I'd always been intrigued by the lyrics (was it an homage to algebra?) when released back in 1983, however at the time could only appreciate the haunting yet soothing icy cool guitar/ bass and intricate arrangements.
The theme seemed to be a desire for a life of less stress but as a 14 year-old I couldn't really get it other than having to wait another week to watch the video.
I finally found out what singer songwriter Cy Curnin had in mind upon reading this extract from an interview in 2008:
"It was about looking at your own life, not so much about amassing material things but about experiences that lend you to be blissful... The song was written from the point of view of the release you get when you have nothing left to lose. It’s sort of a meditation. It clears your head of all fears and panics and illusions and you get back to the basics, which is a Buddhist mantra, which I practiced back then, and which I still do. The idea of the song is how great it is to get back to zero."
Très cool...I knew it was always a great tune to chill to.
The Fixx had a quite few solid songs over the decade, including "One Thing Leads to Another" and "Are We Ourselves?". More recently on satellite radio stations I appreciate the underappreciated "Red Skies".
Little known fact, the number zero was invented in India
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