History Music / IsThisDesire

Harvey herself is very proud of the album. In 2004, she told ''Filter'' magazine that it was "a very, very difficult, difficult record to make and still one I find very difficult to listen to", but also that it was "probably my favorite record that I've made" because it "had a lot of guts" and saw her "making extremely difficult music, experimenting with techniques I hadn't used before and not really caring what other people thought about it". She further told ''The Telegraph'', "I do think ''Is This Desire?'' is the best record I ever made -- maybe ever will make -- and I feel that that was probably the highlight of my career."

* OneWomanSong: "Angelene", "My Beautiful Leah", "A Perfect Day Elise", "Catherine", and "Joy".

* PsychoLesbian: One possible interpretation of "Catherine", where a woman is singing about her envy and anger towards the titular character, and plans [[MurderTheHypotenuse to murder her current lover]].

* ShoutOut: "A Perfect Day Elise" is inspired by Creator/JDSalinger's story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish", which is the first of Salinger's stories about a member of the Glass family, Seymour. In the story, Seymour is on vacation with his wife in Florida. While his wife stays in the hotel room and talks on the phone to her mother about his strange behavior, Seymour is having a day at the beach. Afterwards, he comes into the hotel room where his wife is sleeping and shoots himself.

* SpokenWordInMusic: In the beginning of "The Wind", PJ says a little passage about Catherine.

[[caption-width-right:300:''My first name Angelene / Prettiest mess you've ever seen / Love for money is my sin / Any man calls I'll let him in'']]

-->-- '''The River'''

''Is This Desire?'' is the fourth studio album by Music/PJHarvey, released in 1998. It's her most [[ElectronicMusic electronically influenced]] album to date, and also one of her most experimental. It was a notable departure from her more guitar-driven rock albums to a more subtle, atmospheric style. PJ herself is very proud of it, and said "''Is This Desire?'' is the best record I ever made - probably ever will make - and I feel that that was probably the highlight of my career".

[[AC:Tracklist:]]

!! "Throw your tropes in the river:"

--> ''Said "won't you come and be my lover ?"''

--> ''Throw your pain in the river''
--> ''Throw your pain in the river''
--> ''Leave your pain in the river''
--> ''To be washed away slow''

* OneWomanSong: "Angelene", "My Beautiful Leah", "Catherine", and "Joy".

* YourCheatingHeart: "My Beautiful Leah".
--> ''She was always so needing''
--> ''Said "I have no one"''
--> ''Even as I held her''
--> ''She went out looking for someone''
--> ''Looking for someone''

* {{Sampling}}; "The Wind" features samples from Music/JerryGoldsmith's score for ''Film/PlanetOfTheApes''.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4583cfea1446d60ec96ff6120a4ef65b.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''My first name Angelene / Prettiest mess you've ever seen / Love for money is my sin / Any man calls I'll let him in'']]

'''''Is This Desire?''''' is the fourth studio album by Music/PJHarvey, released in 1998. It's her most [[ElectronicMusic electronically influenced]] album to date, and also one of her most experimental. It was a notable departure from her more guitar-driven rock albums to a more subtle, atmospheric style. PJ herself is very proud of it, and said "''Is This Desire?'' is the best record I ever made - probably ever will make - and I feel that that was probably the highlight of my career".

'''Tracklist'''

!! "Throw your tropes in the river"

* RecordProducer: Flood, Marius De Vries, Head, Music/PJHarvey. Music/JohnParish plays guitar and keyboards. Former Music/CaptainBeefheart keyboardist and bassist Eric Drew Feldman plays piano and keyboard.

* SpecialGuest: Mick Harvey, guitarist for Music/NickCave joins in on bass and keyboards.

---> ''She was always so needing''
---> ''Said "I have no one"''
---> ''Even as I held her''
---> ''She went out looking for someone''
---> ''Looking for someone''

* HarshVocals: On "Joy".

---> ''Let himself in room 509''
---> ''As she turned away''
---> ''Said a prayer, pulled the trigger, and cried''
---> ''Tell me why''

'''''Is This Desire''''' (Commonly written as ''Is This Desire?'') is the fourth studio album by Music/PJHarvey, released in 1998. It's her most [[ElectronicMusic electronically influenced]] album to date, and also one of her most experimental. It was a notable departure from her more guitar-driven rock albums to a more subtle, atmospheric style. PJ herself is very proud of it, and said "''Is This Desire?'' is the best record I ever made - probably ever will make - and I feel that that was probably the highlight of my career".

'''''Is This Desire''''' (Commonly written as ''Is This Desire?'') is the fourth studio album by PJHarvey, released in 1998. It's her most [[ElectronicMusic electronically influenced]] album to date, and also one of her most experimental. It was a notable departure from her more guitar-driven rock albums to a more subtle, atmospheric style. PJ herself is very proud of it, and said "''Is This Desire?'' is the best record I ever made - probably ever will make - and I feel that that was probably the highlight of my career".

* AmbigouslyGay: Both of the men in "The Garden".

!!