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.
Uptown Again
Afghan Whigs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nobody home
Feelin' surrounded
Should never left me on my own
Remember nothing, hypnotize
They say the eyes they never lie
Your eyes have failed you dear, deny
Deny, deny I know you'll try
I'm ready to get down
Get down and move around
Baby, you cry too much
I'm tired of the sound
Yer such a baby
Uptown again
Throw me a bone
Feelin' surrounded
I've never done so well alone
The Afghan Whigs' "Uptown Again" is a reflective song dealing with the emotions felt by someone who has gone through an emotional disconnect with their loved one. The lyrics convey a sense of regret and loneliness as the singer find themselves "nobody home" while "feelin' surrounded." The bitterness of being left alone is apparent as the singer wonders how they could have been left alone by their loved ones stating "Should never have left me on my own." The song is about coming to terms with the sudden loss of connection and the confusion that follows.
The singer is attempting to make himself feel better by going out and experiencing life anew. This is made evident when the singer states that they are "uptown again" and then pleads to be untied. The song is an attempt to move on, but the singer is struggling to find the strength to do so. The singer recognizes the difficulty of the situation through the lyrics, "Deny, deny I know you'll try" indicating the inevitability of trying to forget and the difficulty of moving on from the relationship.
Overall, "Uptown Again" portrays a sense of despair, regret, and a feeling of abandonment. The lyrics narrate the struggle of coming to terms with change and trying to move on. However, the singer is seemingly stuck in the past unable to move on but hoping to find solace by experiencing the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Uptown again
Returning to city life, perhaps after a period of time spent elsewhere.
Nobody home
Feeling lonely, disconnected and unsupported.
Feelin' surrounded
Despite feeling lonely and disconnected, the city is always crowded and full of people.
Should never left me on my own
Regretting a decision to leave someone, possibly romantically, alone.
Remember nothing, hypnotize
Feeling so disoriented that even memories are blurry, perhaps as a result of intoxication or some other mental state.
They say the eyes they never lie
The cliche that eyes carry the truth about someone's thoughts and emotions.
Your eyes have failed you dear, deny
The singer claims that the addressee is lying, perhaps not carrying a truth that is believed to be seen in their eyes.
Deny, deny I know you'll try
Anticipating the addressee's attempts to refute or disregard the claims given.
Baby, untie me now
Requesting that someone release the hold on the artist, either literally or figuratively.
I'm ready to get down
Expressing a desire to engage in something pleasurable, perhaps a dance or a sexual act.
Get down and move around
Further emphasizing the desire to engage in a lively activity.
Baby, you cry too much
Acknowledging someone else's sad or negative disposition, perhaps attempting to convince them to be more positive.
I'm tired of the sound
Expressing frustration or boredom with the repetitive, melancholic behavior.
Yer such a baby
Calling out someone's disposition as being emotionally immature or childish.
Throw me a bone
Requesting that someone share or provide some form of assistance or support to the singer.
I've never done so well alone
Despite feeling lonely and disconnected, the artist has still been able to do fine on their own.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
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