It'll End in Tears

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It'll End in Tears
Black and white out-of-focus photograph of a person with closed eyes and hair pulled back
Studio album by
This Mortal Coil
Released1 October 1984 (1984-10-01)[1]
StudioBlackwing (London)
Genre
Length44:12
Label4AD
Producer
This Mortal Coil chronology
Sixteen Days / Gathering Dust [EP][4]
(1983) 		It'll End in Tears
(1984) 		Filigree & Shadow
(1986)
Singles from It'll End in Tears
  1. "Song to the Siren"
    Released: September 1983
  2. "Kangaroo"
    Released: August 1984

It'll End in Tears is the debut album by the 4AD multi-artist studio[a] project This Mortal Coil, a loose grouping of artists brought together by label boss Ivo Watts-Russell. Released on 1 October 1984, it features many of the artists on the label's roster, including Elizabeth Fraser and Simon Raymonde of the Cocteau Twins, Gordon/Cindy Sharpe of Cindytalk,[b] Martyn Young of Colourbox and Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance. While side one is mostly covers selected by Watts-Russell, side two contains original tracks composed by Raymonde and Gerrard.

The album's cover versions include two songs from Big Star's 1978 album Third/Sister Lovers;, including "Kangaroo"and "Holocaust". Fraser provides vocals for the covers of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren" and Roy Harper's "Another Day". The former was released as TMC's debut single a year before the album and became an unexpected hit on the UK independent charts. Sharp sings on two further tracks: Rema-Rema's "Fond Affections" and the TMC original "A Single Wish", which closes the album.

This Mortal Coil recorded two further albums: Filigree & Shadow (1986) and Blood (1991). Both were highly praised and sold well, although neither achieved the same critical acclaim or cult status as It'll End in Tears.

Conception

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This Mortal Coil's origins began with a one-off single in 1983 when the 4AD record label founder Ivo Watts-Russell asked the band Modern English to re-record their earlier songs "Sixteen Days" and "Gathering Dust" for re-release. He enlisted the long-term 4AD collaborator John Fryer to help with the engineering and production.[7] The resulting melody "Sixteen Days / Gathering Dust" was sung by Elizabeth Fraser of the fellow 4AD band Cocteau Twins.[8][9]

Watts-Russell asked Fraser to record a version of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren" as the B-side.[10] Fraser had not heard the track before and having received a cassette from Watts-Russel had intended to sing the version a cappella. Watts-Russel was unhappy with the initial cut there were silent gaps between between the verses and choruses. Cocteau Twins guitarist Robin Guthrie was in the studio at the time and was asked to provide guitar, which he completed in one take, with the whole recording lasting around three hours.[11]

The cover was a critical success on the single's release to the extent that it was shortly reissued with "Song to the Siren" as the A-side. The reissue spent two years on the UK independent chart and by 2011 had sold over half a million copies.[10][c]

Watts-Russell conceived a follow-up album as a collection of cover versions of his favourite songs performed by artists on his label.[7] He recognised that he wasn't musical and lacked technical ability and experience, and decided early that he would give the musicians flexibility in their interpretations. He viewed the Sixteen Days / Gathering Dust track as "stiff and overlong" and decided to give full control of the production to Fraser. He later said that he "loved the experience of affecting the sound of a record, but it wasn't my place to impose anything. So I needed to create a situation where people gave me sounds that I could have ideas about."[11]

This Mortal Coil never performed live,[12] although the Cocteau Twins played "Song to the Siren" several times in the mid-1980s and Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance frequently plays the song during solo performances.[13]

Recording

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Man with dark hair wearing dark clothing against a plain background
Simon Raymonde in 1986

It'll End in Tears was recorded in 1984 at Eric Radcliffe's Blackwing Studios in Waterloo, south-east London. Blackwing is located inside a deconsecrated building that was formerly All Hallows Church. The studio is best known for recording many of the early 1980s Mute Records bands such as Depeche Mode and Yazoo.[d] Blackwing was chosen in part because Fryer had worked there with Depeche Mode on their 1981 debut album Speak & Spell.[14]

Simon Raymonde of the Cocteau Twins took on a far larger role than was initially planned. Raymonde somewhat modestly wrote in his 2024 biography that he was just a "gun for hire...playing under direction", given that he was not paid either the usual flat fee or a royalty percentage.[15] Across the three This Mortal Coil albums, Raymonde played on twelve separate tracks, including on several of his own compositions.[16]

When arriving at the studio, the musicians were typically unaware of what tracks they would be asked to interpret. Once given a title, Watts-Russell provided only vague instructions on how to approach it. Raymonde recalls that on his first day, he was told to listen to Big Star's 1974 song "Kangaroo" and provide a "minimalist take" with the bass guitar as the main instrument. Similarly, before recording "The Last Wish", Raymonde was given a simple drum pattern and asked to come up with a bass line within the next half-hour. When he did so, Watts-Russell said it sounded good and "let's record it". Soon after Guthrie entered the studio, according to Raymonde, "for an hour or so", and recorded his guitar part. After the early parts were laid down, the musicians could add additional layering and instrumentation.[14]

Music and lyrics

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Side one

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Gordon Sharp (aka Cindy Sharp or Cinder) performing in 2009. Sharp sings "Kangaroo", "Fond Affections" and "A Single Wish".

The album opens with "Kangaroo", the first of two covers from Big Star's album Third/Sister Lovers. The original was recorded in 1974 but was not released until 1978. The band's singer and songwriter Alex Chilton's music was largely forgotten by the early 1980s.[17] The track was a long-term favourite of Watts-Russell's: he described it as "a cross between the Velvet Underground and Syd Barrett on heroin".[18] Cinder Sharp of Cindytalk provided vocals accompanied by an arrangement by Raymonde, who stripped down the music to a dominant bass-line played with a pick on an eight-string Ibanez Musician bass. He is accompanied by a flute played by Raymonde on a Yamaha DX7, and cello parts added by Martin McCarrick of Siouxsie and the Banshees.[14][19]

Woman with dark hair in partial profile
Elizabeth Fraser provides vocals for "Song to the Siren" and "Another Day".

The cover of Tim Buckley and Larry Beckett's "Song to the Siren" is by far the album's best-known track.[12][20] It is sung by Fraser, with sparse guitar parts added by Guthrie. The song's eerie and affecting lyrics contain what Aston describes as "images of the sea, doomed romance and drowning", described by Watts-Russell as alluding to "the inevitable damage that love causes".[10] The original is from the point of view of a sailor encountering sirens from Homer's Odyssey, however, Fraser's vocals seem to reverse the roles in that she becomes the siren.[10] The Cocteau Twins were unhappy with the track's commercial success. They worried both that it would overshadow their own careers and resented that they were not given royalties.[20] Guthrie later said that he "hated" the original versions of the songs TMC had covered, and that he found TMC "pretentious and miserable".[21]

The second Big Star cover, "Holocaust", was arranged by Raymond and sung by Howard Devoto of the Buzzcocks and Magazine.[18] The original was written when Chilton was at a low point in his life and contains numerous allusions to addiction.[20] Devoto said that he "knew the name Big Star, but not their music", but agreed to participate having been impressed by the cover of "Song to the Siren".[18]

"Fond Affections" is a cover of a 1980 song by 4AD band Rema-Rema, written by Gary Asquith and Marco Pirroni (formerly of Adam and the Ants). In the TMC version, Sharp sings over Raymonde's sparse arrangement. Both the vocals and music are very different to the theatrical original.[22]

Side two

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Middle-aged man with beard playing acoustic guitar on stage
Roy Harper performing in 2001

Side two opens with a cover of Roy Harper's 1970 song "Another Day" and is also sung by Fraser. The original was described by the critic Peter Beaumont as a "story of a recollected affair in the domestic setting of his past lover's home...prefiguring the idea that whatever happens the time for second chances has long past; that there can be no magic in this encounter."[23] Guthrie was against the song's inclusion as he viewed it as progressive rock sung by a "earnest bearded men".[21] While the cover led to renewed interest in Harper's career, both critics and Harper himself agree that Fraser's vocals elevate the original.[17] Howweve, Watts-Russel was unhappy with the outcome of the track, and considered editing out some of what he described as Fraser's "Kate Bush-isms"; at the time of recording she was transitioning from her early gothic vocal style to the emotive and expansive vocals for which she is best known, and so was experimenting.[17]

Man and woman with dark hair, both in dark clothing against plain background
Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance, 1989

Both "Waves Become Wings" and "Dreams Made Flesh" were written and sung by Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance. Watts-Russell had intended for her to provide vocals for a cover, but she disliked the idea and asked if she could contribute an original track.[24] Watts-Russell was impressed by her recording, which was eventually split into the songs "Waves Become Wings" and "Dreams Made Flesh".[25] The instrumental "Barramundi" separates Gerrard's two tracks; composed and arranged by Raymonde, it consists of his guitar parts overlayed with a Yamaha DX7 synthesiser.[26] The music for Gerrard's second track, "Dreams Made Flesh", is dominated by her yangqin (a Chinese hammered dulcimer), with rhythm parts played on a bass drum by Perry.[24][25]

Robbie Grey of Modern English sings "Not Me", a cover of a solo track by Colin Newman of the post-punk band Wire, taken from his 1980 album A–Z.[24][27]

The album closes with "A Single Wish", built around a piano figure by Steven Young of Colourbox, with additional instrumentation and arrangement by Raymonde. Sharp provided the lyrics and vocals, which follow a lengthy instrumental introduction.[26] Raymonde created the cello sound using a Gizmotron, a mechanical effects device that emulates bowing and has a rapid natural attack. Because the Gizmotron is a particularly challenging device to control, the recording proved to be very difficult.[28]

Cover art

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The cover's photographs were photographed by Nigel Grierson and arranged by the graphic designer Vaughan Oliver, both of whom were founding members of 4AD's in-house design team 23 Envelope.[e][30][31] The black and white and out-of-focus photograph shows the visual artist and model Yvette (later known as Pallas Citroen), who was then studying for her final secondary-level exams, but was a friend of members of Modern English.[5][32][33] She remembers a brief photography session where Grierson "pulled some branches down from a tree, waved them in front of the lights, and took the shots".[33]

Grierson described the final album cover as an attempt to "create an intriguing image, influenced by...the subconscious....and scenes from David Lynch's Eraserhead, and Luis Buñuel's Los Olvidados—eyes closed, hair pulled back."[33] The cover has been widely praised. Writing for The Guardian in 1996, the critic Susan Corrigan wrote that It'll End in Tears' cover helped establish the "spooky, ethereal 4AD aesthetic" which the label became renowned for.[29]

Release

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It'll End in Tears was first released on 1 October 1984. It exceeded sales expectations by reaching the UK Top 40.[34]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[35]
Mojo[36]
Pitchfork9.0/10[5]

It'll End in Tears was met with universal acclaim on release and was highly praised by the music weeklies Melody Maker and the NME.[37] Critics often praise Fryer's production. The album was described in 2011 by the critic Net Raggett as maintaining "a mood of poised, shadowy romanticism, part dark ambient grind and part late-night string-laden recital".[5] A 2018 Pitchfork ranked the album as number eight on its list of "The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums".[2]

Writing for The Guardian in 2006, the writer and critic Dorian Lynskey listed TMC's version of "Song to the Siren" as number 7 in his list of "Covers that are better than the original songs". He concluded that "by turning..[Buckley's song]...into a tremulous ambient hymn...the original version seems like a mere sketch."[38]

A 2018 review by Classic Pop described the album as "swathed in lush, gothic-romantic swirls of echo and reverb".[39] The review describes Devoto's vocals as "like a hollow, haunted phantom" and praises both Sharp and Gerrard's vocals as "ghostly", before concluding that Fraser's contribution on "Song to the Siren" is the standout performance.[39] Numerous other critics have praised Sharp's vocals, which according to Raggett extend "from operatic bravura on..."Kanga Roo" to the closing tenderness of "A Single Wish."[5]

Influence

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It'll End in Tears helped resurrect the careers of Tim Buckley and Alex Chilton, and led to renewed interest in Roy Harper's back catalogue. Because of "Song to the Siren"'s success, Buckley's album Starsailor has become his best-known album.[40]

The album's atmospheric and melancholic sound has been hugely influential. It'll End in Tears is cited as defining by numerous bands and artists, including Anohni and the Johnsons, Bat for Lashes, Perfume Genius and Amen Dunes.[7][41] Both Anohni and Beach House have cited "Song to the Siren" as specifically important. Many other artists have adapted TMC's cover versions—described by the critic Sean O'Neal as "covers of covers".[7]

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Arranged byLength
1."Kangaroo"Alex ChiltonCindy Sharp, Simon Raymonde3:30
2."Song to the Siren"Larry Beckett, Tim BuckleyElizabeth Fraser, Robin Guthrie3:30
3."Holocaust"ChiltonRaymonde3:38
4."Fyt"Ivo Watts-Russell, John Fryer 4:23
5."Fond Affections"Rema-RemaSharp3:50
6."The Last Ray"Watts-Russell, Guthrie, RaymondeRaymonde4:08
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Arranged byLength
1."Another Day"Roy HarperFraser2:54
2."Waves Become Wings"Lisa GerrardLisa Gerrard4:25
3."Barramundi"RaymondeRaymonde3:56
4."Dreams Made Flesh"GerrardGerrard3:48
5."Not Me"Colin NewmanRobbie Grey, Raymonde3:44
6."A Single Wish"Sharp, Steven Young, RaymondeSharp2:26

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart (1984–85) Peak
position
New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart 42
UK Albums Chart 38
UK Independent Albums Chart 1

Singles

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Notes

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  1. ^ This Mortal Coil never played live, although individual artists, notably the Cocteau Twins and Brendan Perry did incorporate songs into their own live performances.[5]
  2. ^ The transgender artist Sharp is credited as Gordon on the album notes but is latterly known as Cindy Sharp or Cinder.[6]
  3. ^ Fraser said in 2011 that "apart from the Tim Buckley song, the whole idea doesn't really work. We were asked to contribute to it but we never thought about it seriously. We were never in the studio together or anything. Even the Buckley song, I'm not really pleased with my vocals. I really like the song itself...I thought the words were beautiful."[9]
  4. ^ Both the Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance's debut albums, Garlands (1982) and Dead Can Dance (1984) were recorded at Blackwing.
  5. ^ 23 Envelope was rebranded as v23 in 1988 after Oliver established a separate freelance company.[29]

References

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  1. ^ "This Mortal Coil: 'It'll End In Tears'". 4AD. Retrieved 5 September 2025
  2. ^ a b "The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums". Pitchfork. 16 April 2018. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  3. ^ Joynson 2023, pp. 1962–1964.
  4. ^ Aston 2013, pp. 126, 127.
  5. ^ a b c d e Raggett 2011.
  6. ^ Simpson.
  7. ^ a b c d O'Neal 2018.
  8. ^ Reynolds 1986.
  9. ^ a b Wilde 1983.
  10. ^ a b c d e Aston 2011.
  11. ^ a b Aston 2013, p. 126.
  12. ^ a b Buckley 2003, p. 1077.
  13. ^ Cole, Kevin (26 July 2011). "Robin Guthrie And Brendan Perry: 4AD Revisited". NPR. Archived from the original on 17 June 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  14. ^ a b c d Raymonde 2024, p. 95.
  15. ^ Raymonde 2024, p. 102.
  16. ^ Raymonde 2024, p. 163.
  17. ^ a b c Aston 2013, p. 155.
  18. ^ a b c Aston 2013, p. 156.
  19. ^ Rowley 2024.
  20. ^ a b c Brazier 2018.
  21. ^ a b Aston 2013, p. 167.
  22. ^ Aston 2013, pp. 35, 51, 155.
  23. ^ Beaumont 2012.
  24. ^ a b c Ulrich 2022, p. 123.
  25. ^ a b Aston 2013, p. 154.
  26. ^ a b Raymonde 2024, p. 96.
  27. ^ a b "This Mortal Coil: It'll End in Tears". Sputnikmusic. 26 June 2008. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  28. ^ Raymonde 2024, p. 97.
  29. ^ a b Corrigan 1996.
  30. ^ "Nigel Grierson: Tooth and Nail Gallery London". Tooth and Nail Gallery, London. Archived from the original on 24 April 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  31. ^ Gomez-Palacio 2011, p. 301.
  32. ^ Poynor 2000, pp. 48, 51.
  33. ^ a b c Aston 2013, p. 157.
  34. ^ Buckely (2003), p. 1077
  35. ^ Mason.
  36. ^ Aston 2018.
  37. ^ Aston 2013, pp. 126, 214.
  38. ^ Lynskey 2006.
  39. ^ a b "Review: This Mortal Coil – It'll End In Tears/Filigree & Shadow/Blood". Classic Pop. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  40. ^ Dellar 1994.
  41. ^ Aston 2013, p. 4.
  42. ^ "This Mortal Coil: 'It'll End In Tears', 'Filigree & Shadow', 'Blood' Reissues Archived 6 June 2023 at the Wayback Machine. 4AD, 31 August 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2025
  43. ^ a b Joynson 2023, p. 1624.

Sources

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