The label was formed in Bristol in 1987 by Clare Wadd and Matt Haynes, and grew out of the fanzine scene at the time, Haynes having previously edited Are You Scared To Get Happy?, and Wadd Kvatch. Both these fanzines had given away flexidiscs - indeed, AYSTGH had been part of the Sha-la-la organisation, a record label set up solely to produce flexidiscs. Several Sarah releases were fanzines and flexi-discs, as it was felt this summed up the aesthetic of the label better than 12" singles and albums.
Sarah Records was usually seen as being grounded in the C86 jangly indie-pop sensibility, though the late Seventies DIY scene and independent yet stylish and imaginative labels such as Postcard Records, Factory and Creation, plus the mid-Eighties fanzine culture, were bigger influences. It ceased operation with the release of There and Back Again Lane, the hundredth release in the main catalogue sequence - a booklet telling the story of the label, along with a CD of representative tracks. Half-page adverts entitled "A Day For Destroying Things" in both NME and Melody Maker marked the release. "We don't do encores", the advert announced, and the label has stuck by this sentiment, with no further releases. Bands on the label included Heavenly, East River Pipe, The Orchids, The Hit Parade, Even As We Speak, Boyracer, Brighter, Blueboy, The Field Mice, Another Sunny Day, Shelley and St. Christopher.
Haynes subsequently established Shinkansen Recordings, where many Sarah artists went on to record; he now edits a zine, Smoke, dedicated to writing and art inspired by London.
P.U.N.K. Girl
Heavenly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But they Don't see
The way she is with me
P is for the painful way she makes me feel some days
U is for Utopia, the other times with her
N is for the new wave dreams she had back in her teens
K is for the kid in her, my PUNK girl
She is honest and kind but in a way that people see
As telling lies and being mean
She has thousands of dreams but what they are I'll never know
I hope I figure in them though
I don't care if they can't see
Just how great that girl can be
But I wish, she'd find a way
To act well, for just one day
I don't mind if they can't see
Just how much she means to me
I still know what I will say
If that girl comes my way
She is hardened to hurt her softness hidden from the world
But almost ready to unfurl
She tries so hard to change but something always happens to
Persuade her its to hard to do
The song "P.U.N.K. Girl" by Heavenly is about a girl who seems to have a bad reputation in the eyes of others, but the singer sees her differently. The song is an ode to this girl, who is misunderstood and judged unjustly by others. The song is an optimistic look at who she is, and the emotions she inspires. The title of the song is an acronym that stands for each of the different aspects of this "PUNK girl":
Line by Line Meaning
People say she's bad
People judge her without knowing her
But they Don't see
But they don't see how she is when she is with me
The way she is with me
She is different with me
P is for the painful way she makes me feel some day
P stands for how she sometimes hurts me
You is for Utopia, the other times with her
U stands for the perfect times we have together
N is for the new wave dreams she had back in her teens
N stands for her dreams and aspirations from her teenage years
K is for the kid in her, my PUNK girl
K stands for the childlike spirit in her that makes me love her as my punk girl
She is honest and kind but in a way that people see
She is honest and kind, but people interpret it as being mean and deceitful
As telling lies and being mean
People see her honesty and kindness as the opposite
She has thousands of dreams but what they are I'll never know
She has numerous aspirations and dreams that I might not even be aware of
I hope I figure in them though
But I hope that I am at least a part of them
I don't care if they can't see
I don't mind if other people can't see how great she is
Just how great that girl can be
They don't realize how amazing she can be
But I wish, she'd find a way
But I hope that she can find a way
To act well, for just one day
To be her true self for even just one day
I don't mind if they can't see
I don't care if others can't see how much she means to me
Just how much she means to me
They don't understand how much she means to me
I still know what I will say
But I know what to say
If that girl comes my way
If she comes back to me
She is hardened to hurt her softness hidden from the world
She has built up a tough exterior to protect herself, but her vulnerability is hidden from the world
But almost ready to unfurl
But she is close to letting her true self shine through
She tries so hard to change but something always happens to
She makes efforts to change, but something always prevents her
Persuade her its too hard to do
She is persuaded that it is too difficult to change
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Amelia Fletcher
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind