1. An English band who were pionee… Read Full Bio ↴There are 2 bands under the name LFO:
1. An English band who were pioneers of bleep techno
2. An American three-man pop and rap group
1. English band LFO were one of the pioneers of the bleep techno of the early 1990s. Originally comprising Gez Varley (also known as Jez Varley) and Mark Bell, they met while studying at Leeds and gave their first track, the eponymous “LFO”, to Nightmares On Wax. The demo’s popularity in clubs lead to the track being released by Warp in 1990, where it made it into the Top Twenty. The name LFO comes from the term Low Frequency Oscillator, a component used to alter sounds in synthesizers, samplers etc.
Gez Varley left the duo in 1996, and continues to have a solo career. Mark Bell continued to record under his own name and that of LFO, as well as producing albums for Björk and Depeche Mode until his untimely passing in October 2014.
LFO’s album Frequencies (containing the previously mentioned “LFO” and its follow-up single, We Are Back) was a popular album for Warp Records and undoubtedly helped establish them as a successful global independent electronic label, along with label-mates Nightmares On Wax and Sweet Exorcist.
It was originally released with a warning sticker stating that the record company was not responsible for the potential damage to speakers due to the the extremely loud, low frequency bass signals contained within the music.
Frequencies was followed by the less commercially successful Advance and, in 2003, by Sheath which saw a return to the earlier minimal techno sound of LFO’s debut.
2. Lyte Funkie Ones (LFO) was an American three-man pop/rap group consisting of Rich Cronin (August 30, 1974 – September 8, 2010), Devin Lima (born Harold Lima, March 18, 1977 – November 21, 2018), and Brad Fischetti (born September 11, 1975). Before Lima joined the group in 1999, the third member was Brian Gillis (known as Brizz), who was with the group from its start in 1995.
The band is best known for their hit songs Summer Girls, Girl on TV, and Every Other Time.
Origins (1995–1998)
In 1995, in Fall River, Massachusetts, Rich Cronin met Brian "Brizz" Gillis. LFO had marginal success with the remake of the Yvonne Elliman's song, If I Can't Have You, which missed the Top 40, reaching No. 54 on the UK Singles Chart.
In 1997, they released a cover of New Kids on the Block's Step By Step as a single.
In 1999, Gillis was frustrated with the lack of progress that the group had made so he left to pursue a solo career, which led him to multiple college tours and a job in the music industry, with a radio promotion position in Florida with BMG.
Success (1999–2002)
After Gillis left, Fischetti and Cronin still wanted to continue to pursue their dreams of making it big, so they headed back to the United States and had an open audition. Devin Lima, an employee of a hardware store at the time, was chosen in place of Gillis.
Devin decided that the group should discontinue being called Lyte Funky Ones and use the name LFO exclusively instead.
In the UK, however, they were unable to use the abbreviated name of LFO due to an IDM act on the Warp Records label, who had been using the name since 1988.
Still signed with Trans Continental and now with Arista Records, LFO recorded some new material with Dow Brain, Brad Young and Danny Wood of New Kids on the Block, at Underground Studios second location, the basement of a 200+ year old house in Needham, MA. Wood had been a long-time friend of original member Brian Gillis.
Among the songs LFO had recorded in an attempt to make a demo was a song called Summer Girls. It was produced by Dow Brain and Brad Young of Underground Productions. This song gave LFO their path to success.
Their debut album, LFO, sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide, and scored two Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: Summer Girls and Girl on TV.
In 1999, Summer Girls was nominated for a Billboard Music Award for Top Selling Single of the Year; the song sold over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. The song itself contained numerous non sequiturs, such as You're the best girl that I ever did see/The great Larry Bird, jersey 33 and Fell deep in love, but now we ain't speakin'/Michael J. Fox was Alex P. Keaton. This album featured many vocals from original member Brian.
The label loved the original versions of the records so much that they left all of the vocals from Brian, including leads on If I Can't Have You.
The year 2000 was a busy year for LFO, featuring nonstop tours, performing at over 230 concerts that year. They also served as opening act for Britney Spears, and co-headlined Nickelodeon's All That Music & More summer tour. They found success in the UK at the same time when second single, the Dow Brain and Brad Young co-written Girl on TV, entered the UK chart at #6.
In 2000, the band won the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Group of the Year. Play Along Toys made dolls of the group in 2001.
They appeared on The Amanda Show as guest stars, singing a song while Amanda danced in the background with the show's signature 'dancing lobsters'. At the end, LFO described Amanda as 'the most beautiful girl in the world'. The episode has been repeated on Nickelodeon since its creation.
In the summer of 2001, the group released their sophomore and final album, Life Is Good, with the release of only two singles Life Is Good and Every Other Time, which was the only commercial release from the album.
After lackluster record sales of the album and the late-1990s/early-2000s boyband craze coming to an end, LFO officially decided to part ways in February 2002.
Reunion (2009)
On June 3, 2009, LFO posted a blog entitled "LFO is Back" on their unofficial MySpace page which announced that they have reunited and are going on the Malcolm Douglas Tribute tour beginning September 23, 2009, with Rookie of the Year, Go Crash Audio, and Kiernan McMullan.
A new song titled Summer of My Life was also announced in association with the reunion.
Nearly four months later, on September 28, 2009, LFO announced (through their YouTube page) that they had broken up. However, the individual members of the band planned to continue making music with their various side projects.
Summer Girls
LFO Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I like it when the girls stop by in the summer
Do you remember? Do you remember?
When we met that summer?
New Kids On The Block had a bunch of hits
Chinese food makes me sick
And I think it's fly when girls stop by
For the summer, for the summer
I like girls that wear Abercrombie & Fitch
I'd take her if I had one wish
But she's been gone since that summer
Since that summer
Hip Hop, marmalade, spic and span
Met you one summer and it all began
You're the best girl that I ever did see
The great Larry Bird, jersey 33
When you take a sip, you buzz like a hornet
Billy Shakespeare wrote a whole bunch of sonnets
Call me Willy Whistle 'cause I can't speak, baby
Something in your eyes went and drove me crazy
Now I can't forget you and it makes me mad
Left one day and never came back
Stayed all summer then went back home
Macauly Culkin wasn't Home Alone
Fell deep in love but now we ain't speaking
Michael J. Fox was Alex P. Keaton
When I met you, I said my name was Rich
You look like a girl from Abercrombie & Fitch
New Kids On The Block had a bunch of hits
Chinese food makes me sick
And I think it's fly when girls stop by
For the summer, for the summer
I like girls that wear Abercrombie & Fitch
I'd take her if I had one wish
But she's been gone since that summer
Since that summer
Cherry Pez, Coke Crush, Rock Stud, Boogie
Used to hate school, so I had to play hookie
Always been hip to the B-boy style
Known to act wild and make a girl smile
Love New Edition and the Candy Girl
Remind me of you because you rock my world
You come from Georgia where the peaches grow
They drink lemonade and speak real slow
You love hip hop and rock and roll
Dad took off when you were four years old
There was a good man named Paul Revere
I feel much better, baby, when you're near
You love Dun Dip and cherry Coke
I like the way you laugh when I tell a joke
When I met you, I said my name was Rich
You look like a girl from Abercrombie & Fitch
New Kids On The Block had a bunch of hits
Chinese food makes me sick
And I think it's fly when girls stop by
For the summer, for the summer
I like girls that wear Abercrombie & Fitch
I'd take her if I had one wish
But she's been gone since that summer
Since that summer
In the summertime, girls got it going on
Shake and wiggle to a hip hop song
Summertime girls are the kind I like
I'll steal your honey like I stole your bike
Boogaloo Shrimp and Pogo sticks
My mind takes me back there oh so quick
Let you off the hook like my man Mr. Limpet
Think about that summer and I bug 'cause I miss it
Like The Color Purple, macaroni and cheese
Ruby red slippers and a bunch of trees
Call you up but what's the use?
I like Kevin Bacon but I hate Footloose
Came in the door, I said it before
Think I'm over you but I'm really not sure
When I met you, I said my name was Rich
You look like a girl from Abercrombie & Fitch
New Kids On The Block had a bunch of hits
Chinese food makes me sick
And I think it's fly when girls stop by
For the summer, for the summer
I like girls that wear Abercrombie & Fitch
I'd take her if I had one wish
But she's been gone since that summer
Since that summer
In the summer girls come and summer girls go
Some are worthwhile and some are so-so
Summer girls come and summer girls go
Some are worthwhile and some are so-so
Summertime girls got it going on
Shake and wiggle to a hip hop song
Summertime girls are the kind I like
I'll steal your honey like I stole your bike
New Kids On The Block had a bunch of hits
Chinese food makes me sick
And I think it's fly when girls stop by
For the summer, for the summer
I like girls that wear Abercrombie & Fitch
I'd take her if I had one wish
But she's been gone since that summer
Since that summer
The lyrics of "Summer Girls" by LFO has a very nostalgic and whimsical vibe to it, as the singer reminisces about a girl he met in the summer, who wore Abercrombie and Fitch. The song starts with the singer talking about how he likes it when girls stop by in the summer, followed by a reference to a shared memory or inside joke of the summer when he met the girl. He talks about how he likes girls who wear Abercrombie and Fitch, and how he has been trying to find that girl since that summer, but she's long gone.
There are a number of pop culture references made throughout the song, such as mentions of the New Kids on the Block, Macauly Culkin in Home Alone, Michael J. Fox in Family Ties, and Billy Shakespeare, which give the song a fun and playful feel. The chorus is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the idea that the singer can't forget about the girl who he met that summer.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah
Introducing the song
I like it when the girls stop by in the summer
I enjoy the presence of girls during the summer season
Do you remember? Do you remember? When we met that summer?
Asking if the listener remembers meeting someone during a summer
New Kids On The Block had a bunch of hits
Referencing a popular boy band from the past
Chinese food makes me sick
Not liking Chinese cuisine
And I think it's fly when girls stop by
For the summer, for the summer
Finding it cool when girls visit during the summer season
I like girls that wear Abercrombie & Fitch
Preferring girls who wear this particular brand
I'd take her if I had one wish
But she's been gone since that summer
Since that summer
Desiring to be with someone but they have not been around since last summer
Hip Hop, marmalade, spic and span
Listing random things
Met you one summer and it all began
Starting a relationship during the summer
You're the best girl that I ever did see
The great Larry Bird, jersey 33
Complimenting the girl by comparing her to a popular basketball player
When you take a sip, you buzz like a hornet
Noticing the effect of a sip on the girl
Billy Shakespeare wrote a whole bunch of sonnets
Referencing the famous poet William Shakespeare
Call me Willy Whistle 'cause I can't speak, baby
Jokingly referring to himself as a whistler because he is speechless around the girl
Something in your eyes went and drove me crazy
Being attracted to the girl
Now I can't forget you and it makes me mad
Left one day and never came back
Stayed all summer then went back home
Feeling upset that the girl left abruptly after being around all summer
Macaulay Culkin wasn't Home Alone
Referencing a popular movie from the past
Fell deep in love but now we ain't speaking
Michael J. Fox was Alex P. Keaton
Falling in love, but now not speaking to the girl. Mentioning a character that the actor Michael J. Fox played in a show
When I met you, I said my name was Rich
You look like a girl from Abercrombie & Fitch
First introducing himself to the girl, thinking she looked like a model from a specific brand
Cherry Pez, Coke Crush, Rock Stud, Boogie
Listing random things again
Used to hate school, so I had to play hookie
Always been hip to the B-boy style
Skipping school and being interested in hip-hop culture
Known to act wild and make a girl smile
Love New Edition and the Candy Girl
Being known for being exciting and liking a particular music group
Remind me of you because you rock my world
You come from Georgia where the peaches grow
They drink lemonade and speak real slow
Comparing the girl to certain things and talking about where she's from
You love hip hop and rock and roll
Dad took off when you were four years old
Talking about the girl's music preferences and family history
There was a good man named Paul Revere
I feel much better, baby, when you're near
Referencing a historical figure and feeling better when around the girl
You love Dun Dip and cherry Coke
I like the way you laugh when I tell a joke
Noticing the girl's preferences and how she reacts to him
In the summertime, girls got it going on
Shake and wiggle to a hip hop song
Summertime girls are the kind I like
I'll steal your honey like I stole your bike
Talking about how much he likes summertime girls and being playful about stealing their hearts
Boogaloo Shrimp and Pogo sticks
My mind takes me back there oh so quick
Referencing 80s culture and reminiscing
Let you off the hook like my man Mr. Limpet
Think about that summer and I bug 'cause I miss it
Mentioning a character from a movie and missing the summer spent with the girl
Like The Color Purple, macaroni and cheese
Ruby red slippers and a bunch of trees
Comparing things to other things randomly
Call you up but what's the use?
I like Kevin Bacon but I hate Footloose
Feeling like calling the girl but not knowing if it's worth it. Not liking a famous movie that featured a popular actor
Came in the door, I said it before
Think I'm over you but I'm really not sure
Arriving somewhere and feeling unsure about being over the girl
In the summer girls come and summer girls go
Some are worthwhile and some are so-so
Mentioning how some summer relationships are meaningful and others are not
Summertime girls got it going on
Shake and wiggle to a hip hop song
Summertime girls are the kind I like
I'll steal your honey like I stole your bike
Restating how much he likes summertime girls and how he will try to pursue them
New Kids On The Block had a bunch of hits
Chinese food makes me sick
And I think it's fly when girls stop by
For the summer, for the summer
I like girls that wear Abercrombie & Fitch
I'd take her if I had one wish
But she's been gone since that summer
Since that summer
Repeating the chorus which consists of how he dislikes Chinese food, likes when girls visit during the summer season, likes a certain brand of clothing, and is longing for someone who was with him last summer
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bradley Young, Dow Brain, Rich Cronin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind