Martin Fry had some underground success as a music journalist with the fanzine 'Modern Drugs', interviewing various British pop and rock groups, before he decided to join a band himself. ABC has its roots in the group Vice Versa, a Sheffield electronic music outfit formed in 1977 by Stephen Singleton and Mark White. They founded their own label, 'Neutron Records', and released an EP. Fry started off with the act as a synthesizer player. By 1980, the band had evolved into ABC, with Fry becoming the lead vocalist.
The group's first single, "Tears Are Not Enough", made the U.K. Top 20 in 1981. Soon afterwards, David Robinson left the band and was replaced by drummer David Palmer. In 1982, the band released their debut album, 'The Lexicon of Love', which reached number one in the U.K. Albums Chart. Produced by Trevor Horn, it often featured in UK critics' lists of favourite albums: it ranked 42nd in The Observer Music Monthly's "Top 100 British Albums" (June 2004) and 40th in Q magazine's "100 Greatest British Albums" (June 2000). The band had three Top 10 hits during 1982: the singles "Poison Arrow", "The Look Of Love (Part 1)" and "All of My Heart" and shot high-concept music videos.
ABC found it difficult to follow up their debut. The second album, Beauty Stab, was released in November 1983. It performed poorly in comparison to its predecessor. Gary Langan, who had engineered The Lexicon of Love, produced the effort. The first single, "That Was Then but This Is Now", briefly appeared in the UK Top 20, followed by a Top 40 showing for "S.O.S.". The band eschewed remixes for the project, and the 12" single for "That Was Then but This Is Now" featured the disclaimer "This record is exactly the same as the 7" version. The choice is yours." Stephen Singleton retired from the band in 1984.
Now a duo of Fry and White, augmented by two non-performing band members, Fiona Russell-Powell (known as Eden) and David Yarritu, ABC's chart fortunes in the UK dwindled further with the 1985 album How To Be A Zillionaire. Keith LeBlanc from Tackhead programmed much of the beatbox work for the album. The group did score its first US Top 10 hit with "Be Near Me" (which also made the UK Top 30). The album also featured the singles "(How to Be a) Millionaire", "Vanity Kills" and "Ocean Blue". ABC was one of the first bands to do video scratching" for several videos from the How to Be a... Zillionaire album, including the video for "Be Near Me".
Following a hiatus. while Fry was treated for Hodgkin's disease, ABC returned with Alphabet City. Best known for "When Smokey Sings", a tribute to Smokey Robinson, the album also spawned "The Night You Murdered Love" and "King Without a Crown" as singles. All three tracks would make the CD version of the group's first anthology.
In 1989, the duo issued Up, their fifth and final PolyGram studio album. This time experimenting with house music, ABC scored a minor UK hit with the single "One Better World". They then released another single, "The Real Thing". During this period the group worked on a couple of outside productions aimed at the house music scene. One was Paul Rutherford's (Frankie Goes to Hollywood) solo album and first single release; the other was for Lizzie Tear on the group's own Neutron label.
In 1990, the band released a greatest hits compilation album, Absolutely. This covered all of ABC's albums up until 1990, and featured all of their singles. The compilation made the UK Top 10. A video package featuring promos was also released. One new song, "The Look Of Love (1990 Remix)", was released to promote the package.
The group then moved to the EMI label (and MCA in North America), where they recorded the 1991 LP Abracadabra. "Love Conquers All", the first single, barely placed in the UK chart, though Italian production team Black Box provided remixes of "Say It" which appeared in the US dance chart.
Fry resurrected the band's name in 1997 for the album Skyscraping, an homage to several of his musical heroes, including David Bowie, Roxy Music, and the Sex Pistols. A collaboration with Glenn Gregory of Heaven 17 and Keith Lowndes, the album again was met with critical approval rather than broad commercial success. However, three singles were released, "Rolling Sevens", "Skyscraping", and "Stranger Things", complete with extra B-sides.
In 1999, ABC released their first live album, The Lexicon of Live. The album covered most of their major hits. Although Fry was the only member left, he had a backing band and adorned the album cover in his trademark gold lamé suit.
Look of Love: The Very Best of ABC was released in 2001. Although essentially a reissue of greatest hits package Absolutely (from 1990), the album featured two new songs by Fry titled "Peace and Tranquility" and "Blame". A companion DVD, along with a bonus disc of remixes, was also released.
In 2004, the VH1 show Bands Reunited attempted to get the line-up of Fry, Palmer, Singleton and White together for a reunion concert. Fry and Palmer appeared and played together (with help from Nick Beggs of Kajagoogoo) for the first time in over twenty years. Singleton and White opted not to participate.
Following a tour of the United States in May and June 2006, Fry and Palmer, together with keyboardist Chuck Kentis, put together a new ABC album, Traffic. It was released on 28 April 2008. Gary Langan, who worked on The Lexicon of Love and Beauty Stab, mixed and produced the album. The first single, "The Very First Time", debuted on BBC Radio 2 in January, was added to the station's "A" playlist for the week beginning 29 March, and was released as a download track on 1 April. ABC performed two songs from Traffic during the 2008 Regeneration Tour of the US; "Ride" and "The Very First Time".
On 1 September 2007, ABC performed a set with other 1980s acts at Retrofest at Culzean Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland. This appearance included a rendition of "Addicted to Love", with Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet and Peter Cox of Go West.
In the summer of 2008, ABC toured the US as part of the 2008 Regeneration Tour, which also featured The Human League, Belinda Carlisle, A Flock of Seagulls, and Naked Eyes.
In April 2009, ABC performed the Lexicon Of Love album live at the Royal Albert Hall, accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra. Anne Dudley of Art of Noise, who arranged and played keyboards on the original record, conducted the performance. A music review in the 13 April 2009 edition of The Independent newspaper, described the performance as a "glorious night that has placed one of the Eighties' most perfectly constructed albums back near the top of the pop pantheon".
In 2009 ABC toured the US as the headliner of the 2009 'Regeneration Tour', which also featured Terri Nunn of Berlin, Wang Chung, and the Cutting Crew.
Another Artist:
ABC also known as Grupa ABC was a Polish band playing funk, r&b and blues. It was formed in 1969 in Warsaw and disbanded in 1973.
Paper Thin
ABC Lyrics
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Clustered up in jewels
Finding all your heavyweights
Are featherweights and fools
Broken all your promises
Broken all your paper plates
Clustered in gold
Heavy and hollow
Look at the shape we're in
Find us here
Paper thin
Heavy and humble
Look at the shape we're in
Find us here
Paper thin
In origami cities
In nations built on sand
Love got bent right outta shape
Things got outta hand
Polystyrene skylines
Papier mache smiles
Rusted and bruised
Tarnished and frail
Heavy and hollow
Look at the shape we're in
Find us here
Paper thin
Heavy and humble
Look at the shape we're in
Find us here
Paper thin, paper thin, paper thin...
Stars scrape the moon
And the moon scrapes the sky
We stand beneath
Wondering why
Stars scrape the moon
And the moon scrapes the sky
We stand beneath
Wondering why, wondering why
Paper buys the men
The men that make to bomb
The bomb that makes this world
Paper thin!
Money markets crumble
Gentle as a drum
But if you see me stumble, I'm
Paper thin!
Life is but a fragile thing
So delicate and pure
An accolade bestowed on us
Paper thin
So contemplate the skull
The skull beneath the skin
One day we all die, we're
Paper thin!
Bury your destruction
In your last battle hymn
The barriers between us, make 'em all
Paper thin! Paper thin!
Paper thin! Paper thin!
Underneath the paper moon
The sky is paper thin
Torn into a thousand shreds
So let the solar system in
Rick and wealthy canvas
Clustered up in jewels
Finding all your heavyweights
Are featherweights and fools
In origami cities
In nations built on sand
Love got bent right outta shape
Nothing ends as planned
And it's all - Paper thin
Paper thin. Paper thin
The song "Paper Thin" by ABC is a poignant reminder of the fragile state of the world and the people that inhabit it. The lyrics describe a world that is superficial and hollow, filled with broken promises and false promises of wealth and glamour. The imagery of the "Rick and wealthy canvas clustered up in jewels" and "Broken all your paper plates clustered in gold" speaks to the emptiness of material possessions and the pursuit of money for its own sake.
The songwriters use powerful metaphors to describe the state of the world, comparing nations built on sand to origami cities, and the people in these cities to papier-mache smiles. The imagery in the chorus, "Heavy and hollow, Look at the shape we're in, Find us here, Paper thin, Heavy and humble, Look at the shape we're in, Find us here, Paper thin" reinforces the message that the world is in a precarious state, and that we must be careful to safeguard its fragile nature.
The song also speaks to the themes of mortality and the inevitability of death, with lines like "Life is but a fragile thing, So delicate and pure, An accolade bestowed on us, Paper thin" and "So contemplate the skull, The skull beneath the skin, One day we all die, we're Paper thin!"
Line by Line Meaning
Rick and wealthy canvas
The high society, rich and successful people
Clustered up in jewels
These people have a lot of money and indulgence, showing their wealth through jewelry
Finding all your heavyweights
Their highly regarded and esteemed peers
Are featherweights and fools
They are not as powerful or intelligent as they seem; they are superficial and shallow
Broken all your promises
These individuals have not kept their word, they have failed to follow through on their commitments
Broken all your paper plates
Their disposable or insignificant endeavors have led to disappointment or failure
Clustered in gold
Their materialistic pursuits have made them blinded to priorities such as personal relationships or human emotions
Crusted in gold
Their wealth has not brought them happiness, but rather has corroded their souls
Heavy and hollow
Despite their powerful position, they lack substance underneath
Look at the shape we're in
Their current state is pitiful and beneath their own standards
Find us here
Their presence, amongst other significant locations or individuals
Paper thin
They are superficial, fragile and lack depth
In origami cities
Referring to cities that are constructed using abstract or idealistic principles rather than practical methodology. This results in a lack of stability or practical functionality.
In nations built on sand
Referring to countries that are constructed without a solid foundation or framework, leading to instability and lack of structure.
Love got bent right outta shape
Love and emotional connections have become corrupt, distorted, or neglected
Things got outta hand
The situation has gotten chaotic and uncontrollable
Polystyrene skylines
The skyline made up of artificial, cheap and fragile materials
Papier mache smiles
Fake or inauthentic expressions of happiness or contentment
Rusted and bruised
Old and weakened objects or individuals with lingering damage and suffering
Tarnished and frail
Degraded and weakened through damaging outside forces, morally and physically
Stars scrape the moon
Celestial bodies battling against each other, creating friction and disturbance
And the moon scrapes the sky
The very basic yet fundamental elements have become destabilized and destructive
We stand beneath
Looking up and observing the chaos above
Wondering why
Questioning the existence of the current state
Paper buys the men
Money and power can buy people to do harmful things
The men that make to bomb
People who create weapons of mass destruction
The bomb that makes this world
The damaging forces and weapons that destroy our planet
Money markets crumble
The fluctuations of financial markets which can result in collapse
Gentle as a drum
The impact of economic changes, though appearing subtle or harmless, have dramatic consequences
But if you see me stumble, I'm
Despite outward success, they are unstable or fragile and may stumble or collapse at any moment
Life is but a fragile thing
Human life is easily breakable and vulnerable
So delicate and pure
Human life is innocent and deserving of protection
An accolade bestowed on us
Being given the gift of life is something to be celebrated and cherished
So contemplate the skull
Reflecting on the mortality of human nature
The skull beneath the skin
Showing that death lurks just beneath the surface of living beings
One day we all die, we're
Death is inevitable for every individual
Bury your destruction
Putting a stop to the destruction we've caused
In your last battle cry
In our last dying moments, we should put an end to the destruction and conflict around us
The barriers between us, make 'em all
Obstacles and divisions between people are insignificant and without meaning
Paper thin! Paper thin!
The weight or importance of these barriers is indiscernible, and they contribute to an overall picture of frailty and superficiality
Underneath the paper moon
Underneath the illusion of a perfect, unblemished world
The sky is paper thin
The very air we breathe and the atmosphere around us is fragile and can be easily disturbed
Torn into a thousand shreds
It would take very little to tear apart this world
So let the solar system in
Embrace the context of the greater universe and acknowledge the insignificance of our planet in it
Nothing ends as planned
Most things in life do not turn out the way they were originally intended or anticipated
And it's all - Paper thin
Despite all of our efforts and commitments, everything we do is ultimately insubstantial and lacking in permanence
Paper thin. Paper thin.
Repeated for emphasis, our existence is thoroughly weak and insubstantial, revealing the true transparency of our mortality and existence
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Written by: CELETIA MARTIN, LEWI WHITE, SAMANTHA SADLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind