Alice (song)
The Sisters' song Alice was released in two official versions:
- 1982 recording used for the Alice (single), the Alice EP and the Some Girls Wander By Mistake complilation
- 1993 re-recording for the Under The Gun (single)
The original version of Alice was played live during the BBC Radio One Session with John Peel in 1982
and beyond that also got broadcast three times by John Peel in 1982/3:
- 12 June 1982 - John Peel Show / Radio One
- 28 November 1983 - John Peel Show / Radio One
- 12 December 1983 - John Peel Show / Radio One
For further info, you might want to also check the lovely John Peel Wiki
and the I Was A Teenage Sisters of Mercy Fan blog under Sisters Mysteries V – did Peel play Damage Done?
See also this thread @The Heartland Forums and John Peel Shows 1980-85.
In addition, there are two extended features by Mark Andrews in The Quietus referring to the importance of Alice in Sisters history:
- Life Before Alice: Andrew Eldritch, Leeds & The Birth of The Sisters of Mercy and
- Shine Like Thunder: The First Golden Age of The Sisters of Mercy
With regard to the production of the song and the single, check also here under John Ashton.
Alice is one of the best-known Sisters tracks and has always been part of the band's live setlist over the years,
as a result, plenty of audience recordings featuring live performances of both versions do exist and are in circulation among the fanbase.
Of course, the live performances of Alice are also featured on many bootlegs such as for example those pictured down below.
Lyrics below taken from The Sisters of Mercy official lyrics book Postcards From Above The Chemist
Lyrics
She stays pressed against the wall so
She can see the door
In case the laughing strangers call and
Crush the petals on the floor
Alice in her party dress, she
Thanks you kindly, so serene, she
Needs you like she needs her tranks to
Tell her that the world is clean, to
Promise her a definition
Tell her where the rain will fall,
Tell her where the sun shines bright and
Tell her she can have it all
Today
Pass the crystal spread the Tarot
In illusion comfort lies, the
Safest way the straight and narrow
No confusion, no surprise
Alice in her party dressed to kill she
Thanks you, turns away, she
Needs you like she needs her pills to
Tell her that the world's okay, to
Promise her a definition
Tell her where the rain will fall
Tell her where the sun shines bright and
Tell her she can have it all
Today
Today
Alice
Don't give it away
Words & Music: Andrew Eldritch
All lyrics are property and copyright of their respective rights holders, they are provided only for study purposes.
Analysis
Some basic analysis has been done at 1959 and all that (scroll...)
See also the following threads at the Heartland Forums:
A selection of bootlegs featuring live performances of the original 1982 track
