The Chameleons - "In Shreds" (1982)

While not dealing in gloom and despair to the same extent as some of their peers in the early ‘80s, there’s a fair bit of anguish to be found on this early single from The Chameleons. While the trademark dreamy guitars have a part to play, “In Shreds” is won over by some raw punk energy and angsty lyrics from the brilliant Mark Burgess.

The vagueness of the situation and people mentioned, as well as the brevity of each line, give an almost desperate sense of urgency to the song; the rush of feelings reminding you of someone being, well, in shreds. The only hint we have of what’s going on comes towards the end :

“It seems to me

To be so contradictory

It seems to me

You’ve become part of the machinery”

Is the narrator seeing a loved one as part of a process which is tearing him apart? The feeling is amplified by the despondent repetition of “machinery” at the end of the song.

More tormented delight comes in the form of the other track on this release, “Less Than Human”, which would appear on the group’s debut album Script Of The Bridge. Some feeling of shame or guilt is evident from the way the speaker “must have died a thousand times” and feels cast aside by God.

There's also a sense of despair over the passing of time, exacerbated by the slow, repetitive drumbeat. Bleak yet beauteous.