Day After Day is an ambitious attempt to write about a song every day in 2024 (starting on Jan. 4).
Cuts You Up (1989)
Certain songs are emblematic of certain eras. When I hear Peter Murphy's "Cuts You Up," I'm reminded of early 1990 and that time when alt-rock was starting to get noticed beyond the reach of college kids and disaffected 20somethings. It was just before Nirvana et al. blew up, but bands like U2, R.E.M. and the B-52s were reaching mass audiences and you could feel things changing.
Still, it was pretty wild to see people like Peter Murphy getting played on adult alternative stations. By this point, Murphy was already a legend from his years in legendary goth act Bauhaus, which was formed in Northampton, England in 1978. The rail-thin Murphy cut a striking figure, all limbs and cheekbones, and his baritone voice was unique; Bauhaus was best known for creepy songs like "Bela Lugosi's Dead" and "She's in Parties," as well as a cover of Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust." The band split up in 1983 and Murphy went on to form Dalis Car with bassist Mick Karn, recording an album that didn't sell well. Murphy went solo after that, releasing Should the World Fail to Fall Apart in 1986. His second album, 1988's Love Hysteria, had a minor hit with "All Night Long," which got some play on MTV and college radio, bringing Murphy to a whole new generation of fans.
Murphy's third solo album, Deep, came out in December 1989 and the single "Cuts You Up" catapulted him to a new level of fame. He had dyed his hair platinum blonde and went to an accessible alternative rock sound; this happened to mesh well with where things were going in the U.S. music scene. "Cuts You Up" was released in March 1990 and it definitely had a Bowie vibe. A violin part sweeps over acoustic guitars as Murphy's confident vocals lead the way.
"I find you in the morning/After dreams of distant signs/You pour yourself over me/Like the sun through the blinds/You lift me up/And get me out/Keep me walking/But never shout/Hold the secret close/I hear you say/You know the way/It throws about/It takes you in/And spits you out."
The video was fairly iconic, featuring Murphy walking through the woods and singing between shadows. It was everywhere on MTV for a few months there in '90. The mellow vibe of the song led to airplay on adult alternative stations as well as rock outlets; your mom could definitely dig it without finding anything to get upset about.
Lyrically, it sort of has a new-age vibe even as it never really specifies what's cutting you up. Life? Love? Drugs? The music business? Does it really matter?
"You know the way/It twists and turns/Changing color/Spinning yarns/You know the way/It leaves you dry/It cuts you up/And takes you high/You know the way/It's painted gold/Is it honey/Is it gold/You know the way/It throws about/It takes you in/And spits you out/Oh, cuts you up."
Whatever it was about, the song struck a chord with U.S. audiences, spending seven weeks at #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart; it also hit #55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the Album Rock Tracks chart. The album Deep got up to #44 on the Billboard 200 chart.
"You know the way/It throws about/It takes you in/And spits you out/It spits you out/When you desire/To conquer it/To feel you're higher/To follow it/You must be clean/With mistakes/That you do mean/Move the heart/Switch the pace/Look for what seems out of place."
Murphy and his band were touring the U.S. while the song was popular and experienced big crowds for a while, although the follow up single "A Strange Kind of Love" was less successful. Hopes for a further breakthrough were dashed when Murphy's follow up album, 1992's Holy Smoke, only sold 100,000 copies in the U.S. By the time the album came out, grunge fever had kicked in and there was less interest in Murphy's mystical art rock ballads. He was wary of becoming a crossover, so may have pulled back a little as well to avoid making "Cuts You Up Again."
After Holy Smoke, Murphy moved to Turkey permanently with his family. Eventually, he released an ambient pop album called Cascade in 1995 and four more albums since. Murphy reunited with Bauhaus in 1998 for a tour, then again from 2005-2008 and in 2019 and 2022.
For some, Murphy is a one-hit wonder who had a big song in 1990 and then nothing, but clearly, those people are stupid.
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