Murder in My Heart

[chriscurtisfan]

I have looked all over the internet for the words to this song -- can anybody here provide me with them? I just discovered it yesterday and just love it. I can make out most of it, but would love to have all the words! -- it's got that Heart In Her Eyes sound that I love soooo much!!!

Thank you, one and all!! I know it's Mikey P. singing lead...sigh.....beautiful!

[royclough]

If it helps song was written by Ronnie Thomas who was and may still be in some band called Heavy Metal Kids

[dbailey62]

I have looked all over the internet for the words to this song -- can anybody here provide me with them? I just discovered it yesterday and just love it. I can make out most of it, but would love to have all the words! -- it's got that Heart In Her Eyes sound that I love soooo much!!!

Thank you, one and all!! I know it's Mikey P. singing lead...sigh.....beautiful!

A great song and a great performance with some top notch guitar from Mr. McNally.

Cheri, why don't you post the lyrics as you've transcribed them and we can have a group think on them?

db

[einar]

In general, I like the Sire recordings much better than the RST efforts, not to speak of the later (Coconut?) stuff. Supernatural keyboards and synthesizers is not what The Searchers should be about. The Sire period was true to the old receipt, strongly guitar/vocals orientation. I will also hold that the second Sire album is superior to the first one. The second (Love's melodies, a stupid title!) has much stronger songs on it.

Searchers was never a keyboard band. This said, I think Tony Hatch added piano splendidly on some tracks (as Sea of Heartbreak, This empty Place).

[sowhat]

Probably my favourite track from the Sire period.
Tried to "decipher" the words but what i got doesn't make much sense. Maybe some native English speaker would be more successful.
UPD: John McNally's singing something like, "Oh babe i'm shaking even when you're near me" and something else, that's all i know, or i think i know.

[dbailey62]

Probably my favourite track from the Sire period.
Tried to "decipher" the words but what i got doesn't make much sense. Maybe some native English speaker would be more successful.
UPD: John McNally's singing something like, "Oh babe i'm shaking even when you're near me" and something else, that's all i know, or i think i know.

Ya, something like that although it's Mike Pender.

It's not the easiest song to decipher but we all know how difficult it can be sometimes.

http://www.kissthisguy.com/

[sowhat]

Ya, something like that although it's Mike Pender.
It's not the easiest song to decipher but we all know how difficult it can be sometimes.
http://www.kissthisguy.com/

So, he's doing both lead and backing vocals here?

[rob_mac]

In general, I like the Sire recordings much better than the RST efforts, not to speak of the later (Coconut?) stuff. Supernatural keyboards and synthesizers is not what The Searchers should be about. The Sire period was true to the old receipt, strongly guitar/vocals orientation. I will also hold that the second Sire album is superior to the first one. The second (Love's melodies, a stupid title!) has much stronger songs on it.

Searchers was never a keyboard band. This said, I think Tony Hatch added piano splendidly on some tracks (as Sea of Heartbreak, This empty Place).

I agree about the coconut album - Hungry Hearts. I recently downloaded album this and the eighties production, keyboards and drum machines all over it are horrible!!! Also includes the worst song the Searchers ever recorded - "push push" - female backing singer and a funky soul sound to it is just plain awful. Sounds more like a Spencer James solo track to me. What happened to the Searchers sound? It has disappeared on this track. Truly dreadful.

[dbailey62]

Ya, something like that although it's Mike Pender.
It's not the easiest song to decipher but we all know how difficult it can be sometimes.
http://www.kissthisguy.com/

So, he's doing both lead and backing vocals here?

To my ear, on most tracks it's virtually all Pender vocals. Lots of double and triple track layering. Occasionally you hear Frank (It's Too Late) or John vocally (doing Ooh Na Na's, Switchboard Susan and things like that) poking through the wall of Mike on a background here or there Don't Hang On (Frank's great song) being the obvious exception.

It's definitely Mike doing the line in question though. His voice is unmistakable.

Roy, help me out here. I'm sure I read (perhaps in one of Frank's books) that the Sire records were very much vocals dominated by Mike, guitars dominated by John.

[dbailey62]

In general, I like the Sire recordings much better than the RST efforts, not to speak of the later (Coconut?) stuff. Supernatural keyboards and synthesizers is not what The Searchers should be about. The Sire period was true to the old receipt, strongly guitar/vocals orientation. I will also hold that the second Sire album is superior to the first one. The second (Love's melodies, a stupid title!) has much stronger songs on it.

Searchers was never a keyboard band. This said, I think Tony Hatch added piano splendidly on some tracks (as Sea of Heartbreak, This empty Place).

I couldn't agree more. Keyboards as a backing element or the occasional fill are fine but the Searchers instrumental sound is guitars, guitars, guitars IMHO.

The Sire albums were awesome. While the Coconut album has grown on me in some respects (as there are some good pop songs on the disc), it was such a contrast from the two previous albums. I know it had to do as much with record companies as anything else but I was still let down by that album. The synthetic percussion is also a major bugaboo of mine. Poor Billy. Sire dumps him for Play for Today / Love's Melodies and then Coconut doesn't use him on Hungry Hearts.

[royclough]

Roy, help me out here. I'm sure I read (perhaps in one of Frank's books) that the Sire records were very much vocals dominated by Mike, guitars dominated by John.

Spot on David, Frank took lead vocal on Don't Hang On but every other track is Mike Pender, John played lead on virtually every track.

Interesting thing here is that Frank Allen cut Don't Hang On and went back to hotel or whatever and when he came in next day, John and Pat moran had redone the track, Frank didn't actually say anything but he prefered it the way it was I know.

If you've not heard the original take let me know David I'll send you it.

[chriscurtisfan]

I'll transcribe the words as best I can, along with some of the blurbs you guys mentioned, and post it. Then we can have the group think on it and edit it -- or fill in the blanks the best you can!!

[chriscurtisfan]

Here are the lyrics. I plugged my earbuds into the computer, and it took about two hours! I don't pretend that it makes much sense, but it seems to be about a troubled man, so maybe that's the reason for the odd lyrics....

Murder in my Heart

I got the stereo cranked up but I don‘t play the music
TV’s turned on and I don’t get the picture
Something’s gone wrong when I can’t speak
There’s Murder in my Heart
Just like a dream that I find deep within me
Burning through the mountain like its satisfaction
Even when you’re near
I still feel there’s murder in my heart
Got a recent letter saying I’m insane
As any kind of life -- that’s how I survive
I gotta a little dream a-twitching in my brain
And when that itching starts
Murder in my Heart
Too much is nothing
I feel just like a movie queen
All of my friends have faded into silk screen
Sign of the world that I’m shaking, and there’s Murder in my Heart
I don’t want to see the world looking thru your eyes
I won’t even love the world if it’s me inside
Too much has happened
I feel just like a movie queen
All of my friends have faded into silk screen
Silent is the word I see
There’s Murder in my heart
There’s Murder in my heart
Murder in my Heart
Oh Baby, I’m Shaking

This is all definitely a 'wall of Mike Pender' ( voices and it's just beautiful as such! I would have been happier with better lyrics. If anybody can help edit what I think I heard, please do!!

All those guitars -- as several people point out -- that's the Searchers sound we love so much!!! Guitars **and** Drumming if you please!!! I don't know what happened to the drumming after Chris Curtis left, but I AM obviouslly biased towards his specific drumming skills that totally punctuated the Searchers sound so well!

[chriscurtisfan]

Roy, Would you send me the original version of Frank's song "Don't Hang On" -- I would love to hear it! Thank you!! It sounds like you are saying that John did the lead on the final recorded track released to the public.

Cheri

[sowhat]

Quite different from what i've heard. Not sure i've got all the lines below right but still.

Burning through the mountain like its satisfaction

Burning through the night til i get satisfaction

I won’t even love the world if it’s me inside

I won't hear another word [something — keeping or creeping perhaps] me inside

I still feel there’s murder in my heart

I still fear there's murder in my heart

Silent is the word I see

Silence is the word and i'm shaking

<background> Oh babe i'm shaking
Even when you're near me,
Everyone is fading away
Oh babe i'm shaking
Even when you're near meEveryone is fading away
Oh babe i'm shaking
Everyone is fading away
Oh babe i'm shaking
Etc.