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.
Phone
Buzzcocks Lyrics
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You'll always return the call
You talk a long time in a certain way
But you don't really say that much at all
You are so close and yet so far away from me
Yes I get sad I get sad and lonely you're all that matters to me
Just put the phone down
I know the reason that you can't talk
What's unsaid I guess can keep
What don't you call me on the mobile phone
After all you know talk is cheap
You are so close and yet so far away from me
Yes I get sad I get sad and lonely you're all that matters to me
Just put the phone down
Just put the phone down
Just put the phone down
Just put the phone down
You are so close and yet so far away from me
Yes I get sad I get sad and lonely you're all that matters to me
Just put the phone down
Just put the phone down
Just put the phone down
Just put the phone down
Just put the phone down
Just put the phone down
Just put the phone down
Just put the phone down
The song "Phone" by Buzzcocks tells the story of lovers who, despite being close to each other, are emotionally distant. The lyrics illustrate this distance by describing times when they talk on the phone and yet, they don't say much to each other. The singer of the song is sad and lonely because they long for deeper emotional connections with their partner. The repetition of the phrase "just put the phone down" emphasizes this longing for more meaningful communication.
The lyrics also suggest that the reason the partner can't talk might be due to something unsaid. The singer seems to understand this and hints that a simple phone call could solve the problem. However, the partner fails to make this call, which further exacerbates the emotional distance between them.
Overall, the song speaks to the importance of communication and emotional closeness in relationships. It highlights the pain that can arise when these needs are not met, even when physical closeness is present.
Line by Line Meaning
At dinner while watching your favorite soap
Even though you're busy with something else, I know that you'll always return my call
You talk a long time in a certain way
When we talk on the phone, you speak for a while but you don't reveal much about yourself
But you don't really say that much at all
Despite speaking for a long time, you don't share anything meaningful with me
You are so close and yet so far away from me
Even though we speak often, I still feel like we're distant from each other
Yes I get sad I get sad and lonely you're all that matters to me
It makes me sad and lonely when we don't connect, because you mean so much to me
Just put the phone down
Instead of continuing this meaningless conversation, just end the call
I know the reason that you can't talk
I understand that you have a valid reason for not being able to talk right now
What's unsaid I guess can keep
If there are things left unsaid between us, maybe it's better to leave them that way
What don't you call me on the mobile phone
If you can't talk on the phone, why don't you use your mobile to call me and let me know?
After all you know talk is cheap
Talking on the phone isn't enough to make a connection - it takes effort and honesty
Just put the phone down
Stop pretending to have a conversation and end the call if it's not going anywhere
You are so close and yet so far away from me
Even though we have the ability to communicate easily, we still struggle to truly connect
Just put the phone down
Stop forcing a conversation and hang up the phone
Just put the phone down
Stop trying to make something happen that isn't happening and just end the call
Just put the phone down
If we're not making progress in our conversation, it's better to end it and try another time
Just put the phone down
There's no point in continuing this conversation if we're not being honest with each other
Just put the phone down
Let's end this conversation and try to connect in a more meaningful way later
Just put the phone down
We're not getting anywhere by staying on the phone, so let's end it and try again another time
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PETER SHELLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind