Dear God,

The professor for my Interpretation of Music course has given me the assignment of doing a symbolic examination of the song I Ran So Far Away by A Flock of Seagulls. I’ve looked at the lyrics, and read the biographies of the band members, but I can’t figure out the central issue of the song.

What were they running so far to get away from, and in the end, what happened when they couldn’t get away?

- Frank

Frank,

Some musical historians have speculated that the members of the Flock of Seagulls were writing about their efforts to get away from the Curse of the One Hit Wonders which hit so many New Wave bands. Of course, the lyrics of I Ran So Far Away clearly refer to the inability to escape the pursuer. As you surely know, A Flock of Seagulls had another well known hit, Space Age Love Song.

No, what A Flock of Seagulls was trying so unsuccessfully to run away from was a demon named Hairy Herman. Hairy Herman specializes in the possession of the larynxes of pop singers, causing them to hiccup in the middle of recording sessions.

There is no known exorcism procedure for getting rid of Harry Herman. The only thing that causes Hairy Herman to leave is the bankruptcy of a band due to skyrocketing studio costs that never bear fruit, or the breakup of a band as the result of the arguments that often result from a hiccuping singer.

A Flock of Seagulls lasted longer than most. I Ran So Far Away was recorded over 5 days in the studio, with the good parts spliced together. Hairy Herman finally left A Flock of Seagulls when the band went bankrupt, but members made their second fortune playing at state fairs.

- God

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 27th, 2007 at 5:19 pm and is filed under All God's Advice, Demonic Forces. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.