Adam was a member of Bazooka Joe, the band that the Sex Pistols opened for in the Pistols' first live appearance. Adam and the Ants started as a punk band, but by the early '80s they had taken a different path and started making pop music. By 1981 they were one of the biggest bands in Britain.
In March 1982, feeling certain band members "lacked enthusiasm", Ant disbanded the group. A few months after the split Ant launched a solo career (though he retained Marco Pirroni as guitarist and co-songwriter).
After the split, Ant went solo, taking his song writing partner Pirroni with him. His greatest American chart success was 1982's Friend or Foe album, which included the hit single "Goody Two Shoes" which made it to #1 in the UK and Australia, and #12 in the U.S. Other hits from that album included the title song (which made #9 on the UK chart) and "Desperate But Not Serious". Goody Two Shoes first charted in the UK in Spring 1982, reaching no.1 that summer, but its US peak did not come until 1983 when it reached #12 on the Billboard Top 100.
In 1983, Ant worked with Phil Collins and Richard James Burgess on the "Strip" album which was recorded at Polar Studios in Stockholm. The single "Puss 'N Boots" reached #5 on the UK charts, but the BBC banned both the video and the song for the follow-up single "Strip," which peaked at #41. Although Strip had some highlights and hit singles, it marked the end of his reign as one of Britain's top pop stars for a while. That same year, Ant also memorably appeared as a guest performer on the NBC television network's Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever special that aired in May.
In 1985, he worked with veteran producer Tony Visconti on his third solo album, "Vive Le Rock". He secured a spot at the Live Aid concert, but was asked to cut his set to one song. He chose his new single, "Vive le Rock." Vive Le Rock was intended to be his ultimate hard rock album but the single underwent a pressing error and the album received mixed reviews. As a result, Adam decided to end his career in music and focus on his acting career.
In 1989, whilst maintaining an interest in acting, Ant returned to America and re-entered the pop music world with the album "Manners & Physique", a collaboration with André Cymone, a solo artist and an early member of Prince's band. The album was another moderate success, and featured the UK and U.S. hit single "Room at the Top". "Rough Stuff" became the second single for the United States and Germany as "Can't Set Rules About Love" charted in the United Kingdom.
In 1993, he toured in support of a planned album called "Persuasion". On account of a regime change at MCA, the record company made the unilateral decision not to release this album on the basis that Manners & Physique had failed to achieve a gold sales certification. Ant was subsequently released from his contract with MCA and later signed by EMI. Persuasion remains unreleased to this day and, as a result, it has become something of a lost legend among "Antfans", although it is widely available online for download.
In 1995, Ant released the album "Wonderful". The title track was a successful single, as was a tour of the U.S. in support of the album. While Ant and his group (which retained longtime guitarist Pirroni) played in smaller venues than they had played in the 1980s, the houses were often packed with enthusiastic fans. The tour was cut short due to Ant and Pirroni both contracting glandular fever (for those who don't know the term, glandular fever is generally a euphemism for what usually manifests as mononucleosis).
"Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter" is the sixth solo studio album by Adam Ant. The album's title was announced by Ant in the NME in April 2010. As per Adam's announcement at his gig in Chatham in September 2012, the new album was released on 21 January 2013 by Ant's own record label Blueblack Hussar Records. Despite the independent self-release, the album reached number 25 on the UK Albums Chart, only one place lower than its predecessor, released on the major EMI label nearly eighteen years earlier. It had previously been at number 8 in the Midweeks.
Rough Stuff
Adam Ant Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feeling very fat
You better hit the floor
and give me twenty
And the girls sing
Shackshoowowboomlaggalagga
Boom lagga boom sha boom
Shackshoowowboomlaggalagga
Boom lagga boom sha boom
I know what you're looking for
Heaven's where you find it
So sit back and relax
I wouldn't be so sure
'Cos we need plenty
And the girls sing girls sing
Shackshoowowboomlaggalagga
Boom lagga boom sha boom
Do it till you're sore
Shackshoowowboomlaggalagga
Boom lagga boom sha boom
I know what you're looking for
Rough Stuff when a man's got to do
What a man's got to do
What a man's got to do oh yeah
Rough Stuff when the time is right
And the place you go to whale
Gotta put something down
How far can you get
And still come back alive?
You never hear the shot
The shot that gets you
And the girls sing girls sing
The lyrics to Adam Ant's song Rough Stuff could be interpreted as a motivational anthem, urging listeners to push themselves harder, to find heaven by pushing themselves until they're sore, to do what it takes to survive and succeed. The imagery is of the jungle, a place where you need to be fight and be aggressive to survive, and the language of the girls singing the chorus is nonsensical and tribalistic, creating a sense of a primal call to action.
The first verse sets the scene and tone of the song with Adam Ant feeling "very fat" and commanding the listener to hit the floor and give him twenty, likely referencing military-style exercises. The chorus then kicks in with the girls singing in a nonsensical language, the rhythms of sound and drums pushing the listener to keep going until they're sore. The bridge characterized by Ant's voice, a sense of warning that there is always a price to pay for success, that one never hears the shot that gets them.
The second verse continues the theme of the first, emphasizing that heaven can be found through hard work, but also cautioning that one can never be too sure of themselves because there's always more to do. The final chorus emphasizing the harshness of the reality of the jungle and the rough life where a man has to do what he has to do, despite the risks involved.
Line by Line Meaning
Down in the jungle
In a difficult and confusing place
Feeling very fat
Feeling heavy with responsibility or burden
You better hit the floor and give me twenty
You need to work hard and do whatever it takes to succeed
And the girls sing Shackshoowowboomlaggalagga Boom lagga boom sha boom
The girls cheer and support with energetic sounds
Do it till you're sore
Keep working hard until it hurts
I know what you're looking for
I understand your motivation and desire
Heaven's where you find it
Joy and happiness can be found in unexpected places
So sit back and relax
Take a break and enjoy the good times
I wouldn't be so sure
The situation is uncertain and unpredictable
'Cos we need plenty
There is a scarcity of resources and abundance is necessary
And the girls sing girls sing
The girls continue to cheer and support with energetic sounds
Rough Stuff when a man's got to do what a man's got to do
Sometimes hard or unpleasant tasks must be completed
What a man's got to do oh yeah
The task is necessary and cannot be avoided
Rough Stuff when the time is right
Difficult tasks should be faced when the conditions are favorable
And the place you go to whale
The location of the challenging task is unknown
Gotta put something down
A sacrifice or effort is necessary to complete the task
How far can you get and still come back alive?
The task is dangerous and the stakes are high
You never hear the shot The shot that gets you
The danger or risk can be sudden and unforeseen
And the girls sing girls sing
The girls continue to cheer and support with energetic sounds
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ADAM ANT, ANDRE CYMONE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ChadBest-ug8uo
I was the director of editing of this video. Thank you Adam for this wonderful opportunity!!
@ladywriter73
Good Lord! All my friends thought I was joking when I told them about this song! So glad, after all this time, I can show this to them! Love Adam, always have, always will, but this... Hmmm...
@DecemberProjectXXX
Gotta love Adam Ant. This is very 1990 and that's a good thing!
@neslisultan
He just kills every decade!!! I love you Adam!!!
@ladyxlobo
his music always makes me so happy.
@Cuntstantine
Whatever people I'm lovin this
@timothyrogers2744
The Rough Stuff Workout ...🤘😎
@grobv161
This is just pure genius and it's just Adam having fun - I liked how he evolved into the early 90s, using his slightly campy style to send up the current music. This is clearly him ripping the piss out of the music scene of the time.
@ClubDJSeattle
Or maybe just enjoying the new sound.
@robertomdmc
This song is from 1989, belongs to the 80's.