Their first album Playing with a Different Sex is considered a post-punk classic with strong, sarcastic songs like "It's Obvious" and "We're so cool" taking a dry look at gender relations. Other songs, such as "Armagh" with its refrain,"we don't torture" took a pro-republican look at the then ongoing "Troubles" in Northern Ireland, which caused some controversy at the time.
The band's second album, Sense and Sensuality, showed an even greater influence of jazz, soul, funk and disco on the band's sound, but was less well received. The band broke up in 1983 just before they were about to go into the studio to record an album with producer Steve Lillywhite. Woods formed an all woman band called the Darlings in the late '80s, but then left the music industry. She now works as a lawyer. Guitarist, Paul Foad remains an active musician, playing with Andy Hamilton and the Blue Notes, a Jamaican Jazz band and teaching guitar in and around Birmingham. He has also published a guitar technique book, co-written with Stuart Ritchie, titled The Caged Guitarist (2000). Bass player Jane Munro works as an alternative therapist in Birmingham. Pete Hammond also remains an active musician and teaches percussion in Birmingham.
The Au Pairs released two official albums "Playing with a Different Sex" (1981) and "Sense and Sensuality" (1982). Two more albums were released in 1983: "Live in Berlin" and the "BBC Sessions".
Original Line-up:
Lesley Woods - guitar/vocals
Paul Foad - guitar/vocals
Jane Munro - bass
Pete Hammond - drums
Diet
Au Pairs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She the sink
She's not here
To think
Sits with the paper
Discuss the news
She doesn't have
Political views
Little one
Can't get to sleep
Mama my nightdress
It's hurting me
Falls on her knees
What has she done
I forgot the comfort
O little one
Press the button
On the tumble-drier
Nothing
Can send her higher
Than his shirts
Whiter than white
Gleaming
Ultrabright
Muddy floors
She cleans with flash
Scrub the bath
It doesn't scratch
Has a dance
With Mr. Sheen
See the sideboard
Sparkling clean
A woman's own diet
Keeps her figure trim
Has a headache
Takes anadin
There's a constant pain
Behind her eyes
She needs to be tranquillised
She needs to be tranquillised
She needs to be tranquillised
She needs to be tranquillised
She needs to be tranquillised
She needs to be tranquillised
He works the car
She the sink
She's not here
To think
Sits with the paper
Discuss the news
She doesn't have political views
She doesn't have political views
She doesn't have political views
She doesn't have any views
She doesn't have any views
She doesn't have any views
She doesn't have any views
She doesn't have any views
The Au Pairs' song "Diet" tells a story of a woman who is trapped in the routine of domesticity, whose world is mainly limited to household chores like doing the laundry, cleaning the house, and taking care of her child. Meanwhile, her husband is the breadwinner, who doesn't contribute to the domestic work and doesn't care about the domestic issues. Despite her hard work, her life is unsatisfying, and she has no agency or opinions. Instead, she believes that her only value lies in keeping her figure trim and taking care of her husband and child. She has to take pills to deal with the pains of her mundane life, which speaks to the deeper issues of depression that stem from her frustrating existence.
The song is a critique of the gender roles that society imposes on women, the limited choices that women have, and their lack of agency. The lines 'She doesn't have political views' and 'She doesn't have any views' represent a woman's disconnection from the happenings of the world and the frustrations that come with being expected to fulfill traditional gender roles. The song's chorus 'She needs to be tranquillised' repeats, signifying the desire to escape from reality and the pressures of her gender role.
Line by Line Meaning
He works the car
He is the one who drives the car
She the sink
She is the one who works on the sink, perhaps cleaning it or doing dishes
She's not here
To think
She is not present to have time to reflect or contemplate anything
Sits with the paper
Discuss the news
The person is reading the newspaper and having a discussion about current events with someone else
She doesn't have
Political views
The person does not have any opinions or beliefs about politics
Little one
Can't get to sleep
A child is having difficulty falling asleep
Mama my nightdress
It's hurting me
The child's nightdress is uncomfortable and causing them pain
Falls on her knees
What has she done
I forgot the comfort
O little one
The mother has a moment of realization that she didn't consider the comfort of her child's clothing and feels guilty
Press the button
On the tumble-drier
The person is starting the dryer by pressing the button
Nothing
Can send her higher
Than his shirts
The person feels very happy and satisfied when they see the whiteness and brightness of her partner's shirts after they have been washed and dried
Whiter than white
Gleaming
Ultrabright
The person is describing the high level of cleanliness and brightness of the shirts after being washed
Muddy floors
She cleans with flash
The person is using a cleaning product called Flash to clean dirty floors
Scrub the bath
It doesn't scratch
The person is scrubbing the bathtub with a product that is gentle enough to not damage the surface
Has a dance
With Mr. Sheen
The person is using a cleaning product called Mr. Sheen to clean furniture and having a playful moment while doing so
See the sideboard
Sparkling clean
The person is admiring the cleanliness of the furniture after using Mr. Sheen
A woman's own diet
Keeps her figure trim
The person is describing how following a certain diet keeps a woman in good shape
Has a headache
Takes anadin
The person has a headache and takes a pain reliever called Anadin
There's a constant pain
Behind her eyes
The person is experiencing a continuous pain in the area behind their eyes
She needs to be tranquillised
The person feels overwhelmed and stressed and needs to be calmed down
She needs to be tranquillised
The person feels overwhelmed and stressed and needs to be calmed down
She needs to be tranquillised
The person feels overwhelmed and stressed and needs to be calmed down
She needs to be tranquillised
The person feels overwhelmed and stressed and needs to be calmed down
She needs to be tranquillised
The person feels overwhelmed and stressed and needs to be calmed down
She doesn't have any views
The person does not hold any opinions or beliefs on any subject matter
Contributed by Harper S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@MereAlien
He works the car
She the sink
She's not here
To think
Sits with the paper
Discuss the news
She doesn't have
Political views
Little one
Can't get to sleep
Mama my nightdress
It's hurting me
Falls on her knees
What has she done
I forgot the comfort
O little one
Press the button
On the tumble-drier
Nothing
Can send her higher
Than his shirts
Whiter than white
Gleaming
Ultrabright
Muddy floors
She cleans with flash
Scrub the bath
It doesn't scratch
Has a dance
With Mr. Sheen
See the sideboard
Sparkling clean
A woman's own diet
Keeps her figure trim
Has a headache
Takes anadin
There's a constant pain
Behind her eyes
She needs to be tranquillised
She needs to be tranquillised
She needs to be tranquillised
She needs to be tranquillised
She needs to be tranquillised
She needs to be tranquillised
He works the car
She the sink
She's not here
To think
Sits with the paper
Discuss the news
She doesn't have political views
She doesn't have political views
She doesn't have political views
She doesn't have any views
She doesn't have any views
She doesn't have any views
She doesn't have any views
She doesn't have any views
@zoraida5924
Diet
He works the car
She the sink
She's not here
To think
Sits with the paper
Discuss the news
She doesn't have
Political views
Little one
Can't get to sleep
Mama my nightdress
It's hurting me
Falls on her knees
What has she done
I forgot the comfort
O little one
Press the button
On the tumble-drier
Nothing
Can send her higher
Than his shirts
Whiter than white
Gleaming
Ultrabright
Muddy floors
She cleans with flash
Scrub the bath
It doesn't scratch
Has a dance
With Mr. Sheen
See the sideboard
Sparkling clean
A woman's own diet
Keeps her figure trim
Has a headache
Takes anadin
There's a constant pain
Behind her eyes
She needs to be tranquillised
She needs to be tranquillised
She needs to be tranquillised
She needs to be tranquillised
She needs to be tranquillised
She needs to be tranquillised
He works the car
She the sink
She's not here
To think
Sits with the paper
Discuss the news
She doesn't have political views
She doesn't have political views
She doesn't have political views
She doesn't have any views
She doesn't have any views
She doesn't have any views
She doesn't have any views
She doesn't have any views
@patrickstafford1316
Love the bass player
@nenadsaric4615
One of the most popular bands on the parties at the time with Gang Of Four in a small town in Serbia in Jagodina.
@ninja0724
:D I u Borči...
@ivannikolic2569
Svetozarevo rules.
@Hallkardia
Please, tell me more (:
@terryomalley9669
Nenad, Saric,
What happened over there.
That's what I would like to know. Balkans war. Your entire country imploded right before our eyes. Scary.
@keithbate9405
How did you get to hear about them ?They were never part of the main stream in the UK.
@JacquiCryer
I'm 51 now .... Remember this and it's obvious do well from my college days ... Hit me then - still hits me now. Fantastic ❤️❤️
@keithbate9405
great track from a great album . saw them live many times in small venues in the early 80's and they were loud /tight and powerful / Great underrated band !
@venusinfurs76
So underrated