The band claims to be from the village of Noid, England, near Bath. However, no such town exists in England. "Noid" has been suspected of being a pun on the "No ID, No Sale" campaign in pubs in the UK.
Forming in the fertile swamps of England’s West Country in the mid-naughties, around the axis of Dan Taylor (guitarist and songwriter) and Kelvin Swaby (vocalist and songwriter,) the Heavy immediately astounded. Jaw dropping, freshly minted riffs, swinging hip-hop drums, funk-ridden bass and Swaby’s startling, Mayfield-esque vocals meant early singles ‘That Kind of Man’ and ‘Colleen’ blew minds and won hearts. The debut album they were taken from – ‘Great Vengeance and Furious Fire’ – became an instant connoisseurs’ classic.
It was their sophomore album, though, that saw them blasting into homes across the globe. ‘The House that Dirt Built’. It also yielded the mighty ‘How You Like Me Now?’ The single was licensed for a major commercial in the 3rd Quarter of the Superbowl (the biggest ad slot in the world) and quite simply went stratospheric.
“It became such a big tune, that people asked, ‘How are you going to top that?’.” Swaby says.
The answer was 2012’s ‘The Glorious Dead,’ the band’s third album. Even deeper, a touch darker, and with shades of Southern Gothic infesting the swampy rock n’ soul of previous records, the album was another giant step forward, Frankensteining swampy voodoo and b-movie zombies with garage rock and Gospel-soaked soul.
Lead single ‘What Makes a Good Man?’ showed that The Heavy were able to write brilliant singles time after time, with synchs snowing in once again, and American radio coming on board. The band toured the world exhaustively, wowing audiences with their transcendental live performances.
“It was over the top, in a good way,” adds Heavy frontman Kelvin Swaby. “We went pretty cinematic, setting out to score a film that hasn’t been written.”
“It’s good to have a bit of light and shade,” Taylor adds.
Since then, The Heavy has gone on to achieve storming success in Japan, playing Fuji Rock, chalking up a #1 alternative album on iTunes Japan, scoring a major Pepsi synch and playing Japan’s biggest breakfast TV show, ‘Sukkiri.’
Their music was used in the stunning Guiness Sapeurs ad, they played Glastonbury, sold out Shepherd’s Bush Empire and re-recorded How You Like Me Now? with none other than 50 Cent, to launch ESPN’s coverage of the NFL Draft Week.
To top it all, How You Like Me Now? reached Gold status in the United States – a stunning achievement for an English, independent artist. How to top all that, you might ask? Well, there’s a new album on the way, and The Heavy just happen to have a habit of exceeding themselves…
Short Change Hero
The Heavy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I know just what you runnin' from
And what matters ain't the, who's baddest but
The ones who stop you fallin' from your ladder, baby
feel like you feelin' now
I'm doin' things just to please your crowd
When I love you like the way I love you
And I suffer, but I ain't gonna cut you 'cause
This ain't no place for no hero
This ain't no place for no better man
This ain't no place for no hero
To call home
This ain't no place for no hero
This ain't no place for no better man
This ain't no place for no hero
To call home
Every time I close my eyes, I think
I think about you inside
And your mother, givin' up on askin' why
Why you lie, and you cheat, and you try to make
A fool outta she
I can't see where you comin' from
But I know just what you're runnin' from
And what matters ain't the, who's baddest but the
Ones who stop you fallin' from your ladder, 'cause
This ain't no place for no hero
This ain't no place for no better man
This ain't no place for no hero
To call home
This ain't no place for no hero
This ain't no place for no better man
This ain't no place for no hero
To call home
This ain't no place for no hero
This ain't no place for no better man
This ain't no place for no hero
To call home
The Heavy's song Short Change Hero begins with the lines "I can't see where you're coming from, but I know just what you're running from." This suggests that the singer may not entirely understand what motivates the person they are addressing, but that they at least sympathize with their struggles. The subsequent lines, "And what matters ain't the, who's baddest but the ones who stop you falling from your ladder, baby," reinforce this idea -- that it is those who support us in our times of need who are truly important.
Later in the song, the singer returns to this theme, repeating the idea that "this ain't no place for no hero" multiple times. This line can be interpreted in a few different ways. On one level, it suggests that the world is a difficult and sometimes unforgiving place, one in which it can be hard to maintain one's heroic aspirations. Additionally, it might be seen as a comment on the often shallow nature of contemporary hero worship. The singer seems to imply that true heroism involves something more than simply being "badass," or better than those around you -- it requires empathy, compassion, and a willingness to help those who are struggling.
Overall, the song seems to suggest that we are all in need of help and support at some point in our lives. Furthermore, it emphasizes that those who demonstrate these qualities -- who help us to stay on our own ladders, as it were - are the ones who truly make a difference in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't see where you comin' from
I may not understand where you're coming from
But I know just what you runnin' from
But I know the things you're running away from
And what matters ain't the, who's baddest but
It's not about who's the toughest, but
The ones who stop you fallin' from your ladder, baby
The people who help you up when you fall, my dear
This ain't no place for no hero
This is not a suitable place for a hero
This ain't no place for no better man
This isn't a place for men who think they're better
To call home
To consider it their home
Every time I close my eyes, I think
Whenever I close my eyes, I reflect
I think about you inside
I ponder about what's going on with you
And your mother, givin' up on askin' why
And your mother who has given up on asking you why
Why you lie, and you cheat, and you try to make
Why do you lie, cheat, and deliberately trick
A fool outta she
Your mother into thinking you're a fool
This ain't no place for no hero
This isn't a place for noble deeds
This ain't no place for no better man
This isn't a place for anyone who thinks they're superior
To call home
To feel like it's their home
I'm doin' things just to please your crowd
I'm only doing things to make you happy
When I love you like the way I love you
When I love you as deeply as I do
And I suffer, but I ain't gonna cut you 'cause
And even though I'm in pain, I won't hurt you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CHRISTOPHER WILLIAM ELLUL, DANIEL MATTHEW TAYLOR, KELVIN CLAUDE SWABY, SPENCER HARRISON PAGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind