Later that year, they also opened for The Damned on a short tour round the north of England. November 1981 saw the release of their first single, a cover version of Ralph McTell's 'Streets of London', with the song that was to become the group's anthem, 'So What' on the B side.
In 1982, things were looking good for the band, with the 'So What Tour' in the company of such groups as Chelsea, Chron Gen and the Defects, and the release of their debut album We Are...The League. However, the Obscene Publications Squad seized all copies of their records, which were removed from shops and they were banned from TV and Radio. To top it all, they were thrown out of the Top Of The Pops studio...just because Animal happened to be carrying a 3ft axe around with him! However the year finished on a high, with the 'Hardcore Storms America' tour with the UK Subs.
Anti-Nowhere League LogoGilly (real name Mark Gilham) joined the band in 1983 as an extra guitarist, which according to the bands website,[1], was because Magoo was drinking heavily and was often unable to carry out his commitments as guitarist. The band went to Yugoslavia to record a live album, imaginatively called Live In Yugoslavia, but even this was dogged by problems with the authorities insisting that references that Animal had made about recently deceased president Tito be removed from the master tapes, and any language which they deemed to be offensive be bleeped (including a few "when’s", "it’s" and "ands" according to Animal!).
By 1984, things were not looking too good. PJ quit, unable to cope with the pressures of the drugs and alcohol lifestyle the band were now leading and they were musically inactive. 1985 saw Michael Bettel on the drums, followed in 1986 by JB (Jonathan Birch). During this time they signed for GWR Records, and recorded the Perfect Crime album. However, once again there were problems, when GWR refused to put up the money to finish the album once they heard its rough cut, and it was released unfinished to try to get back some of the money already invested in it. This was the final straw, and in 1987 ANWL disbanded. There was a "Farewell" show in 1989.
Fast forward to 1992, and Animal was working on his car, in the rain. The phone went, and it was JB, with the news that Metallica wanted Animal to guest at Wembley Arena, when they did their cover of 'So What'. Apparently Animals response was "Who the fuck are Metallica?, and anyway I'm working on my car!!" JB phoned back later, and managed to persuade Animal to do the slot. Animal put it thus on ANWL's website. "As I waited on the edge of the stage waiting to go on it suddenly dawned on me I was just about to stand in front of 10,000 punters who didn’t know me from Adam and sing a song that I couldn’t fucking remember………….all that kept running through my head was RUN you silly old fucker!". However, after the show, the bug had bitten again. Mark joined that year on Lead Guitar, and 1993 - 1995 was spent playing gigs in the small venues the band had started out in. In 1996, they signed up with Impact Records and recorded their next album Pig Iron. Beef also joined the band after Mark's departure.
1997 saw another personnel change when Winston left the band to be replaced by Jon Jon, and recording the album Scum.
Danny joined on drums in 1998.
The album Out Of Control was released a year later in 1999 2001 Magoo quit playing live shows.
2002 - now.... Jon Jon, Beef and Danny all left, to be replaced by PJ (original drummer), Jez, and Shady. This lineup of the band is still going as of April 2006.
I Hate People
Anti-Nowhere League Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And find a wall to bang my brains
I'm living in a fantasy, a nightmare dream...reality
See people ride around all day in metal boxes made away
I wish that they would drop the bomb
And kill the pigs that don't belong
I hate people
I hate the human race
I hate your ugly face
I hate people
I hate your fucking mess
I hate people
They hate me
My mother thinks I am a jerk
Because I hate my bleeding work
Be like daddy he's sincere
And don't be true because you're queer
Working at my nine to five
With boring cunts that give me jibe
Talking of the love they never give
They never give they never give
I hate people
I hate the human race
I hate people
I hate your ugly face
I hate people
I hate your fucking mess
I hate people
They hate me
God I wish that I could hide away
And find a wall to bang my brains
I'm living in a fantasy, a nightmare dream...reality
See people ride around all day in metal boxes made away
I wish that they would drop the bomb
And kill the pigs that don't belong
I hate people
I hate the human race
I hate people
I hate your ugly face
I hate people
I hate your fucking mess
I hate people
They hate me
My mother thinks I am a jerk
Because I hate my bleeding work
Be like daddy he's sincere
And don't be true because you're queer
Working at my nine to five
With boring cunts that give me jibe
Talking of the love they never give
They never give they never give
I hate people
I hate the human race
I hate people
I hate your ugly face
I hate people
I hate your fucking mess
I hate people
And they hate me
The Anti-Nowhere League's song I Hate People is a satire on the mundane, conformist lifestyle that society imposes on individuals with limited choices. The lyrics express a deep desire to escape society's trappings and the longing to find a meaningful existence. The singer wishes to bang his head against a wall and escape the reality of living in a world obsessed with material things. He is filled with disgust towards people who ride around all day in their metal boxes and hates the human race for their lack of compassion and understanding towards those who do not fit into their preconceived idea of normalcy.
The singer's frustration is further compounded by his experiences at work, surrounded by boring co-workers who only talk about the love they never give. His mother deems him a jerk for hating his job, thereby perpetuating the cycle of conformity. The song highlights the importance of confronting societal norms and expectations, and the need to break free from these constraints to live an authentic life.
Line by Line Meaning
God I wish that I could hide away
The singer wishes to escape from society and disappear completely.
And find a wall to bang my brains
The singer is so fed up with people that they want to physically harm themselves.
I'm living in a fantasy, a nightmare dream...reality
The singer's life seems like a combination of a dream and a nightmare, and it's hard to distinguish between what's real and what's not.
See people ride around all day in metal boxes made away
The artist is frustrated by how society values metal transportation over human interaction.
I wish that they would drop the bomb
The artist is so disillusioned with humanity that they wish for mass destruction.
And kill the pigs that don't belong
The singer sees those in power as 'pigs' and wishes for their demise as they don't deserve to be in control.
I hate people
The singer has an intense contempt for humanity in general.
I hate the human race
The artist despises the entire human species.
I hate your ugly face
The artist specifically hates individuals for their physical appearance.
I hate your fucking mess
The artist is fed up with the chaos and disorder that people create in their surroundings.
They hate me
The singer feels alienated and disliked by society as a whole.
My mother thinks I am a jerk
The artist's own mother disapproves of their attitude and behavior towards people.
Because I hate my bleeding work
The singer hates their job, which causes their frustration towards people to increase.
Be like daddy he's sincere
The singer's father is seen as a role model for being genuine and authentic, unlike everyone else.
And don't be true because you're queer
The singer doesn't conform to societal norms and is seen as 'queer', but still wants to be true to themselves.
Working at my nine to five
The artist works a typical office job, which contributes to their frustration and hatred towards people.
With boring cunts that give me jibe
The artist dislikes their coworkers who they see as dull, mediocre people who annoy them.
Talking of the love they never give
The singer's coworkers talk about love, but the singer believes they never truly give or receive it.
I hate people
Reiteration of the singer's intense disdain for humanity.
I hate the human race
Reiteration of the artist's hatred towards the entire human species.
I hate your ugly face
Reiteration of the artist's dislike towards specific individuals based on their appearance.
I hate your fucking mess
Reiteration of the artist's frustration towards the disorder people create in their surroundings.
They hate me
Reiteration of the singer's feeling of being alienated and disliked by society.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: CLIVE HARVEY BLAKE, NICK JOHN CULMER, CHRIS DAVID EXALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Shikta-poobah67
Basically my lifelong theme song, only with increasing relevance every year that passes. Currently it’s off the charts.
Daniel Guerriero
This song never gets old. In fact the older I get the more I love it.
Shikta-poobah67
The older I get, the more people I hate… so yeah.
Chan Jackie
Hey ! You starting to grow up !
pmc40
Too true, love this song, exactly how I feel these days
Gustavo wolfman Figueroa
the personal anthem for anyone who has ever worked retail
Chuck Garrido
So true! :)
Thor Voytko
too true
ClydeJarrod37UK
LOLOLOLOLOLOL
Pep
For retail workers, cops and nurses!!!
My personal anthem after a hard night! 😂