one of my first concerts and still one of my favorite albums. I didn't know he died sent a chill to hear him say "don't seek the living out here with the dead". rip doc
I have gone through the lyrics and done research on many of The Angels’ songs and I am convinced that in most of them there isn’t a specific meaning or specific story told. Instead, the writing style is often more like an abstract painting with words, a kind of stream of consciousness type style. It is more meant to put into an emotional state than to give you an easy to interpret message. The mood combined with some context gives you a sort of moral. They do this exceptionally well in my opinion. I have found confirmation that this is the case on at least one song which is “Dawn is Breaking.” I searched high and low for that deeper meaning and eventually found an article where Doc explains that it was an exercise in how to write the darkest feeling song he could. No deep underlying philosophy, just as black as possible. This is probably my favorite song by The Angels, and I feel like I understand it better than many of their others. I also feel that I now understand it even better after breaking it down has I have. That being said, I still don’t entirely get all of the lyrics. I have provided my interpretation below: Verse 1: “Knocking at the window, standing in the rain Ulysses smiles as he takes his pills the street walker knows his middle name she understands why he's dressed up to kill” - Illustrates a somber person who is on the verge of aggressive release. The street walker ties him to the shady elements of society and the pills represent the crutches he uses to deal with life. “poor little rich boy born to the thin woman the papers said he'd never be deprived” - Rich boy born to thin woman… he is rich economically, but his thin mother represents an emotional poverty, an emotional isolation. His mother is thin as it represents what she offers to him as a child. It is a stereotype of the wealthy in more ways than one. “the dust shifted in and out of time he lost his grip on his privileged life” - This economic wealth changed through no volition of his own. He is not rich and not in control “Now he's got children and a fat lady who watch over him and he watches them” - A perfect contrast to the thin woman. The fat lady is full of emotion and support. They are a group, he belongs. “the house is brimming over with inside information if learning is a crime it's looking grim!” - This is a paradox to the insinuated secrets and isolation of his life with the thin mother. The wealthy who often stick to rules of politeness might not pry into someone else’s business, you never know what you might discover. Poor people often have less reasons to hide things, less to lose, and are therefore not bound to respect privacy by their social constructs. It is also sometimes a luxury that is not afforded to them. Poor families have many children sharing a bedroom for example. -This first verse illustrates a person that has undergone drastic and uncontrolled change in his life. It also paints him as on the edge of something… uncontrolled. It is a bit frantic and sets up nicely for the chorus. Chorus: “I've got my hands in the water dipping in the dirty there might be a witness I better keep out of sight” - His original circle probably wouldn’t approve of his new life, even if it is more emotionally rewarding. He feels the urge to hide it as a result. “they've got their feet in the doorway trying not to hurt me this'll be the end of wasted sleepless nights wasted sleepless nights” - Those who love him try and convince him to stay, bringing stability to his life and taking away his escape in the “wasted sleepless nights.” I believe that “wasted sleepless nights” has a double meaning; it is 1) a party till’ you drop and 2) a restlessness, like you can’t sleep and just roll in your bed because something is eating at you. Verse 2: “Somewhere in the dark room there's a sign on the door that says "help for those who got the urge to stray" they've got boudoirs and operating theatres and microphone apostles who got nothing to say” - “Dark room” I see as a bar. “Dark” could refer to a lacking of information like with the thin woman also. I think it could have a different double meaning also but am unsure what exactly that would be. I think the sign on the door represents any kind of group that would take in the vulnerable, and potentially take advantage of them, maybe under the guise of help. Also, stray seems to mean not just like go nuts, but maybe to walk out of the line too, to reject conventional wisdom (like maybe rejecting wealth). - Lines 3 and 4 fits with the story, but I think it is mostly just a self-reference, the real Doc is the “microphone apostle with nothing to say.” It’s like an easter egg. He is telling you that he doesn’t typically include any specific political messages in the lyrics like other bands might. He is more just projecting a feeling and sometimes a type of moral, he is telling you that he is bullshit... But people idolize him anyway. Maybe he recognized that while he was capable of a certain brilliance, there were flaws that stop his writing from being complete. His logic/philosophies don’t pass all the tests that let me come full circle and adopt/agree. “now the finger's moving in for the kill save up your breath! slow down your death!” don't you know they weren't around when the loving angel said "don't seek the living out here with the dead"...” - Lines 1 and 2 are a sniper reference, you hold your breath when taking long shots to be more precise. The reflex in his current emotional state would be to shoot at anyone around, but this doesn’t achieve his aim, he harms the innocent not those who harmed him. He harms the ones who didn’t hear the angels, who are followers, they are middle managers or university students for example. They are those who seek wealth without the understanding that life with the fat lady is more fulfilling. The thin woman is “dead” while the fat lady is “living.” This creates a crowd of lost souls seeking fulfillment by following the “dead.” Chorus 2: Basically the same, but now they are saving him from himself like…. Dark Room: “Staring voices from the dark room” - I think that the conflict between the words “staring” and “voices” creates a brilliant tension as voices don’t stare, yet eyes and voices can both offer that kind of judgy tone. I think this is another extension of the whole paint a mood and not so much tell a story style that he has. “they are the wind that blows forever around the sun they are the beating of the city drum” - The owners of the “staring voices” are the powerful, the ones that put make the moves and determine what the days are to be. “and if you could see me now you'd burn a fifty dollar bill!” - This is a direct claim to the moral. Wealth detracts from happiness. “take Valium and arithmetic take a calculated thrill” - While it is clever, and I appreciate how “calculated thrill” fits in with the moral (make a conscious effort to take a risk for happiness), I always felt this was just kind of in there for flair and is a little bit shoe horned in. I think you could incorporate the idea of the calculated thrill just a bit more elegantly. “Staring voices from the dark room Staring voices from the dark room Staring voices from the dark room” - The ignorant continue to whisper, but we don’t care. We are enlightened and put their comments to sleep through knowing that they just don’t understand. I think this feeling is delivered by the continued chanting as the song wraps up. It doesn’t have to end really, it can go on forever, we don’t mind… Summary: - I think the song aims to express a “money is the root of all evil” type philosophy through a clever, thought provoking, and visual provoking set of lyrics. In that I think it is successful and I appreciate it greatly. I however disagree with this philosophy. It is too angsty and because of that, not honest enough. You can have money and be happy (or fat). In fact, there have been many studies done around this and most concur that there is no correlation between wealth and happiness except in cases where basic needs are unmet (in which money and happiness are positively correlated). Denying truth out of resentment isn’t healthy. Perhaps I missed the point and that is the intended message. Or maybe I truly understand him and that was the missing piece that he couldn’t or wouldn’t find, and that broke his machine.
Thank you for putting in the effort to type this. I've known the Angels since 1983 and you have taught me something tonight. I think the abstract art analogy is perfect.
Love them!! First discovered them opening act for The Kinks back in '80 L.A. 2 months later HAD to see them in tiny L.A. nightclub. I was up against their stage and I never found my socks because they were totally blown off!!
Day 6382. 2 x 3191. All my urine til 3.15pm then dried figs and iceberg lettuce and mandarins then more urine then fresh fruit and vegetables and other foods at 8.40pm. No change.
best story ,i meet him the doc neeson at the best breast cancer bawl in sydney as i was invited,i meet the great man we got on extremly well ,he invited me to his ahter party,he asked me when did i first ee him,i told him 1987 at the SCG sydney when the angels were the headline for david bowie serious moonlight concert infront off a packed crowd of ninety thousand ppl
Davies had a hissy fit . Doc and the boys had the fans at every concert going crazy . The Kinky boys were jealous and had them fired from the circuit . Basically snuffed out their chances of getting picked up over there. Aussies didn't care because we got to see more of them .
Yeah..cut the lights but that didn't work. Cut the sound but people still screamed for them. A 'barrier' made of tape ended up being laid down on the stage showing where Doc and the boys weren't allowed to cross. Typical kidbrain having a tantrum IMO. That's something a kid would do to their younger sibling. Childish. The Kinks had some good tunes but hearing Doc tell this made me lose respect for Davies
Great Song, Great Album, Great Band, Great Era.
Doc and the angels, they were one of the greatest band.will miss their music ☆
Nothing beats this magic
One of the very first songs I learned the lyrics to. Doc was a poet.
I'm a 55 years old Frenchman and I used to listen to this album when I was 18. Still love it....
57 year old US, same here!
Just slightly younger, but same love for the Angels. This song is a gem ! Jim from The SonarMen
I saw them open for The Kinks in '82. Still one of my all time favorites. Most of America missed the boat.
NOT ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saw them at Park West in Chicago...ex brother in law turned me onto them..
Most of the world missed this boat, Doc is ours Melbourne R.I.P.
the kinks stuffed them up on tour out of jealousy
Ahh so the Kinks shot 'em down stateside?
one of my first concerts and still one of my favorite albums. I didn't know he died sent a chill to hear him say "don't seek the living out here with the dead".
rip doc
A Bible quote, as it goes...
@@DavidGeelan2029 Oh yeah that's right, it is. I'd forgotten that verse.
This an awesome six plus minutes. "Take Valium and arithmetic, take a calculated thrill" -- you can't beat that.
seen them Lake Karapiro 1980 sweetwaters a couple of times.. man they were the coolest of the cool.. RIP Doc. Always remembered
R.I.P. doc neeson, (best concert ever!)...I was like 14... lol
Still the greatest Aussie band ever!!!
I have gone through the lyrics and done research on many of The Angels’ songs and I am convinced that in most of them there isn’t a specific meaning or specific story told. Instead, the writing style is often more like an abstract painting with words, a kind of stream of consciousness type style. It is more meant to put into an emotional state than to give you an easy to interpret message. The mood combined with some context gives you a sort of moral. They do this exceptionally well in my opinion. I have found confirmation that this is the case on at least one song which is “Dawn is Breaking.” I searched high and low for that deeper meaning and eventually found an article where Doc explains that it was an exercise in how to write the darkest feeling song he could. No deep underlying philosophy, just as black as possible.
This is probably my favorite song by The Angels, and I feel like I understand it better than many of their others. I also feel that I now understand it even better after breaking it down has I have. That being said, I still don’t entirely get all of the lyrics. I have provided my interpretation below:
Verse 1:
“Knocking at the window, standing in the rain
Ulysses smiles as he takes his pills
the street walker knows his middle name
she understands why he's dressed up to kill”
- Illustrates a somber person who is on the verge of aggressive release. The street walker ties him to the shady elements of society and the pills represent the crutches he uses to deal with life.
“poor little rich boy born to the thin woman
the papers said he'd never be deprived”
- Rich boy born to thin woman… he is rich economically, but his thin mother represents an emotional poverty, an emotional isolation. His mother is thin as it represents what she offers to him as a child. It is a stereotype of the wealthy in more ways than one.
“the dust shifted in and out of time
he lost his grip on his privileged life”
- This economic wealth changed through no volition of his own. He is not rich and not in control
“Now he's got children and a fat lady
who watch over him and he watches them”
- A perfect contrast to the thin woman. The fat lady is full of emotion and support. They are a group, he belongs.
“the house is brimming over with inside information
if learning is a crime it's looking grim!”
- This is a paradox to the insinuated secrets and isolation of his life with the thin mother. The wealthy who often stick to rules of politeness might not pry into someone else’s business, you never know what you might discover. Poor people often have less reasons to hide things, less to lose, and are therefore not bound to respect privacy by their social constructs. It is also sometimes a luxury that is not afforded to them. Poor families have many children sharing a bedroom for example.
-This first verse illustrates a person that has undergone drastic and uncontrolled change in his life. It also paints him as on the edge of something… uncontrolled. It is a bit frantic and sets up nicely for the chorus.
Chorus:
“I've got my hands in the water dipping in the dirty
there might be a witness I better keep out of sight”
- His original circle probably wouldn’t approve of his new life, even if it is more emotionally rewarding. He feels the urge to hide it as a result.
“they've got their feet in the doorway
trying not to hurt me
this'll be the end of wasted sleepless nights
wasted sleepless nights”
- Those who love him try and convince him to stay, bringing stability to his life and taking away his escape in the “wasted sleepless nights.” I believe that “wasted sleepless nights” has a double meaning; it is 1) a party till’ you drop and 2) a restlessness, like you can’t sleep and just roll in your bed because something is eating at you.
Verse 2:
“Somewhere in the dark room there's a sign on the door
that says "help for those who got the urge to stray"
they've got boudoirs and operating theatres
and microphone apostles who got nothing to say”
- “Dark room” I see as a bar. “Dark” could refer to a lacking of information like with the thin woman also. I think it could have a different double meaning also but am unsure what exactly that would be. I think the sign on the door represents any kind of group that would take in the vulnerable, and potentially take advantage of them, maybe under the guise of help. Also, stray seems to mean not just like go nuts, but maybe to walk out of the line too, to reject conventional wisdom (like maybe rejecting wealth).
- Lines 3 and 4 fits with the story, but I think it is mostly just a self-reference, the real Doc is the “microphone apostle with nothing to say.” It’s like an easter egg. He is telling you that he doesn’t typically include any specific political messages in the lyrics like other bands might. He is more just projecting a feeling and sometimes a type of moral, he is telling you that he is bullshit... But people idolize him anyway. Maybe he recognized that while he was capable of a certain brilliance, there were flaws that stop his writing from being complete. His logic/philosophies don’t pass all the tests that let me come full circle and adopt/agree.
“now the finger's moving in for the kill
save up your breath! slow down your death!”
don't you know they weren't around
when the loving angel said "don't seek the living
out here with the dead"...”
- Lines 1 and 2 are a sniper reference, you hold your breath when taking long shots to be more precise. The reflex in his current emotional state would be to shoot at anyone around, but this doesn’t achieve his aim, he harms the innocent not those who harmed him. He harms the ones who didn’t hear the angels, who are followers, they are middle managers or university students for example. They are those who seek wealth without the understanding that life with the fat lady is more fulfilling. The thin woman is “dead” while the fat lady is “living.” This creates a crowd of lost souls seeking fulfillment by following the “dead.”
Chorus 2:
Basically the same, but now they are saving him from himself like….
Dark Room:
“Staring voices from the dark room”
- I think that the conflict between the words “staring” and “voices” creates a brilliant tension as voices don’t stare, yet eyes and voices can both offer that kind of judgy tone. I think this is another extension of the whole paint a mood and not so much tell a story style that he has.
“they are the wind that blows forever around the sun
they are the beating of the city drum”
- The owners of the “staring voices” are the powerful, the ones that put make the moves and determine what the days are to be.
“and if you could see me now
you'd burn a fifty dollar bill!”
- This is a direct claim to the moral. Wealth detracts from happiness.
“take Valium and arithmetic
take a calculated thrill”
- While it is clever, and I appreciate how “calculated thrill” fits in with the moral (make a conscious effort to take a risk for happiness), I always felt this was just kind of in there for flair and is a little bit shoe horned in. I think you could incorporate the idea of the calculated thrill just a bit more elegantly.
“Staring voices from the dark room
Staring voices from the dark room
Staring voices from the dark room”
- The ignorant continue to whisper, but we don’t care. We are enlightened and put their comments to sleep through knowing that they just don’t understand. I think this feeling is delivered by the continued chanting as the song wraps up. It doesn’t have to end really, it can go on forever, we don’t mind…
Summary:
- I think the song aims to express a “money is the root of all evil” type philosophy through a clever, thought provoking, and visual provoking set of lyrics. In that I think it is successful and I appreciate it greatly. I however disagree with this philosophy. It is too angsty and because of that, not honest enough. You can have money and be happy (or fat). In fact, there have been many studies done around this and most concur that there is no correlation between wealth and happiness except in cases where basic needs are unmet (in which money and happiness are positively correlated). Denying truth out of resentment isn’t healthy. Perhaps I missed the point and that is the intended message. Or maybe I truly understand him and that was the missing piece that he couldn’t or wouldn’t find, and that broke his machine.
Thank you for putting in the effort to type this. I've known the Angels since 1983 and you have taught me something tonight. I think the abstract art analogy is perfect.
@@buryitdeep Glad you appreciated it!
I enjoyed writing it. I enjoyed taking apart a song that I had listened to pasively many many times....
Love this song...brings back so many memories
Rock on, all who shared and liked this.
Keep the memory of real music alive🖖
Swear to God....was just listening to the Kinks before going for this What a show that musy have been
Always have loved Angel City ,, glad I I grew up to great music , never tired of this music.
So many great memories.
These guys were awesome!!! Very popular in my high school growing up. Everybody had Face to Face and Darkroom albums
ya I feel that they were way ahead of their time....glad i was there when they were on top
Love them!! First discovered them opening act for The Kinks back in '80 L.A. 2 months later HAD to see them in tiny L.A. nightclub. I was up against their stage and I never found my socks because they were totally blown off!!
Thought I was only man on planet till these dickheads came along. My tastes are eclectic, standout group!
if learning is a crime, it's looking pretty grim.
Still get the shivers and can feel.the stamp on.back of me head when i.hear this😎
They are the wind that blows forever round the sun...
Just woaw.
Best $2 i ever spent for the 3XY Festival Hall gig !
top band awsome,such fun
Awesome song reminds me of getting kicked out of hanmer golf course for camping there good old days
sadly missed is our doc
+num nuts i would have seen them at least 1000 time thats no joke
Doc was a brilliant performer and a genuinely lovely man. He is much missed by so many.
Day 6382. 2 x 3191. All my urine til 3.15pm then dried figs and iceberg lettuce and mandarins then more urine then fresh fruit and vegetables and other foods at 8.40pm. No change.
Help for those who,ve got the urge to stray !!!!!!
Bob Dylan lässt grüßen!
☝🏻🤔😂🎸
Thanks for this!
Awesome
best ever
My teenage years...
ya buddy no shit , the best in time !!!!
best story ,i meet him the doc neeson at the best breast cancer bawl in sydney as i was invited,i meet the great man we got on extremly well ,he invited me to his ahter party,he asked me when did i first ee him,i told him 1987 at the SCG sydney when the angels were the headline for david bowie serious moonlight concert infront off a packed crowd of ninety thousand ppl
What a great memory. Doc was a lovely gentleman.
Play it NOW!
RIP DOC
Otay!😅
Davies had a hissy fit . Doc and the boys had the fans at every concert going crazy . The Kinky boys were jealous and had them fired from the circuit . Basically snuffed out their chances of getting picked up over there. Aussies didn't care because we got to see more of them .
Yeah..cut the lights but that didn't work. Cut the sound but people still screamed for them. A 'barrier' made of tape ended up being laid down on the stage showing where Doc and the boys weren't allowed to cross. Typical kidbrain having a tantrum IMO. That's something a kid would do to their younger sibling. Childish.
The Kinks had some good tunes but hearing Doc tell this made me lose respect for Davies
its 4.38am
looking for those vocals stems
thanks guys
Hated ACDC....loved Angel City