On 17 September 1989, Lucy-Bell Guthrie was born, with the proud parents being Robin Guthrie and Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins.
On 17 September 1990, the group released their sixth studio album, Heaven or Las Vegas. It was preceded some three weeks earlier by the lead-off single, one whose subject matter seems to be a proud mother’s welcome to her new baby. Now I know that Elizabeth’s lyrics are notoriously difficult (bordering on the near-impossible) to decipher, and there are plenty of different suggestions from fans about Iceblink Luck, depending on which site Google or whatever search engine you use takes you.
But I think one particularly devoted fan, who spent about a year-and-a-half listening to it line-by-line and word-by word, trying to slow it down to almost syllable-by-syllable, has done as good a job as any, and even then they acknowledge there are no absolute guarantees, and that indeed the only person who knows for certain is Elizabeth Fraser, who has never shown any sign of wanting to publish her lyrics:-
I’m seeming to be lit alive.
I’m happy again.. calmer, calm in time.
Suppose the doubting of yourself will be your defence?
You’re a match.
You’re the match of cherry coal
That will burn this whole madhouse down.
You’ll not throw open like a worn-out safe —
More like a love that’s a bottle of exquisite stuff is.
You yourself and your father don’t know so, but in your own ways,
You’re really both bone-setters.
Thank you for mending me, babies.
You’re the match of cherry coal
That will burn this whole madhouse down.
You’ll not throw open like the worn-out safe —
You will seem more like being of that same bottle of exquisite stuff is.
You are the match of cherry coal that will burn this old madhouse down on the floor, open like a worn-out safe.
You yourself and your father don’t know so, but in your own ways,
You’re really both bone-setters.
Thank you for mending me, babies.
mp3: Cocteau Twins – Iceblink Luck
A #38 hit back in the day, and only the second Cocteau Twins single/EP, after Pearly-Dewdrops Drop back in 1984, to break into the UK Top 40, albeit three later singles would also enjoy similar success.
The b-side to the 7″ is a fabulous number which, for whatever reason, was left off the album:-
mp3: Cocteau Twins – Mizake The Mizan
You’re on your own if you want to decipher this one.
JC
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Beautiful song off a beautiful album in Heaven Or Las Vegas. Bought it when it came out, still transfixed by it.
I don’t ascribe to the notion that Iceblink Luck was related to the birth of Lucy Belle. It seems quote fanciful? I’d suggest Squeeze-Wax (Four Calendar Café) is more clearly suited with the line “you amaze me, Lucy”.
The fascination with the lyrics I get, I guess, but personally I’ve never really cared what is being sung, just how it’s being sung.
Cherry Cola? March of Jericho? I honestly don’t mind.
Flimflamfan
I don’t comment on here enough, but I love your posts (the current Edwyn Collins series has been excellent). Regarding the lyrics to this: I always thought it was ‘match of Jericho that will burn this whole madhouse down’ and ‘open like a walnut shell’, but unless Ms Fraser ever decides to publish her lyrics (highly unlikely!) I guess we’ll never know for sure.
Regardless, it is just beautiful. And to me that is what matters.
Great song/ band/ album
I have always thought the same about Muzak The Mizan, that it should have been put on the album. On the CD single there was an extra track, Watchlar, which could be called a different version of the album track Fifty-Fifty Clown.