Mazzy Star - Into Dust

"I could possibly be fading or have something more to gain."

Album: So Tonight That I Might See [2nd album]
Recorded: California, USA
Genre: Psychedelic Folk
Album Release: October 5th 1993
Single Release:
Length: 5:36
Producer: David Roback
Vocalist: Hope Sandoval [age 27]
Label: Capitol Records

Official Audio


Live on MTV

Charts, Streams & Sales

UK (albums): 1x gold
USA (albums): 1x platinum
Spotify: Over 60 million
YouTube Music: Over 43 million

Credits

Guitar, Violin

Details

• 'Into Dust' is a deeply personal song about the fear of fading away in the arms of another "till my hand shook with the weight of fear", which is to become nothing, which is to die:
  
  "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until you return to the earth. For out of it you were taken because you are dust, and to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:19)
  
  Hope Sandoval uses the biblical imagery of turning into dust to represent the death of her and her boyfriend as individual people "two strangers turning into dust."
  
  When two people are deeply in love they can become intertwined in a way that seems as if they're one person. When Hope sings of "my eyes turning into dust" and "your eyes shed into dust" she is talking about a change in the way her and her boyfriend see each other. The boyfriend in question is William Reid, who was the guitarist for The Jesus and Mary Chain.
  
  

  

  Sandoval and Reid

  
  The song uses various techniques to create an intimate tone. It takes place in a private setting "inside today", normally a location kept away from prying eyes, which becomes more personal as it goes on, "inside me today", the next line, represents sex and increasing intimacy. The longer you listen the more you are drawn into the world of the personal, at first feeling like an intruder, but eventually like an observer.
  
  The instrumentation is sparse, only a violin and guitar accompany Sandoval's voice and the length of the song, which is over five minutes, as well as how repetitive it is, reinforces a sense of familiarity in order to create the impression of a stable, loving relationship. 'Into Dust' rewards the patient listener with a touching, sentimental account of losing yourself in the loving embrace of another.
  
  
• Mazzy Star are famous for performing in darkness as singer Hope Sandoval suffers from severe shyness. It must have been difficult for her to write songs knowing she would have to perform them live. Despite this, she would go on to have a long career releasing seven albums between 1990 and 2016.
  
  Sandoval remained secretive throughout her time in music seldom giving interviews. She has no social media presence, is largely absent in her videos and hides behind her long, dark hair on stage. This deliberate lack of an image strangely became an image of its own. Her mysteriousness raised persistent questions in the press because, for a journalist, a question without an answer is an itch that must be scratched.
  
  In a rare interview with ITV in 1994, Sandoval said in a low voice "it's pretty difficult for us to do promotional stuff, we're sort of introverted people." She clearly didn't want to be in the spotlight and forced herself to do the small amount of press she did with great difficulty because she found the agony of social interaction necessary for her music to be heard.
  
  A different person would've extracted the money possible from music before leaving it behind with a grin and a trail of dust. That Hope persisted, despite her troubles, is proof she wanted her songs to find an audience which makes them easier to appreciate.
  
  
• The band have never revealed the meaning of 'Mazzy Star'.
  
  

Artwork

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