Timeless sound of Psychedelic Furs rocks Tallahassee show

Finally, the question that has been haunting music fans since May 1984 when “The Ghost in You” was released by The Psychedelic Furs is going to be answered.

The songwriters of the hellishly catchy but oblique and melancholy pop tune were Furs singer Richard Butler and bass player Tim Butler, Richard’s younger brother who was on the other end of the phone.

Exactly who inspired the song? A famous model? A movie actress? Some other alluring creature hounded by paparazzi? Come on, out with it.

“I wouldn’t want to speak for Richard,” Tim Butler answered in his thick English accent. “I think Richard likes his lyrics to be interpreted in a way that makes you feel something. So, whatever an individual wants to make of it that’s OK. That’s why also I think it’s a timeless song. I don’t think it ages.”

There, it’s intentionally open-ended. The mystery remains intact. The same thing could be said about other classic songs by The Psychedelic Furs, who will be in concert at The Moon on Monday night. There is something eternal sounding about such Furs classics as “Heaven,” “Love My Way” and “Pretty in Pink.”

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“Except for our album ‘Midnight to Midnight,’ which sounds very dated and ‘80s, our albums sound like they part of a whole piece,” Butler said. “They hold up.”

True. Even when The Furs reformed in the 21st century, after a decade-long hiatus, the most recent album, “Made of Rain” (2020), finds the band sounding like it never left.

“We were a bit gun-shy when first got back together,” Butler said. “But we quickly got over that once we started playing.”

When The Furs decided to record new songs such as “Wrong Train” and “No One,” they moved fast.

“We recorded it in two two-week sessions,” Butler said. “We didn’t over mix it. We didn’t want it to get bogged down. I think we succeeded.”

Expect a blend of the new and the familiar when The Furs hit the stage.

“There are some songs of ours that demand to be played,” Butler said.

Old Kentucky home

Butler, 64, who grew up in a London suburb, now makes his home with his wife near Lexington, Kentucky. He’s an English bloke in the Bluegrass Region of a Southern state.

“People are so friendly in Kentucky,” he said. “They wave at you. … I’m consider myself an honorary American at this point. I moved to the U.S. in 1982. I have lived over here longer than I lived in England.”

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The Butler brothers formed The Psychedelic Furs in the late ‘70s when England’s economy was down in the dumps and fancy prog rock ruled the record bins.

“It was pretty depressing,” Butler said. “Everyone was unemployed, particularly teenagers. That was us.”

The Butler brothers were inspired to start a group after seeing The Sex Pistols in concert during the notorious punk band’s zenith in 1977.

“They arrived at the gig in a London taxi, all four of them got out,” Butler said. “The show was phenomenal. They were so refreshing. It was something to see.”

The younger Butler began learning bass while older brother developed his distinctive, slightly raspy singing style. That unique voice helped set The Furs apart.

“We picked up an audience very quickly,” Butler said. “One early critic called our sound ‘beautiful chaos.’ And that was about right.”

Big-time record producer Steve Lillywhite (U2, Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads) signed on to guide the self-titled debut album. Even though Lillywhite said he would do only one album, he stuck around to help out with The Furs sophomore release “Talk Talk Talk,” still the lead singer’s favorite album. The multi-talented Todd Rundgren took over the producer chair for the third album, “Forever Now.”

“We were all big fans of Todd’s work,” Butler said. “If there is such a thing as a genius, he is one.”

Ought to be in movies

Along the way, The Psychedelic Furs have always gotten a boost from TV shows and movies. “The Ghost in You” was included in “The Wedding Singer” (1998), the Netflix series “Stranger Things” and Counting Crows did an acoustic version of the song for the big-selling “Clueless” (1995) soundtrack.

“It makes you feel really good to hear other bands doing your songs,” Butler said. “It brings in a new generation of fans.”

The Furs, along with the marimba-driven song “Love My Way,” were at the center of the first-love flick “Call Me by Your Name” (2017), starring Timothee Chalamet.

“I loved the film,” Butler said. “They even namechecked the band and Richard. There was a scene where one of the characters had seen The Furs in London and said they were great. It made it all so real.”

Butler was not as effusive with praise when it came to teen-flick king John Hughes. The writer-director used the song “Pretty in Pink” as the inspiration and the title of his 1986 comedy-romance movie starring Molly Ringwald.

“He turned it into a song about the color of a prom dress,” Butler said.

While the band members are “thinking about” cutting a new album in the studio, Butler said it is comforting writing and touring with his brother. They have the occasional disagreement, Butler said, but the argument is usually about a song or the music.

“Ten minutes later, we are best friends again,” Butler said. “Blood is thicker than rock ‘n’ roll. Your brother is always going to be there for you, rock ‘n’ roll isn’t.”

Mark Hinson is a former senior reporter for The Tallahassee Democrat. He can be reached at mark.hinson59.gmail.com.

If you go

What: The Psychedelic Furs in concert with opening act Evan Dando

When: 9 p.m. Monday, May 15; doors open at 7 p.m. Opener at 8 p.m.

Where: The Moon, 1105 Lafayette St.

Cost: $35 general admission; reserved seating tickets are sold out

Contact: moonevents.com

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Psychedelic Furs brings timeless sound to Tallahassee concert