Cocteau Twins – Cherry-coloured Funk

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  General Comment:I believe this is a type of stream of conscious poem and that Alicefern is really onto something. Maybe not in the center of the target, but very close. Poetry editors call this "encoding" and it often is surreal, with odd phrases and a kaleidoscope of grammar and logic. It is no longer in vogue with poetry magazines much, unless it is top-rate stuff which I think this song is. I think her drug use is interfering with her talents as it almost always does to musicians and artists who go into it with naive bravodo. What I think Fraser did was fuse a great deal of meaning into a fair amount of nonsense and maybe she is so far down in despair that this grafting one on to the other is the only way she can accept the truth within her life and in her work.

  Flag foolorsageon September 12, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:Here's my interpretation: As the name of the song suggests, it is about love despair - she is in a love funk. The opening lines reveal her lover's effect on her: a confused state and inability to see straight ("you steam our unstable eyes", but she won't speak of their love- it's known between them "down far behind" others. I think the song is suggesting that they don't see each other ("hanged your pass") and this is like a stab in the heart (he has "the dullest knife") and she experiences a deep, dark, despair (he has "the hardest black"). Perhaps others know and she feels "cried and laughed at" which is why she "sews herself in" "not saying" what she is feeling. She is spiraling downward- feeling "hugged and tugged down" by her emotions while meanwhile wearing her "mask."

  Flag alicefernon August 18, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:Actually, Liz Frazer did consume a lot drugs by this stage of her career, and not only her, but the whole cocteau twins were inmerse in a variety of problems, including drug abuse. The whole album Heaven or las Vegas is an abstract trip, with songs to be taken as contemplative photographs that not necessarily have one particular meaning. This doesnt mean that the lyrics itself dont mean anything and are just gibberish, its just that theres a lot of ideas in one song at the same time and reading them as whole doesnt make any sense. Liz´s mind was a bit chaotic when recording this album, she had just given birth to her daughter and some of the band members were not fit to record due to drug abuse, which made them change band members when recording. They also had a lot of trouble with the label because of constant delays in the recording process. A lot of instability. This song kind of pictures the whole situation, not much making any sense in the way of making a statement. Its just beautiful chaos and abstract thoughts in dark music. Yeah... I dont see a lot of Enya here... But I do see a lot of inspiration for bands like Beach House.

  Flag Arthoson May 11, 2011   Link

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  Lyric Correction:i read through these lyrics and i keep finding parts I disagree on. But then I realize we're both right. It's not about one meaning. It's a rarschach of a song

  Flag Alicia120on June 29, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:This is a really beautiful song. However, I don't think many of these lyrics are accurate, although, who really knows for sure what she's singing. For example, "tiger's masque" sounds more like "tiger's nose" to me. *shrug* Who knows, though. Still gorgeous

  Flag Reptilia1251on September 04, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:Yeh Liz probably wasn't on drugs. I hate that drugs and creative words have to be on a parallel. I understand what Weslobombs is trying to say but that's seriously not the point that Liz is trying to make with her lyrics. She puts words to music and still creates an amazing song, even if the lyrics don't mean anything. She uses words as a FACT, that they exist, and you don't necessarily need to make sense of them in order to use them with music.
  
  and yeh, this is....NOT Enya. thanks.

  Flag lovelyritalucyon April 15, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:Oh and for Weslobombs, why is it that if anything is a little out of the ordinary i.e. these lyrics, people think that people are on drugs. That's probably just the way she likes to express herself! It's just being incredibly creative...

  Flag HappyGoon February 27, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:I don't think these lyrics are correct so it's hard to tell by looking at these but from the lyrics i know i think it's about having to suppress opinions for not offending anyone.

  Flag HappyGoon February 27, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:I like how this song was recorded before I was born. First class work is timeless unlike all the other cal out there. By the way, weslobombs I laughed at that comment too but just listen to this song again and chill out!

  Flag Fithiachon February 01, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:im sure liz had the meaning of these lyrics all worked out in her head, however she may have been taking heavy drugs at the time. to say that the lyrics are meant to be felt and not studied is a good way to look at it, but it doesn't mean you can't recieve some sort of communication based on the actual words she says in conjunction with the way they sound. she is so metaphorical that it's hard to remember that shes not talking about strictly one thing. the subject matter is very fragmented. but if you neglect the words and only listen to their sound, you aren't getting your head around the whole picture of what this song is trying to say to you (or to the artist themselves). Liz obviously has some very complex emotions and musings going into these lyrics, and while it is pointless and endless to study them, instead paying attention to them and knowing what they are so they can still offer another level of surreality to the song is very worthwhile.
  
  to annazoff- how fucking dare you compare liz fraser to ENYA. really, how dare you. you don't even make sense! Indie? when were CT indie? your basically just admitting that you listen to shitty music like that peice of shit fake Enya, who is still capitalizing off of the niche she dug out in the music market for ignorant soccer moms and their husbands who want to put something on for the car ride that can satisfy both of their terrible tastes.
  
  anyways... Long live Cocteau Twins

  Flag weslobombson February 08, 2008   Link

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