submissions
| Chumbawamba – Celebration, Florida Lyrics
| 5 years ago
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According to Wikipedia, there's no democracy in the town because it's owned by Disney, it's disproportionately white, parts of it are dilapidated already and almost everyone drives to work. What a "perfect"town.
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submissions
| R.E.M. – Pop Song 89 Lyrics
| 5 years ago
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I read an interview when it came out, I think in the NME where Stipe said, and I paraphrase, Anyone can talk about the weather, it's a safe subject, but it's more challenging to talk to someone about what the government is like.
It just occurred to me in the last week, that there's 50°C heat in some towns in Australia within a few days of -50C in the mid West US. A spread of frozen to boiling water in such places, in almost no time is unpresidented as far as I know.
Maybe we should be talking about the weather *and* the government. |
submissions
| Kirsty MacColl – A New England Lyrics
| 6 years ago
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This site becomes a farce when the lyrics are totally wrong because they have to use "official" lyrics. In this case Billy Bragg's version sung from the perspective of a man, not Kirsty's sung from a woman's.
It's a great song still... |
submissions
| The Beloved – Hello Lyrics
| 7 years ago
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Bobby Ball, Kim Mazelle, Brian Hayes, Barry Humphries, Fred Astaire, Leslie Crowther, Zippy, Bungle. All misheard or misspelt, and uncorrectable thanks to copyright. Yay!
It's a list of disparate celebs from 1980's Britain. Pop singers, radio hosts, TV game show hosts, puppets from children's TV etc.
I thought it was "Diane's mum" put in for a laugh to mentions a friend mother in a pop song. But I could be wrong.
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submissions
| The Smiths – William, It Was Really Nothing Lyrics
| 7 years ago
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@[noshow:14511] Blame the copyright industry. When it started you could submit and correct lyrics here. At some point it changed, and was locked down and lyrics attributed to the copyright holder.
This would be (sort of) fine if they were all correct, but many aren't, and many are subjective, as they have numerous versions, or are almost impossible to make out.
I can guarantee this because I have written the "official" lyrics to several songs that are now on lots of different websites. Crazy huh? |
submissions
| Shaggy – It Wasn't Me Lyrics
| 8 years ago
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There was a woman where I worked once who was known as 'Shaggy'. It was around the time of this song. Whenever she fucked something she'd fail to take personal responsibility for it. |
submissions
| Stereolab – Ping Pong Lyrics
| 8 years ago
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@[JamesLove:12324] Those countries are struggling at the moment due to the GFC, which is exactly what this songs about- bigger crashes etc. I actually know people who've moved from Singapore because of the relentless and exhausting work hours. The countries that seem to prosper best have careful mixed the two. I'd rather be an ordinary person in Finland or France than Hong Kong. BTW Australia in common with NZ & Switzerland have considerable government intervention and support for the population- what Americans would probably call "socialism". |
submissions
| Radiohead – Airbag Lyrics
| 8 years ago
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Oh, and the title might be a reference to http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GtfZbj4J71A "Last night a DJ saved my life".
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submissions
| British Sea Power – Carrion Lyrics
| 9 years ago
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@[selfishisgorgeous:2479] Scapa Flow to Rotherhithe - The area around Deptford and Rotherhithe has been used to build and fit ships for the Royal Navy since its beginnings around the reign of Henry VIII, and as mentioned, Scapa Flow was used as a base during it's zenith during the First World War. |
submissions
| Saint Etienne – Girl VII Lyrics
| 10 years ago
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I read somewhere, (NME probably) they borrowed the idea of a list if places from "Justify my love". The idea of transforming the ordinary is expounded on the sleeve of the album, Fox Base Alpha.
Can't believe this song has no comments, I love it.
Also, the date, June 4th 1989 was the day of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Look at me commenting on the 25th anniversary. Sad huh? |
submissions
| Morrissey – Piccadilly Palare Lyrics
| 10 years ago
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Earl's Court is still big on the scene.
Exchanging lies and digs, is just what young lads do all the time anyhow.
Maybe it's an analogy for the music business, but I think he just likes that sort of thing.
You don't have to be particularly cultured to know about polari ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polari ), you just needed to be paying attention a bit if you lived in the UK anytime between the 1950s and now. |
submissions
| The KLF – Kylie Said to Jason Lyrics
| 10 years ago
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I think the lyrics are transcribed incorrectly: "I'm gonna leave, this party now" is the repeated line; I think he was only speaking to Felicity, and Rolf was DEFINITELY singing "Sun Arise". |
submissions
| Happy Mondays – Mad Cyril Lyrics
| 10 years ago
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Like other songs on the bummed album, this is clearly referring to the film 'Performance'. Mad Cyril is a character mentioned in the film, and there are samples from the movie in the song.
Apart from that its just the usual stream of consciousness stuff from Shaun Ryder's mind. |
submissions
| Pulp – Inside Susan Lyrics
| 10 years ago
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Yep. Jarvis also fell out a window at a party on Division Street apparently, and he used to work at the markets for a bit. So lots of things he knows about personally going on here.
Lovely song about that period of early teens when anything is possible, and childhood imagination and adult values are mixed up. |
submissions
| Pulp – Deep Fried In Kelvin Lyrics
| 10 years ago
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The song is about Kelvin flats, in the Upperthorpe area of Sheffield. They were demolished in 1992, so the children of the future never got to grow up and live there. They were of similar design to Parkhill which still exist in a partly redeveloped state. |
submissions
| New Order – Round & Round Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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An unreferenced meaning given on the wikipedia page for this song says it is about the deteriorating relationship between the band and Anthony H Wilson, one of the owners, and key figure in Factory Records, New Order's long time label.
This was partly to do with the massive losses that The Hacienda -the club owned by the band and label, was making, which were mostly paid for by the income generated by the band.
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submissions
| Bronski Beat – Smalltown Boy Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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"very unfashionable" or bigoted? No one deserves to be bullied for their opinions, but you make it sound like you don't think gay people should have the freedom to love and live with who they please without prejudice from others. If you want to be treated nicely, then treat everyone else nicely (maybe you do, but open minded fair people are rarely called Nazis). |
submissions
| Buzzcocks – E.S.P. Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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I have known a lot of their songs for ages, but this is spectacular. I really love it, partly for that riff, and partly for the odd lyrics. Songs about weird subjects are so much more interesting than just love songs. |
submissions
| Prince Buster – big five Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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I love all these dirty ska songs. Very funny and fun. Not even misogynistic, this one isn't anyhow. |
submissions
| Saint Etienne – He's On The Phone Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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This song always reminds me of the West End, that is, visiting the West End alone, and just walking around with no purpose during the evening, by myself, among all the people enjoying themselves.
Bittersweet. |
submissions
| The Avalanches – Frontier Psychiatrist Lyrics
| 12 years ago
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As someone here said, a lot of the samples in this are from a sketch by Canadian comedians Wayne and Shuster. They used to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show in the US. I have an old spoken word comedy record of theirs and it has a track/sketch called "Frontier Psychiatrist".
The plot of this is an outlaw comes into town, shooting people, the Frontier Psychiatrist intervenes, cures the outlaws neuroses, so he is a "well adjusted cowboy". The outlaw leaves the saloon greeting everyone cheerfully instead of shooting them, and then the Sheriff shoots him. The psychiatrist questions why the Sheriff shot him, and whole cycle begins again. |
submissions
| Dido – Don't Think of Me Lyrics
| 12 years ago
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I dislike this song for it's nasty negativity. I didn't get all the lyrics until I read them here, but it's still sneering. Yuck. |
submissions
| The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset Lyrics
| 12 years ago
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I grew up in Waterloo, and first heard this song shortly before we moved away to the suburbs. Moving away from friends and places I knew; easy access to the very cosmopolitan atmosphere, historical depth, curiosities and amazing architecture of central London made Waterloo seem like paradise to me. It has always been a very personal song for me, all the better that so many other people love it too. |
submissions
| Gang of Four – At Home He's A Tourist Lyrics
| 12 years ago
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I always had them down as a left wing band, so it's unlikely that the song is racist.
I think that it's about commercial entertainment not being anyones real culture, but rather an imposition by capitalism. A full reading of the chorus shows that it is about companies making money out of your entertainment and fun, not about cheating on wifes or anything else suggested.
And "cop off" not cob. copping off is engaging someone else in sexual activity. |
submissions
| The Housemartins – Five Get Over Excited Lyrics
| 12 years ago
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I was wondering what it means, I would go with the "Famous Five" suggestion, it's also very sarcastic of then currently cool people -"My clothes are black but my bread is brown, I'm really into early Motown".
The only thing I am certain of is that "feigning concern a Conservative pastime, Makes you feel doubtful right from the start, the expression she pulls is exactly like last time, got to conclude that she hasn't a heart" is about Thatcher. She led the Conservative party, and she did always look kind of uncomfortable trying to be sympathetic. |
submissions
| The Fall – The Classical Lyrics
| 12 years ago
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I love The Fall. So many albums, no one cares about the band, except Peel and he's dead, and he was not exactly a promoter by profession. This means I have known the band for twenty (count them!) twenty years and I have never heard this track before today, and it is amazing and meaningless (or incomprehensible) and wonderful and so on. |
submissions
| The Fall – Squid Lord Lyrics
| 12 years ago
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An absolutely amazing song. Vicious fighting lyrics, music nicked from 2unlimited, Mark E Smith talking like an old testament prophet from Manchester. No idea what Squid Lord means. Unless Mark is the Squid. |
submissions
| The Clash – Stay Free Lyrics
| 12 years ago
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By the way, "three years in Brixton" means Brixton prison, i.e. http://www.justice.gov.uk/global/contacts/noms/prison-finder/brixton/
"How was Butlins" Butlins is a holiday camp, a sort of crappy resort by the sea British people used to go in huge numbers before Spanish holidays got cheap enough for the working classes. Prison=Butlins. |
submissions
| The Clash – Last Gang in Town Lyrics
| 12 years ago
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@hipdude I reckon they were just looking for a cool but old and unlikely style of music to finish with as the "last gang in town"
More interestingly the song suggests that black subcultures don't fight each other. This was probably true as an oppressed minority in London at time, but I am not sure it always is. Gangs are gangs I suppose, and people just into different music styles might argue, but fighting would be ridiculous. Still it was probably worth saying as most western media culture is fairly racist. |
submissions
| The Rakes – 22 Grand Job Lyrics
| 12 years ago
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The lines are,
"The girl from work looks alright,
But the lights too bright,
Bloke in Sales likes her too
What am I supposed to do,
But he's earning 28,
And I'm on 22"
"Down to Old Street Thursday night,
In the City that sounds nice,
Talking shop to my colleagues,
Did we do the same degree?,
You've said less to me all week,
-Got to go home, [I'm] in early"
Which makes sense, fortunately. |
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