Abre los Ojos

“Open Your Eyes” by the Lords of the New Church, from the album Lords of the New Church.
Third week of July, 1982.

Yes. This song is awesome. It’s industrial-dance goth rock that’s “political” without any real political comment. All it says is that you should either totally rock out, or dance, or just sulk all gothy and pissed off for no reason. And that’s why this song is awesome.

The song’s got nothing whatsoever to do with Open Your Eyes (Abre los Ojos), the Spanish mindfuck film that inspired Cameron Crowe to teach Penélope Cruz English, or Open Your Eyes (OYE—Get it?), the men’s magazine for the American Latino (or “Lat Lad”). But what a nice excuse to provide both illustrations. Did you really want to look at frontman Stiv Bators? Trust me, you don’t. He looks as ghastly as his name suggests. Yechh.

Best moment: the upbeat little trumpet blare that toots just seconds before the song quits (@ 3:18).