• 1983-

  Kevin ShieldsVocals, guitar1983-

  Bilinda ButcherVocals, guitar1987-

  Colm O Ciosoig Drums1983-

  Debbie GoogeBass1985-

  Joe ByfieldVocals1987

  David ConwayVocals1983-1987

  Tina DurkinKeyboards1984-1985

  Stephen IversGuitar1983-1984

  Paul MurtaghBass1984

  Mark RossBass1983
• Kevin and Colm first met at a karate tournament in South Dublin in 1978. They became fast friends with a shared musical goal: "When Colm and I started out in Dublin years ago we were determined not do anything that wasn't totally original. So we messed around with excruciating noises."
  
  Those noises eventually developed into a groundbreaking genre called shoegazing, known for building walls of sound by using heavy distortion and feedback paired with ethereal vocals, along with the introverted stage presence of band members staring down at their shoes. MBV's second album, Loveless, is hailed as the epitome of the genre.
• They took their name from the 1981 Canadian slasher flick My Bloody Valentine about a killer who wreaks havoc in a mining town on Valentine's Day.
• After the critical success of Loveless, the band scored a deal with Island Records for their follow-up album. However, much of their advance was wasted on building a new and unsatisfactory studio, and the pressure to craft another masterpiece proved to be too much for Kevin. Legend has it, he locked himself away for years in a house surrounded by barbed wire, with only chinchillas to keep him company. Kevin admits to the barbed wire and chinchillas, but claims rumors of his insanity were greatly exaggerated.
• Their follow-up would finally come 22 years later with MBV (2013).
• Kevin and Bilinda were romantically involved throughout the late '80s and early '90s.
• Kevin and Bilinda both developed tinnitus, a type of hearing loss that produces ringing or hissing sounds in the ear, during the mixing of Loveless.
• Kevin on the group's songwriting process (Option, 1992): "It's not like we're thinking, 'Oh, I feel really bad or angry and I want to make something that will represent that. It's done more in a really unfocused sort of way. he only time it makes sense is when it all comes together. When I write lyrics, I take liberties with them because I'm not particularly trying to convey anything to anyone in words. It makes sense to me and gives me enough conviction to sing the songs, but it doesn't necessarily make a lot of sense to other people. That's what all our music is like. It's ambiguous, but in an ethereal, flowy way. It's kind of see-through. And the lyrics are only as substantial as the impression you get from the entire song."
• Since leaving the band in 1987, David Conway has become an author of science fiction/horror novels like Tokyo Gothic (2009) and Celebrity Gotham (2010). He also started his own publishing company, Radical Robot Books.

Comments

More Songfacts:

Billie JeanMichael Jackson

Quincy Jones wanted to change the title of "Billie Jean" to "Not My Lover" so it wouldn't be confused with the tennis star Billie Jean King. Michael Jackson refused.

Freedom Of ChoiceDevo

The Devo song "Freedom Of Choice" is about mindless consumerism - how people like to make frivolous choices, but otherwise want to be told what to do.

Party DollBuddy Knox & the Rhythm Orchids

The rockabilly sound was big in the late 1950s, when Buddy Holly was popular. One of the biggest hits in that genre was the #1 "Party Doll" by Buddy Knox, which used a cardboard box filled with cotton as the drums.

Handle With CareThe Traveling Wilburys

"Handle With Care" started as a George Harrison song with guest appearances by Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, but it went so well the five of them decided to form a group - The Traveling Wilburys - and record an entire album.

SongbirdKenny G

The Kenny G instrumental "Songbird" owes much of its success to VH1, which launched a year earlier and played the video to death.

I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)Meat Loaf

In Meat Loaf's "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" what he won't do is a list of six items in the lyrics, including "Forget the way you feel right now" and "Be screwing around."

Editor's Picks

Psychedelic LyricsMusic Quiz

Whoa man! Do you know which band came up with these cosmic lyrics?

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go'sSongwriter Interviews

Charlotte was established in the LA punk scene when a freaky girl named Belinda approached her wearing a garbage bag.

Justin TimberlakeFact or Fiction

Was Justin the first to be Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher? Did Britney really blame him for her meltdown? Did his bandmates think he was gay?

Ed Roland of Collective SoulSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Shine," "December," "The World I Know" and other Collective Soul hits.

Lajon Witherspoon of SevendustSongwriter Interviews

The Sevendust frontman talks about the group's songwriting process, and how trips to the Murder Bar helped forge their latest album.

Zac HansonSongwriter Interviews

Zac tells the story of Hanson's massive hit "MMMbop," and talks about how brotherly bonds effect their music.