It's almost embarrassing to admit liking this song.

As I dabbled in a variety of musical genres throughout high school and college I picked up some peculiar songs along the way. I'm sure we all have these little hidden treasures from the time we jumped head first into liking rap music or that month long flirtation with glam rock that came with dating a girl who teased her hair and used a bit too much Aquanet. There was a time when I spent some of my days perusing the goth world mostly due to the fact that I was hanging out with a lot of drama students and trying hard to seem edgier than I really was. Out of this time period came an appreciation for BAUHAUS, LOVE AND ROCKETS, SISTERS OF MERCY and THE MISSION UK. I can't really say what appealed to me about the style of music other than it was so over the top that you had to appreciate the sheer conviction of the artist for putting such noise down for public consumption. So when I rolled across an old Mission UK song in my catalogue, all the sights and sounds of that sophomore year in high school came rushing back.

Now I was what you might call a poser to the goth scene. I own no eye-liner or have ever dyed my hair. I have nothing pierced or tattooed. I can't claim any sort of inner turmoil to send me scribbling into a notebook (which is probably why I never learned to play guitar...damn you normal, stable family life!!). But for some reason, "Deliverance", with it's allusions to fairy queens and the fall of Babylon screamed at the top of one's lungs in a 1986 red Dodge D50 pickup seemed right to me. Upon reflection it must have been a bit disconcerting seeing a preppy white kid with short blond hair modeled more after Zach from SAVED BY THE BELL without the impish charms shouting "Give Me Deliverance...brothers, sisters." But damn it all if the song didn't sound kick ass at the time. And you know what, after three listens as I write this...it still kind of does. Let the mocking begin.

(mp3) The Mission UK -- Deliverance