Album: Floodland (1987)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Frontman Andrew Eldritch used the year of his birth, 1959, to represent a bygone time of innocence - but not in the sense of childlike purity. The goth rocker insists he was never that innocent. While discussing the track with Sounds magazine in 1987, he explained: "I really dispute the idea of childlike innocence. I don't recall anything but being potentially deceitful; I was always very aware of deceit. I remember at three reading books about treachery, I had the most treacherous version of Robin Hood that I've ever read! My Godfather gave me Lord Of The Rings, it was so much more interesting than Peter Rabbit."
  • The track is uncharacteristically stark with Eldritch's deep vocals accompanied only by a piano... kind of. He told Bravo magazine: "This one was programmed on the computer note by note without even touching a piano key."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80s

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80sSongwriter Interviews

'80s music ambassadors Wang Chung pick their top tracks of the decade, explaining what makes each one so special.

Evolution Of The Prince Symbol

Evolution Of The Prince SymbolSong Writing

The evolution of the symbol that was Prince's name from 1993-2000.

Ramones

RamonesFact or Fiction

A band so baffling, even their names were contrived. Check your score in the Ramones version of Fact or Fiction.

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.