Pandemonium

Album: Pandemonium (1994)
Charted: 28
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Songfacts®:

  • The word "pandemonium" was coined by the English author John Milton and published in his 1667 story Paradise Lost, where the center of hell is called "Pandaemonium." The word is derived from the Greek "pan," meaning "hell," and daimon, meaning "demon."

    This sinister etymology drew Killing Joke lead singer Jaz Coleman to the word, which has a sound an meaning that intrigued him. "We were getting really into the chaos theory, and it was the beginning of the multiverse, and discussing wonderful ideas like this," he said in his Songfacts interview. "And of course, we met lots of scientists and thinkers at that time."
  • With tribal rhythms and big, expected flourishes, the Killing Joke sound fits the definition of "pandemonium," which is why they used it as the title of the album.
  • This song describes a conversation with a wise woman who values beauty over longevity. The video plays up this storyline and is meant to show the importance of women in society. It takes place in a desert landscape, where various family members are seen holding (and possibly breast-feeding) a baby.

    Mark Waldie produced the clip.

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