Peter Murphy – Deep
By Meghan Colovos | Top Tracks: “Cuts You Up,” “Marlene Dietrich’s Favourite Poem,” and “A Strange Kind of Love”
Photo by Paul Cox
Often referred to as “The Godfather of Goth” and highly praised for his time as lead vocalist in the band Bauhaus, Peter Murphy has had a successful solo career that has both kept and at times, strayed away from that dark and gloomy sound he is known for. Murphy’s third studio album, Deep, is a stunning piece of art that should be talked about more. This album is a triad of instrumentals ranging between melancholic, upbeat, and sophisticated – that, in the end, all connect back to each other in terms of style and overall sound, which balance everything out. With its major hit, “Cuts You Up,” Deep draws in listeners with its fresh sound and meaningful lyrics. “Cuts You Up” rightfully stands out on this album and remains one of Murphy’s most recognizable and memorable songs to this day. Murphy has described this song as, “The path of discovery, self-knowledge, wisdom … once you feel you have it. Then, the path will spit you out or off the way and ruin your assumptions of this path. In fact, a great mighty necessity for those spiritual seekers or so-called ‘holy state’ desires when getting arrogant.” As beautiful as this song sounds, it is accompanied by an equally beautiful music video. The visuals for this music video are ethereal and showcase a unique Peter Murphy style that is inimitable.
Another standout track in this album is “Marlene Dietrich’s Favourite Poem.” This song examines a connection between Murphy’s mother and Marlene. The lyrics of this song are extremely poetic and well thought out. They showcase Murphy’s mother’s admiration for Marlene. This song is a beautiful tribute to the impact of art in all forms on individuals and can also be seen as an homage to his mother and Marlene.
The third standout track on this album would have to be “A Strange Kind of Love.” This is another ballad-style song with touching and, at times, even emotional lyrics. This song follows the upbeat and wisdom-filled “Cuts You Up,” and takes the listener back down to earth as almost a meditation of sorts. It is a reflective song that needs a few listens, as with most, if not all, the songs on this album do, to fully begin to comprehend the meaning. This song aims to examine the complications of love and the mysteries of it as well. “A Strange Kind of Love” also takes a look at a unique type of love being experienced by Murphy, and based on the lyrics, we can see that this love seems to be expressive in ways of confusion and anger as well as deceiving another. It is a beautiful poetic ballad that asks the listener to question what love is, how love can take on many forms, and that it is up to us to determine what love is or is not. The songs on Deep go well with each other as it is a mix of sounds and styles that take the listener through an almost emotional whirlwind. Deep deserves all the recognition it has gotten and more. Overall, Deep is a reflection of the mysteries of both life and love, the impacts we are left with from all that comes with both, and the binding thing that connects them both: people.
