Behind the Songs: Torch

A selection of quotes from Richard Butler on the song "Torch."

Richard Butler: "You do get to a point where you wonder why you're doing things and whether what you're doing is of any value. Take 'Torch'. It asks whether to regret my past. Or if it's even worth worrying about."

Interviewer: "I liked the cello on that."

Richard Butler: "[Emily Burridge] did a great job. Originally, 'Torch' had electric guitars, it was an electric song. Then the way the cello track came out took the song into a whole different place."

Interviewer: "So you took off the electric tracks?"

Richard Butler: "Yeah. When we were mixing, we happened to put the drums up first, then the vocals, then the cello, and it sounded great... We stuck in electric guitar, then took that back out... then we pulled the drums out and put in acoustic guitars."

Interviewer: "And now, that song seems to signal a difference about [Book Of Days]."

Richard Butler: "I want to do more like that in the future. I've wanted to do acoustic songs for a long time." (Puncture Magazine 1989)

Richard Butler: "I'm enjoying singing on [the Book Of Days Tour]. We've been doing acoustic versions of songs like 'The Ghost In You' and 'No Tears'. Last night we did 'Pretty In Pink' and 'Torch' that way. I really enjoy doing 'Torch' live. It feels quite different to be standing onstage with just cello and acoustic guitar. You feel very exposed singing it. I liked that, being exposed. When the whole band is playing you've got a large noise you're part of—you're not featured. But when you sing something with an acoustic guitar, the words you are singing become more important. The songs become more fragile all of a sudden." (Puncture Magazine 1989)

Richard Butler: "Originally ('Torch') was just a regular electric song. We'd put acoustic guitar on a lot of tracks [from Book Of Days] and when it came down to mixing 'Torch' we brought up the acoustics and drums and cello first. We hadn't brought up the electrics yet and I thought, 'Well that sounds pretty good — now let's try it without the drums.' We tried it without the drums and I liked it much better." (Southtown Star 1989)

Interviewer: "You said that there would be no singles on Book Of Days."

Richard Butler: "Well, we made the record and I didn't think that there was anything that I could really hear in the top ten. It's not that I don't think there are great songs on there. What I think are my favorites off this record are 'Shine' or 'Torch' ...but good songs and singles are two entirely different things, I think." (The Bob 1990)

Richard Butler (on being asked what he would like his epitaph to be): "'All of this and I regret not a day that I was sent.'" (Melody Maker 1990)

Richard Butler: "We've never sung a song that was just a ballad, with acoustic guitars and cello before and I liked... the change, or just the minimalism of the arrangement." (The Tampa Tribune 1990)