They are commonly regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement and the punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock genres in general. They are primarily remembered for their singles, a string of would-be hits that combined a strong grasp of pop song craftsmanship with rapid-fire punk energy. These singles were collected on Singles Going Steady, described by critic Ned Raggett as a "punk masterpiece" The widely covered "Ever Fallen in Love?" remains one of their best-known songs.
The name "Buzzcocks" partially comes from the Manchester slang term cock meaning youngster, and its use in the 1970s ITV drama serial Rock Follies which included the catch phrases "that's the buzz, cocks" and "give me a buzz, cock!"
Buzzcocks were one of the key first generation British punk rock bands to form in the wake of the Sex Pistols in 1976. They were founded by Mancunians Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto, however Devoto left soon after the group released their Spiral Scratch EP (on their own independent label), leaving Shelley to take over vocals.
They are best known for their catchy, poppy punk sound, which has been widely influential, which was adopted as Peter Shelley took over on the vocals, singing about what the whole punk rock scene opted not to sing about: love. Devoto in the meanwhile formed Magazine.
They rehearsed in a friend's kitchen and played at the all-day 100 club punk "festival", in London. At the end of 1977 the band signed to United Artists and released "Orgasm Addict", with Shelley's high-pitched vocal delivery and Ramones-esque fuzz-guitar sound ensuring the controversial single would be played over again. Later came "What Do I Get?" which hit the UK charts and showed Shelley's brilliance in songwriting.
An LP was then released, Another Music in a Different Kitchen which came with its own carrier bag, labelled "Product". In 1978-79 five chart-hitting singles were released including "Ever Fallen in Love?" and had captured a pop-loving audience by this time. Love Bites, their second LP was released later on, which had less excitement than the last album, though it did sell well, with Steve Diggle taking over lyric-writing.
October 1979 saw A Different Kind of Tension which was panned by some critics, quite unfairly, as it contains some excellent songs, the title track being the stand-out. It perhaps suffered from being the second album to be released that year, with the record company keen to capitalise on the band's chart success at the time.
3 more singles followed in 1980, but the spark had clearly gone out for a while. Musical differences and the long slog behind them led to the band splitting in early 1981. Pete Shelley embarked in a solo career..
He released three dance/electronic influenced solo albums: Homosapien, XL1 and Heaven and The Sea - all with the same fine songwriting skills. Meanwhile, Steve Diggle formed Flag of Convenience - a power pop combo - and toured with some success.
A 5 album/CD set was released in 1989 called Product, which contained all the albums to date, plus the greatest hits and B sides album, Singles Going Steady, and the last non-album singles, Why She's A Girl From the Chainstore, Airwaves Dream and Running Free, plus the B sides
In 1992 the Buzzcocks reformed, without original drummer John Maher and bassist Steve Garvey, and releasd Trade Test Transmissions in 1993, quite different from their earlier material, with nods to the power pop scene popular at the time. All Set in 1996 saw a return to form with familiar riffs and pin sharp lyrics pop-punk. Next year Chronology was released, the missing album, including outtakes from the three United Artists albums. In 1999 they released Modern, which saw Shelley in reflective mode and Steve Diggle taking over more of the vocal duties.
Then followed another brief break in 2000, with Shelley teaming up with old band-mate Howard Devoto to release a largely disappointing album, Buzzkunst. Compilations followed, including Inventory in 2003, which contained every single to date, and 30 in 2005 to celebrate 30 years performing
2005 saw the Buzzcocks back touring and in 2007 they released the superb Flat Pack Philosophy, widely agreed to rank up with the best of Buzzcocks output
2008/9 saw a short tour where the band played tracks from Another Music and Love Bites.
In August 2011 they headlined the first night of The Rhythm Festival in Bedfordshire.
In November 2011 it was announced they would be playing two shows in 2012 that would feature the original line-up as well as the classic line-up of the band reunited for the first time in many years; these shows took place on 25 May 2012 in Manchester at the O2 Apollo and on 26 May in Brixton at the O2 Academy. It was announced on 26 May 2012 that, for the first time, they would headline Thursday night in the Empress Ballroom at the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool sharing the stage with the likes of Rancid, Public Image Limited and Social Distortion.
On 1 May 2014 Buzzcocks released the album The Way via PledgeMusic. On 13 September 2014 Buzzcocks played "a brief but triumphant set" at Riot Fest 2014 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. In October 2014 Buzzcocks toured the U.K. for three weeks with The Dollyrots as main support.
In 2016, the band embarked on their 40th-anniversary tour (dubbed "Buzzcocks 40"). In 2017, "Why Can't I Touch It" was featured in the opening segment of the Telltale game 'Guardians of the Galaxy.
Buzzcocks continue to be a huge influence on many bands and are still enjoyed by a large, and very loyal, fanbase.
Pete Shelley died on 6 December 2018.
A Different Kind of Tension
Buzzcocks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come in, stay out
Be yourself, be someone else
Obey the law, break the law
Be ambitious, be modest
Plan ahead, be spontaneous
Decide for yourself, listen to others
Be good, be evil
Be wise, be foolish
Be safe, be dangerous
Be satisfied, be envious
Be honest, be deceitful
Be faithful, be perfidious
Be sane, be mad
Be strong, be weak
Be enigmatic, be plain
Be aggressive, be peaceful
Be brave, be timid
Be humane, be cruel
Be critical, be appreciative
Be temperamental, calm
Be sad, be happy
Be normal, be unusual
Stop, go, live, die
Yes, no, rebel, submit
Right, wrong, sit down, stand up
Create, destroy, accept, reject
Talk, silence, speed up, slow down
This way, that way, right, left
Present, absent, open, closed
Entrance, exit, believe, doubt
Truth, lies, escape, meet
Love, hate, thank you, flunk
Clarify, pollute, simple, complex
Nothing, something, stop, go
Live, die, yes, no
Rebel, submit, right, wrong
Sit down, stand up, create, destroy
Accept, reject, talk, silence
The lyrics of Buzzcocks' song "A Different Kind Of Tension" present a series of paradoxes and opposing ideas that invite the listener to reconsider their assumptions about good and bad, order and chaos, conformity and rebellion, and other dualities that define our lives. By juxtaposing contradictory commands and choices, the song challenges the notion that there is a clear-cut path to follow or a set of values to uphold. Instead, it suggests that life is a series of trade-offs, compromises, and experiments in which the individual must find their own way, even if it means going against the grain or embracing ambiguity.
The lyrics start with a set of contradictory directives that create confusion and ambiguity. "Wait here, go there" suggests that the destination is uncertain and that the individual must balance patience and restlessness. "Come in, stay out" implies that there are boundaries and that the individual must navigate them carefully. "Be yourself, be someone else" challenges the notion of authenticity and raises the question of whether one can change or adapt without losing their identity. "Obey the law, break the law" confronts the listener with the dilemma of whether to conform or rebel, and what the consequences of each choice might be.
The rest of the song continues in the same vein, as the lyrics offer a series of paradoxes and opposites that juxtapose the familiar and the unfamiliar, the desirable and the undesirable, the rational and the irrational, and the positive and the negative. By doing so, the song invites the listener to think critically and creatively about their own values, beliefs, and actions and to explore the tension between different forms of expression and experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Wait here, go there
Stay in one place or explore new possibilities
Come in, stay out
Inviting someone in or keeping them at a distance
Be yourself, be someone else
Staying true to yourself or pretending to be someone you're not
Obey the law, break the law
Following rules or going against them
Be ambitious, be modest
Working towards big goals or being content with small ones
Plan ahead, be spontaneous
Having a set plan or going with the flow
Decide for yourself, listen to others
Making independent choices or taking others' opinions into account
Save money, spend money
Prioritizing saving or enjoying immediate gratification
Be good, be evil
Choosing virtuousness or embracing wickedness
Be wise, be foolish
Being sensible or reckless
Be safe, be dangerous
Playing it safe or taking risks
Be satisfied, be envious
Feeling content with what you have or desiring what others possess
Be honest, be deceitful
Telling the truth or being dishonest
Be faithful, be perfidious
Staying loyal or betraying trust
Be sane, be mad
Retaining composure or losing grip on reality
Be strong, be weak
Being resilient or susceptible to failure
Be enigmatic, be plain
Having an air of mystery or being transparent
Be aggressive, be peaceful
Displaying anger or opting for calmness
Be brave, be timid
Facing fears or backing down
Be humane, be cruel
Embracing empathy or displaying malice
Be critical, be appreciative
Pointing out flaws or recognizing achievements
Be temperamental, calm
Being erratic or keeping emotions under control
Be sad, be happy
Sinking into despair or experiencing joy
Be normal, be unusual
Fitting in or standing out
Stop, go, live, die
Pausing or moving forward, being alive or dead
Yes, no, rebel, submit
Agreeing or disagreeing, standing up or conforming
Right, wrong, sit down, stand up
Choosing right or wrong sides, being passive or active
Create, destroy, accept, reject
Building up or tearing down, acknowledging or denying
Talk, silence, speed up, slow down
Communicating or withholding, rushing or taking it slow
This way, that way, right, left
Heading in a particular direction or changing course
Present, absent, open, closed
Being there or missing, accessible or locked up
Entrance, exit, believe, doubt
Entering or leaving, having faith or being uncertain
Truth, lies, escape, meet
Being honest or deceitful, running away or coming together
Love, hate, thank you, flunk
Expressing love or hate, showing gratitude or failure
Clarify, pollute, simple, complex
Bringing understanding or confusion, being simple or intricate
Nothing, something, stop, go
Having or lacking, halting or continuing
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PETER SHELLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DJ Drack
I'm not one to put stock in most 'over analyzed' approaches to literature or lyrics, but this one is interesting.
Besides being full of polar opposites and the subtle feeling of it all being a form of control and choice there 'might' be more;
In the lines with 4 parts 'Create, destroy, accept, reject', etc there seems to be an interesting theme to it, possibly a coincidence of alternating 'positive/negative' style polars.
When interpreted as A, B, C, D if you read it is A C, B D then you get interesting notions;
- Stop live, go die/ yes, rebel. No submit/Create, accept. Destroy, reject/Sit Down, create. Stand up, destroy.
If it was intentional it would be an emphasis of choice of actions in an allegorical/symbolic way. IE he who sits down can think to create works on paper; he who stands up takes action, with intent to destroy.
Just an overly thought out idea on the song. :). Probably totally wrong.
Alastair Thomson
A last attempt at Punk.... Magic ........ One of the best bands ever....
iiLzeeable M.
Is amazing how their music always transcend...
Kaseb Mohamed
One of my favourite song from the Buzzcocks, powerful and original, it reminds me of Simple Minds' Citizen (Dance Of Youth), which had a similar melody and the same feel, but both were recorded in summer 79 so it's just a coincidence!
Chris Horn
Love this band... Always have... Always will...
Larz Gustafsson
YES!!!!! Magnicficent!!! Thank you for posting this! Highly appreciated!!
Peter Daigle
A nugget from my past. Haven't heard this in its entirety in over 25 years.
James Ian-Allen
1979...the year uk punk bands stopped being "punk" bands and became "studio" bands...with seriously magical results! :)
Ruben Frankin
there music had such a diverse style. I can't describe it but if I could I would say they had elements of mod, power pop, Nashville # system w/ amazing rhythm and beat
Lewis Lowrey
This tight angularity can be found in late 70's early 80s Nashville original bands like Shadow 15, Russian Roulette, Factual, Clockhammer, Children of Noise, and others. Who made who?
Culture Connection
1979 was a very good year for music!