Motörhead released 23 studio albums, 10 live recordings, 12 compilation albums and five EPs over a career spanning 40 years. Usually a power trio, they had particular success in the early 1980s with several successful singles in the UK Top 40 chart. The albums Overkill, Bomber, Ace of Spades and, particularly, the live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith cemented Motörhead's reputation as a top-tier rock band. The band are ranked number 26 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. As of 2016, they have sold more than 15 million albums worldwide.
Most often classified as heavy metal, Motörhead has been credited with being part of and influencing numerous musical scenes, thrash metal and speed metal especially. Lemmy, however, always insisted that they were a rock and roll band. He said that they had more in common with punk bands, but with their own unique sound, Motörhead is embraced in both punk and metal scenes. Their lyrics typically covered such topics as war, good versus evil, abuse of power, promiscuous sex, substance abuse and, most famously, gambling, the latter theme being the focus of their hit song "Ace of Spades".
Lemmy died on 28 December 2015 from cardiac arrhythmia and congestive heart failure, after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. The day after his death, drummer Mikkey Dee and guitarist Phil Campbell both confirmed that Motörhead had disbanded. By 2018, all three members of Motörhead's best-known line-up (Lemmy, Taylor and Clarke) had died.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motörhead
Discography
Motörhead (1977)
Overkill (1979)
Bomber (1979)
On Parole (1979)
Ace of Spades (1980)
Iron Fist (1982)
Another Perfect Day (1983)
Orgasmatron (1986)
Rock 'n' Roll (1987)
1916 (1991)
March ör Die (1992)
Bastards (1993)
Sacrifice (1995)
Overnight Sensation (1996)
Snake Bite Love (1998)
We Are Motörhead (2000)
Hammered (2002)
Inferno (2004)
Kiss of Death (2006)
Motörizer (2008)
The Wörld Is Yours (2010)
Aftershock (2013)
Bad Magic (2015)
Overkill
Motörhead Lyrics
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So good I can't believe it, screaming with the crowd
Don't sweat it, we'll get it back to you
Don't sweat it, we'll get it back to you
Overkill, overkill, overkill
On your feet you feel the beat, it goes straight to your spine
Shake your head you must be dead if it don't make you fly
Don't sweat it, we'll get it back to you
Don't sweat it, we'll get it back to you
Overkill, overkill, overkill
Know your body's made to move, ya feel it in your guts
Rock 'n' roll ain't worth the name if it don't make ya strut
Don't sweat it, we'll get it back to you
Don't sweat it, we'll get it back to you
Overkill, overkill, overkill
The lyrics to Motörhead's "Overkill" are a tribute to the power of loud, raw rock and roll music. The song is a celebration of the physical and emotional sensations that come with experiencing music that is so powerful, it can make you feel like you're flying. The opening lines of the song set the tone: "Only way to feel the noise is when it's good and loud / So good I can't believe it, screaming with the crowd." The lyrics suggest that the full impact of music can only be felt when it is played at top volume and is accompanied by the energy of a live crowd.
This idea is expanded in the chorus, which repeats the word "overkill" three times, emphasizing the intense, overwhelming nature of the experience. The second verse continues the theme: "On your feet you feel the beat, it goes straight to your spine / Shake your head you must be dead if it don't make you fly." Here, the emphasis is on the physical response to the music, with the beat and rhythms of the music taking on a visceral quality that can transport you to a higher plane. The final verse takes a different tack, emphasizing the importance of movement and dance as an integral part of the rock and roll experience. "Know your body's made to move, ya feel it in your guts / Rock 'n' roll ain't worth the name if it don't make ya strut." The message is clear: when you listen to music this powerful, you should let your body be taken over by the sound and the beat, letting it move you both physically and emotionally.
Line by Line Meaning
Only way to feel the noise is when it's good and loud
To truly experience the power of music, it must be played at high volume
So good I can't believe it, screaming with the crowd
The energy of the music is so intense that it's almost unbelievable, and the singer is swept up in the excitement along with the audience
Don't sweat it, we'll get it back to you
Don't worry, the band will continue to bring the same level of intensity to their performances
Overkill, overkill, overkill
The intensity of the music is so extreme that it's almost like overkill
On your feet you feel the beat, it goes straight to your spine
The rhythm of the music is so powerful that it physically affects the listener, causing them to move involuntarily
Shake your head you must be dead if it don't make you fly
If the music doesn't move you to the point where you're lost in the moment, then you must not be truly alive
Know your body's made to move, ya feel it in your guts
The human body is designed to respond to the beat of music, and there's something primal and instinctive about the way it makes us feel
Rock 'n' roll ain't worth the name if it don't make ya strut
Music isn't truly rock 'n' roll unless it makes you feel confident and powerful, as if you're strutting down the street
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Edward Alan Clarke, Ian Kilmister, Philip John Taylor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind