, over me . . . everything." Without going into details, she indicates that these difficulties have since been resolved. Perhaps the stunning DOR success of New Toy [Note: DOR = dance oriented rock], which reached the Top 20 of Billboard's dance chart before it was even released in America, convinced the record company that Lene Lovich must be doing something right after all. [Note: Wrong; Stiff Records were not convinced by anything.]

As it turns out, these problems were something of a blessing in disguise. They opened up some new avenues of expression for Lovich: she became co-author and star of Mata Hari, a musical play which had a long and successful run at London's Lyric Theatre. Why did she make the leap from rock to the stage?

"There were a lot of reasons, really, that made the show come about," she answers. "I suppose the basic reason was that I was looking for an alternative way to present music. Not wanting to completely rearrange myself to suit the record company - that's not a very attractive idea to me - what I needed to do was find an alternative until things became resolved."

The alternative materialized through old friend Chris Judge Smith, founder of the seminal art-rock band Van Der Graaf Generator and contributor of several songs to Flex. A playwright and journalist as well as musician, Smith had been commissioned to write a treatment for a film about the turn-of-the-century dancer/adventuress/suspected spy, Mata Hari. The film was never made, but Lene became interested in the story. And when the Lyric Theatre offered to front the money for a stage production of the story, Lovich, Chappell and Smith decided to collaborate on the play.

Acting in a starring role was a first for Lovich. Naturally, it took some getting used to. "I found the politeness of the audience disarming," she says, "their passiveness. I don't mean that in a bad way at all, but at a rock gig, the audience is very strongly participating - dancing, shouting things out. The lights are very big, and the stage is usually elevated from the audience. But this being a very small theatre, I was very close to the audience. It required quite a different type of stamina. Leaving the stage and coming back was something I had never had to deal with before. To keep within the character, remember where you left off, come back, pick it up and carry on - that required a tremendous mental effort for me. The way I'm used to working, in a rock band, I feel the momentum building up throughout the entire show. I didn't know how to work another way. That was a bit hard, but I did enjoy it. It's actually given me more confidence."

While there are no definite plans yet, Lovich would like to bring Mata Hari to the United States and also release an album of music from the show - a blend of synthesizers with Indonesian gamelan, metallic xylophones and gongs. Rather than just transplant the current version of the show to American stages, though, she would like to let it evolve into something different.

"I would like to do it in a less literal way, perhaps make it more universal. Because, actually delving into the life of Mata Hari, you can see so many parallels that are relevant today to attitudes toward women and their role in the world - apart from that, all the parallels between a creative artist in that time and a creative artist in this time. So I would like to take a little bit away from the sensationalism of her being a strange character - flamboyant, elaborate - and make it relevant on a universal plane."

It's not hard to see some parallels between Lene Lovich and the character she had created in Mata Hari. The extravagantly costumed figure that for so many people is Lene Lovich may seem at first to contradict the emotional directness of many of her songs. But the image for her is not an image at all, but rather just a natural expression of personality and taste. "I don't really know how to orchestrate an image," she confesses. "I just do what I like and that's about it, really. I'm sure I've put a lot of people off, but then it would also be false for me to dress up in jeans and a T-shirt or whatever other bands wear . . . whatever is acceptable. That would be more weird. It would inhibit me a great deal to wear somebody else's uniform. I would be very uncomfortable."

As one of the first "rock women" fostered by late-Seventies new wave, she stood out from what was then a very select group. Never relaying on overt sexuality to get over, and penning such anthems as "Joan" on the Flex album and "Maria" on No Man's Land, Lovich seems a prime candidate for rock's leading female role-model. But such easy formulas never seem to work for her.

"I don't really think about this male and female type stuff very much at all," she explains. "Although I do have a lot of strong feelings about things not being fair for women, I don't direct myself to that position because I find it can narrow your vision so much. Maybe it's a very selfish attitude, but I've always found a way to express myself fully without many drawbacks as far as being female. I realize that in other professions, there is a certain amount of stereotyping that needs to be surpassed; but so many women use these stereotypes as vehicles to get themselves noticed that it makes it very difficult to progress sometimes.

"Sometimes I direct things toward girls during a show because there are a lot of females that come to our concerts. I really like that, because when I go to see other bands, I don't see so many girls. So I'll usually direct a song to them, but in my mind it's directed toward everybody."

Talking about compositions like "Joan" and "Maria," her concern with universality again comes across. "In 'Joan,' I just try to encourage people to follow their intuition - their innermost creative spirit. If there's something directing you which seems in opposition to the outside world, if it matters to you, then you should do it. I don't always feel confident myself and writing songs like that helps lift me out of these low periods."

"When I was writing, 'Maria,' in fact, I was trying to think of a name that was universal for both men and women. But there was something in my mind that kept saying 'Maria, Maria' all the time, and I had to listen to it. And of course, apart from the subject matter, I do think of the sounds of the words when I'm writing a song. That's important, and it can sway me to pick one word over another." [Note: The words "Maria, Maria" already appeared as male background vocal at one spot in the song "Joan".]

It's usually Lovich who comes up with the lyrics, but beyond this she finds it hard to make generalizations about how she writes songs with Les Chappell. "We're an inspiration to each other," she ventures. "I do usually write the words, but they're almost always inspired by some personal experience, or sometimes they're inspired by sound. Les is very often experimenting, playing something in some other room, and I can be some distance away and hear something in or around what he's doing. It can be anything, really . . . a few notes strung together that actually trigger off a picture in my mind. We rely totally on impulse. We never sit down to write a song, although I've had to do that in the past working with other people. All the songs were created because we wanted them to be there - not because we were looking for them, but because the songs seemed to want to exist themselves and we liked them enough to develop them. We have hundreds of little bits of music that we've recorded and later turn into songs. [Note: This does not mean that each recorded bit will eventually evolve into a song; it means that a certain amount of these little ideas recorded will go into one particular song in the end (Source: Other interviews).] Sometimes that can take a long time. Developing songs is where the actual songwriting technique comes in.

"I don't even know how we write songs. In a way, I'm only trying to thrill myself initially. If I'm thrilled by something, there's a fair amount of chance that other people will be thrilled by it as well. It's a selfish activity, really. I'm not thinking about the outside world in the initial stages."

"Lovich and Chappell have for some time now been working to complete a recording studio in their home in Norfolk, outside of London. Their home is a former vicarage which the church decided to sell. "When the new vicar came to our village, he didn't want to live in the house," Lene laughs. "He said it was an icebox; there was no heating."

Work on the studio has come along rather slowly, obviously a source of great frustration for Lovich. "There's still a long way to go," she sighs. "This whole business of not having a record out has had so many repercussions along the way. There was no income from either publishing or recording. It meant that we were very short of cash. But what we have done is get the space ready. We have a little bit of equipment, but we don't have the big, expensive equipment yet. That's the next step. We have a few ideas how to organize this and perhaps there's a possibility of borrowing somebody else's equipment for a time."

What the couple are aiming for is a 16-track studio primarily for themselves but large enough to accommodate the entire group. They would like to make their records there in the future, but Lene is just a little apprehensive about it. "We might have to mix somewhere else because some of the equipment that we've used in the past is quite expensive; and at the moment, I think we're going to spend our money on the tape machine and basics."

Had things gone differently, No Man's Land could have been recorded at Lovich and Chappell's home studio. But as it was, the record was done piecemeal at a number of English studios. "We did tiny little pieces whenever we could grab studio time," Lovich says. "I didn't want it to sound patchy. I wanted it to have one positive impact. I have to thank Bob Clearmountain; he remixed the whole album and made it sound like a single project. He was able to do that without taking away or adding anything. I like him so much and I'd like to work with him again; he's a real artist."

The consistency of No Man's Land can also be attributed to Lovich's regular ensemble of players - bassist Mark Hayward-Chaplin, drummer Justin Hildreth and pianist Dean Klevatt, who form the nucleus of the band on the record. She's been working with these musicians for some time now, and surrounding herself with the right people is something she values highly. "There's a style of playing that you like," she says, "and who you can work with personality-wise is also very important. Something I've found about working in an outside studio, especially if the engineer is not on your wavelength, is you wear yourself out a lot trying to relate your ideas to the musicians and the engineer. Quite often, you spend a lot of time justifying your ideas. What you want to do may be a load of rubbish, but until you hear it, it's no good for them to say it's not going to work. I can't deal with that. They must try it. I find that to be one of the most frustrating things about working in the studio."

By the same token, she's not really interested in using obedient studio musicians who will contribute nothing of their own style. "You've got to try to find a sort of compromise," she explains, "where the musicians feel confident about their ideas and they like your music so they want to contribute their ideas. That's great. Sometimes their ideas might be better than mine. That's how it is when you work with a band."

One musician whose collaborations with Lovich have been especially fruitful is Thomas Dolby, who wrote "New Toy" and occasionally plays keyboards for Lovich both live and on record. The two artists have actually known one another for quite a while now.

"About three years ago, I did a tour here in America," Lovich recalls, "and there was a band called Bruce Woolley and The Camera Club who were on the same label. Thomas played keyboards for Bruce Woolley, and that's where I first met him. Sometime after that, I was looking for a keyboard player and I got a letter from Tom. At first, I didn't recognize his name. He just said he had a dream about me. I was curious enough to follow it up, and I was glad to get in touch with Tom again. We did a bit of rehearsing together and he brought me a tape of a song he'd written called 'New Toy,' which I related to straightaway and wanted to record. He became involved in recording with us then and came to America with us when we did that mini-tour."

Dolby also plays on one track on No Man's Land, "Rocky Road," and turned up on keyboard during a gig at New York's Ritz during Lovich's most recent tour. She's returned the favor by appearing on a few of Dolby's own projects. "I recorded with him on his album," she says, "backing vocals mainly. I appeared in his videos, too. There's a video for a song called 'Radio Silence' that I'm in, but I'm looking different. I have a blond wig on and look like quite a different person. Not many people know it's me."

Lovich is quite pleased at her friend's recent American success with "She Blinded Me with Science," but admits to being a bit perplexed as to why it happened when it did. "A lot of people don't realize Tom had a record out before," she says. "They think it's a new album. So it seems his record company has reissued his original album. So much depends on timing here in America. It has nothing to do with the quality of the music. It's just whether things are right for the time."

And what about her own progress in the U.S.? Her records have won her a substantial cult following here, but except for the DOR success of New Toy, she has yet to score a major hit. How does she feel about that?

"I suppose I'm probably most pleased with things in America than anywhere else. I seem to have a fair amount of respect here as an artist, which is very important to me. It's more important than actually having a hit record. A little while ago, I came to New York to work on Tom Verlaine's album Words from the Front. I've always admired and respected Tom Verlaine, and now he's a friend of mine. To be able to be respected in that way that people want to work with you, that's the biggest compliment you can receive. And that's very important to me."

Collage (US; April 1980)

Lene Lovich & Her Cuckoo-Bird Voice

"We have a show in England called "Top of the Pops" - it's really a chart show," says Lene Lovich. "And one thing I've always thought about: my mother's always been concerned about me. She wondered why I was still in art school, when I was getting so old." She pauses, chuckling. "She wanted me to have a job, a career of some kind. When I became involved in music, she thought it was even less stable. And I think it was when I got on "Top of the Pops" that I knew my mother would feel, uh, happier about the situation."

Lene opens her eyes wide and looks over at the video camera standing on a tripod a few feet away. She flashes a dazzling, toothy smile and fiddles with a bow-like decoration in her plaited russet hair. On tour promoting her second Stiff Records LP, Flex, Lovich is surrounded in her motel room by lighting equipment, microphones, cables and all the trappings of television as she glides through simultaneous interviews with Videowest and Collage.

Lene's talent lies in her ability to project her hiccupy, cuckoo-bird voice with such impassioned, breathless sincerity that she nearly takes your breath away. "Beware of promises," she sings in "The Night," a look at her mercurial first year in the record business.

"The Night" is "not only about the record business, but people in general who tell you stories in order to keep you happy," cautions Lovich. "People can lead you into a false sense of security, and if you're not smart enough to be able to see beyond that, you can get yourself into big trouble emotionally. I'd rather always know the truth."

While demands of fame have created a host of problems - among them, a minimization of her personal privacy - Lovich continues to maintain an open, friendly attitude toward her public. "One of the main problems in this business is being able to speak for yourself, being allowed to get through to people," she says, "I'm very concerned about that. I don't want to be an elitist person, I don't want to be obscure for the sake of it, I don't want to hide myself away. So I talk to people whenever I can.

"I don't really like the idea of stars," she says. "I think that, in the very near future, there will be less stars. And there will be more alternatives, more people sharing the limelight. I think that's a better situation. People would probably like a lot of different things if they were just exposed to them."

But for all her populist theories, Lene admits that she is occasionally bothered by fans who "are quite attracted to what they think it's like to be involved in this business. You find people interested in your private life - what kind of food you eat. It puts you up for an examination that most people never have to face. That's okay, if you don't mind being disturbed and have a lot of time.

"But it can be a bit disturbing. Sometimes I'll walk into a launderette, and people are suddenly concerned that, 'You're here alone, doing your laundry? What?' They don't understand. They have these odd ideas of what people in the music business are like. I mean, I like clean clothes as much as anybody." She bursts with laughter.

Lene's reaction to the demands of notoriety has been to forge a tighter bond with Les Chappell: "Life is a struggle for one/Make it double and two can survive," she confides in a tune called "Wonderful One." This may seem a bit prosaic for a woman whose stage presence is outrageously cartoonish - all flailing arms, can-can kicks and melodramatic facial expressions - but she insists that "the music we do is not just a visual thing, not just a gimmick, a theatrical experience. I like to involve mental images. When people get angry or sad, their minds are full of pictures. I try to piece together a story that contains these pictures."

Not surprisingly, Lovich has been one of the first artists in the emerging field of rock-video. "Stiff is very aware that the idea of using video is a very progressive thing to be interested in," she says. "The world is a very big place, and if you intend to reach many people it helps to be able to send a visual image so that people can understand your feelings behind the songs.

"Of course, video is a financial problem, because it's so expensive. But Stiff feels it is a good investment. So now we have a person working full time at Stiff who has been involved with films for a long time; we are creating a unit within the company for visual presentation. Stiff is just learning about video and the whole idea of video discs for the future. And I think it will be important in the future, especially here in America, because of the conservativeness that you find on radio. That's forcing video to become more important all the time.

"I'm just interested in presenting a total picture of what I do," she smiles gently. "And as you can't possibly be physically in the room with every person who plays your record, I think maybe video is the next closest thing.

"I don't want to become isolated, like somebody living on their own planet," says Lovich, growing serious and quiet. "I really like this world a lot. If I didn't like it, I think I'd remove myself from it, either mentally or physically. But I do like it, and I want to be part of it. Being in music can't keep me from that."

The Island Ear (Long Island/NY; 09 May 1983)

Star Spot: Lene Lovich

Favorite Food: Raw mushrooms

Favorite Color: Red

Favorite Movie: The Night of the Hunter

Favorite Actor: Robert De Niro

Favorite Actress: Greta Garbo

Favorite TV Show: Outer Limits

Favorite Album: Waiting for the Sun - The Doors

Favorite Single: Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix

Favorite Group: Nina Hagen

Favorite Pastime: Walking at night

Biggest Dislike: Hypocrisy

Interview

-The interview was originally to take place before your show at Malibu, but we had to postpone it because you were having difficulty with your voice. Is that something that happens often because of the nature of your singing style and you work your voice a bit too hard?

LL: No, it doesn't really have that much to do with the way I sing. It's mainly just due to wear & tear tiredness. We don't have the luxury of having too many days off because it all costs money to keep a band and crew together on the road, so we have to keep moving. Other people get a chance to rest and obviously since my time here is so short I tuck as much into the the day as I can, so I'm often working all day and all night and your body shows it in the way that it does.

-Are there any precautions you can take to stop that from happening?

LL: I think it's unavoidable but for my voice I always take a lot of honey. I think it helps you with a bit of instant energy and it certainly helps to avoid the shock of singing.

-What are the differences that you've been able to notice on this tour as opposed to your last American tour (3 years ago)?

LL: Maybe the audience is more varied than it used to be. I don't know if it's because the music I do is more acceptable nowadays, but I certainly see people from a lot different lifestyles turning up.

-When you say that the music you do is more acceptable, do you think it's your music or "new music" in general that is more acceptable?

LL: I'd have to say new music in general. I don't really know how I figure in this new music thing because it's not very new to me.

-I was just looking through Billboard Magazine and I was surprised to find that your new album is not on the charts. Why do you suppose that is?

LL: I don't know. There are many things to consider and I know from a practical point of view that the record is not really being promoted. I know that. It is a bit distressing especially when you go to the trouble and expense and the wear and tear that it takes to go out on the road. I'm happy to be here but since I'm stuck in a not very attractive situation of being not signed directly to the company (Epic), but being signed via my English record company (Stiff).

-And Stiff doesn't have an office here.

LL: No, they've very foolishly closed their offices here. I'm in an unfortunate situation here where the record company has given a big advance to Stiff, which I see nothing of. Now the record company feels that they can't promote it because they paid too much for the record. It'll have to be resolved someday. But our tour is successful. We sold out here in L.A. a month in advance when groups who are being played on the radio heavily and are playing here at the same time, aren't. It's a great feeling. To be honest I don't really feel like I need the reassurance of a hit record when I've got such strong supporters. All I really need to do to make things possible is to have enough people supporting us so that we can continue.

-Do you think that one of the reasons you haven't had as much success in America is because there are various European influences in your music that may be foreign to rock & roll ears here?

LL: Yes. But as well as it having a European feeling, it also has a very basic human feeling to it and I think that should be universal.

-How did your recent stage production in England of Mata Hari come about?

LL: With having the problems with the English record company, I had to find an alternative way to be able to make music without having a record out, which is really almost impossibe when you get to a certain professional stage where you can't ask people to work for you for nothing. You need some way to find to do this without it costing you money. Certainly with not having a record out in two years there was no money coming in. Another reason was that I went to see a musical play by a friend of mine who wrote two songs on Flex, Chris Judge Smith. I suppose the idea just came to me to do a stage show so I could involve myself in music and at the same time there wouldn't be tremendous touring expenses and it would be a very interesting project.

-Did people come to see Lene Lovich, the pop star, or did theater people also come?

LL: It was a real cross-section of all types of people. Some very old and some very young.

-Do you have plans of bringing the show to America?

LL: I would really like to because there seems to have been so much interest in it and I'd really like to do it again, but I'd like to take some time away from it. I think there are so many different ways to tell the story and for my own interest really, I'd like to try another version of it.

-What about doing film work?

LL: I was involved in a film last year in France that was made for T.V. and that was an exciting experience for me.

-With music?

LL: I played the part of a singer. I'd like to be involved in acting but I'd like the opportunity to step aside from my real self and most of the parts that I'm offered is to play a character exactly the same as myself. So there's not any real challenge there but the experience is still new to me.

-Do you find it a challenge transposing your songs into video?

LL: I love the idea of it, but it's very difficult to make more than one interpretation of a song without being completely random about it. This is something I find hard to deal with because I see myself on many different planes, really.

-I could understand where a video could limit the many images and atmospheres of your songs.

LL: I would like to make three or four videos of the same song, but that's a luxury I can't really afford.

-What singers around today do you find interesting?

LL: It's difficult really because there are not so many people who I find who are following their own creative ideas. There are so many people who are walking down the same sort of road. I like very much Nina Hagen. I know her as well and in a way that may have something to do with it. I like the way she's using her voice in a creative way. People may not agree with her philosophies or whatever, but just if you really listen to her voice she uses it in a creative way. I find it really difficult and I don't have a lot of time to listen to an awful lot of music, so there are probably a lot of people out there who are being very interesting in what they do with their voices and I probably just haven't come across them. You tend to find two or three different types of styles of singing which everybody else kind of goes along with. I really just find that it's not very attractive to me because I'd rather listen to different types of music. It doesn't matter what kind of music it is. Unfortunately, in this new music situation, there are certain stereotyped ways of delivering a song.

-Boring?

LL: If enough people do it, it does become boring.

-Other artists have imitated your style and have had more success with it. How do you feel about that?

LL: Maybe some of the reasons why they've been more successful is because in a way they are more simplified. They have tuned in to two or three of the planes and made it easier perhaps for the audience to accept the idea.

-Does the thought ever go through your mind, 'Maybe I should make music that will work for them - especially Americans'?

LL: It has been suggested to me a lot. This happened to me while I was at art school and I think I just woke up one day and decided there was absolutely no point in me being on this earth to do somebody else's art. (Apart from a period of work where I was learning about music, when I did have to work with other people's music and it was for a specific purpose). Now that I have had a kind of freedom, there is no way that I can give away any of that freedom.

Other lyrics

Except where noted, all lyrics by Lene Lovich (music by Lene Lovich and Les Chappell; all saxophone and trumpet lines by Lene Lovich).

"Be Stiff" - studio recording; live recording
"One Lonely Heart"
"The Fall"

"Picnic Boy" (Residents song with Lene on vocals)

"New Toy"
"Never Never Land"
"Details"

"Blue Hotel" (single recording)
"Blue"
"O Seasons O Castles"
"Breaking the Rules"

"Don't Kill the Animals" - Rescue Version - album mix; Rescue Version - video mix; single recording

"Supernature"
"Rage" (with Erasure)
"Moustache"
"Little Margaret" (intro for "Ghost Story")
"Alpha Girls"

"Be Stiff"

Music by Bob Lewis; song title by Bob Lewis, lyrics by Gerald Casale.

studio recording

(be stiff [x6])

be stiff, b-abies be stiff, fruit ooze is wetly lewd, so stay dry in rubber boots and be stiff, cucumbers ripe and rude, bend over fixed to shoot and be stiff

[chorus] breathe hard in metal suits now, live right, make lots of loot and be stiff

be stiff, b-abies be stiff, wet women waste your food, go solo, no, no twos and be stiff, watch out for fruits and mutes, deep sleepers jerk the root, so be stiff

[chorus]

be stiff, b-abies be stiff, fruit ooze is wetly lewd, so stay dry in rubber boots and be stiff, wet women waste your food, go solo, no, no twos and be stiff

[chorus]

live recording (released on "Be Stiff" six-track 12" EP)

Lyrics by ???

be stiff [x11]

be stiff, b-abies be stiff, we stick them in the groove, we stick, now you can't lose, so be stiff, we stick them in the groove, accept no substitutes and be stiff

[chorus] breathe hard in metal suits now, live right, make lots of loot and be stiff

be stiff, b-abies be stiff, we stick them in the groove, accept no substitutes and be stiff (be stiff), we stick them in the groove, accept no substitutes and be stiff

[chorus]

be stiff, b-abies be stiff, we stick them really cool, we stick, now you can't lose, so be stiff 

we stick them in the groove, we stick them, and be stiff

[chorus]

be stiff [x14]

be stiff, b-abies be stiff, we stick them in the groove, accept no substitutes and be stiff, we stick them really cool, we stick, now you can't lose, so be stiff

[chorus]

________________________________________________________________________________________________


"One Lonely Heart"

[chorus] one lonely heart, tired of being apart seeks company, one lonely heart, trying to make a new start seeks sympathy
all I'm asking for is a chance to be happy like before, once the sun would shine, huh, but now it seems my world is cold
[chorus]
all I'm looking for is a light at the end of the road, somewhere to call home and a key, a key that fits the door
[chorus]
ah, those eyes, yes, you have those eyes, and that smile, I've been here so long, are you the one?
all I'm waiting* for is a sign, the time goes by so slow, some small hope in sight warms my soul, it won't be long, I know

(* "all I'm looking for" on the studio version; this might have been a slip of attention at the recording session, since Lene sings "waiting" on all live performances of this song)

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"The Fall"

Music and lyrics by Judge Smith.

rumours arrived as they sat at the feast, of the army that comes from the east burning each village and farm, the temple bell sounds the alarm

invasion [x3], look out, it's happening right now, knock on the door in the night now

fires on the hillside surrounding the town, fires and night coming down like a blanket, and fear at the gate, and there's nothing to do but wait

danger [x3], oh, oh, look out, it's happening right now, knock on the door in the night now

blood on the paving stones, blood on the walls, as the city of wisdom falls, conquering squadrons march in with banners the colour of sin

darkness [x3], oh, look out, it's happening right now, knock on the door in the night now

look out, it's happening right now, knock on the door in the night now

some old men grab all the books that are in sight, then escape into the night, carrying their truth far away, you can see them still running today
freedom [x3], oh, oh, look out, it's happening right now, knock on the door in the night now, look out, it's happening right now, knock on the door in the night now

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Picnic Boy" (released on The Residents' "Commercial Album")

Music and lyrics by The Residents.

she called my friend a picnic boy, I never could stand that

oh, she called my friend a picnic boy and said he was too fat, fat

I left her in the early morning, looking at the rain I found I could not take the pressure, so I took the train

(all vocals by Lene (uncredited))

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 "New Toy"

Music and lyrics by Thomas Dolby.

did I ask you for your love? did I ask you for your dedication? I don't want, I don't want your love, I don't want, I don't want your affection
but I got to have the car (I need it for the weekend), I got to have the stereo (and a couple of deletions), I got to have the freezer (put some fun back in my eating), I got to have it all until I'm complete
I want a new toy (oh-ay-oh) to keep my head expanding (ta), I want a new toy (oh-ay-oh), but nothing too demanding (ta), then when everything isn't roses, when everything is static (ta), me and my new toy (oh-ay-oh), you find us in the attic

you, sometimes you make me feel, I feel so insecure, sometimes you make me feel nothing at all

I'm sick of the TV (well look at the news), I'm sick of the radio (but what can you do?), I'm sick of the hoover (but I need to vacuum), I'm sick of it all, so what can I do?

I get a new toy to keep my head expanding (ta), I get a new toy, but nothing too demanding (ta), then when everything isn't roses, you don't get any headroom (ta), me and my new toy, you find us in the bedroom, yeah

you - who? - you must - must? - you must want - huh - what do you want? you, you must, you must want, what do you want? you - who? - must, you must want, what do you want, do you want, do you want?
(new toy), new toy, (new toy, oh-ay-oh, new toy), ooh, new toy, (new toy), oh-ay-oh, (oh-ay-oh, new toy, new toy, oh-ay-oh), (new toy), new toy, new toy, a new toy*, (new toy, oh-ay-oh), wonderful, (new toy, oh-ay-oh, new toy, new toy)

(* or "brand new toy" ?)

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Never Never Land"

Music and lyrics by Jimmie O'Neill.

in Never Never Land, you and me, in Never Never Land we'll always be, in Never Never Land, there's no such place, there never was, we just made believe there was because
in Never Never Land we have no fear, in Never Never Land, the coast is clear, in Never Never Land the present tense makes perfect sense and all our ends are happy endings
in Never Never Land we'll fade away, in Never Never Land no day today, in Never Never Land impossible is possible, there's no such thing as fantasy
[chorus] in Never Never Land I try to reach you, in Never Never Land I try to reach you to make contact, you're not aware of me, no you're not interested, you're not aware of me, you're in a different world
(Never Never Land [x2])
[chorus]
in Never Never Land, you and me, in Never Never Land we'll always be, in Never Never Land, there's no such place, there never was, we just made believe there was because

(Never Never Land)

________________________________________________________________________________________________


"Details"

little we can say feeling so afraid, inside out again, oh what a silly game we play, roundabout we go, viciously in circles, must we do what we are told?
oh what about the details, all the little details*, oh what (what)

so many details, so many details, what can I do, there are so many details**

details of freedom constantly out of reach, where are the details, where is the place for me

little do we know, how far can we go, some of us are broken, others seem to overcome, let your mettle show now, you could be a hero, suddenly you're on your own, alone
oh what about the details, all the little details*, oh what

so many details, so many details, what can I do, there are so many details**
details of freedom constantly out of reach, where are the details, where is the place for me

little we will find if we close our mind, bottled up inside us there's a lot to iron out, in the light of day we might be much wiser, take the chance and break away
oh what about the details, all the little details*
where are the details, where is the place for me

(* first version (released on "Riding High" soundtrack album and on Japenese six-track 12" EP "New Toy" (not related to actual "New Toy" EP)): "every little detail")

(** first version only; words hardly discernible but they are correct, since they can be heard clearly on recordings of 1980 live performances)

________________________________________________________________________________________________


"Blue Hotel" (single recording)

Music and original lyrics by Mauro Goldsand, with musical adaption by Lene Lovich and Les Chappell; lyrics by Lene Lovich (almost unrelated to original lyrics; see upcoming song details page for original lyrics).

hello

high in the skies someone waving, I feel the vibe penetrate, senses stimulate my mind

far, far away someone calling, I hear the sound resonate, voices fascinate my mind, hello, hello

[chorus] I'm living, I'm living in a big hotel, I'm living, I'm living in a blue hotel and I'm waiting, I'm waiting there for you at the Hotel Blue [x2]

out of the dark someone shining, I see the light radiate, power activates my mind, hello, hello

[chorus]

hello

out of the chaos one heart beating, I know that life will survive, spirits never ever die

[chorus], I'm living, living in a big hotel, I'm living, living in a blue hotel and I'm waiting there for you at the Hotel Blue

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Blue"

you lost me, I lost you, losing things* can make you blue, I smile, I laugh, I try, quite alright, but deep inside, ooh

you hurt me, I hurt you, win or lose, both get bruised, why ignore the truth, I need to say I'm feeling bad, are you blue?

[chorus] azure, baby, powder, pale, aquamarine, electric, sharp, sea, bright, sky, midnight, royal, navy, ice, teal, light

oh blue, I'm blue, so blue

blue blue blue blue, blue blue, blue blue blue blue, blue

you'll make me, I'll make you, one and one, so complete, I wish we could see the colours that we used to be, this hue is blue

azure, baby, powder, pale, electric, midnight

[chorus]

oh blue, I'm blue, so blue

blue [x3]

(* or "losing face" ?)

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"O Seasons O Castles"

Music by Lene Lovich and Les Chappell; song title adapted from title of French poem by Arthur Rimbaud ("O saisons, o chateaux"; 1872), lyrics by Lene Lovich (unrelated to Rimbaud's poem).

o seasons, where live begins, captive spirits cry to be released into this world, their special souls to find
if I survive, call me love, love
o castles, where dreams are made, hungry spirits fly to feed upon fresh inspiration, what vision do we see, what shining truth revealed
if I survive, call me free

________________________________________________________________________________________________


"Breaking the Rules"

Music and lyrics by Jonathan Elias.

what do you do when opposites attract [x3], what do you do

what can you do when your worlds collide, take a ch-ch-chance, forget about the past, right on, see a new sensation, beat, beat, beat, beat the hesitation

oh, oh, gonna break the rules, oh, oh, gonna break the rules, wer'e gonna breeak the rules tonight with our possibilities, possibilities, possibilities

what should you do when tension snaps, when the games we play are getting much too fast, right on, see a new sensation, beat, beat, beat, beat the hesitation

oh, oh, gonna break the rules, oh, oh, gonna break the rules, we're gonna break the rules tonight with our possibilities, possibilities, possibilities

oh, oh, gonna break the rules, oh, oh, gonna change the rules, oh, oh, gonna take a chance with our possibilities, possibilities, possibilities

what do you do when opposites attract, like it or not, it's a natural reaction, right on, see a new sensation, beat, beat, beat, beat the hesitation

oh, oh, gonna break the rules, oh, oh gonna break the rules, we're going to break the rules tonight with our possibilities, possibilities, possibilities

what do you do when opposites attract [x5], opposites attract [x2]

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Don't Kill the Animals"

Music by Karl Rucker; song title by Nina Hagen, lyrics by Lene Lovich and Nina Hagen.

Rescue Version - album mix

L: ah hello, hello, this is No One calling No Name, No One calling No Name - N: I read you, No Name reading No One, No Name reading No One - L: ok, you know why we're here tonight, don't you? - N: sure, have you heard what they're doing to those poor animals? - L: yes, it's horrible and someone should do something about that - N: yeah, someone should and that someone is us and tonight's the night - L: alright, (alright), let's be careful - N: which way do we go? - L: this way, I see the laboratory door - N: oh, what's that funny smell? - L: I don't know - shh, someone's coming - ok, it's all clear now, let's go - N: right, I'm gonna open the door

don't kill the animals, don't kill the animals, the animals are free [x4]

we all want to see through life's mystery, the quest for knowledge is a natural activity, but science be careful, science be kind, you can't go on pretending to be blind, those animal experiments don't make sense, you're getting nowhere with cruelty and death, I say ignorance was some excuse, but uh-uh not now, you see we've got the proof, a-a-a-animal testing is a dangerous game, all systems are different, we're not the same, it's a terrible risk, so no surprise we get wrong results, hey what about thalidomide? abuse yourself of your own free will, live dangerously and make yourself ill, get hurt, get high, get in distress, but don't drag the animals into this mess

L: I think you could say we had success tonight - N: full beam! (Brigitte Bardot*)'s taking the dogs and I keep the monkey - L: we should have done this a long time ago - N: oh we gotta do it again, how about you?

don't kill the animals, don't kill the animals, the animals are free [x4]

no more torture, the animals are free, the same with messing round with atomic energy, hey hey doctor, reincarnation, would you like to come back as a laboratory rat? the human brain is our mental perception and with amazing grace you lighten up your pretty face, if we want to avoid this endless human riot, why don't we start by changing our diet? life is for living, the animals agree, if they were meant to be eaten they'd be growing on trees, so no more torture of our furry friends in the name of food or scientific ends, the pressure is on, make your decision, be vegetarian, be anti-vivisection

don't kill the animals, don't kill the animals, the animals are free [x5]

all our scientists are messing up, they don't succeed, let the psychics tell what the spirits think we need, our super friends from other planets want to give advice, but the money-orientated business doesn't think that's nice, come on, let's educate the mutated human race by the super power of amazing grace, the missing link of human evolution is sexuality, it needs a spiritual revolution, my individual god identity is what you're gonna meet, it's the rhythm of the beat

don't kill the animals, don't kill the animals, the animals are free [x9], don't!

Rescue Version - video mix

are you ready to rescue the animals tonight?

don't kill the animals, don't kill the animals, the animals are free [x3]

L: ah hello, hello, this is No One calling No Name, No One calling No Name - N: I read you, No Name reading No One, No Name reading No One - L: ok, you know why we're here tonight, don't you? - N: sure, have you heard what they're doing to those poor animals? - L: yes, it's horrible and someone should do something about that  - N: yeah, someone should and that someone is us and tonight's the night - L: alright - N: which way do we go? - N: I think our best bet is going through the side door - L: I have to get there - shh, someone's coming - ok, it's all clear now, let's go - N: right, I'm gonna open the door - L: push!

don't kill the animals, don't kill the animals, the animals are free [x3]

we all want to see through life's mystery, the quest for knowledge is a natural activity, but science be careful, science be kind, you can't go on pretending to be blind, those animal experiments don't make sense, you're getting nowhere with cruelty and death, I say ignorance was some excuse, but uh-uh not now, you see we've got the proof, a-a-a-animal testing is a dangerous game, all systems are different, we're not the same, hey hey doctor, reincarnation, would you like to come back as a laboratory rat? abuse yourself of your own free will, live dangerously and make yourself ill, get hurt, get high, get in distress, but don't drag the animals into this mess

L: I think you could say we had success tonight - N: full beam! (Brigitte Bardot*)'s taking the dogs and I keep the monkey - L: we should have done this a long time ago - N: oh we gotta do it again, how about you?

don't kill the animals, don't kill the animals, the animals are free [x4]

love and peace and light and life, what you gonna do with your butcher's knife? life is for living, the animals agree, if they were meant to be eaten they'd be growing on trees, if we want to avoid this endless human riot, why don't we start by changing our diet? my dinner parties are famous, man, and if you come by, you're gonna be my biggest fan, my tofu hot dogs and my Sauerkraut are the future food for the astronaut, by the way, you'll eat my veggie steak and my eggless cake, you'll get off your feet, it's the rhythm of the beat

don't kill the animals, don't kill the animals, the animals are free [x4]

all our scientists are messing up, they don't succeed, let the psychics tell what the spirits think we need, our super friends from other planets want to give advice, but the money-orientated business doesn't think that's nice, come on, let's educate the mutated human race by the super power of amazing grace, no more torture of our furry friends in the name of food or scientific ends, the pressure is on, make your decision, be vegetarian, be anti-vivisection

don't kill the animals, don't kill the animals, the animals are free [x7], don't!

(* Actress Brigitte Bardot's name in brackets, because she's a horrible being. At the time of writing the song it was not known that she's not only an animal rights activist, but also right-wing and anti-social. This part of the lyrics was very likely written by Nina Hagen, as Lene never mentions any names in her own lyrics.)

Disco Version (from 12" single a-side)

don't! [x7]

we all want to see through life's mystery, the quest for knowledge is a natural activity, but science be careful, science be kind, you can't go on pretending to be blind, those animal experiments don't make sense, you're getting nowhere with cruelty and death, I say ignorance was some excuse, but uh-uh not now, you see we've got the proof, a-a-a-animal testing is a dangerous game, all systems are different and we're not the same, it's a terrible risk, so no surprise we get wrong results, hey what about thalidomide? abuse yourself of your own free will, live dangerously and make yourself ill, get hurt, get high, get in distress, but don't drag the animals into this mess

don't kill the animals, don't kill the animals, the animals are free [x4]

no more torture, the animals are free, the same with messing round with atomic energy, hey hey doctor, reincarnation, would you like to come back as a laboratory rat? here we are coiled like a sleeping snake, we gotta expand our potential, for God's sake, if we want to avoid this endless human riot, why don't we start by changing our diet? life is for living, the animals agree, if they were meant to be eaten, they'd be growing on trees, so no more torture of our furry friends in the name of food or scientific ends, the pressure is on, make your decision, be vegetarian, be anti-vivisection

all our scientists are messing up, they don't succeed, let the psychics say what the spirits think we need, our super friends from other planets want to give advice, but the money-orientated business doesn't think that's nice, come on, let's educate the mutated human race by the super power of amazing grace, the missing link of human evolution is sexuality, it needs a spiritual revolution, my individual god identity is what you're gonna meet, it's the rhythm of the beat

don't! [x5]

don't kill the animals, don't kill the animals, the animals are free [x2], töte die Tiere nicht, töte die Tiere nicht, die Tiere, die sind frei, don't kill the animals, don't kill the animals, the animals are free [x2]

1989 (or early 1990) recording (released in 1991 on "Tame Yourself" and "Tame Yourself - The Housebroken Dance Mixes") not included separately, as it is a production team recording without input from the original artists. The vocals for this were taken from the original recording (Rescue Version album and video mixes).

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Supernature"

Music by Jean-Marc Cerrone and Alain Wisniak; lyrics by Lene Lovich.

once upon a time science opened up the door, we would feed the hungry fields 'til they could not eat no more, but the potions that we made touched the creatures down below and they grew up in a way that we'd never seen before

supernature [x4]

they were angry with the man 'cause he changed their way of life, and they take their sweet revenge as they trample through the night, for a hundred miles or more you can hear the people cry, but there's nothing you can do, even God is on their side

supernature [x4]

how can I explain, things are different today, darkness all around and nobody makes a sound, such a sad affair, no-one seems to care

supernature [x4]

better watch out, there's no way to stop it now, you can't escape, it's too late, look what you've done, there's no place that you can run, the monster's made, we must pay

maybe nature has a plan to control the ways of man, he must start from scratch again, many battles he must win, 'til he earns his place on Earth like the other creatures do, will there be a happy end? now that all depends on you

supernature [x6]

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Rage" (with Erasure)

let's face the music, I think that it's time, what's the use when the future looks so unkind, life and death, the choice we make, revolution - the line my mind takes, oh, win or lose, hey what do you say, gotta ch...ch...ch... change, check it out and see, there could be a better lifestyle, my hopes are big as the sky, my dreams are wider than wide, one day we'll be absolutely cruelty-free

look through the window, see what I see, I just can't believe what is happening here, the innocent die, the guilty survive, no more excuses, alive is alive*

[chorus] march on, unleash the spirit, rise above all fear into the light, it's a world affair, don't waste a minute, let your heart decide, it's time to care

what is this sad fascination, to rip off another's skin, shame, shame, shame, fancy people in fur coats, what a pitiful sight, leather is dead, it's not so nice

[chorus]

stop! think before you chew, don't eat a creature that won't eat you, food for everyone, let's all eat, it's so much fun, let that chicken be, a cow is not a factory, fast food slaughter's a criminal waste, we gotta tune ourselves into a new morality, make some improvement on the human race

conquer hunger with crops we grow, nobody else will have to die*

rage, each time I turn around, rage, it tears my heart apart, rage, each time I see the blood, hey now, sentimental feelings are just not good enough

man's evolution is ready to rise, let's stop the killing and reach for the sky [Vitamitavegemix]

hey, hey, hey, feel the rage [Vitamitavegemix]

march on, unleash the spirit, rise above all fear, it's time to care, [chorus], march on, unleash the spirit, rise above all fear, it's time to care

(* Vitamitavegemix only)

"Rage" (Vitamitavegemix) (released on "Tame Yourself - The Housebroken Dance Mixes", along with "Rage" (Dub) not included separately, as it is a production team recording without input from the original artists. Additional lyrics for Vitamitavegemix included above.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Moustache" (performed live 1998 to late 2000s; see upcoming song details page)

Mr Salvador Dalí says, "if you want to be successful, if you want to be famous, if you want to be very, very rich, you must wear tight clothes"

moustache

Mr Salvador Dalí says, "if you want people to take you seriously, you must carry a big stick"

moustache

Mr Salvador Dalí once said something to me (which I took as a compliment*), "Lene, your plaits are your

moustache"

(* Brighton concert, May 1998)

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Little Margaret" (spoken-word intro for the first live performance of "Ghost Story" (New York concert, 31 Oct 2003), accompanied by Les Chappell on synthesizer)

Traditional story, layout of words (probably) by Lene.

Little Margaret stood by the mirror, combing her long, long hair. Through the window she could see the man she loved riding by with his new bride. Little Margaret threw down the comb. "I'll go out and see him one more time."

It was late in the night when William and his new bride were fast asleep. Little Margaret appeared, standing by the bed, all dressed in white, and William woke up suddenly, and saw... well he thought he saw Margaret, and she was so beautiful, and his heart was so full of love for her. He realised he had made a terrible mistake. He got out of bed, he got dressed, he saddled up his horse and he rode, he rode like the wind, as fast as he could to Margaret's house. And as he passed the trees, the birds woke up, and they scattered and shrieked. And soon he was at Margaret's door, and he knocked on the door, and knocked on the door, and knocked on the door, till the father answered. "I want to see Margaret", he said. Her father's face was grey. "You can't see her", he said. William couldn't wait, he went right past her father, he went right to Little Margaret's room, he opened the door, and there in the middle of the room was a table, and on the table was a cold black coffin, and inside the coffin lay Margaret, all dressed in white. And William bent over and he kissed her, but her lips were cold.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Alpha Girls" (see non-album tracks overview)

it's not a dream, it's a reality, we can be what we want but we got to believe it, let the power excite, if we sleep we will not, we can shake it and shout, we can try to release it
Alpha Girls all over the world, Alpha Girls can do anything, Alpha Girls are the ones to win
wake up and see that the sky isn't falling, there's so much to do, creativity's calling, if one day is not good, the other one is, it's not good to get hurt but we've got to begin
gone maybe, but never out, don't give up, use what you've got
Alpha Girls all over the world, Alpha Girls can do anything, Alpha Girls are the ones to win
we know it isn't easy, but we know it can be done, Alpha Girls can do anything, Alpha Girls are the ones to win
oh, your energy's low, you gotta be strong to get up and go, go!
the scene isn't set, it's the way that you see it, you're aiming too high, but you're going to achieve it
Alpha Girls all over the world, Alpha Girls can do anything, Alpha Girls are the ones to win
they say that it's all over, but we say it's just begun, Alpha Girls can do anything, Alpha Girls are the ones to win
we know it isn't easy, but we're gonna have some fun, Alpha Girls can do anything, Alpha Girls are the ones to win, Alpha Girls can do anything, Alpha Girls are the ones to win

"Shadows and Dust" lyrics

Except where noted, all lyrics by Lene Lovich (music by Lene Lovich and Les Chappell; all saxophone lines by Lene Lovich).

"Ghost Story"
"Sanctuary"
"Shapeshifter" - album version; single mixes

"Remember"
"Gothica"
"Craze"
"The Insect Eater"
"Little Rivers"
"The Wicked Witch" - "Shadows and Dust" recording; Latz versions

"Light"


"Ghost Story"

through a mirror shattered I see someone who looks something like me, like me like me

sudden silence, altered state, losing touch, isolate
let the fragments of the soul come together [x2]
you're dead, they said, how can that be? does my heart beat? am I just a memory?

cold confusion, no escape, broken spirit, re-create
the ghost in me speaks to the ghost in you, the story lives and every word is true, the ghost in me speaks to the ghost in you

if I could see the light, I could be the light
let the fragments of the soul come together [x2], don't be afraid
the ghost in me speaks to the ghost in you, the story lives and every word is true, don't be afraid, the ghost in me speaks to the ghost in you

(See "Other lyrics" page for intro story "Little Margaret" (from the song's first live performance).)

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Sanctuary"

sanctuary

run, run away, don't look back, run to a place where it's safe to be, sanctuary

your wounds are deep, you cannot sleep, the overwhelming pain beneath, the twisted soul keeps saying you're the victim, it's getting tough, you've had enough, why can't it be the way you want, now everything is going out of order

run, run away, don't look back, run to a place where it's safe to be, sanctuary

so sad inside, you wanna die, but it's a hollow sacrifice, the bitter ending to a tragic story

sanctuary
nobody's perfect in this imperfect world, if the message is important, let the message be heard, if the mission is impossible, do your best to survive, we can fight again tomorrow

sanctuary
a change of scene is what you need, somewhere to mend your broken dreams, let's hide away until the war is over, let's deviate, open the gate, release the pressure on the brain, you know it doesn't matter

run away, sanctuary [x3]

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Shapeshifter"

Music by Lene Lovich and Les Chappell, original loop by Max & Simo (Comical Brothers); lyrics by Lene Lovich.

album version

shapeshifter

how would you like to spend some time inside somebody else's mind? would you like to spend some time inside somebody else's mind?
I could be you and you could be me, we could understand the reasons why we be the way we be, if I could be you (I could be you) and you could be me we could understand, (I could be you, you could be me)

how would you like to spend some time inside somebody else's mind? satisfy your curiosity, how do you know you don't want to be me? ah ee ah ee, (I could be you, you could be me), ah ee ah ee

let's take a holiday into an unknown territory, let's take a holiday into an unknown identity

I could be you, be you, I'm tired of the game that we always play, the same old game every night and day, I could be you, be you, this life is done, the time has come (you could be me) to shift into another one, ah ee ah ee, (I could be you), ah ee ah ee, (I could be you, you could be me)

I could be you and you could be me, we could understand the reasons why we be the way we be, if I could be you (I could be you) and you could be me, we could understand

let's take a holiday into an unknow territory, let's take a holiday into an unknown identity

ah ee ah ee, (I could be you), ah ee ah ee, (you could be me), shapeshifter
maybe there's a way we can share a synchronicity

shapeshifter, shapeshifter, if I could be you and you could be me, we could understand, (I could be you, you could be me), we could understand the reasons why we be the way we be, how would you like to spend some time inside somebody else's mind?

Comicals Mix (mixed by Comical Brothers)

go!

listen, shapeshifter, come with me into an unknown territory, shapeshifter

listen to me, listen [x3], shapeshifter, listen to me, shapeshifter

I, I, I, I'm tired of the game

listen to me, shapeshifter

reality, listen to me, a new reality, shapeshifter, you could be me

I'm tired of the game

I Could Be You Mix (mixed by Lene Lovich and Les Chappell)

shapeshifter

how would you like to spend some time inside somebody else's mind? would you like to spend some time inside somebody else's mind?

shapeshifter, (I could be you), interesting

(I could be you, I could be you, you could be me), ah ee ah ee [x2]

let's take a holiday into an unknown territory

I could be you, you could be me, (I could be you, you could be me), ah ee ah ee [x2]

how would you like to spend some time inside somebody else's mind? would you like to spend some time inside somebody else's mind?

shapeshifter, (I could be you), shapeshifter, ah ee ah ee [x4], (I could be you, you could be me)

would you like to spend some time, how would you like to spend some time, inside someboy else's mind?

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Remember"

in the rush of the crowd on the steps leading out to the market place, where two lovers could meet hidden deep by the swell of the mob, we agreed to dissolve, disappear, to risk all for the sake of love, I only know you didn't show
remember, life goes on
"no-one's in," said the monstrous grin through the crack in the frozen door, from the hall I could hear the familiar song that was ours, then laughter rang out and the sound cut me down like an avalanche, I only know I lost control
remember
[chorus] life goes on and circumstances change, we live and learn 'til time runs up, and given chance we two will meet again to play once more the game of love
days go by in empty isolation, cold, immobile like a stone, I wait submerged 'til some familiar presence stirs, my static world begins to race, I look up and see your face
eye to eye we perceive something more than a casual interest, there's a feeling inside that our hearts cannot easy deny, so we stop and we stare as our memories gallop the centuries, I only know I love you so
remember
[chorus]

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Gothica"

(gothica [x3])

in a forest dark and deep, night has fallen, but I'm too afraid, too afraid to sleep, I close my eyes and then I see the light come shining down
gothica
in a house upon a hill, something stirring on the stairway disturbs my senses, still I take the candle and I climb, the stairs begin to shake
gothica
[chorus] everybody needs a refuge from the ordinary, everybody needs to breathe, it's a necessary dip into the unknown ocean, it's essential fantasy

(gothica [x2])
it's a place I cannot see, only sometimes, when I recollect my dreams

(gothica [x3])
in a howling hurricane, hidden by a rock I shelter from the storm, the driving rain pounds a message in my ear, I have nothing more to fear, and the stranger at the gate seems to know my name

[chorus], it's a necessary dip into unknown ocean, it's essential fantasy

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Craze"

I'm aware of something buzzing in the air, rash ideas, nothing but a fad, it's nothing serious they say, just a passing phase
craze, new craze [x2]
I'm aware of everyday insanity on someone's street, nevermind the madness, it's not happening right here, just ignore the heat
craze, new craze [x2]
[chorus] tear away the skin, the danger lurks inside, take another look, we wear a thin disguise
craze, new craze
I'm aware of gathering infection, a slow disease, we don't feel the pain, but we are hurting anyway, it's a deadly game
craze, new craze
[chorus], and everything we see is of our own design
craze, new craze [x2], new craze

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"The Insect Eater"

Music by Heathcote Williams, Julian Standen, Max Reinsch, with musical adaption by Lene Lovich and Les Chappell; lyrics by Heathcote Williams.

earwigs in my fridge at midnight put me in a dancing mood (earwigs) [x2], earwigs in my fridge at midnight put me in a dancing mood
I climb up to the window sill and watch the neighbours in the nude, voyeuristis, cataclysmis! they think I'm frightfully rude
then, my master's voice comes through, "Renfield, where are you? whatever I say you must do"
sallow girls drained of blood, he leaves them in his trail, 'tis my job for him to find victims, victims to assail
"London is my larder. Renfield, please try harder"

earwigs in my fridge at midnight put me in a dancing mood (earwigs) [x2], earwigs in my fridge at midnight put me in a dancing mood
I'm bouncing down the high street now, shopping for new clothes, I buy a pair of gothic shoes, showing off my toes, once more down Oxford Street, I shop for a Mac and fries, looking for a toothsome girl to soften with my lies
I hear the master calling me, "that one, with big brown eyes and creamy, luscious, juicy thighs, come into my parlour," said the spider to the fly, "let me sink my teeth into your neck, it'll make you feel so high"
he throws his cape around her, a hiss and a suck and a hiss, then Dracula releases her, another pallid gothic miss, as he wipes the blood from off his lips he says with a simpering purr; "that look of rigor mortis will soon be de rigeur"
"Renfield, you just gave me an exquisite surprise, so eat your fill of bedbug soup and ladybirds and flies, cockroaches and millipedes and a million spider's eyes"
earwigs in my fridge at midnight put me in a dancing mood (earwigs) [x2], earwigs in my fridge at midnight put me in a dancing mood, but it's not my night for insects, what's required is human food

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Little Rivers"

not a cloud in the sky, no clouds, not a cloud in the sky, warm thoughts and sunny smiles, it's a wonderful life, bright enough for you and I
but somehow, somehow we lost the light, isn't it strange, isn't it, isn't it strange? the weather's changed
red rose, I cry little rivers inside, can you read my mind? red rose, I cry little rivers inside, 'cause I can't explain, it's a crying shame
we're two of a kind, we are, we're two of a kind, in shock we don't revive, well maybe you're right, what's dead deserved to die
but somehow, somehow we should have tried, tried to believe in life, isn't it strange, isn't it? isn't it strange? the colours fade

red rose, I cry little rivers inside, can you read my mind? red rose, I cry, red rose, I cry little rivers inside, can you read my mind, red rose, I cry, red rose, I cry little rivers inside, can you read my mind? 'cause I can't explain, it's a crying shame, it's a crying shame, it's a crying shame, it's a crying shame, can we start again?

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"The Wicked Witch"

Music by Michael Bulgrin and Achim Mennicken (Latz), with "additional construction" by Lene Lovich and Les Chappell; song title by Latz (inspired by "The Wizard of Oz"), lyrics by Lene Lovich.

 

(the wicked witch)

[chorus] oh, oh, the wicked witch, what a wicked thing she is, hey-oh, better run [x2], look out now 'cause here she comes
welcome to my world
(take care, beware [x2])
devastating seeds I know, dancing demons I control, horror scenes that spike your sleep are just a little part of me, endless, dreadful, freaky vibes terrorize your feeble minds

[chorus], antithesis, apocalypse

(her wish is your command)

(take care, beware)
run, run, but you cannot hide, none could escape (the wicked witch)

[chorus], antithesis, apocalypse

(her wish is your command)

(take care, beware)
evil entities I know freeze the heart and eat the soul, morbid tears will not suffice, I'll do more than make you cry, endless, dreadful, freaky vibes terrorize your feeble minds
[chorus], antithesis, apocalypse, ah wicked, wicked witch

Latz versions

the spell is spoken, the curse is cast, one by one my deadly charms advance, all that I desire shall come to pass, none could escape the shadowmaker, never in your wildest dreams have you experienced the likes of me

(the wicked witch)*

oh, oh, the wicked witch, what a wicked thing she is, hey-oh, better run [x2], look out now 'cause here she comes

(for a few dollars you can, you can hire a woman)**

welcome to my world

(take care, beware)

devastating seeds I know, dancing demons I control, horror scenes that spike your sleep are just a little part of me, endless, dreadful, freaky vibes terrorize your feeble minds, antithesis, apocalypse

(for a, for a few dollars you can hire a woman)**

(her wish is your command)

oh, oh, the wicked witch, what a wicked thing she is, hey-oh, better run [x2], look out now 'cause here she comes, [Monitor Mix: antithesis, apocalypse]

(her wish is your command)

(take care, beware)

evil entities I know freeze the heart and eat the soul, morbid tears will not suffice, I'll do more than make you cry, endless dreadful, freaky vibes terrorize your feeble minds

[album mix: (hey-oh), hey-oh, better run], oh, oh, the wicked witch, what a wicked thing she is, hey-oh, better run [Monitor Mix: x2] [album mix: x3], look out now 'cause here she comes, antithesis, apocalypse, ah wicked, wicked witch

(* sampled from movie "The Wizard of Oz" (1939))

(** spoken by actress Beverly Garland, sampled from movie "It Conquered the World" (1956))

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Light"

in the dark there is light [x3], there is light
in the midst of the dark there is light, forget the dread that preys on your mind, a special friend will you defend, who is always on your side
in your deepest despair it's all right, a helping hand will hold back the fright, one hope in hell to break the spell, who could save you from yourself, save you from yourself
light, there is light [x2]

there is light

in a dangerous world we abide, confusion clouds the wrong and the right, and you I fear might disappear, lost and lonely in the night, lonely in the night

light, there is light [x2]
out of sight but you're not out of mind, concern for you cannot be denied, when shadows fall I heed the call, now our destinies entwine, our destinies entwine
out of love comes a good cause to fight, the vow to stand by you never dies, so take my hand and we shall dance, dance until the end of time, until the end of time
light, there is light [x4], light

"March" lyrics

Except where noted, all lyrics by Lene Lovich (music by Lene Lovich and Les Chappell; all saxophone and trumpet lines by Lene Lovich).

"Life"
"Wonderland" - album version; single version
"Nightshift"
"Hold on to Love"
"Rage"
"Natural Beauty"
"Make Believe" - album mix; single mix
"Shadow Walk"
"Vertigo"
"Sharman"



"Life"

let love come in, love come, begin, thrill me, excite, fill me with life, I've been waiting for the air to breathe, I've been waiting for a chance to be, I've been waiting for the light to see, I've been waiting for you to meet
life will never be the same, why should it be the same, the changes escalate when love meets love, and life is what we make, love creates life
I want you, he said/she said I want you [x2]
let life come in, life come, begin, thrill me, you must fill me with love, I've been waiting for a heart to beat, I've been waiting for a chance to speak, I've been waiting for eternity, I've been waiting for you to hear
[chorus]
I want you, he said/she said I want you [x2]
life will never be the same, why should it be the same, the changes escalate when love meets love, and life is what we make, love creates... [x2]

life will never be the same, why should it be the same, the changes escalate when love meets love, and life is what we make, love creates life

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Wonderland"

Music and original lyrics ("Krugerrands") by Andy Scott and Chris Bradford, with musical adaption by Lene Lovich and Les Chappell; lyrics by Lene Lovich (unrelated to original lyrics).

album version

come with me, a voice unique is calling, let the heartbeat relay contact, curiously, it seems we must be falling, caught in the flash
wonderland, wonderland is close at hand
floating free, exotic thoughts enchant us, rapt in the dance
wonderland, wonderland is where I am
all is clear, the world appears fantastic, look in the glass
wonderland, wonderland is here at last [x2]

New York Dance Mix

wonderland
come with me, a voice unique is calling, let the heartbeat relay contact, curiously, it seems we must be falling, caught in the flash

wonderland [x4] is close at hand

all is clear, the world appears fantastic, everlasting, look in the glass
floating free, exotic thoughts enchant us, rapt in the dance
wonderland is where I am

wonderland [x4] is where I am

wonderland [x4] is here at last

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Nightshift"

when the day begins to haze, another shade, hypnotic waves undulate, from my head inner threads get the message once again, it's time to regenerate
go down, slow down, let the body drop, come down, run down, turn the world around
[chorus] dream pages flip, memory skips across the mind, the nightshift takes the tension, a rest unwinds, it's such a pleasure working overtime
many pictures thrill and fade, into a maze, oh, what a strange serenade, while the nightshift is on, better try to be calm till the day re-awakes, yes
come down, run down, turn the world around
[chorus]
[chorus]

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Hold on to Love"

one by one we will turn out the light, steal away in the dead of the night, take a trip on a twisted knife, who will care if you live or you die
[chorus] hold on to love, this world was made for you and me, hold on to love, and we can be what we want to be, hold on to love, love gives us all, all the energy

one by one we belong to the man, Kingdome Come, and the law of the land, voodoo jive with a magical plan, so much said that you can't understand
[chorus]
one by one we believe in the lie, making fun of the things that are right, blow your mind, it's a sign of the times, hit and run, and the strong will survive
[chorus x3]

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Rage"

let's face the music, no time to delay, what's the use when the future looks so insane, night and day wild thoughts we chase, revolution - the line my mind takes, win or lose, hey, what do you say? gotta ch... ch... ch... ch... check it out and see, we could re-arrange right now, my hopes are heavy and high, my dreams wider than wide, I know we need some serious changes
people are crazy, they don't understand, making a mess of this wonderful land, there's holes in the heavens, I hear angels cry, someone has broken our beautiful sky
what is this sad situation, too little, too late, I say shame, shame, shame, shame, gotta make an effort for the innocent child, the shape of tomorrow is not so nice
[chorus] march on, unleash the spirit, rise above all fear, into the light, it's a world affair, don't waste a minute, let the heart decide, it's time to care
and the day will come when the world is one
teach us to survive, release the energy inside, love should never makes us afraid, we've got to recognize our individuality, each one essential to the human race
you! me! all agree, got our own identity, room for everyone, be yourself, it's so much fun
why wait until the world explodes, somehow we've got to try, so break the chains right away, come on, it's time to activate
rage, each time I turn around, rage, it tears my heart apart, rage, each time I see the blood, hey now, sentimental feelings are just not good enough
sooner or later we're all gonna change, moving on up to a much higher plane, man's evolution is ready to rise, let's stop the killing and reach for the sky
rage, shake up the mind, wake up the soul inside, hey, hey, hey, feel the rage, excite the power to win, anything's possible, don't give in
[chorus]

[chorus to fade]

________________________________________________________________________________________________


"Natural Beauty"

one time so wild, ultra-free, we danced upon a paradise complete, handsome, happy, nothing to hide, natural beauty
long time outside memory we lost a lot of energy it seems, so low, static, nothing inspired natural beauty
see how beauty fades when faith has broken down, where has beauty gone?
[chorus] natural beauty still survives, I can see it in your eyes, oh precious fire of life, come shining through
sometimes minds freeze easily, we let ourselves get mes-mesmerized, dazed, indifferent, nothing to drive natural beauty
see how beauty fades when faith has broken down, where is beauty now?
[chorus]
[chorus x2], come shining through, natural beauty, come shining though, come shining through

Additional lyrics by Lene, used for cover version by Betty (released on Thorne album "Sprawl"):

windows of the soul convey an elemental beauty underneath, know it, show it, appreciate natural beauty
see how beauty reigns when faith is undenied, let that beauty shine
the fire burns eternally inside the heart of you and me, forever as we live and breathe, the fire burns eternally

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Make Believe"

album mix

[chorus] make believe, make believe, something between you and me, make believe, make believe, love is that something we feel, make believe, make believe, something between you and me runs very deep, runs very deep
save me, inspiration take me, every day chains of reason hold on to me so, I seek complete release, re-creation, come into my life, dreams of paradise, in a sequence of light we are one, 'til every scene I see excites the heart of me, anticipating, what is, love is
[chorus]
save me, isolation crazes, every day strangest feelings flow around me so, I see complete release, re-location, come into my life, dreams of paradise, in a feast of the mind we are one, 'til every sweet idea excites the heart of me, anticipating, what is, love is
[chorus]
[chorus], and strange as it seems, things make believe become real

make believe [x3]


single mix

save me, isolation crazes, every day strangest feelings flow around me so, I see complete release, re-location, come into my life, dreams of paradise, in a feast of the mind we are one, 'til every sweet idea excites the heart of me, anticipating, what is, love is

make believe, make believe, something between you and me, make believe, make believe, something between you and me runs very deep, runs very deep

save me, inspiration take me, every day chains of reason hold on to me so, I seek complete release, re-creation, come into my life, dreams of paradise, in a sequence of light we are one, 'til every scene I see excites the heart of me, anticipating, what is, love is

make believe, make believe, something between you and me, make believe, make believe, love is that something we feel, make believe, make believe, something between you and me runs very deep, runs very deep [x2], and strange as it seems, things make believe become real

make believe [x3]

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Shadow Walk"

parallel in step, an echo so correct, from the land of nobody, well attuned to you and everything you do in perfect harmony, better see me when the light is right, see me when you're all alone, so cleverly timed we'll coincide wherever we may go
[chorus] you and I are very much a likeness, two together one and all, but I depend on you to make move, shadow walk
one weightless shape, a blatant double take, concurrent entity, will follow you and everything you do in mobile symmetry, better see me when the light is right, see me when you're all alone, so close in kind we'll always rhyme wherever we may go
[chorus]

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Vertigo"

truly true the earth is moving, ever spinning, circle-wise we go, evidently orbital we whirl continuous and gravity upholds

but if the pressure gets really heavy it must be easy to feel dizzy, head to toe

vertigo [x2]
super-sensitive am I, every turn affects me more and more, revolutionary forces influence me so, sometimes I lose control

but if the normal gets out of order it must be easy to feel dizzy, ever so

vertigo [x2], -go (go, go, go)

vertigo [x2], vertigo, verti-verti-vertigo, vertigo, verti-verti-vertigo, vertigo

________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Sharman"

hard! shock to the heart, I seek help, mentally sound the alarm, no-one below, no-one above, totally lost and alone
hey, hey, hey, Sharman, I call your name, no delay, I need you right away
down! head on the ground, I see red, terribly caught in the hold, nowhere to go, nowhere to run, totally lost and alone
hey, hey, hey, Sharman, I call your name, no delay, I need you right away
[chorus] Sharman, am I dreaming, or is this reality, truth or illusion, Sharman here with me
gone! over the top, all upset, heavily rocked by the storm, out of control, out of luck, totally lost and alone
hey, hey, hey, Sharman, I call your name, no delay, I need you right away
[chorus x2 to fade]