Prog rock weirdness

[sarahmichigan]

So, J. and I were listening to an internet radio station playing mostly 80s over the weekend, and I just have to ask what the hell is going on with the lyrics of "Eye in the Sky" by Alan Parsons Project?

I remember thinking the lyrics were pretty weird when the song came out when I was a kid. I was unsuccessful in trying to google up any interviews with the band members explaning the meaning behind the lyrics.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_earthshine_/]

Great song on a great album by one of my favorite bands.

I, also, have never heard anything about what the lyrics are supposed to mean. My guess was always that the song was about what it seems to be about -- the protagonist is using the "eye in the sky" metaphor to tell their partner that all of the bullsh*t mindgames they're playing and emotional outbursts they're flinging around aren't fooling anyone. I think the basic thesis is "i can see right through you (so cut the shit)". Is there stuff in the song that doesn't lend itself to that interp? It's been awhile since i've heard it.

[sarahmichigan.livejournal.com]

The verses lend themselves to your interpretation, but I always thought the chorus sounded a little more mystical or bombastic than merely a relationship song.

I am the eye in the sky
Looking at you
I can read your mind
I am the maker of rules
Dealing with fools
I can cheat you blind...

[http://users.livejournal.com/_earthshine_/]

And i don't need to see any more
to know that
i can read your mind.

Well, it's impossible to know what was going on in the mind of the songwriter, but i can say from my own experience that very often cool songs come from the intersection of two ideas, as can happen when you take something simple but put a metaphorical spin on it. The song might be using the "mystical all-seeing eye" metaphor as a way of being sarcastic: "You're so good at your subtle mind games, so i must be a demigod because of how easily i see through them."

Anyways, just an idea. You never really know. It could be an even deeper metaphor for something else, or just some guy's zany drug trip...

The rest of the album, for the record, has equally strong metaphors in a lot of songs, and many of them also have a 1st and/or 2nd person role in them. I guess they were just in a space when they wrote it.