Bratmobile was an American punk band. Growing from the rich Northwest and W… Read Full Bio ↴Bratmobile was an American punk band. Growing from the rich Northwest and Washington, DC underground and influenced by indie pop in the United States as well as Britpop, girl groups, grunge, and punk rock, Bratmobile was a first-generation Riot Grrrl band. Formed when University of Oregon students Allison Wolfe and Molly Neuman collaborated on an influential feminist fanzine, Girl Germs, Bratmobile played its first show as a two-woman act at Olympia's North Shore Surf Club on Valentine's Day, 1991 with Molly and Allison sharing duties on guitar, drums, and vocals. During spring break 1991, Allison and Molly went to Washington, DC to follow Beat Happening and Nation Of Ulysses on tour and try to work on a new form of Bratmobile. Beat Happening's Calvin Johnson had previously introduced Molly to nascent guitarist Erin Smith from Bethesda, Maryland during the Christmas holiday in December, 1990 at a Nation Of Ulysses show in Washington, DC. Smith was co-author, with her brother, of the much-revered TV pop culture fanzine Teenage Gang Debs when Allison and Molly asked her to jam with them. It clicked, and in July 1991 the trio played their first show as a 3-piece with Molly Neuman on drums, Erin Smith on guitar, and Allison Wolfe on vocals. While in D.C. the band was briefly joined by Christina Billotte ( of Autoclave and Slant 6) and Jen Smith ( of The Quails). This line -up released a very limited-issue cassette called Bratmobile D.C., but Jen and Christina stayed behind when the group returned to Olympia. They were just in time to play at the historic International Pop Underground Convention in Olympia, Washington, becoming the only band to appear twice.

From their first shows, Bratmobile was considered an exciting and important addition to the fertile early '90s NorthWest scene. From 1991 to 1994 Bratmobile released a classic album, Pottymouth, and an EP, The Real Janelle, on Kill Rock Stars, as well as The Peel Session recording before the intense media scrutiny and inner pressures of the Riot Grrl movement hastened the band's breakup (on stage, no less) in 1994.

For five years, the Brats honed their skills in other bands and developed their lives with other pursuits. Neuman moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and began working at East Bay punk record label Lookout! Records, for which she now acts as general manager and co-owns. She also played in The PeeChees and The Frumpies and continued to perfect her stylish, powerful drumming; Allison Wolfe moved to Washington, DC, and she and Maryland-based Erin Smith started a new band together called Cold Cold Hearts. Allison's feminism and activism found many significant outlets and Erin's guitar playing grew more accomplished and technical while always staying true to her minimalist pop leanings. Then in 1999, the three women decided to reunite for a low-key show in Oakland's Stork Club. The chemistry was right, and the band was relaunched to go on tour with Sleater-Kinney.

In 2000, Bratmobile released their second full length studio album, Ladies, Women and Girls, to an audience who had never forgotten them and never found a replacement for their poppy, sassy, smart, bratty, sexy punk. The album delighted critics and earned Bratmobile new fans as they toured with Sleater-Kinney, The Donnas, The Locust, and more. Ladies, Women and Girls was released on Neuman's Lookout! Records and produced by Tim Green of Nation of Ulysses and The Fucking Champs. Jon Nikki (Prima Donnas, Gene Defcon, Sarah Dougher) added guitar, bass and keyboard parts to flesh out the famously minimal Brat sound.

On May 7, 2002, Bratmobile released their third album, Girls Get Busy. On Girls Get Busy, Bratmobile's best lady friend, Audrey Marrs, (Mocket, Gene Defcon) adds keyboards that help give the album its distinctive new sound. Roadie extraordinaire Marty Violence (Young Pioneers) also contributed bass, a Bratmobile first.

After dedicating most of 2002 and 2003 to promoting Girls Get Busy via touring, each of the principal members went back to do other things. While the band didn't formally break up Allison Wolfe did post this message on January 30th, 2004 in the Bratmobile message board concerning the status of the band: "Yeah, sorry to say i think Bratmobile is through. We never had a certain incident where anyone said "I quit" or whatever, so it's been vague and drawn out. Sorry if that's been confusing to people. I think all 3 of us just have different ways of doing things and different things we want to do now, in and outside of music. Molly has just been so busy with managing the Donnas and the Locust, and as co-owner of Lookout! Records. Erin is also working full time at Lookout! Records. I've been living across the country in Washington DC, working 2 part-time jobs, and now doing other musical things. I'm now in Hawnay Troof, Baby Truth, and also a new girl band in DC called Partyline."

Love Thing
Bratmobile Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Admit it, innocent little girls
Turn you on don't they?
You like to make them cry
You ike to tell them why
You like to grow them up
Swallow hard and throw them up
I would die to hate you
See my heart in my hand

Do you really understand
Get my heart of yer hand
Get yer hand off my heart
I would die to hate you
But its a lovething
You say you got this love thing
You think its just a love thing
Fuck yer fuckin LOVE thing
By the way, yer bright eyes are not so encouraging
You want my youth so bad
You love to see me sad
All the sunlight that you say

Can never make it go away
I wouid die to not care anymore.

Overall Meaning

Bratmobile's "Love Thing" has been described as a scathing take on predatory men and their desire for younger, innocent women. The lyrics paint a picture of a victim who is cognitive of the harmful intentions of the abuser, yet feels trapped in a twisted form of love. The song acknowledges the insecurities and emotional abuse that comes with these types of relationships.

The first verse, "Admit it, innocent little girls / Turn you on don't they? / You like to make them cry / You like to tell them why," highlights the perpetrator's desire for vulnerable women and his inclination to manipulate them. The next two lines reveal that he desires to mature them quickly, which he eventually throws up, suggesting that the victim is disposable to him. The chorus, "I would die to hate you / See my heart in my hand / Do you really understand / Get my heart of yer hand / Get yer hand off my heart / I would die to hate you / But it's a love thing," expresses a sense of helplessness and obsession with the perpetrator, despite the realization that he's toxic. The last two lines suggest the twisted nature of love in abusive relationships, and the line "But it's a love thing" indicates the victim's reluctance to relinquish the relationship altogether.

Overall, the lyrics of "Love Thing" condemn the sexualization of young women and highlight the emotional manipulation that occurs in these types of relationships. The song's unapologetic and raw critique of predatory behavior makes it an important feminist anthem that speaks to the experiences of many young women.

Line by Line Meaning

Admit it, innocent little girls
You have a thing for young and vulnerable girls, don't you?

Turn you on don't they?
They arouse you, right?

You like to make them cry
It gives you pleasure to make them weep.

You like to tell them why
You feel powerful when explaining everything to them.

You like to grow them up
You want to shape them into adults, even if it's not their own will.

Swallow hard and throw them up
You enjoy the process of breaking them apart after raising them.

I would die to hate you
I wish I could despise you to escape from your grip.

See my heart in my hand
I am showing you how much you are hurting me.

Do you really understand
Are you even capable of comprehending what you are doing to me?

Get my heart of yer hand
Please let me go.

Get yer hand off my heart
Stop holding onto me.

But its a lovething
Despite everything, I am still drawn to you.

You say you got this love thing
You believe that what you are doing is love.

You think its just a love thing
You perceive your twisted infatuation as pure love.

Fuck yer fuckin LOVE thing
Your concept of love is worthless and does not excuse your actions.

By the way, yer bright eyes are not so encouraging
I am not enticed by your charm anymore.

You want my youth so bad
You are obsessed with my uncorrupted nature.

You love to see me sad
It satisfies you to see me suffer.

All the sunlight that you say
Even if you try to brighten up my day,

Can never make it go away
It will not erase the pain you have caused me.

I would die to not care anymore.
I wish I could stop feeling anything for you.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: SUSAN G. MEDLEY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS

No Related Genres

More Genres

No Artists Found

More Artists Load All

No Albums Found

More Albums Load All

No Tracks Found

Genre not found

Artist not found

Album not found

Search results not found

Song not found

Comments from YouTube:

Eldon Stracke II

8y↑20

This CD is currently on rotation as one of my driving discs. It's still one of my favorite KRS releases (top would still be the Kill Rock Stars compilation album- which incidentally also has my favorite Bratmobile track on it, 'Girl Germs').

Thanks for the post, and for keeping music about music :-)