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Track: Promise
Artist: Violent Femmes
Album: Violent Femmes

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Name: Violent Femmes
Spotify Genres: folk punk
Followers: 828,341
Popularity:

60/100

Biography

Violent Femmes were founded in 1980 by bassist/multi-instrumentalist Brian Ritchie and drummer Victor De Lorenzo. The name is a contradiction in terms, “Violent” being self-explanatory and “Femmes” being Milwaukee slang for wimp. The rhythm section added high school singer/songwriter Gordon Gano in 1981. Gano and Ritchie had previously performed together at Gano’s National Honor Society induction ceremony, where they caused a near riot. Gano was expelled from the Society and suspended from high school for this outrage. One of the only stable aspects of the band is their aversion to rehearsal. Due to this they would take the music to the streets in an attempt to hone it and earn some spare change. It was on one of these occasions that they were spotted by the Pretenders. Chrissie Hynde and the gang were so amused by the Violent Femmes antics that they invited the band to open the show for them. The hometown Milwaukee audience received the Femmes with unanimous booing. However by the end of the set the Femmes had converted approximately 50% of the audience to their cause. Many years later Brian Ritchie encountered Hynde when the Femmes and Pretenders shared the bill at a radio concert. She said, “Oh, you’re still around.” The Femmes borrowed $10,000 from Victor De Lorenzo’s dad to record their legendary first album in 1982. Slash Records in Los Angeles was the only label to offer them a deal with the amazing advance of $0. The band accepted the deal and started on the predictable round of world tours, recording, more world tours, nervous breakdowns, band members quitting, solo albums, regrouping, more touring, divorces, more crackups, dropped from record deals, new deals, more touring, record company going bankrupt, lawsuits, etc. etc. etc. ad infinitum. Fast forward to the present. Many things have changed. One thing that hasn’t is the sound of the band. Their loose, improvisational, acoustic sound is timeless.

Source: Discogs

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Release: Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
Year: 1984
Genres: Rock
Styles: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock

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Source: MusicBrainz

LYRICS

Ya know that I want your loving
but my logic tells me it ain't never gonna happen
and then my defenses say I didn't want it anyway
but you know, sometimes I'm a liar.
Could you ever want me to love you?
Could you ever want me to care?
Disregard my nervousness
Please ignore my vacant stares
Just what I've been through
is nothing like where I'm going to
Give me some sign of pursuit
a promise
and you're unhappy
this is only a guess.

Do you know what it's like to hate
when it's way down deep inside?
Oh God I hate what's been done to my life
I could rule the pain
I could rule the night
or would I ruin my salvation
ruin my mind?
Rule your pains
Rulers of the night
Ruin your salvation
Ruin your mind

Ba da ba da ba ba ba ba da da
Ba da ba da ba ba ba ba da da
Ba da ba da ba ba ba ba da da
Ba da ba da ba ba ba ba da da

Ya know that I want your loving
But Mr. Logic, Mr. Logic tells me it ain't never gonna happen
And then my defenses say
Well, I I I didn't want it anyway
But you know, sometimes I'm a liar

Could you ever want me to love you?
Could you ever want me to care?
Disregard my nervousness
Please ignore my vacant stares
Just what I've been through
is nothing like where I'm going to
Give me some sign of pursuit
a promise
a promise...
and you're unhappy
and you're unhappy
and you're unhappy
and you're unhappy
this is only a guess