ewe2
14-03-2006, 09:40 PM
She was a girl from Birmingham
she just had an abortion
she was a case of insanity
her name was Pauline she lived in a tree
She was a no-one who killed her baby
she sent her letters from the country
she was an animal
she was a bloody disgrace
Body I'm not an animal
Mummy I'm not an abortion
-- Bodies
That rather challenging lyric from Never Mind the Bollocks illustrates one of the nihilistic values of the Sex Pistols punk: disgust for the body and sex in general. Written from the viewpoint of an obviously unwilling father, he wants to blame everyone but himself for apparently everything.
Anger and blame are the rather obvious lyrical themes of this furious album which musically owes more to the Stooges and Ramones than they would care to admit. But was it all a put-on as Lydon and McLaren later claimed? Certainly they were a better band than they seemed. Too much of the album is clouded by the media circus around them, and the recruitment of Sid Vicious, who never actually played on it. They were anti-Establishment shockers of the classic mould, with a fantastic driving sound that is still influential today.
Holidays In The Sun is a rather odd song about preferring to take ones holiday by the Berlin Wall for no other reason than a cheap holiday in other people's misery, with an cheaper stormtrooper marching intro. After Bodies, No Feelings is an ode to narcissim and casual brutality, and Liar rants away ad nauseaum. Problems is a more substantial lyric:
In a death trip I ain't automatic
You won't find me just staying static
Don't you give me any orders
for people like me there is no order.
Set you thought you had it all worked out
Bet you thought you knew what I was about
Set you thought
you'd solved all your problems
but you are the problem
It's a direct challenge to the old order, and rather obviously so is God Save The Queen, pure shit-stirring. Seventeen is a kind of Sex Pistols anthem ("I'm a lazy sod"), but again it's designed to shock. Anarchy In The U.K. more fully lays out the punk ethos: we have no connection to your society and we're going to do what we want, but at the same time, its a sneering up-yours.
Submission goes completely off the program and sounds like it was produced at a different time and added to fill out the album, with odd lyrics about watery love. Thankfully Pretty Vacant comes roaring back and gives the other side of the punk vision: who cares. It's a nice little bovver-boots stomper, but be careful to ignore the classy guitar riffs in the background. New York is a character assassination, and EMI which is a kissoff to both EMI and A&M.
The professionalism hiding behind the angry punk includes a wall of sound technique for Steve Jones, who also played much of the bass for the album apart from Glen Matlock's contributions, which are a matter of dispute, although he gets songwriting credits. In another irony, Bollocks was the last true album the band made, breaking up six months from its release. This isn't an album for considered musical appreciation, it's for getting pissed and dancing on tables. Or whatever you like to do to loud angry rude music :)
she just had an abortion
she was a case of insanity
her name was Pauline she lived in a tree
She was a no-one who killed her baby
she sent her letters from the country
she was an animal
she was a bloody disgrace
Body I'm not an animal
Mummy I'm not an abortion
-- Bodies
That rather challenging lyric from Never Mind the Bollocks illustrates one of the nihilistic values of the Sex Pistols punk: disgust for the body and sex in general. Written from the viewpoint of an obviously unwilling father, he wants to blame everyone but himself for apparently everything.
Anger and blame are the rather obvious lyrical themes of this furious album which musically owes more to the Stooges and Ramones than they would care to admit. But was it all a put-on as Lydon and McLaren later claimed? Certainly they were a better band than they seemed. Too much of the album is clouded by the media circus around them, and the recruitment of Sid Vicious, who never actually played on it. They were anti-Establishment shockers of the classic mould, with a fantastic driving sound that is still influential today.
Holidays In The Sun is a rather odd song about preferring to take ones holiday by the Berlin Wall for no other reason than a cheap holiday in other people's misery, with an cheaper stormtrooper marching intro. After Bodies, No Feelings is an ode to narcissim and casual brutality, and Liar rants away ad nauseaum. Problems is a more substantial lyric:
In a death trip I ain't automatic
You won't find me just staying static
Don't you give me any orders
for people like me there is no order.
Set you thought you had it all worked out
Bet you thought you knew what I was about
Set you thought
you'd solved all your problems
but you are the problem
It's a direct challenge to the old order, and rather obviously so is God Save The Queen, pure shit-stirring. Seventeen is a kind of Sex Pistols anthem ("I'm a lazy sod"), but again it's designed to shock. Anarchy In The U.K. more fully lays out the punk ethos: we have no connection to your society and we're going to do what we want, but at the same time, its a sneering up-yours.
Submission goes completely off the program and sounds like it was produced at a different time and added to fill out the album, with odd lyrics about watery love. Thankfully Pretty Vacant comes roaring back and gives the other side of the punk vision: who cares. It's a nice little bovver-boots stomper, but be careful to ignore the classy guitar riffs in the background. New York is a character assassination, and EMI which is a kissoff to both EMI and A&M.
The professionalism hiding behind the angry punk includes a wall of sound technique for Steve Jones, who also played much of the bass for the album apart from Glen Matlock's contributions, which are a matter of dispute, although he gets songwriting credits. In another irony, Bollocks was the last true album the band made, breaking up six months from its release. This isn't an album for considered musical appreciation, it's for getting pissed and dancing on tables. Or whatever you like to do to loud angry rude music :)