Kalliope Lyrics

He hit me and it felt like a kiss: Violence and abuse in modern song lyrics

2018-11-03T23:35:00.003+01:00

The first song lyrics about violence I ever heard were from Tori Amos:"Me and a gun". A difficult bearable A capella song about Amos' personal rape experience on a parking place.
The lyrics are confusing poetic, the atrocious act described just by some simple lines e.g "As he buttoned down his pants" or "And you're pushed flat on your stomach". The main focus is on Amos' desperate will to survive:"But I haven't seen Barbados, so I must get out of this."
I was devastated cos I had never read lyrics like that before. That somebody would be so brave to write about such an intimate and gruelsome experience was completely new to me.
(On the 1998's album "From the choirgirl hotel" Amos wrote "Black Dove - January" which deals with her childhood abuse through a friend of her family:"She never let on how insane it was, in that tiny kinda scary house.")

Shortly after I discovered Heather Nova's "Blue Black" and Fiona Apple's "Sullen girl".
Both women were new and young to the music industry and wrote about sexual abuse in their childhood.
Heather Nova adresses the violator directly in her lyrics:"You made me a victim in your Christmas kitchen" and "And was it familiar when you touched my sister".
Apple was attacked by a stranger when she was alone at home. Till today she suffers from this trauma. She writes about this in a very subtle way:"But he washed me 'shore and took my pearl and left an empty shell of me".
Both songs are beautiful ,"Sullen girl" could be a heartbreak ballade if one wouldn't know what it's really about.
Novas interpretation transports anger and contempt, but also pride at the end of the song, cos she survived and kept herself, so the abuser couldn't take her innoncence:"But you never got my virgin heart."
Apple sounds raw and sad, somehow distant, because it's the oblivion that brings salvation:"It's calm under the waves, in the blue of my oblivion."

Then Stone Temple Pilots dropped a song called "Sex Type Thing". The song is written from the point of view of an aggressive macho who thinks sex is about control and power.
Scott Weiland wrote it, after a former girlfriend was raped after a party.
In the lyrics he uses all typical clichees of a rapist's fantasies:"I'm a man,a man, I'll give ya something that ya won't forget," and "I know you want what's in my mind".
It's a pretty straight forward grungerocksong, but Weiland's vocals are harsher than usual. The song ends with Weiland shouting:"Here I come, I come, I come..."
A rather unusal song for 1993,it was successful on the one hand ,but also under great controversy as some people misread the first person narrator in the song as Weiland himself.
More artists wrote and sung about abuse and violence.

Sonic Youth had a song called "Shoot"on their "Dirty" album which is about a pregnant woman who wants to get an abortion, but is afraid of her violent boyfriend:"I won't be asking not to have this baby, please," and " You only hit me when you wanna be pleased."
It's more spoken than sung by Kim Gordon and comes to a hysteric climax, when she visualizes how the female first person narrator shoots her boyfriend.

Pearl Jam wrote two songs about domestic violence "Daughter" and "Rearviewmirror". The main emotions behind these lyrics are anger and rage. The narrator in "Rearviewmirror" seems to be a male teenager who managed to finally escape his violent home:"I guess it was the beatings made me wise," and "Hand on my face,pushed to the ground,enmity gauged,united by fear, forced to endure what I could not forgive."
The song is fast, reminds with its hectic melody that somebody is on the run and gets even faster in the end, while "Daughter" sounds like a acoustic countrysong.
The daughter can't live up to her mother's expectations:"Mother reads aloud,child tries to understand it, tries to make her proud." The daughter fails and the consequence is punishment:"She holds the hand that holds her down." The mother shuts the shades down, so the neighbors won't see or hear what's going on. In the refrain the daughter recalls her horrible memories and says:"Don't call me daughter, not fit to, the picture kept will remind me."

Hole's "Live through this" is a catalogue of abusive relationships and self loath. It deals with physical violation:"Pee girl gets the belt, it only makes me cry" to murder phantasies of a dismembered girl in "Jennifer Body":" He cuts you from the tree, he keeps you in a box by the bed". Love doesn't spare us with nasty pictures and details:"Your milk's in my mouth, it makes me sick."

The Offspring released a song in 1994 called "Self Esteem". Singer Bryan Holland writes about an abusive relationship from the man's point of view. This time it's the girlfriend who cheats on, lies to and humiliates the boyfriend:" When she's saying, oh, that I'm like a disease, then I wonder how much more I can spend." He admits his weakness and awkwardness in this situation:"Now I know I'm being used, but that's okay because I like the abuse." and "The more you suffer, the more it shows you really care..". To that time terms like gaslighting and narcissistic behaviour or verbal and mental abuse in relationships were unknown, while now have become important issues.

Two years later the metal-industrial band Stabbing Westward published a song on their second album called "Sleep". It describes how a little girl waits anxiously in her bedroom at night for her father's steps before her door and how he abuses her:"She stares intently at the door listens for his footsteps," and "Floating high above her head, staring at her father's head, wishing one of them were dead, so thhis hell could finally end." The song is not very subtle or gentle with the lyrics, but it shows the situation simple and straight how it is. The singer Christopher Hall wrote it about his former girlfriend, who was abused by her father as a child.

I want to close this survey with a song that quotes a classic.
Lana del Rey's song "Ultraviolence" uses the phrase "He hit me and it felt like a kiss" which was originally from The Crystals in 1962. Carole King wrote it for the girlgroup when she found out that her babysitter was beaten by her boyfriend, but justified his behaviour, cos it was an evidence of his love.
Del Rey describes a toxic relationship, where the man is the strong and violent part:"He hurt me but it felt like true love." In the refrain she quotes the Crystal line and signals that her female narrator also justifies her lover's abusive behaviour, because it's meant to be this way. She evokes Jim Morrison in her lyrics who was also known as a very impulsive person:"Jim taught me that loving him was never enough." Although it's not quite clear, that Jim himself is the abusive lover she is talking about.
Of course Del Rey was criticized for this song, because of the glorification of an abusive relationship. But I think people must distinguish between the protagonists in a song and the writer. It is not always the same thing! Maybe Del Rey experienced difficult relationships and used this as a sceen for her song. By the way the motif of an older stronger man dominating the younger woman is a red line in Del Rey's lyrics.

There are many many more songs about this issue e.g Eminen's Stan or Siouxsie's Candyman.
These songs can raise more awareness for victims of any abuse. So listen to them, share them and help those who have experienced violence.

Thank you for reading.

Let's go back to the start

2018-10-10T14:26:00.001+02:00

Dearest cosmonauts,

when I started this blog years ago, my first approach was to deliver an information source about my favorite musicians and their songlyrics with the most important videos or link recommendations.
Unfortunately the conditions have changed a lot. GDPR and the latest decisions from Brussel about the use of Youtube Videos have forced me to change my concept or just to stop with the blog.So I thought about it the last months and decided to carry on,but in a different way.
I will write about music, but not post videos or links anymore. You all know where to find music videos or further informations in more detail when needed. So you will have more text here, less visuals except my own concert pictures from time to time.
I hope you will still join me from time to time.

xoxo cosmo

Latest siren

2017-05-24T19:45:00.001+02:00

Haven't done a siren for a long time.

Junip - Villain

Cigarettes after sex - Affection

De staat - Baby

Laura Carbone - Lullaby

Jeremie Whistler - Run into the sun

Plans for 2017

2017-04-28T22:40:00.000+02:00

Cosmonauts!

We are back. Took some time, but here we go.
This year we already saw Esben and the witch and De Staat. Both were brilliant, pictures and videos of De Staat are available on our FB Site. Stuff from Esben and the witch concert will follow soon.

So this year I will attend Rock Werchter: Radiohead, Agnes Obel, Arcade Fire, James Blake, Alt- J, Warpaint, The Kills....so many good bands will be there!!!
Also I will see Depeche Mode which is a long tradition of mine. I've seen them so many times and it's always like homecoming.

So stay tuned, watch out and enjoy Kalliope lyrics...

The Kills are back

2016-03-02T18:50:00.000+01:00

I'm so in love with the new Kills song. Can't wait for their new album.

Happy Birthday Kalliope !!!

2016-02-02T21:57:00.002+01:00

I started this blog FIVE years ago, cos I was frustrated ,there were no blogs about music I like or about the lyrics of my favorite songs. Or that I had to look at 3 or more different sources to know everything about a certain artist or band...why couldn't there be something with more background or a small introduction with further links ? And why are there only a few women and girls who blog about music ???
So naive as I was I started this and there were moments, when I just wanted to delete everything. Or I had no time or I was so uninspired by any new music that came out...cos I only blog about music I like and not what's popular. If the music I like becomes popular that's a nice side effect.
And then I took other music lovers on my boat, asking for guest articles, so I'd have more diversity here. Fresh wind. Different aspects.

So here we are...after five years. Weird. I hope you still will join us from time to time.

Thank you, cosmonauts.

This is for you.....makes you laugh and cry ;o))))

P.J. Harvey - The Wheel

2016-02-01T16:41:00.001+01:00

In a statement to Noisey, Harvey says:

When I’m writing a song I visualize the entire scene. I can see the colors, I can tell the time of day, I can sense the mood, I can see the light changing, the shadows moving, everything in that picture. Gathering information from secondary sources felt too far removed for what I was trying to write about. I wanted to smell the air, feel the soil and meet the people of the countries I was fascinated with.

Meanwhile, Murphy wrote a much longer piece about both the song and the video. Here’s a part of it:

The song “The Wheel” has the journey to Kosovo at its center. Who is to say what else has influenced and informed its creation? The sight of a revolving fairground wheel in Fushe Kosove/Kosovo Polje near the capital Pristina is the concrete reference point for the title. I can tell you its date — 4th August 2011 — from the piece of footage I made as we walked up the street to our parked car near the train station. It was a passing observation of a commonplace image, one of many that day. While Polly took notes I might have been more interested in something else happening across the street and not bothered to shoot or even have seen it. That day we were gathering material in a blind, optimistic endeavor; characteristic of the way we tend to work together. We had no idea if any of it would ever be seen, heard or would make sense.

Was that sight alone the inspiration for the song? Without being told the stories of people who had suffered during the war, without visiting villages abandoned through ethnic cleansing and cycles of vengeance, without experiencing the different perceptions of people with shared histories, could the song have been written?

( taken from Stereogum)

Live Concert Photos

2016-01-24T13:58:00.003+01:00

One of our Kalliope guest writers is a marvellous photographer. His pictures of live concerts from all sorts of metal bands are outstanding. He travelled with the Melvins. Also his pictures got published in Visions Magazine.

So check out JW8000's Flickr account with the best of live music photography one can see.

I'm deranged

2016-01-11T18:52:00.002+01:00

His brother was diagnosed as schizophrenic, but nobody in his family talked about it. Growing up wasn't fun. He felt alone and outcasted. But music was a hope, a chance, an escape.
And look at this boy now.
What a journey he took ! How many lives he lived ! What fantastic songs he wrote !
He always believed in extraterrestial life. Now he's gone to space to find it out himself.
Good bye, David Robert Jones, Ziggy Stardust,Aladdin Sane, Thin White Duke, Spaceman....David Bowie.

(Read this article,it might comfort you :David Bowie and Death.)

David Bowie - Blackstar from david thomson on Vimeo.

DE STAAT

2015-12-11T09:43:00.001+01:00

I saw this video "Witch Doctor"and got Goosebumps. Which is rare nowadays. The mastermind behind this dutch band is Torre Florim. He looks like the devil's advocate in the videos and has this mesmerizing voice.
And the videos ! Great artwork, the choreography of Witch Doctor Video is unbelievable scary.
De Staat exists since 2008 and has released four records. They are on tour 2016, mostly in the Netherlands and Belgium. They will also release a new record in January.

Also the band has done a lot of great coversongs from Prodigy's Firestarter to Ariana Grande's Focus.

But now...let's get bewitched...

Good bye, Scott

2015-12-04T16:44:00.000+01:00

Scott Weiland, Ex Singer from the Stone Temple Pilots, died last night. Although he was on Tour and seemed to be clean and steady, something unexpected happened. The cause of his death is not known yet.
After Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley we lost another Grunge icon which is so so sad.

Here are my favorite Songs from Scott. In the last picture and video he reminds me a lot of Bowie....

Latest Siren

2015-11-27T19:06:00.003+01:00

The red Dragon from cosmokatze on 8tracks Radio.

AHS Hotel : Soundtrack

2015-11-19T12:39:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone !

Did u watch the latest episodes of the new AHS season ? I love it. And what I love the most is the well picked list of tracks to every episode. So much effort, so much good knowledge about music history.

here are some of the best tracks so far....

1. The Soft Moon.

2. TR/ST

3. She wants Revenge

4. Bauhaus

5. Siouxsie And The Banshees

6. Sisters Of Mercy

7. New Order

8. Depeche Mode

The King's Parade

2015-09-16T22:29:00.002+02:00

This is a lovely band from England. I cannot really describe what kind of music they make, but compared to their ages, they have a lot of Soul and Funk in their sounds. But not that Simply Red kind of Soul, no, it's genuine, it's amazing.
I saw them in Cologne and although I didn't know any song, I was hooked from the first note.
Some of you may know these guys from playing in the streets of London, especially Camden Town.

Listen for yourselves, cosmonauts.

http://www.thekingsparade.com/The_Kings_Parade/Home.html

https://www.facebook.com/thekingsparade

Still cold in the light of sunshine

2015-07-05T12:25:00.006+02:00

C-O-double M-O-N, a wave, an awesome wave
That rushes skin and widens in flooded veins
Breath in, exhale, I've poked a nerve
He'll slap me like a whale
Slaps the C-O-double M-O-N
Tide out, tide in, a flood of blood
To the heart through the fear slipstreams
Breath in, exhale, I've poked a nerve
You'll slap me like a whale
Slaps the C-O-double M-O-N
Flood of blood to the heart

When I think of you

2015-04-13T22:42:00.000+02:00

This is instead of writing letters to people I like, admire, find interesting, want to keep in touch.
I was thinking of reviving the art of writing letters. But to be honest...even I would be too lazy to keep it going and I used to be a devoted letter girl before my 20ties.

So every post will be devoted to a special someone. I won't write too much personal details about her/him, no names etc.
I won't take the person's favorite songs, cos then it wouldn't make sense. I take songs/videos which remind me of this person.
So maybe you get a nice picture or idea about the person by watching the videos and listening to the songs.

When I think of you

To:

Une femme dont j'avais toujours eu peur.

Take off your clothes And give them to me. Put on my robes, Pretend that you're me. Because nobody knows Who we are, I'm sorry friend But we've come too far. We've come too far. Slip off your shoes, Step into mine. Come to face me, Now is the time. Everything is set, Everything is fine, Show me your back, You're ready now.

Didn't I make you feel like you were the only man - yeah! An' didn't I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can ? Honey, you know I did! And each time I tell myself that I, well I think I've had enough, But I'm gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough. I want you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it, Take it! Take another little piece of my heart now, baby! Oh, oh, break it! Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, oh, have a! Have another little piece of my heart now, baby, You know you got it if it makes you feel good, Oh, yes indeed. You're out on the streets looking good, And baby deep down in your heart I guess you know that it ain't right, Never, never, never, never, never, never hear me when I cry at night, Babe, and I cry all the time! But each time I tell myself that I, well I can't stand the pain, But when you hold me in your arms, I'll sing it once again. I'll say come on, come on, come on, come on and take it! Take it! Take another little piece of my heart now, baby. Oh, oh, break it! Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah, Oh, oh, have a! Have another little piece of my heart now, baby, You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good. I need you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it, Take it! Take another little piece of my heart now, baby! Oh, oh, break it! Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, c'mon now. Oh, oh, have a Have another little piece of my heart now, baby. You know you got it - whoahhhhh!! Take it! Take it! Take another little piece of my heart now, baby, Oh, oh, break it! Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Oh, oh, have a Have another little piece of my heart now, baby, hey, You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good.

Yeah it was a cool black night Oh i remember it well We was ridin'in the box Lord it be cold as hell Tryin to get ower the hamp be Fore it snow Body could freeze to death No one ever know We was headin' west Just to go south About this plan well I had my doubts Slim said he wanted first stop out in Spokaloo Said he knew a pretty little thing And I think her name was lou Oh I had a bad feelin' Well we rolled into town We was walkin' down the street Oh I knew somethin' wrong I could Feel the heat Up come the police said “welcome to out toun” Hop in the back seat boys Gon' show you 'round Never ever go west When you know you should be headin' south Never ever whisper When you know it's time to shout Forteen days in the spokane city jail When I got out, have mercy I was ready to sail Captain said,”you learned your lesson boy?” Have no doubt Never ever go west When you know you should be headin' Never ever go west When you know you should be headin'south Never ever whisper When you know it's time to shout

Hey you, see me, pictures crazy All the world I've seen before me passing by I've got nothing, to gain, to lose All the world I've seen before me passing by You don't care about how I feel I don't feel it any more You don't care about how I feel I don't feel it any more You don't care about how I feel I don't feel it any more You don't care about how I feel I don't feel it any more Hey you, are me, not so pretty All the world I've seen before me passing by Silent my voice, I've got no choice All the world I've seen before me passing by You don't care about how I feel I don't feel it any more You don't care about how I feel I don't feel it any more You don't care about how I feel I don't feel it any more You don't care about how I feel I don't feel it any more I don't see, anymore I don't hear, anymore I don't speak, anymore I don't feel Hey you, see me, pictures crazy All the world I've seen before me passing by I've got nothing, to gain, to lose All the world I've seen before me passing by You don't care about how I feel I don't feel it any more You don't care about how I feel I don't feel it any more You don't care about how I feel I don't feel it any more You don't care about how I feel I don't feel it any more I don't sleep, anymore I don't eat, anymore I don't live, anymore I don't feel

What gives what helps the intuition? I know I'll know I won't have to be shown The way home And it's not about a boy Although although They can lead you Break or defeat you A destination known Only by the one Who's fate is overgrown Piecemeal can break your home in half A love is not complete with only heat And they can tease you Break or complete you And it came a heat wave A merciful save You choose you chose Poetry over prose A map is more unreal than where you've been Or how you feel A map is more unreal than where you've been Or how you feel And it's impossible to tell How important someone was And what you might have missed out on And how he might have changed it all And how you might have changed it all for him And how he might have changed it all And how you might have changed it all for him Did I, did I Did I, did I Did I, did I Did I, did I Did I did I miss out on you?

Someone take these dreams away, That point me to another day, A duel of personalities, That stretch all true realities. That keep calling me, They keep calling me, Keep on calling me, They keep calling me. Where figures from the past stand tall, And mocking voices ring the halls. Imperialistic house of prayer, Conquistadors who took their share. That keep calling me, They keep calling me, Keep on calling me, They keep calling me. Calling me, calling me, calling me, calling me. They keep calling me, Keep on calling me, They keep calling me, They keep calling me.

Kitty Daisy and Lewis - Cologne Concert

2015-03-21T17:11:00.004+01:00

It was great! No technical sound problems this time. They brought a small string section to give the songs some swing attitude which worked very well.
The crowd was enthusiastic and danced to every song.
Only one drunk woman who kept shouting insults towards Kitty had to be pulled out. Some people just shouldn't touch alcohol.
The siblings seemed very confident on stage and had fun interacting with the audience.

Plans for 2015

2015-03-07T20:34:00.000+01:00

We are going on Tour again to report for you from the best gigs !!!

Kitty Daisy & Lewis
Underworld
Notwist
Faithnomore
David Gilmore

and maybe some more !

So watch out for new live reports and pictures on Kalliope ! Woohoo !

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis - Baby Bye Bye (Official Video) from PIASGermany on Vimeo.

Shakespeare's Sister

2015-02-22T14:07:00.000+01:00

A short movie by the Shakespeare's Sister which contains their videos from Hormonally yours.

Another favorite from that album

Some people say he has a deathwish
Trouble is he tends to agree
Let's not ask too many questions
It's nothing to do with you or me
He remembers a time when even going home was sweet
Now he can't feel the ground under his feet
And she said "The trouble with Andre
Is he thinks he hides everything"
But I know the trouble with Andre
Is he's a liar
Inside the dresser by the table
Something he keeps beside the bed
Living with Andre can't be easy
Some things are better left unsaid
He remembers a time before the waters got so deep
When he found it easier to sleep
And she said "The trouble with Andre
Is he thinks he hides everything"
But I know the trouble with Andre
Is he's a liar And you know
The trouble with Andre
Is he thinks he fools everyone
But I know the trouble with Andre
Is his disguise

Latest Siren

2015-01-15T17:38:00.000+01:00

That's on my earphones lately....

Je suis Charlie, Mohammed, Buddha, Jesus, Jahwe, Krishna.....

2015-01-08T21:24:00.002+01:00

Muhammad my friend
It's time to tell the world
We both know it was a girl back in Bethlehem
And on that fateful day
When she was crucified
She wore Shiseido Red an dwe drank tea
By her side

Sweet sweet
Used to be so sweet to me

Muhammad my friend
I'm getting very scared
Teach me how to love my brothers
Who don't know the law
And what aobut the deal on the flying
Trapeze got a peanut butter hand
But honey do drop in at the
Dew Drop Inn

Sweet sweet
Between the boys and the bees

And Moses I know
I know you've seen fire
But you've never seen fire
Until you've seen Pele blow
And I've never seen light
But I sure have seen gold
And Gladys save the place for me
On your grapevine
Till I get my own TV Show

Ashre ashre ashre ashre
And if I lose my Cracker Jacks at the
Tidal wave I got a place
In the Pope's rubber robe
Muhammad my friend
It's time to tell the world
We both know it was a girl
Back in Bethlehem

Aftermath

2015-01-03T19:19:00.000+01:00

After christmas and New Year's eve we all come down and face grey january.....

Tricky - Aftermath on MUZU.TV.

Merry Christmas

2014-12-24T19:22:00.002+01:00

The spirit is in me, the devil is in me - Scary moviesoundtracks

2014-12-18T20:10:00.002+01:00

Today we are getting dark and scary.

First piece is from the very strange and intense movie "Under the skin". You'll love it or you hate it. I actually love it, cos it's been like nothing I've ever seen before. It dares a lot and Scarlett Johansons presence in the movie is unbelievable.
And the soundtrack ! Aaaw, what a beautiful soundtrack! Atmosphere.
About the composing FEMALE genius .

Next tune is from the "Lords of Salem" movie. The movie has some nice ideas, but it lacks from tempo and suspense.

T

This one is from one of my favorite scary movies, it's Insidious.

Next horror movie is Silent Hill. I hate the sound of alarm sirens. This always gives me the creeps....

Latest Siren

2014-12-07T22:22:00.003+01:00

Last night I heard this on the car's radio. What flashbacks ! I loved their record "Pornograffitti" when I was a kid.

Extreme - Hole Hearted

And now for some n-n-noise.

Best Hater Song ever...

and some cool 80ties stuff..... ( just ignore the looks....)

and now some black kids singing about the fair and social use of cannabis...hilarious!