#living in a box

[randommusicvid]

Living In A Box - Living In A Box

[my-chaos-radio]

Release: March 23, 1987

Lyrics:

Whoa!

Woke up this morning

Closed in on all sides

Nothing doing

I feel resistance

As I open my eyes

Someone's fooling

I've found a way to break

Through this cellophane line

'Cause I know what's going on

In my own mind

Am I living in a box?

Am I living in a cardboard box?

Am I living in a box?

Am I living in a cardboard box?

Am I living in a box?

Life goes in circles

Around and around, circulating

I sometimes wonder

What's moving underground

I'm escaping

I've found a way to break

Through this cellophane line

'Cause I know what's going on

In my own mind

Am I living in a box? (Living)

Am I living in a cardboard box?

Am I living in a box? (Living)

Am I living in a cardboard box?

Am I living in a box? Oh

I've found a way to break

Through this cellophane line

'Cause I know what's going on

In my own mind

Am I living in a box? (Living)

Am I living in a cardboard box?

Am I living in a box? (Living)

Am I living in a cardboard box?

Am I living in a box? (Living)

Am I living in a cardboard box?

Am I living in a box? (Living)

Am I living in a cardboard box?

Am I living in a box? (Living)

Am I living in a cardboard box

Am I living in a box? (Living)

Am I living in a cardboard box

Songwriter:

Am I living, am I living, am I living?

Am I living, am I living, am I living?

(In a box)

Am I living, am I living?

Am I living in a cardboard box?

Am I living in a box?

Am I living, am I living?

Am I living in a cardboard box?

Am I living in a box?

Marius Charles Georn Vere / Pigott Stephen Mich

SongFacts:

👉📖

Homepage:

Living In A Box

[churchofsatannews]

The Metro #740

This week on The Metro, Rev. Jeff Ivins brings you the following artists to please your 80s fix: Spandau Ballet, Glass Tiger, Living in a Box, China Crisis, Shriekback, Wall Of Voodoo, Waterboys, ABC, Colin Hay, Simply Red, Q-Feel, The Cult, Jackson Browne, Daryl Hall and John Oates, and finishing up with Phil Collins. Stream The Metro #740. Download The Metro #740.

[essential-music]

In the neon-lit landscape of 1987, where synthesizers ruled the airwaves and pop music pulsed with unapologetic energy, "Living in a Box" by the band of the same name bursts onto the scene like a spark from a Yamaha DX-7.

This track, plucked from their debut album—also titled Living in a Box—is a three-minute jolt of synth-pop adrenaline, a song that knows exactly what it wants to be: a dancefloor magnet with a hook that sticks like glitter to a sequined jacket.

From the first stab of the synth riff, the song grabs you by the collar and pulls you into its world. The production, crafted by Richard James Burgess, is a masterclass in 80s polish—crisp drum machines snap with precision, while a funky bassline slinks through the mix like a cat on a midnight prowl. The Fairlight CMI and DX-7 weave a shimmering tapestry of sound, bright and layered, yet never so dense that you lose the groove. It’s the kind of track that feels tailor-made for a neon-drenched club or a cruising convertible under city lights. Sure, the heavy reliance on synthetic textures might tether it firmly to its era, but that’s less a flaw than a badge of authenticity, like a Walkman clipped to a belt.

At the heart of the song is Richard Darbyshire’s voice, a soulful beacon cutting through the electronic haze. His delivery is warm, raspy, and commanding, soaring from introspective verses to the exultant cry of “WUUAAAAHHHH” that punctuates the track like a lightning bolt. There’s a grit to his tone that evokes the likes of Huey Lewis or Robert Palmer, lending the song a soul-pop swagger that sets it apart from its colder synth-pop peers. The backing harmonies, subtle but perfectly placed, add just enough depth to keep the vocals vibrant without stealing the spotlight. It’s a performance that feels alive, as if Darbyshire is singing not just about a box, but about breaking free from one.

The melody is a relentless earworm, built around the central question: “Am I living in a box? Am I living in a cardboard box?” It’s repetitive, yes, but deliberately so, hammering the hook into your brain until you’re humming it in the shower. The structure is textbook pop��verse, chorus, bridge, repeat—but it’s executed with such confidence that it never feels rote. The bridge offers a brief moment of contrast, a slight dip in intensity that makes the return to the chorus hit even harder. It’s a song that knows how to keep you moving, whether you’re on a dancefloor or just tapping your foot in a cubicle.

Lyrically, “Living in a Box” plays with the idea of confinement—a “cardboard box” as a metaphor for feeling trapped, perhaps by routine, society, or one’s own mind. Lines like “I found a way to break through this cellophane bag / ‘Cause I know what’s goin’ on in my own mind” suggest a spark of rebellion, a yearning for freedom. But the lyrics don’t dig too deep; they’re more about rhythm than revelation, prioritizing catchy phrases over profound insight. The vagueness of the “box” works in its favor, letting listeners project their own meaning, but it also keeps the song from reaching the emotional weight of, say, a Depeche Mode ballad. It’s not trying to change your life—just make you dance.

The instrumentation leans heavily on its synth foundation, with the bassline and drum machine forming a rock-solid groove. Guitars make only a cameo, adding faint texture rather than stealing focus. The result is a sound that’s undeniably 80s, with all the glossy charm and occasional limitations that come with it. It’s not groundbreaking—there’s no reinvention of the wheel here, no genre-defying experimentation—but it doesn’t need to be. This is pop music doing what it does best: delivering a rush of energy and leaving you wanting to hit replay.

In the end, “Living in a Box” is a near-perfect slice of 80s pop, a song that radiates confidence and charisma. Its soulful vocals, infectious melody, and slick production make it a standout, even if its lyrical simplicity and era-specific sound keep it from transcending its time. It’s the musical equivalent of a neon sign—bright, bold, and impossible to ignore. You don’t listen to this song to ponder life’s mysteries; you listen to feel alive, to move, to let the beat carry you somewhere louder and shinier. And in that, it succeeds brilliantly.

Year: 1987

Composition/Lyrics: Marcus Vere, Steve Piggot, Graham Howarth

Producer: Richard James Burgess, Tom Lord-Alge

[do-you-know-this-queer-character]

Do you know this queer character?

Castiel is Queer and Agender or Genderfluid, and uses varying pronouns based on presentation!

[departmentofinteriors]

not furniture but love this 1930s radiator with bread warming addition

[kensatou]

the h in nhl stands for homoerotic

bonus intricate rituals:

[beeabart]

murder wives

[babykittenteach]

No but fr having an indigenous family broken up for its own good by the state and one of them leave her homeland to go get a Real Education is not just counter to the original story's characterization, it's not just erasing the colonialism commentary for the sake of failed feminism presumably based on the girlboss objection to portraying women as caretakers and the classist objection to blue collar jobs, it is an act of colonialism.

It is in fact so ridiculously an act of colonialism that it should come off as such to anybody able to think about media critically for a few moments, but to anybody familiar with what the US did to many indigenous peoples via the faux benevolence of boarding schools, including to native hawaiians, it's fucking revolting.

Like, shoutout to removing Pleakley's gender exploration, to removing the cop villain in lieu of just having the mad scientist remain one, to removing some of Cobra Bubbles's nuance, to removing commentary on race and colonialism, etc etc, but mainly: this did a colonialism.

[duranduratulsa]

Living In A Box - Living In A Box (Official Music Video)

Song 🎵 of the day 2: Living In A Box by Living In a Box (1987) from Living In A Box 📦 #livinginabox #80s

[echo-frequency]

Living in a Box // Living in a Box

[teapot-of-tyrahn]

"right, one more attempt, and then i think we're gonna have to call it the end of the session."

mumbo died on his last attempt. right before grian would have ended the session. right before grian could have saved him.

"but i just don't want to kill jimmy..."

he could have taken the shot then and there. he could have lived.

but the miner didn't want to kill the canary. he wanted the canary to live. and he died for it. because miners aren't meant to go into the coal mines alone.

[leminaus]

red and vee :)

[dollsinvogue]

Birthday Wishes Barbie 1999 » Nina Ricci spring 1987 haute couture

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Vibes based grading system.

(for @epistemologys, who wanted some post-canon, teacher WWX)