The Lightning Seeds’ Biggest Hit in 1989 Was Almost Prematurely Nixed by Its Creator

Fans who heard the song “Pure” when it was at the height of its popularity in 1989 and 1990 and then heard the DJ credit to The Lightning Seeds probably thought they were hearing the beginning of a very successful indie band’s career. And they were, sort of anyway.

Videos by American Songwriter

In actuality, The Lightning Seeds was just one man, who did everything on “Pure” himself. And that man very nearly got in the way of the song that turned out to be his biggest hit.

From the Booth to the Mic

Ian Broudie easily could have sustained a music career even if he never perched behind a microphone. Broudie served as a member of the band Big In Japan in the late 70s. Members of that short-lived group went on to join several influential bands in the 80s, including Siouxsie & The Banshees and Frankie Goes To Hollywood.

But not Broudie, at least not at first. He instead concentrated on production work. For example, he produced a couple of important albums for Echo & The Bunnymen. But he also harbored the idea that at some point, he’d have the chance to be the guy out in front.

He finally took the initiative to do just that. Playing all the instruments himself, Broudie laid down an album’s worth of tracks. But he intended to get rid of one of those songs, only for the engineer who was working with him to save it just in case. That turned out to be a good thing, since the rescued song was “Pure”.

Seeds of a Hit

After Broudie wrote “Pure” and started recording it, he worried that it was a bit too wordy. Even after shaving off some of the lyrics, he again fretted about its verbosity. That’s why he told the engineer to scrap the recording they’d made, which they didn’t even take the time to mix. But the engineer convinced Broudie that they might want to return to it.

When Broudie sent the tape in to someone he knew in the record industry, it was “Pure” that was singled out as the top track. Without a record deal, Broudie made some copies of the song and sent them around. A couple of prominent DJs put the song in rotation. It became the kind of organic hit single that rarely happens these days.

Broudie credited the track to The Lightning Seeds, a name he derived from a mishearing of a line (“Thunder drowns out what the lightning sees”) in Prince’s “Raspberry Beret”. The song made it to the Top 20 in the UK and peaked at No. 31 in the US, The Lightning Seeds’ best chart success in America.

Behind the Lyrics of “Pure”

“Pure” expertly evokes the moments of blissful love that are all too fleeting. He dresses the scenario up in psychedelic trappings right from the start: “Nighttime shows/Raindrops splash rainbows.” The narrator wants to bask in a time when “Feelings not reasons/Can make you decide.”

“Pure” peaks in its refrains, as Broudie spouts out the rapid-fire lyrics that he initially worried were too much. “Fresh and deep as oceans new,” he opines. “Shiver at the sight of you.” He tries to push any oncoming negativity away from his lover. “I wish you’d never learned to weep,” he sings. “Don’t sell the dreams you should be keeping/Pure and simple every time.”

Even though “Pure” was the peak of his US success, Ian Broudie churned out many more hit singles and albums in the UK under the banner of The Lightning Seeds. To think it all started with that song that he feared said a little too much. Audiences always knew that “Pure” was just right.

Photo by Harry Herd/Redferns