Description:
"The Musical Box" is one of the most famous songs by progressive rock band Genesis and appears on the album Nursery Cryme of 1971. It has acquired the status of one of the band's signature tunes from their progressive rock-era and featured in their live repertoire right up to Phil Collins' departure after the We Can't Dance tour in 1992. Being the opening track on Nursery Cryme, the first album the band made after Collins and guitarist Steve Hackett's joining, the song is to all intents and purposes, the first ever Genesis song of what many regard as the 'classic' lineup of Peter Gabriel (vocals, flute) Mike Rutherford
"The Musical Box" is one of the most famous songs by progressive rock band Genesis and appears on the album Nursery Cryme of 1971. It has acquired the status of one of the band's signature tunes from their progressive rock-era and featured in their live repertoire right up to Phil Collins' departure after the We Can't Dance tour in 1992. Being the opening track on Nursery Cryme, the first album the band made after Collins and guitarist Steve Hackett's joining, the song is to all intents and purposes, the first ever Genesis song of what many regard as the 'classic' lineup of Peter Gabriel (vocals, flute) Mike Rutherford (bass), Tony Banks (keyboards), Phil Collins (drums, percussion) and Steve Hackett, the latter two having replaced John Mayhew and Anthony Phillips respectively a few months prior. "The Musical Box" is a story with Victorian overtones and was indeed presented as a Victorian fairy story.
The song itself is a ten minute epic touching on themes of death, reincarnation and lust. The song was based on a young girl, Cynthia, who killed Henry by removing his head with a croquet mallet while playing a game. The story of the song begins with Cynthia discovering Henry's musical box that included the figure "Old King Cole" when she opened it. Cynthia saw the lifetime of desires go by as Henry aged with nothing but a child's mind and vision. Henry was attempting to have Cynthia pursue his romantic desire when his nurse heard the noise and went to the nursery to see what was going on. She threw the musical box at the elderly looking child, destroying not only Henry, but killing Cynthia as well. (This story can be found in the inside booklet of the Nursery Cryme album.) The album cover is also a depiction of this song and story. The figure holds a croquet mallet and there is hoop visible close by and, instead of balls, a few heads are visible on the ground.
The climax to the song concerns itself with Henry's feelings towards Cynthia, representing his lustful view of her, shown no better than the words 'She's a lady, she is mine!' and then just after when Gabriel sings, 'Why don't you touch me? Touch me, NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW!' In live performances, Peter Gabriel would don an "old man" mask for the finale and creepy lighting would be used each time he shouted "NOW!" At the end of the song the old man would die.
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Manufacturer: Charisma/Virgin (UK) and Atlantic (USA)
Release date: 12 November 1971
EAN: - UPC: -
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