Duel - Propaganda, 1985

 
 

Eye to eye stand winners and losers
Hurt by envy, cut by greed
Face to face with their own disillusion
The scars of old romances still on their cheeks
And when blow by blow the passion dies sweet little death
Just have been lies the memories of gone by time
Would still recall the lie

The first cut won`t hurt at all
The second only makes you wonder
The third will have you on your knees
You start bleeding I start screaming

It's too late the decision is made by fate
Time to prove what forever should last
Whose feelings are so true as to stand the test
Whose demands are so strong as to parry all attempts
And when blow by blow the passion dies sweet little death
Just have been lies the memories of gone by time
Would still recall the lies

The first cut won't hurt at all
The second only makes you wonder
The third will have you on your knees
You start bleeding I start screaming

The first cut won't hurt at all
The second only makes you wonder
The third will have you on your knees
You start bleeding I start screaming (x3)

 
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Propaganda was formed in Düsseldorf in 1982, with a background in German industrial music. Lead by vocalist Claudia Brücken, their music was somewhere in between Synthpop and New Wave. They signed with ZTT Records (Zang Tumb Tuum), a label that also signed such acts as Frankie Goes To Hollywood, and Art of Noise. Propaganda soon relocated to the UK, and recorded a song about a fictional character from a Fritz Lang movie. This 1984 single release, Doctor Mabuse, fared better on the German charts at # 7, but also gained some notice in the rest of Europe.

They wanted to follow up with their first album, but this was delayed since the surprise success of Frankie Goes To Hollywood took up most of the fledging ZTT's resources. By 1985, however, Propaganda finally released their debut album A Secret Wish. The single, Duel, was released and reached # 21 on the British Charts. They subsequently earned an appearance on the BBC TV show, Top of the Pops.

The band attempted a comeback in 1998, and made a guest appearance at Wembley Arena in 2005, but here is one last look at the band in all of its glorious '80s video style.