Rocktrospectiva: The Astonishing "To Bring You My Love" Turns 30

Released on 27 February 1995 "To Bring You My Love" was the third studio album by English indie rock artists PJ Harvey, the album came after the break-up of the PJ Harvey Trio, so practically this is considered her first proper solo album, heavily influenced by US blues music, the album spawned three singles "Down By The Water", "C'mon Billy" & "Send His Love To Me".  

 

Harvey co-produced the record with Flood and John Parish and the music on the album was played largely by Harvey and Parish, with contributions from seasoned musicians Joe Gore, Mick Harvey, Jean-Marc Butty, and others. The album is considered to be Harvey's breakthrough, gained hed massive critical acclaim worldwide becoming her best-selling studio album, and the single "Down By The Water" received extensive airplay on radio and MTV.

 

After releasing two studio albums and a compilation in less than two years, she kept a low profile for most of the year. Made only one public appearance in 1994. So she used the royalties that she had received from her first two studio albums, she bought a house in rural England close to her parents' home in Yeovil. So living in near isolation, she began writing the songs that would appear on To Bring You My Love.

 

The tone and sound of the songs on To Bring You My Love differ somewhat from what Harvey had presented on her earlier albums. She changed the aggressive style onto something more reflexive about the loss or departed lover, also many of the songs emplys biblical imagery as Heaven, God, and Jesus Christ, despite she was not a religious person, only two songs "Meet Ze Monsta" and "Long Snake Moan" the rest of the album is practically softer than her previous two albums. 

 

In music terms, the album seems to be more complicated than her first two albums, using two guitar parts by Harvey and Parish, the acoustic guitars and strings arrangementes can be heard throughout the whole album, bells, chimes, and a vibraphone add to the atmosphere of the recording. Keyboards and organ are also used extensively, a result of much of the album being composed on a Yamaha keyboard the artist bought second-hand, the deep rumbling organ tones provide many of the lower notes on the album, replacing traditional basslines.

 

The album received a heavy promotional push from Island Records, extensive MTV rotation and college radio airplay especially for the first single "Down by the Water" an infanticide fable with a Maria Mochnacz-directed music video of Harvey drowning in an emerald pond while wearing an extravagant wig, heavy make-up and a slinky red satin evening gown, gave Harvey her biggest radio hit to date, reaching number two on Billboard's Modern Rock chart, and the album itself debuted at number 40 on the Billboard 200, in the UK the album peaked No. 12, the other single "C'mon Billy" a song about a woman begging for 'Billy' to come home and meet his son, had a moderately airplay only peaked at No., 29 and finally "Send His Love To Me", but also fails to achieved the same impact as the first single. 

 

Nevertheless the critical response was overwhelmingly positive, praising the record as an astonishing thing, full of threat and an imagery between Siouxsie and Nick Cave's Bad Seeds. 

 

Down By The Water Track List:  

1. To Bring You My Love

2. Meet Ze Monsta

3. Working For The Man

4. C'mon Billy

5. Teclo

6. Long Snake Moan

7. Down By The Water 

8. I Think I'm A Mother

9. Send His Love To Me

10. The Dancer