Cocteau Twins: Essential Deep Cuts and the Baywatch Connection

The Scottish trio Cocteau Twins maintained a prolific output throughout the 1980s, with 1986 serving as a particularly active year for the group. During that period, the band released two full-length albums and an EP, showcasing a range of ethereal and avant-garde compositions.

In April 1986, the band released Victorialand. This was followed in November 1986 by The Moon and the Melodies, a project created in collaboration with minimalist composer Harold Budd. Between these two major releases, the group issued the Love’s Easy Tears EP in September 1986, which featured four of the band’s most uptempo and tuneful tracks from that year.

The Legacy of ‘Sigh’s Smell of Farewell’

One notable track from the Love’s Easy Tears EP is Sigh’s Smell of Farewell. The song is characterized by Elizabeth Fraser’s lyrical style, which often deconstructs language to create emotional resonance rather than adhering to strict logical or grammatical structures.

While the song was a staple of the band’s live performances during 1986, it later found a place in the 2005 box set Lullabies to Violaine, which collected various EP tracks from the band’s history.

Decades after the Cocteau Twins disbanded, their music has continued to appear in modern mainstream media, including acclaimed television series such as The Bear and Yellowjackets. However, one of the earliest television syncs for the band occurred in 1993, when Sigh’s Smell of Farewell was featured in an episode of Baywatch.

In that specific episode, the song provided the soundtrack for a montage featuring characters C.J., played by Pamela Anderson and Stephanie, played by Alexandra Paul, as they snorkeled and took photographs on the beach. Although Baywatch did not typically utilize cutting-edge alternative rock, the show occasionally included music from artists such as Tears For Fears and New Order. The series also featured another Cocteau Twins track, A Kissed Out Red Floatboat from the album Blue Bell Knoll.

Essential Deep Cuts

Beyond their more recognized hits, the Cocteau Twins’ catalog contains several significant deep cuts that highlight the evolution of their sound and their influence on other artists.

The track Wax and Wane appears on the band’s 1982 debut album, Garlands. This early work featured a gothic post-punk sound that differed from the ethereal style they would later adopt. The song was remixed for the 1985 compilation The Pink Opaque and was later covered by the band Deftones in 2005.

Another pivotal track is Ivo, the opening song from the 1984 album Treasure. The song was named in honor of Ivo Watts-Russell, the co-founder of 4AD Records. Watts-Russell was instrumental to the band’s early career, having signed them, produced their initial releases, and collaborated with them within the collective This Mortal Coil.

The band’s influence also extended to high-profile pop and funk artists. Prince was a known admirer of the group and sampled the song Fifty-Fifty Clown from the album Heaven or Las Vegas. This sample was used in the 1991 hit Love… Thy Will Be Done, which Prince produced for the artist Martika.