Love Puppets

Two main versions:

* "Original Version" (1982) - Premonition Bonus Track (5:02)

Was added to the end of the "Premonition" cassette after the first release; on some releases it is unlisted.

Unavailable elsewhere

Instruments: Sequenced keyboard arpeggios for bassline, oscillating crazily during climaxes; single vocal track; glittery synth sequences;

* "1983 Version" (1983) - Curse (6:57)

Begins with ominous deep breathing, followed by sudden backwards vocals and the song itself. This is a much more sparse and intimate version than the original. Sometimes the tracks go through a reverse echo effect. At 5:00 a snippet from an unreleased track (frantic sequenced keyboard, and a chanting vocoder voice which drifted through "Powder Crowd" on the "Apparition" cassette) appears briefly. The line "my heart of shiny gold" has been added, but otherwise the lyrics are virtually identical to the Original Version.

Ends with a sped-up version of "Fin" (probably its original speed).

Unavailable elsewhere.

Instruments: Deep breathing sounds; sequenced keyboard arpeggios for bassline; second, muted arpeggiated keyboard during middle break; two electric guitar tracks, one backwards, sometimes playing tapping percussion effects; single vocal track; warm synth chords.

What It's About:

A man is growing impatient with the woman he is in love with; she insists on analyzing their personalities and shortcomings, while he simply wants a relationship (because he's "been alone too long.") He is beginning to feel like a "love puppet," his heart and soul on a string held by somebody else, outside of his control.

Lyrics (adapted from the Cloud-Zero archive):

You offered me
a cigarette, I pirouette with
silhouettes of statuettes.
We're ice behind a window.
Would you be my widow,
would you even be my wife?

Life's not long enough for questions
sessions over cakes and coffee.
Therapy, I've had enough of,
want to change things overnight
'cause I've been alone too long.
Too long. Too long.

And you say you understand me
when I hardly know myself.
So much talk so many theories,
it's really such a bore for me.
The story stays the same.
It goes on and on and on and on.

What gives you the right to analyze?
You paralyze me with your probing.
In the end I just agree,
maybe we're just puppets after all.
After all. After all. After all.

Love puppets.
Not glove puppets.
Hearts of gold, souls on string.
My soul's on a string.
Of love puppets. Love puppets.

Why the tricks and why the teasers,
can't I even please you for an hour?
Won't you simply listen? I've got a lot to say about
us and plans and things that we could do.

I need you now. Don't leave me.
Don't leave me.