The Meaning of “Many Of Horror” by Biffy Clyro
“Many of Horror” is a song with a deep meaning. The track is emotional, written by Simon Neil about his tumultuous relationships with both his wife Francesca and his family as a whole. This theme is explored a lot in Only Revolutions. The whole track doubles down on this meaning, with the Biffy Clyro crafting every moment to heighten the emotional impact of the song.
Let’s have a look at every element of the song and look for the exact meaning of this Biffy Clyro masterpiece.
The Facts behind "Many of Horror"
“Many of Horror” is the fourth single from Biffy Clyro’s fifth studio album, Only Revolutions, which was released on the 9th of November 2009. The music was written by the whole band, while the lyrics are credited to singer Simon Neil. The song was recorded at Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, California, and was produced by Garth Richardson.
The track would be certified platinum in the UK, selling over 500,000 copies. This figure was helped by Matt Cardle’s X-Factor song choice. The song received generally positive reviews and is cited by NME as a “Perfect rock ballad”. The song is written in the key of C# minor.
What Biffy Have said about the Song
The best way to discover the true meaning of a song is to look at what the creators have said about it. When looking at the meaning of “Many of Horror”, we can look at what the band have said in interviews.
One of the most revealing interviews about this track is with The Telegraph. In their series, How We Wrote, Simon says the song is “about being so madly in love that you can’t live without someone, but you clearly just want to kill each other sometimes. It’s about the good and bad side of being madly in love.”
Taling about why the band manoeuvered to a more pop music style for this album, Ben Johnston said, “We love pop music, and there are elements of pop in almost every song we do.” While not directly talking about the meaning of the song, it does show the band’s affinity for popular music.
Looking into the Lyrics
Title line and Verse lyrics
The lyrics of “Many Of Horror” tell the story of a tumultuous, imperfect relationship. However, it contrasts this with a strong sense of unity.
To begin with, the meaning of the title phrase “Many Of Horror” is a continuation of the preceding line. “Our future is for, Many of Horror” is saying that their future will still hold difficulties and tough times, hence “Many of Horror”. Masterfully, there is still unity in the relationship as Simon is adamant he still sees a future. This reinforces the quote above from Simon Neil, brilliantly verbalising the good and bad sides of the relationship.
This theme doesn’t just appear here – it is supported continuously within the lyrics. The opening line does a lot to establish this exact theme with, “You say I love you boy, I know you lie, I trust you all the same, I don’t know why”, immediately dictating the clash between the two in the relationship.
Chorus
The Chorus of “When we collide, we come together” shows that when the couple clash, it brings them closer. Their differences are what makes them stronger. Therefore, the line “If we don’t, we will always be apart” shows that not tackling their challenges head-on will leave them with issues.
“I’ll take a bruise, I know you’re worth it” can be talking about no matter how tumultuous the relationship gets, it is worth it for the benefits of it. The call “When you hit me, Hit me hard” shows that Simon endorses the difficulties so the couple can move through them.
What we can infer from the music video
There isn’t much to this music video, although we see a lot of emotion from Simon Neil. Sombre to begin, the video starts with Simon looking longingly into the distance. The music video places the band in two different settings. These settings include one of Simon without his guitar and one with the full band performing.
The music video was filmed at Battersea Power Station. This setting plays into the music video and the meaning it reinforces in the song. There is an electrical current passing around that builds up throughout. The lightning is passing around erratically and showcases the unpredictability of the relationship being spoken about.
The main story, however, is Simon fighting an alternative version of himself. This is the darker version, which is more rash and volatile. You could interpret Simons’s evil alter-ego as the impending horror. The thing is, the singer is depicted to remain in control despite the electricity around him.
While a slightly different story is depicted in the music video, it still enforces what the band have said with the story of relationship troubles.
The Music of "Many of Horror"
The music of “Many of Horror” is vibrant, blending luscious textures, powerful vocals, and dynamic drumming with intricate guitar lines. Each independent aspect works together to heighten the track’s emotional release.
To begin with, Simon builds the level of his vocals throughout. He starts singing delicately in the first verse, while the pre-chorus sees his voice projected more. This eventually comes to its climax in the Chorus with the line “When we collide”.
The texture is important here as it continuously builds throughout. At the start, you have just the vocal line and a single guitar line, where the 2nd verse sees the bass and drums enter, albeit softly. The pre-chorus sees a piano underpin the chords, while the 1st chorus sees a string section enter.
This 3rd verse, as we will call it, has busier drum and guitar parts, which never really come down from the initial chorus. The bridge with the title line “Many of Horror” is where the song becomes the most layered, with every instrument playing and all playing relatively intricate lines. Again, once a part builds up its intensity, it never drops.
The final scream of “Hit me hard” brings the song back to its bare bones.
The Guitar(s)
The guitar playing in “Many of Horror” is relatively tame in terms of Biffy Clyro’s discography. although it does have some noticeable moments that contribute to the feel of the song.
The guitars are tuned half a step-down, this tuning allows the use of an open C# throughout. This is useful as the key of the song is C# minor. This is important as this key is often seen as the most melancholic, and since this song is a reflection of Simon’s relationships, this fits the overall feel.
The opening guitar riff slides from position to position with three notes plucked, again with an open C# pedal. The guitar is clean, to begin with, excluding some reverb and mild delay, although the 2nd chorus sees Simon’s Boss Metal Zone kick in.
One thing I can also hear in the mix is an acoustic guitar in the chorus, which adds another expressive element to the chorus to double up the string section.
"Many of Horror" meaning
We now know that “Many of Horror” is an emotional telling of the difficulties and struggles of Simon’s relationship with his wife and their resilience to keep moving forward. Simon pours his heart out with deep lyrics, the guitars roar to life with the storms, and the drums develop as the song moves.
It is easy to see how “Many Of Horror” was such a success for Biffy Clyro. The song is an excellent example of pop sensibility combined with alternative rock energy. So the next time you feel like you want to listen to a song about someone pouring their heart out, give this song a listen.
See where Biffy Clyro’s fourth album ranked on our best albums of the 00s.
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