When I first saw the movie The Hunger, the thing I was most impressed by was the opening sequence, essentially a music video about a vampire conquest. Mainly because the music was really, really cool (I can’t say I remember much of the movie, however). The song was Bauhaus’ Bela Lugosi’s Dead, and it’s just a cool, moody song. From Wikipedia:
Bela Lugosi’s Dead is an influential gothic rock song (often considered to be the first) written by the band Bauhaus. The song was the band’s first single, released in August 1979. It did not enter the UK pop charts, but remained on sale for many years thereafter. The B-side features the song “Boys” and some versions also include an early recording of what would be their next single, “Dark Entries”. Due to licencing restrictions, the original version of the title track was not made available on any other format until the 1998 album, Crackle - The Best of Bauhaus.
There’s suggestion that the song may actually be more about Lugosi’s death than vampires in general at SongMeanings. I suppose that could be true, but I always take any comments on the internet with a grain of salt.
Here’s a link to a live performance
And of course, the lyrics:
White on white translucent black capes
Back on the rack
Bela Lugosi’s dead
The bats have left the bell tower
The victims have been bled
Red velvet lines the black box
Bela Lugosi’s dead
Undead undead undead
The virginal brides file past his tomb
Strewn with time’s dead flowers
Bereft in deathly bloom
Alone in a darkened room
The count
Bela Logosi’s dead
Undead undead undead
