1986_0622 : All Of These Lines

Description

I wrote this in March ’83, as an imagined dialogue between myself and a girl named Kristin who was in my architectural studies program at University. This was my first post-conspiracy song, as suggested by the lyrics:

You’re avant-garde, you’re foreign region,
But friends (girls) like you are in allegiance
To watch me break down and crumble…

I thought the chord sequence of the chorus, C-Am-G-B-D-C-G-B, was absolutely the most brilliant thing I had ever thought of; I wanted to be the next Pete Shelley. This particular song was a milestone for me, as in 1985, it marked my first significant venture into synthesizer arrangements for my songs. Other people thought it was a drug song.

In general, these were “dark” songs.

Some immediate comparisons were made to Julian Cope, New Order, and John Cale even. I thought my vocals really worked at the time… though now I think quite differently. I once said I would never write anything so insipid as a love ballad. This is the one album that contains a stab at that type of songwriting. I played all the instruments and sang most of the parts. This was my first collection of 10 songs of love, lust and disappointment. All were penned in varying states of romantic despair.”