Context is EVERYTHING. “Goodbye Horses” shall be forever immortalized as the ultra-spooky, trippy song that serial killer Buffalo Bob dances to during that scene is Silence of the Lambs. But interestingly, somewhere in the juxtaposition of a serial killer dancing naked with the skin of his victims to an 80s dance cut, the irony was lost. Songwriter William Garvey has talked about how the song is actually about being at peace with oneself and being rid of the concept of possession, in the Buddhist sense, hence the term “goodbye horses.” Meanwhile, the song actually made its film debut in the forgettable comedy Married to the mob where it was played in dance club scene.

Only once it was paired up with filmdom’s best serial killer did it achieve immortality… and the puzzle of the mysterious Q Lazzaruas began. The track became a massive cult hit and since then, people have asked, “who is Q lazzarus.” Until just now, there were like three songs available from the singer despite the massive single’s menacing sound and no one knew who she was, really.

The recently released documentary, The many lives of Q lazzarus tracks down the sadly departed singer’s story. But more importantly for me, the soundtrack contextualizes the singer and how the most notable song fits into the general oeuvre.

For good or bad, the soundtrack does show that “Goodbye horses” is somewhat of a fluke. That is, the tune is not a full portrait of the singer. Rather, as the soundtrack progresses, it shows that Q Lazzaerus is more inclined to the arty R&B side of things, than the dark and goth. While there are reference points to singers like Sade and Eryka Badu, there is also a sense of the early New York scene where punk and new wave and dance collided. In fact, there’s a deconstruction of Talking Heads’ “Heaven” that takes the song into a urban contemporary feel.

Q Lazzarus’ ethereal voice is the main focal point here. No matter the feel of the song, she has an icy, reserved delivery that is one part Greek choir one part soul diva. That mix makes all of the tracks somewhat identifiable, but at the same time, something alien hangs in the back- “I see your eyes” has a mid-section that warps into a Spanish guitar while Q Lazzarus wails like she’s in torment.

The soundtrack provides these kinds of eccentricities throughout, which makes for a far better album than might be expected from someone who release don main single and like two unknown tracks. And, because Q Lazzarus was so private, it’s not surprising that “Goodbye Horses” is forver the track everyone sees first and the track where most people stop their investigation. Meanwhile, further investigation through the soundtrack does provide some answers, but there is still more mystery than clarity here.