Added: 4 years ago
From: matadorelov
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  • Legend has it that back in 1985, a Geffen Records scout from America went over to Manchester, "hearing about new stadium rock band that were doing the rounds in the city.

  • The acoustic version is better, but the origional is better

  • one of the best songs ever.

  • @pashedmotatos: It's good to see that they still attract new listeners after so many years.

    @mistomen: Fully agrre with you. The "full arrangement" version is just amazing. The last part starting at 4:14 still sends shivers down my spine - after so many years.

  • @ChameleonsFan - glad I'm not the only one that point in that track has that effect on lol

  • This is the first time I've ever heard the Chameleons and I have to say THIS ROCKS!!

  • Acoustic and rock verions are excellent, rock version has more of an atmosphere and one of the best endings of all time.

  • I was introduced to this band by my Dad. He was always so adamant that they should have been huge.

    Absolutely fantastic song this. Carry me home to the kindest eyes I've ever seen.

    Cheers Dad. Superb.

  • Morrisey was a twat for trying to re-introduce the dead art of waving flowers while performing on a public stage.

  • Right. I loved their work since I first heard it before my uni years in the late 80s. Fantastic band, brilliant tunes and absolutely disturbing. Deserved more than they got, but in a way that gives them a certain mystique which the Smiths could never achieve.

    'Tears' reminds me of very vivid memories, it was a track to certain 'rights of passage' at the time and will never change, and this will never be forgotten in my lifetime at least.

    Thankyou gentlemen!

  • love this song... one of the best choruses of theirs

  • This song stops up the hole in my heart.

  • This band is so underrated. Mark Burgess is amazing. Love this song.

  • This song is one of the most memorable for me just after I graduated from High School in 88. It still reminds me of the way I felt in those days. I was 18 and Free, I felt I had no cares in the world and I could do what ever I wanted when I listened to this song. I miss those days so much and wish the World was that way again.

  • I just discovered this band, read many comments regarding them, and I really like this band, and I'm in my early 30's!

  • This is one of those songs that touches the soul so deeply and make

  • I was 13-14 pre Chameleons days in 79 in san Francisco.. My brothers girlfriend who was a lot older in her 20s took me to the South of Market to meet up with artist and musicians forming what would soon become the post punk 80s. Then Chameleons formed when I was in the 10th or 11th grade around 82-83? I was hooked from then on. Their music speaks to me the best. As most big cities like SF and NYC, the loft industrial sections were replaced with high priced condos. come back to the bay, Chams!

  • song  classic forever

  • i love this one..cool new wave music..british invasion. .bring back the memories...high skul days in the philippines...

  • @don821524 hehehe another pinoy new waver!

  • cada vez que escucho esta canción se me ponen los pelos de gallina. Vaya temazo

  • Playing FAC251 12th June

  • musicon KILLANDY572

  • wxb102forever(dot)com "where New Wave lives forever....."

  • Yep. Definitely a brilliant song.

  • In my opinion, the Chameleons have aged a helluva lot better then Smiths. Man, I can't even listen to the Smiths anymore.......it's like this, U grow up on the Smiths, then you graduate to the Chameleons :-)

  • i'll proudly say the Chameleons have aged a helluva lot better then Smiths. Man, I can't even listen to the Smiths anymore.......it's like this, U grow up on the Smiths, then you graduate to the Chameleons :-)

  • OHHH!! YESSS!!!! what a great tune.

  • Massive. Still hits the target with all cylinders kickin'.

  • great song i used to listen to strange times every night over and over. the day i heard that they broke up my childhood died a little having realized that all good things must come to an end and the more time that passes the greater the pain of loss becomes.i know its only music but still.... incidentlly this song was written about the deathof thier manager tony fletcher.

  • Then they must have been psychic cos it was written about 2 years before he died. It's actually about losing someone special. Mark wrote it after the death of his dog.

  • he says in his notes to this song on the chameleons website that it was a written a few months after a "very old and dear friend" was lost to cancer. is he referring to his dog, or what?

  • This song was written after Mark's beloved dog Sandy died. It's a lovely tribute.

  • lovliest song. calms my mind...

  • perhaps my favorite song of all time..having grown up in the 60`s i see everything since as a funeral procession of society..god help us if we don`t disarm..it ends in the blink of an eye and makes me wonder

  • Oh I remember the late 80s, was in high school here in Leyte Philippines. I played this again and again and again on my cheap walkman while biking on rough roads that traversed hectares of green rice fields... Most lilting moment of the song..." So I remember you, I remember the days..."

  • I've just listened to this on loop eighteen times, and I'm not tiring of hearing it. :)

  • thats how the chams roll..lol

  • @carpenoctem66 Me too. I heard this song on NU 107.5 here in the Philippines, and i am tired of listening to it. After 24 years, it is still a classic. The best of all, it still stands the test of time....

  • @carpenoctem66 I am not tired of listening to it. Sorry, my mistake. I still love it after all these years....

  • Mark Burgess one of the best writer from all time...

  • It's hard to argue which band is better the Smiths or the Chameleons...The Smiths got plenty of credits for their amazing music..unfortunately the Chameleons DIDN"T...However i love 'em both very much and their music is cherished forever in my heart.

    Both bands belong to my Manchester music hall of fame.... in addition to Joy Division/New Order & Doves.

  • Very well said! I agree.

  • they were both awesome

    why split hairs?

  • Alucinante. recuerdo escucharlo repetidamente de una cinta de cassete en la que me grabaron una selección de temas de impresión emocional. Para mi éste es uno de sus más grandes temas, lo cual no es poco, habida cuenta de la increíble inmensidad de sus álbumes. La mejor banda junto a los Snake Corps de su época en su onda musical. Inolvidables recuerdos de una salvaje postadolescencia...

  • I like both The Smith and The Chameleons, but I must say that I enjoy listening to The Chameleons more...

  • Cuts Like A Knife!!!!

  • this is my favorite 80's song. bar none!

  • this and swamp thing are honestly in my top five of never changing faves.

  • If we are going to make comparisons between Mozzer and Burgess, let's have it right - Steven was a pretentious twat and Mark wasn't.

    The Smiths were mainly a student's band, with a few poppy tunes, and The Chameleons were a true 'working class' band who were never promoted like they could have been.

  • @CJOKUSAP

    Pretentious? Yes?

    Twat? Debatable. Charismatic is more accurate.

    Most people are twat's because they revel in and are proud of their ignorance.

    Morrissey was a refreshing change due to his being the extreme opposite.

  • @CJOKUSAP Exactly. And I also think that whoever played guitar for this band was a more interesting and possibly 'better' guitarist than Johnny Marr. Blasphemy?

  • great band!two thumbs up1

  • Muy linda cancion!

  • suenan fantastico y son muy inspirados en su propuesta,tienen su sello personal,son inconfundibles y logicamente recomendables,con grandes canciones en sus albumnes,son los mejores de la epoca.....................grea­test

  • As a teenager all my friends were into the off beat music but for whatever reason this band spoke to me far more than it did the others in "the gang"

  • Fantastic. Thank you.

  • One of the best bands next to Siouxsie and the Banshees

  • They were incredible.

  • I haven't heard this song in many years. Brings back many memories. Thank you for posting.

  • love them, same kind of video as the fireworks factory

  • Preciosa canción, grupo no se diga

  • Hauntingly beautiful!!!

  • classic

  • good thing that jumped the tracks of this group is the first time I hear laos, it sounds like Interpol with the cure, well done

  • I still love this song, all these years later.

  • LOVE this song, the dance version!

  • The deal is: watching the sun set looking to the west. If I position myself, I love the sunrise from the east also.

    This is a message;

    If a heart accelerates in answer to a question, the question is life saving.

  • wise words there.

  • mark's currently living in hamburg, germany. he is up to another new song coming your way. i know this as i went to manchester city vs hamburg (uefa cup) and he sorted rooms out etc.. and he is from middleton, manchester so we had a good chat ;)

  • Thanks for that update musical comrade. I first discovered the Chameleons Uk in my late 20's, and ever since they have become one - if not my-favorite band. Mark is a great singer and composer, and I've spend many nights listening to their great tunes whilst having a drink, and their songs have help me deal with a lot of personal stuff.

  • Is funny how even though I lived in industrialized countries during my teens, I discovered the Chameleons in my country Peru in a music gallery where they sell mostly 80's -90's records from British bands. Here they have quite a cult following. Long live the Chameleons!

  • @matadorelov from KILLANDY572 VLC

  • @matadorelov SO CUTE killandy572 VLC IBZ sound

  • MMmmmm :-)

  • He does sound like Marc Almond on this.

  • Only one thing wrong with this song......not long enough.

  • stay tuned chameleons fans something might be coming your way...

  • i need this music for make good life in a fuck wordl

  • me too, me too

  • I just want everyone know that I think this is the most beautiful song ever written. It does not get any better than this! No matter how many times I listen to it, I still get chills down my spine.

  • Me too!!

  • I'm thrilled to know that there are other people who love them as much as I do.

  • listened 2 this because of u-saw comment on the the song-don't feel as strongly but I respect a person who trudges the road of happy destiny.ty

  • I think this is one of the greatest songs ever writen. It definately brings back memories of times when I was free, out of HIgh School,  and on my own. Makes me feel so good. I LOVE IT.

  • The Smiths and The Cure are the only other 2 bands that got to this level. Unbelievable emotion.

  • Agreed.

  • Yes, and I believe Talk Talk did too. Once they got past the poppy stuff..

  • I don't frankly think that they got to this level... There were many post-punk bands that were better than Smiths and The Cure... I like both of them, but it can't be exactly compared to The Chameleons. It's like comparing Metallica with Led Zeppelin or something similar.

  • The Chameleons were an incredible underground band, full of talent, that never really got the recognition they deserved. But to say they were better than The Smiths... Not sure about that. They have a great sound, and a strong 'alternative' feel, but The Smiths had an aura around them unmatchable and unsurpassable. Their lyrics were better also. The mix of Marr and Morrissey is one of the best also. Opposites attract. Shame none of this 'real' music exists anymore...

  • I agree, I like the chameleons a lot. If on a desert Island I were asked to pick all their albums versus the smiths i would pick theirs. Having said that the high points of the Smiths were higher, (guitarists like Marr are few and far between)if you get where im coming from. They Chameleons tho' were warmer I feel.

    anyway im not on a desert island so i can listen to the both. and another of my favourite Manchester bands Magazine

  • Best song ever...the guitars and the lyrics at the end...wow...

  • yup, this one was a mainstay in the video room at club Hippo in Bmore

  • To the kindest eyes that I've ever seen.

  • the tears are actually beginning to flow listening to this, outstanding, just outstanding.

  • The Chameleons are brilliant. That Mark Burgess is one incredible artist... He is deep... That is what attracts me to his music...

  • my dad turned me on to the chameleons in 82

    "tears" inspired me to kick drugs

    one of the best eva!!!!!!!

  • Tears had a similar effect on me - though I must admit to sitting in a doped stupor thinking "fuck the 'real world' I'm safe here" to the lines 'in a cold, cold world how will it be...?'

  • Glad to hear that!

    Everytime I hear this song I get choked up.

    I went through a lot of pain and suffering coming off dope and I would play this song to remind me that I was going to make it!!!!!!

  • Thank you for pointing me at this, loved this song back in the day.  Couldn't remember for the life of me who sang this or what the name of the song was and now I know.

    Also congratulations on kicking the drugs, and good luck staying clean.

  • i love this song, the last couple lines just blow me away

  • love this song. it just really makes sense right now.ahh nevermind. great song though!!

  • Yes, this song WAS huge in Boston. My friends and I used to dance in swirling dervishes to this song at ManRay in Cambridge. Loved it!

  • kill

  • it's just coincidence.......

    it was a chill of chance.....

    don't worry brother, justice will be served, RIP......

  • Saw these guys at the Metro in Boston when they toured "Strange Times" (1987?). They were great but this song was huge on alt. radio at the time and they didn't play it. Probably the only disappointment of the show.

  • good song, my favourite of the chameleons :D

  • one of the sensical new wave song...

  • Remember when this first came out, I was in the 9th grade. A beautiful, dark, and moving song.

  • Love this song, I don't hear it often - thanks so much for posting!

  • fantastic song, love the "dreams are what you live for waiting for the light to turn green" line.

  • this music is the essence of a certain strain of Romanticism. amazing.

  • There is also a slower, acoustic version of this song on Strange Times. This version is available on the Strange Times double CD. This song is about one of Mark's friends who died (?of cancer - not sure). Anyway it's beautiful song and one of my favourite Chams songs :)

  • one of my favorites...cool video too..Thanks so much for posting..

  • Great Chameleons, im really surprised they are so underrated, knowing of some shitty bands of the 80's.

  • This song really puts you into a state of nostalgia (another great song by them!) I love it so much!

  • This is great stuff even two decades on.

    I saw Mark Burgess do an acoustic set with a cellist once and it was awesome.

  • Yeah, man, still - all these years later - still can not hear this without getting teary.

    And I'm glad of it!

  • again great find.5 stars.

  • Love it, love it, love it. I once did a giant art installation of a wall collage to the last few lyrics of this song (And so, I remember you...). Possibly my favorite song ever. The whole album is brilliant but this song kills me.

  • This song can still move me to tears, 1985 for Strange Times, bought it the year I left school, thanks for posting it

  • One of the best songs ever written. It really puts you into some state of nostalgia (another great song by them)

  • wow, this song is moveing its deep.

  • una de las mejores bandas chameleons para siempre

  • best version of the song

  • Nice work , check out my Chameleons clips.

  • fantastic song and band.......

  • great, great song. Love it. It's 1985 all over again.

  • I would like to own this bands work on vynil...which album should I start off with???

  • Script of the bridge !

  • Well if you love this song then it has to be 'Strange Times'

    They're all great though; you can't go wrong....

  • Buy "Script of The Bridge" is they debut. Its a GENIUS album

  • all their albums are marvellous. Don´t miss them live, check your opportunity- sorry for my english. I saw the chameleons in 2003 or 2004 in cologne, maybe they play one more time ..

  • Yeah, script of the bridge. Then Fan and the Belows which is a collection of early stuff. There's quite a few compilation albums about. Are you specifically after vinyl? I'll happily burn some for you.

  • Tears is one of my favorite song ever. The version on "This never ending now" is absolutly awesome.

  • how i wish we can rewind those days,shit what a memory passed by......

  • Ahh memories.

  • great song in any version they put out.

  • Awesome album "Strange Times".

  • Thank you for this post...it brings me back to freedom and laughter, 18 years old at LVC in Tampa...

  • Helter Skelter and Club Scream and Club with no Name... watching this video at the club with the video room, up the rickety stairs and then going to dance again.

    LA in the 80's and this music made life... kinder

  • my best new wave back in the 80's.XB 102 the spirit lives on.

  • Nice.

    Isn't it funny how we seek out these gems?

    Shows how when we think we're alone there are others, worldwide tuned to the same wave.

    Can you tell me how it be?

  • I feel like you were all dancing at Helter Skelter in LA. with me.

  • Mark was (is) a genious

  • Such a Beutiful song and so very emotional , if ever you had lost your way in this sometimes cruel world and needed some hope , this would be the song to listen to...

  • carry me home..back to the days..I love the guitar work on this!!

  • Carry me home to the kindest eyes that I've ever seen...

  • OMG 1986 the first Chameleons album I ever purchased. The double album, US Version on Geffen. I wore this song out. Has anyone ever remade it or is this the one and only version in existence. No one can top it, though.

  • my absolute favourite!

  • BRILLIANT!!! It's just coincidence Well, you can talk that way But I have to say I don't believe in it It was a chill of chance, I decided to dance the days away And I wasn't worried at all Sneaking through the back door No, I wasn't worried at all Dreams are what you live for Waiting for the light to turn green Carry me home To the kindest eyes that I've ever seen Carry me home
  • Growing up in the SF Bay Area, I first heard this song, thanks to the most awesome DJ of modern rock: Steve Masters! Those were cool days and full of wonder!!!

  • I remember Steve Masters ... I also remember being in Berkeley in the mid-80s, listening to the Quake and Tim Bedore. Then, later, Live 105 into the early 90s ... Great stuff.

  • "And I wasn't worried at all...

    Dreams are what you live for"....

    Beautiful song, it just never gets old...LOL

  • wow this takes me back to when i was 18 :)

  • I remember those times... great chameleon song.

  • The fantastic!!!!

    Timeless.........

  • ich freue mich, vielen, besten dank an matadorelov und dessen mühe

  • one of my favorite songs ever. thanks for posting it.

  • These are the guys that Coldplay and Interpol stole their whole act and musical style from.

  • There is a much more dramatic unplugged version of this song on the album.

    Great great song and band

  • nice song the best of new wave songs..can this be downloaded ion limewire? pls. somebody can share this music with me, i cant find one

  • Just go buy the album. It's fantastic and worth it. And who knows, instead of just being turned onto one song you might get turned onto the band as a whole.

  • i have a cd copy of this,if you want,i can send it to you thru email (wmp attachment)...

  • Strange Times is available on CD. I picked up my copy a few months ago.

  • If you like this just go buy their studio recordings... if you can find them. You won't be disappointed.

  • the best song ever written..reminds me of the good ol 80s in the phillipine new wave scene!!!!

  • Muy buena canción, gran elección estimado amigo. Saludos

  • possibly the greatest and most peerless band ever....

    god i love the chameleons

  • Mark Burgess is the musical reincarnation of John Lennon

  • one a the greatest songs i ever heard..bliss