The Musical Box (song)
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| "The Musical Box" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Song by Genesis | ||
| from the album Nursery Cryme | ||
| Released | 12 November 1971 | |
| Recorded | August 1971 | |
| Genre | Progressive Rock | |
| Length | 10:24 | |
| Label | Charisma/Virgin (UK) Atlantic (U.S.) |
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| Writer(s) | Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Peter Gabriel/Steve Hackett/Mike Rutherford | |
| Producer(s) | John Anthony | |
| Nursery Cryme track listing | ||
| None | "The Musical Box" (1) |
"For Absent Friends" (2) |
"The Musical Box" is one of the most famous songs by progressive rock band Genesis and appears on the album Nursery Cryme of 1971. It has accquired the status of the band's signature tune and featured in their live repetoire right up to Phil Collins' departure after the the We Can't Dance tour in 1992. Being the opening track on Nursery Cryme, the first album the band made after Collins and guitarist Steve Hackett's joining, the song is to all intensts and purposes, the first ever Genesis song of what many regard as the 'classic' lineup of Peter Gabriel (vocals, flute) Mike Rutherford (bass), Tony Banks (keyboards), Phil Collins (drums, percussion) and Steve Hackett, the latter two having replaced John Mayhew and Anthony Phillips respectively. "The Musical Box" is a story with Victorian overtones and was indeed presented as a Victorian fairy story. The song's length and narrative elements firmly place it as progressive rock track. Its presentation is epic, with various different moods to the song; a gentle opening, a long and ambitious instrumental section and the climax with its dark lyrics of lust. "The Musical Box" remains one of the most beautiful pieces of work in progressive rock and a huge favourite among all Genesis fans.
"The Musical Box" is a ten minute epic of death reincarnation and lust. The song was based on a young girl, Cynthia, who killed Henry by removing his head with a croquet mallet while playing a game. The story of the song begins with Cynthia discovering Henry's musical box that included the figure "Old King Cole" when she opened it. Cynthia saw the lifetime of desires go by as Henry aged with nothing but a child's mind and vision. Henry was attempting to have Cynthia persue his romantic desire when she threw the musical box at the elderly looking child and destroyed them both. (This story can be found in the inside booklet of the Nursery Cryme album.) The album cover is also a depiction of this song and story. The figure holds a croquet mallet and there is hoop visible closeby and a head is just about visible on the ground. The climax to the song concerns itself with Henry's feelings towards Cynthia, representing his lustful view of her, shown no better than the words 'She's a lady, she is mine!' and then just after when Gabriel sings, 'Why don't you touch me? Touch me, NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW!' In live performances, Peter Gabriel would don an "old man" mask for the finale and creepy lighting would be used each time he shouted "NOW!" At the end of the song the old man would die.
