“…listen to a song like ‘Hate’ for instance, you don’t need guitars to sound aggressive”.
“On the cover of the single we wore all-white clothes. The whole idea behind that was the music being opposite to the colour and us getting up and singing about ‘Hate’, dressed up whiter than white, well I s’pose I wouldn’t have seen it.”- Mark Hollis talking to Jim Reid, Record Mirror and Betty Page, Noise, July 1982
“This one’s our ballad. It’s called Hate” – a sarcastic introduction from Mark Hollis as recorded live for the BBC, 1982.
Mark Hollis seemed determined to frame “Hate” as Talk Talk’s most aggro punk rock moment, and it’s true that Lee Harris is out there beating up his kit like it owes him money, that the whole thing kicks off with Hollis screaming HATE! and that it likely has the most BPMs of any album track Talk Talk ever recorded… but, wait. Can we take a moment to check the lyrics?
the child’s not there, the priest is losing faith, defile my care
Defile my care? To those who can’t see any connection between synthpop Talk Talk and postrock Talk Talk, who insist they they are different beasts, that baby Talk Talk didn’t at all inform the grown-up, just look at that there. Sure, Hate is a bit pacey, as TFG would have it, but those lyrics are pure Hollis, don’t you think. And, yes, the poetry became sketchier and more abstract as time went on, but the central theme recognisably remains.
The contrarian strikes again. The most aggressive part of Hate is the title. After the opening yelp, any pretence at anger falls away, until eventually the frantic drumbeats transform into a pretty coda.
Don’t say a word
if I’ve been away too long
I found out it’s wrong
I found out I don’t need hate
I don’t think we can blame the white suits on Hate, as much as Mark Hollis might want us to, might want to talk up an irony beyond the irony that is already in existence within Hate. Because there’s the punchline, right there. ‘Here’s a song about hate, but it’s actually not about hate, it’s about…not hate?’
That would be a love song, then.
Hate, Live, 1982.https://youtu.be/u3BP5jfXIPI?si=DRlm6y_gQeWiXunV