Death and the Maiden (Verlaines song)
Encyclopedia
"Death and the Maiden" is a song by New Zealand rock band The Verlaines
. It was released as a single in 1983 and is arguably the most popular song in their discography.
The 'B' side of the record was CD, Jimmy Jazz & Me.
"Death and the Maiden" later appeared on the 1987 album Juvenilia, which was a collection of The Verlaines early singles and EP's.
New Zealand rock band Elemeno P
released a cover version of this song on their 2005 album Trouble in Paradise
. Former Pavement
frontman Stephen Malkmus
also recorded a version for the Flying Nun
tribute album Under the Influence - 21 Years of Flying Nun Records
in 2002. Boston band Prickly covered the song on their 1997 LP Velleity.
Get shot by Verlaine, Verlaine, Verlaine, Verlaine....
The lyrics above refer to Paul Verlaine
, a 19th-century French poet. After going into a drunken rage, Verlaine shot his lover – fellow poet Arthur Rimbaud
in July 1873. The Verlaines took their name from the French poet.
Shall we have our photo taken?
We'll look like Death and the Maiden
This is a reference to a painting of the same name by Egon Schiele
, which shows a woman embracing a skeleton. The image is reproduced on the label of Verlaines' side of the "Dunedin Double" EP, issued in 1982 (the year before the release of "Death and the Maiden".
The Verlaines
The Verlaines are a rock band from Dunedin, New Zealand. Formed in 1981 by Graeme Downes, Craig Easton, Anita Pillai, Phillip Higham and Greg Kerr, the band went through multiple line-ups before going on an extended hiatus after their 1997 album Over The Moon. In 2003 a career retrospective, You're...
. It was released as a single in 1983 and is arguably the most popular song in their discography.
The 'B' side of the record was CD, Jimmy Jazz & Me.
"Death and the Maiden" later appeared on the 1987 album Juvenilia, which was a collection of The Verlaines early singles and EP's.
New Zealand rock band Elemeno P
Elemeno P
Elemeno P is a New Zealand rock band. The band's first album, Love & Disrespect was released on 4 July 2003, and reached number one on the RIANZ albums chart. Their second album, Trouble in Paradise was released on 24 November 2005 and includes the singles 11:57, Burn, One Left Standing and You Are...
released a cover version of this song on their 2005 album Trouble in Paradise
Trouble In Paradise (Elemeno P album)
Trouble in Paradise is the second album released by New Zealand rock band, Elemeno P. A Deluxe edition was later released, featuring the single 2006 "S.O.S".-Track listing:#"You Are"#"Pardon Me"#"Ohio"#"Burn"#"One Left Standing"#"11:57"...
. Former Pavement
Pavement (band)
Pavement is an American alternative rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. In their career, they achieved a significant cult following, and they were called the best band of the 1990s by prominent music critics Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine...
frontman Stephen Malkmus
Stephen Malkmus
Stephen Joseph Malkmus is an indie rock musician and icon, and a member of the band Pavement. He currently performs with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks.-Early years:...
also recorded a version for the Flying Nun
Flying Nun Records
Flying Nun Records is an independent record label formed in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1981 by music-store proprietor Roger Shepherd.-History:The label was formed in the flurry of new punk rock-inspired labels forming in the early 1980s...
tribute album Under the Influence - 21 Years of Flying Nun Records
Under the Influence - 21 Years of Flying Nun Records
Under the Influence — 21 Years of Flying Nun Records is a double album including tracks by various bands signed or related to the Flying Nun Records label....
in 2002. Boston band Prickly covered the song on their 1997 LP Velleity.
Meaning of the lyrics
You'll only end up like RimbaudGet shot by Verlaine, Verlaine, Verlaine, Verlaine....
The lyrics above refer to Paul Verlaine
Paul Verlaine
Paul-Marie Verlaine was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in international and French poetry.-Early life:...
, a 19th-century French poet. After going into a drunken rage, Verlaine shot his lover – fellow poet Arthur Rimbaud
Arthur Rimbaud
Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud was a French poet. Born in Charleville, Ardennes, he produced his best known works while still in his late teens—Victor Hugo described him at the time as "an infant Shakespeare"—and he gave up creative writing altogether before the age of 21. As part of the decadent...
in July 1873. The Verlaines took their name from the French poet.
Shall we have our photo taken?
We'll look like Death and the Maiden
This is a reference to a painting of the same name by Egon Schiele
Egon Schiele
Egon Schiele was an Austrian painter. A protégé of Gustav Klimt, Schiele was a major figurative painter of the early 20th century. His work is noted for its intensity, and the many self-portraits the artist produced...
, which shows a woman embracing a skeleton. The image is reproduced on the label of Verlaines' side of the "Dunedin Double" EP, issued in 1982 (the year before the release of "Death and the Maiden".
In the media
- Featured in New Zealand movie ScarfiesScarfiesScarfies is a low-budget 1999 New Zealand film set in the southern university city of Dunedin. The film's original title comes from the local nickname for university students, scarfie, so called because of the traditional blue and gold scarves worn by students during the city's cool winters in...
and on its soundtrack release.