Formed in Cincinnati in 1986, Greg Dulli (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick McCollum (lead guitar), John Curley (bass), and Steve Earle (drums -- not to be confused with country musician Steve Earle) .
In 1988, they released their debut album Big Top Halloween on their own Ultrasuede label. The album caught the attention and imagination of the independent music community and the band soon signed to Sub Pop of Seattle in 1989. Sub Pop's signing of the Afghan Whigs created quite a stir at the time as they were the first non-Northwestern U.S. band to record for the label.
In 1990, their first Sub Pop release Up in It was released; the blistering pace and yowling, effects-heavy guitars on tracks like "White Trash Party" gave no hint of the stylistic about-face to come. It was followed by a limited edition single released by No.6 Records under the name The Ornament.
With the critically acclaimed 1992 album Congregation and a limited covers EP, Uptown Avondale, the band adopted what would become their signature soul-influenced sound.
Soon the Afghan Whigs signed to a major label, Elektra Records, and in 1993 released another critically acclaimed album, Gentlemen. Although the singles “Debonair” and “Gentlemen” were fairly popular, the album failed to launch the band into the mainstream.
Beside regular appearances on MTV's playlists, their track "Fountain and Fairfax" also appeared on the television series My So-Called Life in 1994.
Despite personnel problems interfering with recording and touring, 1996 saw the band release the noir-influenced Black Love (the album featured Paul Buchignani on drums in place of Steve Earle). Although the main subject matter in previous releases were liquor-drenched obsession, secrets and misery, Black Love was a step into a more dark, even seedier and complex side of Dulli’s persona.
In 1996, Greg Dulli served as executive producer for the soundtrack for the Ted Demme film Beautiful Girls. the Afghan Whigs appeared in the film as a bar band and contributed two songs to the soundtrack (Frederick Knight’s "Be For Real" and Barry White's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe").
In 1998, the Afghan Whigs released their 6th album, 1965, on Columbia Records (Michael Horrigan, former Love Cowboys bassist replaced Buchignani). The album saw the band on inspired form. Sadly, it was the band's last full-length album of original material.
Despite reports that the band had started work on their 7th album, the Afghan Whigs announced their split in 2001, citing the strain of geographic distance between members as the reason.
In 2006, the Afghan Whigs temporarily reunited. The ‘1965’ lineup (Dulli, McCollum, Curley, Horrigan) recorded two new tracks ("I’m A Soldier" and "Magazine") which are featured on their retrospective titled Unbreakable (A Retrospective) which was released in June 2007.
In December 2011, the band announced that it would be appearing at All Tomorrow's Parties' renowned I'll Be Your Mirror festival on May 25-27, 2012 in London, England. As well, Dulli will serve as the curator, and the Whigs the headliner, for ATP's stateside edition on September 22nd, 2012 in Asbury Park, New Jersey; further dates continue to be announced, including major summer-festival headlining spots at Spain's Primavera, among others. Drummer Cully Symington (Okkervil River, Gutter Twins) and multi-instrumentalist Rick Nelson (Polyphonic Spree, Twilight Singers) will join Curley, Dulli, and McCollum for all shows, which will feature songs from the entire span of the Afghan Whigs repertoire, along with a few new surprises and songs never before played live.
These developments provided both surprise and relief for the group's members. "The pressure is really nonexistent, because we're playing songs that we've already completed - that we already know," Dulli says. "Those songs still resonate with me; in fact, they have always resonated with me. I imagine there will be people who never saw the band before, too, and that's exciting." "It will be nice to experience the Whigs again as a grown-up," jokes Curley. "In my mind, the Whigs were a live band above anything else. Playing shows always was our favorite part about being in the band, and the times when we felt the most freedom and release. I missed playing at that level; I missed playing the songs that we wrote, that meant so much to people - and to us." (from www.theafghanwhigs.com History). In 2014 they released "Do to the Beast" and performed in Ireland, Israel, and the U.S.
Somethin' Hot
Afghan Whigs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll call you sometime
I think I might, be out tonight
Maybe give you a ride
Cocktails for two, down lover's lane
I wantcha so bad, after tonight
I'll never walk the same
And you're to blame
I wanna get next to you
I wanna feel everything aboutcha, girl
I wanna feel good
You make me feel good
Baby, you don't know
Just how I lie awake
And dream awhile, about your smile
And the way you make yo ass shake
If that ain't love
I guess I'll never know
A sweeter lie, you'd be surprised
Just how far I'd go
To make it so
The lyrics to Afghan Whigs’ song Somethin' Hot tell the story of a man who's trying to seduce a woman. He's got her phone number, and he plans to call her sometime. He thinks he might go out tonight and give her a ride. He wants to take her for cocktails and hopes to end up down lover's lane with her.
He wants her so badly that after tonight, he'll never walk the same again. He blames her for the way he's feeling, and he wants to get her high so he can get next to her. He wants to feel everything about her, and he wants to feel good because she makes him feel good.
The singer lies awake at night dreaming about her smile and the way she makes her ass shake. He's fallen in love with her, and he'd do anything to make it work. He'd even tell her a sweeter lie to convince her to be with him. The song is a sensual and seductive ode to someone the singer is deeply attracted to.
Line by Line Meaning
I got your phone number, baby
I have your contact information
I'll call you sometime
I will contact you via phone at some point
I think I might, be out tonight
I might go out tonight
Maybe give you a ride
Perhaps I can give you a lift
Cocktails for two, down lover's lane
We can have drinks for two on a romantic street
I wantcha so bad, after tonight
I desire you intensely, after tonight
I'll never walk the same
You will forever change me
And you're to blame
You are the reason for my change
I wanna getcha high
I want to get you high
I wanna get next to you
I want to be close to you
I wanna feel everything aboutcha, girl
I want to experience everything about you
I wanna feel good
I want to feel pleasure
You make me feel good
You bring me pleasure
Baby, you don't know
You are unaware
Just how I lie awake
I stay up all night
And dream awhile, about your smile
And dream about your beautiful smile
And the way you make yo ass shake
And the way you move your hips
If that ain't love
If that is not love
I guess I'll never know
Then I will never know what love is
A sweeter lie, you'd be surprised
It would be a surprisingly pleasant lie
Just how far I'd go
To what extent I would go
To make it so
To make it happen
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
max gorov
I got your phone number, baby
I'll call you sometime
I think I might, be out tonight
Maybe give you a ride
Cocktails for two, down lover's lane
I wantcha so bad, after tonight
I'll never walk the same
And you're to blame
I wanna getcha high
I wanna get next to you
I wanna feel everything
I wanna feel, I wanna feel good
You make me feel good, baby, you don't know
Just how I lie awake
And dream awhile, about your smile
And the way you make your ass shake
If that ain't love
I guess I'll never know
A sweeter lie, you'd be surprised
Just how far I'd go to make it so
I wanna getcha high
I wanna get next to you
I wanna feel everything aboutcha, girl
I wanna feel good
You make me feel good, baby
I wanna getcha high
I wanna get next to you
I wanna feel everything aboutcha, girl
I wanna feel good
You make me feel good
You make me feel good
I wanna feel good
You make me feel good
I wanna feel good
I wanna feel good
I wanna feel good
I wanna feel good
I wanna feel good
Relentless Nexus134
Watching this in 2021, I'm a new fan (I'm 29). This band should be as big as Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins. The fact they even had the bravery to incorporate and celebrate Black music is inspiring. As a Black man who loves Alt Rock and soul I gotta say 1965 is one of the greatest records of the 90s and it's a damn shame these guys never got the recognition their peers did cause they deserved it. Never put out a bad record. I'll be a fan now for the rest of my life and I hope one day I might be able to see them play. I just hope the band knows their music is still important to younger people like me.
An Aesthetic Win
Yep! They fused dark grungy rock and post-punk with the black R&B and Soul music, especially from Motown, that they loved so much into something unique and beautiful!
Noeasy Lady
Amen..be sure to check out all that is Greg....magic
Amber Ferrano
I love Greg Dulli. He is one of the best singers EVER, great lyricist, frontman and great band. I guess now days it's not possible but a Greatest Hits album would have to go Dbl Platinum if not better. So underrated for how great these guys are.🥰
Jacob Davis
Jesus.... This band is incredible. How are they not more popular?
sverkhchelovek
@John 19:41 because meat is tasty
Brett x
@SherlockHolmes urban moving systems
T M
Because at the time, people were listening to shit like KoRn
Bender Rodriguez
'Cause you missed the boat.
Charlie Zelenoff
YT " EXPLOSIVE EVIDENCE" DONE!!