Adamski (born Adam Tinley, 4 December 1967, in the New Forest, England, Uni… Read Full Bio ↴Adamski (born Adam Tinley, 4 December 1967, in the New Forest, England, United Kingdom) is an English dance music producer, prominent at the time of acid house for his tracks "N-R-G" and "Killer" (a collaboration with Seal).

Adamski enjoyed modest success with his first release, "Live and Direct" which was a collection of tracks recorded live at a small venue in Kentish Town, London. It contained a short, live version of his first single, "NRG", as well as "I dream of you", which appeared on a free 4 track 7" vinyl single given away with the music paper, Record Mirror in 1989.

The cover of the single, NRG, featured a mocked up Lucozade bottle with the 'lucozade' words replaced with 'N-R-G'. This was a nod to the acid house culture where at raves alcohol wasn't consumed and bottled water and soft drinks were preferred.

Adamski toured many clubs with his portable keyboard set up, playing short sets, with an MC, Daddy Chester, and later on Seal. In front of his keyboard was a yellow car number plate, with the words 'ADAMSKI' on it. Early versions of future singles "Killer" and "Future Love Paradise" were played on some of the Seal dates, one date of particular note was at Cambridge Corn Exchange, in early 1990, when Seal leapt on to a smaller, lower catwalk stage, the coins in his pockets all spilled out, showering some of the front row literally with cash.

"Killer" crossed over into the mainstream music charts, becoming a massive worldwide hit. It is also featured on the second album, Doctor Adamski's Musical Pharmacy, with follow-up hits such "The Space Jungle" (which was Adamski singing Elvis' "All Shook Up" to a dance backing) and "Flashback Jack".

According to Adam Sky's MySpace page, Tinley made his first record aged eleven, in 1979, as part of the kinderpunk group "The Stupid Babies". Their song "Babysitter" was released on Fast Product Records, and played on the John Peel BBC Radio 1 show.

In the late 1980s, Tinley adopted his stage name after the UFO enthusiast, George Adamski.

At the time of Adamski's signature song, "Killer", he worked with his brother, programmer and sound engineer, Mark Tinley. Pop music artist George Michael later successfully married "Killer"'s bass line, to the melody of The Temptations' "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone", on a live album featuring the surviving members of Queen.

Adamski's third album was Naughty. It featured a collaboration with Nina Hagen on "Get Your Body!" and plenty of club tunes, expanding from the artist's acid house roots into the pop and rock genres. Commercially, however, this album was not a big success.

Adamski's third album was issued in late 1998 on the ZTT Records label, famous for producing acts such as Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Art of Noise. Its title was Adamski's Thing and the style followed the trend started with Naughty, with lots of guitars, strings, raw vocals and introspective lyrics, but maintaining a rhythmic dance sensibility. The album spawned two singles, "Intravenous Venus" and "One Of the People".

In 2000, Tinley released his last single as Adamski, "In the City". The song charted in Italy, but did little business elsewhere. In the early 2000s, Adam Tinley decided to assume a new identity: he is now producing as Adam Sky.

As Adam Sky, his most recent album includes songs by the musician, Danny Williams.

He currently lives in Spain with his daughters, Bluebell Williams Tinley and Ariella Tinley. Adamski has recently set up his own label (Prostitute Records). His single, ApeX, was released on Kitsuné Music in 2006.

Recently, Adamski/Sky has been working very closely with VJ Ladypat, and the London based rapper, Niyi.

Credit: wikipedia

Back to Front
Adamski Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'd say to play this game again
but every way just paves an end
If this could taste just like you'd said then bitter phrase
won't leave my head.
But I can't help it, It's the truth.
I'm happy we met, but it's fun being sad. I'm happy we met, and don't you forget.
My burns return, assure it hurts I'm sure you've heard it's near September.
Well I'm leaving, please try seeing some of these feeling for once: Esoteric, all bullshit, it proves it from what's written.

We sit on plastic, the past ruminated.

This cigarette cycle sits sickly substantial, so show me you still care and shun all my camels. But I can't help it, it's the truth.
I'm happy we met, but it's fun being sad. I'm happy we met, and don't you forget.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Back to Front" by Adamski is about two people who have experienced a particular kind of relationship, which did not end well. The persona is reminiscing about the past and acknowledging that although they are happy that they met, they still feel sadness. They cannot help it; it's the truth. They are now saying goodbye to their partner and asking them to feel their emotions genuinely. From the lines, "We sit on plastic, the past ruminated. This cigarette cycle sits sickly substantial" the persona implies that they have been in the same spot for too long, smoking and getting caught up in the past, unable to move forward or let things go.

The lyrics convey a sense of melancholy, longing, and nostalgia. The use of vivid metaphors such as "bitter phrase," "cigarette cycle," and "plastic" accentuate the pain and the gulf between the two. The persona is trying to say that they have had enough of playing games with their partner, and it is time to move on, even though it may hurt. The lines, "But I can't help it, It's the truth. I'm happy we met, but it's fun being sad. I'm happy we met, and don't you forget" show the conflicting emotions the persona feels about their partner. They are happy that they met, but they are also addicted to the bittersweet emotions that come with the relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

I'd say to play this game again
I am willing to try again.

but every way just paves an end
But I have tried before and it always ends the same way.

If this could taste just like you'd said then bitter phrase
If things had gone as you had promised, then the unpleasant feeling wouldn't linger.

won't leave my head.
But the unpleasant feeling persists.

But I can't help it, It's the truth.
I acknowledge that it is a fact and out of my control.

I'm happy we met, but it's fun being sad.
I am grateful that we crossed paths, but there is an odd pleasure in feeling melancholy.

I'm happy we met, and don't you forget.
I don't regret meeting you and I hope you don't forget either.

My burns return, assure it hurts
Memories of hurtful experiences resurface, reaffirming the pain.

I'm sure you've heard it's near September.
It's around the time of year when negative memories resurface.

Well I'm leaving, please try seeing some of these feeling for once:
I'm departing, but I hope you can understand these emotions I'm experiencing.

Esoteric, all bullshit, it proves it from what's written.
These emotions are hard to explain and may seem nonsensical, but they are genuine and evident in my words.

We sit on plastic, the past ruminated.
We are sitting on a superficial material, dwelling in the past.

This cigarette cycle sits sickly substantial,
This habit of smoking is a nauseating trap.

so show me you still care and shun all my camels.
If you still care, stop me from continuing this harmful habit.

But I can't help it, it's the truth.
Once again, I acknowledge that it's out of my control.

I'm happy we met, but it's fun being sad.
I am grateful that we crossed paths, but there is an odd pleasure in feeling melancholy.

I'm happy we met, and don't you forget.
I don't regret meeting you and I hope you don't forget either.

Writer(s): Keith Levene, Adam Paul Tinley, Ricky Lyte, John Lydon, Jim Walker, John Joseph Wardle

Contributed by Jake B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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