The Perfect Kiss interpretation

Aside from the sentiment of believing in a land of love, what is the story really about? Is it written from the perspective of a man or woman?

Originally posted by Joshua B Aside from the sentiment of believing in a land of love, what is the story really about? Is it written from the perspective of a man or woman?

Think: "Tonight I should've stayed at home, playing with my pleasure zone". I don't think I've heard many women say such a statement.

Never try to understand the lyrics of Bernard. Just enjoy them. He does not know what they mean. Maybe TPK was about Ian? We will never know unless Bernard tells us.

Well, one look at this couplet speaks volumes....

"Pretending not to see his gun. I said, let's go out and have some fun"

Perhaps they were getting ready to cruise Manchester's canal Street or summat ? The narrator turns to his companion as he's getting dressed (he hadn't yet pulled his underpants on yet, so the narrator resisted the urge to take a peek at his manhood).

And the way it climaxes so spectacularly at the end...... well, you work it out! ;)

So this is a tune that some others haven't quite figured out then, and it's not just me. Cool.

It's all about wanting to go out and have some fun (when you should've stayed at home and wanked instead, as it turns out), except you have a somewhat deranged friend who brings along a gun and ends up getting killed by someone, thus making the "land of love" statement an ironic one since the narrator learns that it is actually a violent and unforgiving world. That's why the perfect kiss (in this violent world) is the kiss of death.

Originally posted by His Holiness, The Pope It's all about wanting to go out and have some fun (when you should've stayed at home and wanked instead, as it turns out), except you have a somewhat deranged friend who brings along a gun and ends up getting killed by someone, thus making the "land of love" statement an ironic one since the narrator learns that it is actually a violent and unforgiving world. That's why the perfect kiss (in this violent world) is the kiss of death.

Couldn't have said it better myself David. YAY

Thank you! It really does make sense now. I might have more questions so I hope His Holiness will be around again.

Originally posted by Joshua B Thank you! It really does make sense now. I might have more questions so I hope His Holiness will be around again.

David only wants answers, he doesn't ask questions.

Like everyone says, try not to over-analyze, that's what made NewOrder so odd to me when I first got into them

Just listen to the 9 minute version and play air guitar to Barney's solo....or maybe that's just me :\peek:

It's about AIDS. According to Wilson anyway. The "Gun" that leads to the "Kiss Of Death".

Originally posted by Al Jarvis So, when Barney sang on the original - "I've got a cock, it's look like the M1, it has crashes on it and service stations too!" what did he actually mean?

Wasn't it "I've got a cock, it looks like the M1, it's long and thin, it's got a white line down it". or similar.

Originally posted by Al Jarvis So, when Barney sang on the original - "I've got a cock, it's look like the M1, it has crashes on it and service stations too!" what did he actually mean?

Unambiguous. Statement. Of. Fact. !!!

Can't believe that we are having another round of "what does he mean with this line" threads again.

Barney doesn't know what the fook he is writing half the time, so why should anyone else bother about the lyrics ? For me, one of the best things about New Order has always been that the lyrics didn't matter, they were effectively just another instrument in the mix. He could (and often did)speak complete garbage into the mic and it still enhanced the overall impression.

Leave the lyrical interpretation alone, you'll only end up doing your and everyone else's heads in. Why do you think they leave the lyrics off the records ?

Yeah, Mr Sumner is usually as vague or completely devoid of meaning in his lyrics as a certain Mr Gallhager, but having said that, every now and again his songs tell a simply story that engages the imagination (1963's dead wife singing from the grave; Love Vigilates soldier's spirit returning home), or just deals with something gritty or contraversial (All Day Long's comments on child abuse).

It's unfair to say all his lyrics are meaningless drivel. Some songs certainly have coherent themes in them. 'True Faith' in particular is a fine and poetic lyric about Ecstasy, and (by all accounts) 'The Perfect Kiss' was the first song to discuss AIDS, albiet in metaphors - "The perfect kiss is the kiss of death", "pretending not to see his gun", etc. Apparrently, it was New Order's nod to the gay clubs that had so enthusiastically embraces their early records. I think that is the case, with this song.

Andy.

Originally posted by Al Jarvis God, I've not heard that in donkey's - can someone please upload it to the ftp site?!!

Doing it now...

Hopefully the server won't time out, it's usually OK around now, before those pesky leeching North and South Americans wake up. ;)

Originally posted by Chris 'The Frog Climax' THAT'S where 'Sir' Paul McCartney went wrong!

And to bring it all neatly full circle, that song of his was titled "WE ALL STAND TOGETHER" after all!

Originally posted by Al Jarvis > Originally posted by Mr Discography> It's unfair to say all his lyrics are meaningless drivel. Some songs certainly have coherent themes in them. 'True Faith' in particular is a fine and poetic lyric about Ecstasy

The lyrics fit with modern-day perceptions of ecstasy themes, but I'm not convinced it was originally intended as such, especially given the point in time at which Barney wrote the lyrics.

That point in time being a matter of months before the band god "E'd" up in Ibiza for the Technique sessions??

It's definitely about Ecstasy, especially when you consider the original line "Now that we've grown up together, they're all taking drugs with me" that Stephen Hague insisted on toning down for the single. Of course, it could be about any drug, but the 'Morning Sun' culd reference smiley faces, etc.

Andy.

Originally posted by Al Jarvis > Originally posted by Mr Discography> > > > Originally posted by Al Jarvis> > Originally posted by Mr Discography> It's unfair to say all his lyrics are meaningless drivel. Some songs certainly have coherent themes in them. 'True Faith' in particular is a fine and poetic lyric about Ecstasy

Exactomundo!! I suspect, if any, it was the Charleston that was the narcotic dance that Bertnard was doing at this point anyway but, like the man says, the song is about NEED more than anything, hence its power (and continual airplay).

The lyrics fit with modern-day perceptions of ecstasy themes, but I'm not convinced it was originally intended as such, especially given the point in time at which Barney wrote the lyrics.

That point in time being a matter of months before the band god "E'd" up in Ibiza for the Technique sessions??

It's definitely about Ecstasy, especially when you consider the original line "Now that we've grown up together, they're all taking drugs with me" that Stephen Hague insisted on toning down for the single. Of course, it could be about any drug, but the 'Morning Sun' culd reference smiley faces, etc.

Andy.

I'm not convinced - I was 18/19 in 1987 so remember the period vividly. Smiley faces didn't appear 'till well into 88 so that banishes your morning sun theory - I thought you might be referring to the fact that people were still up till the morning sun arose, but then that could be applicable to any Northern Soul all-nighter going to way back when.

Surely the "they're all taking drugs with me" was just a throwaway line which came later, live, and nothing to do with the original recording? Even if it was that line, it's obvious why Hague toned it down - they wanted radio play after all. And the Sun backlash against 'evil ecstasy' didn't come into force till 1989, so wasn't an issue in 1987.

It's just another ambiguous lyric, which could relate to anything - drugs maybe, but could be love or whatever. It's certainly not specific to ecstasy, and I've never heard that said before. I guess we all just read different things into Barney's words, which is the beauty of his work.

I can safely say that I have never thought the song to be specifically about Ecstacy use. Mind you, Barney was ahead of this country in many respects, as he'd been taking the stuff since 1981 when he was introduced to it in the US, so maybe it was.

I thought they were more into pernod.

Originally posted by twist I thought they were more into pernod.

Along with cocaine, exctasy and LSD.