Feb 08, 2007
YouTube Music Video - The Verlaines
It was a toss up between The Verlaines, Shellac and The Red Sparrowes but my inner scarfie came through and I dug up this classic Flying Nun video for The Verlaines - 'Death and the Maiden'.
Typical late 80's student jangle until the waltz kicks in just before the end. Definitely a work of pop-genius.
From this Wikipedia article comes the explanation of the lyrics -
"You'll only end up like Rimbaud
Get shot by Verlaine, Verlaine, Verlaine, Verlaine...."
The lyrics above refer to Paul Verlaine, who was a French poet in the 1800s. After going into a drunken rage, he shot his lover - fellow poet Arthur Rimbaud. The Verlaines were named after the poet.
"Shall we have our photo taken?
We'll look like Death and the Maiden"
This is a reference to a 1916 painting by Egon Schiele, which shows a woman embracing a dead man.
Singer/songwriter Graeme Downes is now a music lecturer at Otago University (he completed a PhD in Mahler!)