Living Colour
Stain

Exegesis of Ideological Emancipation in “Stain (Sony - 1993)”

Living Colour have never been afraid to shatter the depraved American consumer society, politically corrupt and flawed in ideals, with their riffs. Their first album “Vivid” (1988 – No. 6 in the USA) contained a song that caused a stir at the time, “Cult of Personality,” in which the lyrics mocked the illusory and passive adulation of great personalities of the past, whether they were named Stalin, Gandhi, Mussolini, or Kennedy. Let's read together some excerpts from the lyrics, whose understanding is necessary to grasp the spirit of Stain:

Pretty clear, right? Well, “Stain” continues along the same lines of this concept. Avoiding the imposition of further doctrines (useless and misleading) and supported by a proud, authoritative sound bursting with energy, “Stain” is the path that Living Colour have used to reach their emancipation. But, and this is what's commendable, the path is valid only for them ("...I don’t want your life, I’ve got my own needs, a life of my own, a chance to be free..." - from “Auslander”), as the search must be strictly personal and subjective (could the four have read Hesse’s “Siddhartha” during the composition?)

They are not presumptuous, they do not want to be the further messiahs to follow: everyone has their own life, the result of their own choices: "...People, if they choose you, then they want you to decide..." from “BI”, where they readdress the concept of Lebanese philosopher Gibrain, that is, if you trust too much and do not interpret what you read, you end up thinking with the mind of the writer and not your own.

Stain is a vortex. Of emotions and reflections. Stain is a raw stab at victimism and passivity. It could be defined as a “chakra” for the energy it unleashes. It's incredible how the songs, each more powerful than the last, can flow with so much momentum: they are not cascades of notes but cascades of emotions. Unlike many other bands that try to contest by screaming revenge and shouting anger that will soon explode (ending up rather repetitive and predictable), Living Colour, on the contrary, possess an enviable melodic creativity and elegance in arrangements. The power of their discourse is also in the fluidity with which they present it, avoiding annoying edges and letting their compositional artistry shine.

There is also a pessimistic dismay that emerges in their words. Unfortunately, as well known, evil often resides in the ignorance and indifference of people and “Ignorance is Bliss” indeed: "Living with myself is hard enough/ so I get away when things get rough/ famine, strife, and thoughts of war/ matter less than the dress she wore”. And there's no one more deaf than those who don't want to