Another post from the BHT haunted vault. I wanted to post a Halloween song profile for “Vampire” by the Heatwaves for years but kept holding off because I couldn’t make out most of its lyrics. I finally gave it a shot in 2023.
The band is based in Barcelona, Spain, and while the vocals are in English, the phrasing is unusual and lead vocalist Ana Beltran has a distinct accent. Also, to be honest, I haven’t been able to find an official website, and their Facebook page has videos but not of this particular song.
Most of the tracks on the Heatwaves’ Complete Recordings (2017 – 2020) compilation tap into the original girl group sound with an occasional burst of punk energy. “In My Teens” and “By The Sea” could have easily climbed the charts back in the early 1960s. “Vampire,” on the other hand is more closely aligned with The Ramones. Beltran has a blast sharing the pros and cons of dating the title character while her bandmates play at warp speed.
I’m pretty sure the first line is “When you’re holding my hand in the dark, it’s nice,” but after that, my interpretations sound like entries in Gavin Edwards’ ‘Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy: And Other Misheard Lyrics book. How about: “When you leap in my bed with your feet to warm up”? The only other line I’m pretty sure of is “You’re not the boy that my parents envisioned for me.” None of which has kept “Vampire” from being a favorite on my Halloween song playlists.
The only link I can offer is to The Heatwaves Complete Recordings (2017 – 2020) Bandcamp page, where “Vampires” is track number five. Consider playing this at a Halloween party and challenging your guests to decipher what Beltran is singing. While they’re pogo dancing.
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