You mesmerize slowly
Till I can't believe my eyes
Ecstasy controls me
What you give just serves me right
Without warning you're here
Like magic you appear
I taste the fear
I'm so afraid
But I still feed the flame
In the night
Come to me
You know I want your touch of evil
In the night
Please set me free
I can't resist a touch of evil
Aroused with desire
You put me in a trance
A vision of fire
I never had a chance
A dark angel of sin
Preying deep from within
Come take me in
I'm so afraid
But I still feed the flame
In the night
Come to me
You know I want your touch of evil
In the night
Please set me free
I can't resist a touch of evil
Arousing me now with a sense of desire
Possessing my soul till my body's on fire
A dark angel of sin
Preying deep from within
Come take me in
You're possessing me
In the night
Come to me
You know I want your touch of evil
In the night
Please set me free
I can't resist a touch of evil
- Judas Priest (1990)
Painkiller marked the end of the classic era of Judas Priest. Following a nasty lawsuit over 2 teenage boys that committed suicide and rumors of homosexuality, Rob Halford and Judas Priest parted ways for over a decade, finally reuniting in 2004. During that time, we got treated to Rob Halford coming out of the closet, 2 bad bands (Fight and Two), a capable yet ill-fitting replacement for Rob in Judas Priest (Tim "Ripper" Owens), and a movie starring Mark Wahlberg that bears more than a passing resemblance to the Judas Priest saga.
Where "Love Bites" shows one hunting and taking his prey, here we have the prey offering theirself unto the hunter. This is the answer to the call of the demoness in "Scorpion Flower" (gender ambiguity of this song notwithstanding). There is no question that he is given over completely to the other.
Ostensibly this is a sex song, but the feelings of temptation for any 'evil' are often described in terms of sex. We don't really know where the singer is being taken in his quest for a touch of evil. His touch of evil could be the heroin that pulls him closer to the abyss with each push of the needle. This could be the political movement that will cause him to kill in the name of one who care nothing for his (the singer's) well being but only furthering their own cause.
Who would have thought a Judas Priest song would have meaning? I think next time I'm going down a much darker path. What do you think, Mardi?
A submissive singing to their dominant, the first thing that pops into my head. Sticking with my current train of thought and where the song path has been leading us this song is one of need. The physical desire, the ache to be with the other person. When you know you are completely taken with them, you need them to survive, you crave their very being. This song appears to be the ultimate invitation, a begging if you will.
ReplyDeleteRead the lyrics and then imagine them coming from the one you desire the most's lips. ....
Damn that's hot...
Wouldn't expect it from Judas Priest.