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.
Sneaky
Buzzcocks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You won't make up your mind
You're in the dark no light to guide each turn
It matters what I say and what I do
And truth's the light to guide you through
Adversity's the lesson we must learn
Oh sneaky sneaky
I'm with you in my dreaming
I just want you to stay
Don't take away my very heart and soul
There's no real need to say goodbye
Because you are the reason why
And staying on the path's the only goal
Oh sneaky sneaky
You never have the time to give
All your attention to me
Oh sneaky sneaky
Will you ever have the time
I sense your indecision
You won't make up your mind
You're in the dark no light to guide each turn
It matters what I say and what I do
And truth's the light to guide you through
Adversity's the lesson we must learn
Oh sneaky sneaky
You never have the time to give
All your attention to me
Oh sneaky sneaky
Will you ever have the time
Oh sneaky sneaky
You never have the time to give
All your attention to me
Oh sneaky sneaky
Will you ever have the time
Oh sneaky sneaky
The lyrics of the song "Sneaky" by Buzzcocks deal with the theme of indecision and hesitation in a relationship, and the longing for attention and commitment from a partner. The singer addresses their partner, sensing their indecision and inability to make up their mind, which leaves them feeling in the dark without any guidance. The singer acknowledges that what they say and do matters, and that truth is the light to guide them through adversity and lessons that they must learn. The repetition of the refrain "Oh sneaky sneaky, will you ever have the time" emphasizes the frustration and longing for attention from their partner, who seems to be constantly distracted and non-committal.
The use of the terms "sneaky sneaky" suggests a feeling of betrayal or mistrust in the partner's behavior, hinting that they may be hiding something or avoiding making a commitment. The plea from the singer to stay and not take away their heart and soul further emphasizes the importance of the relationship for the singer. The line "There's no real need to say goodbye, because you are the reason why" suggests that the singer is willing to overlook the partner's indecision and flaws because they are the reason for their happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
I sense your indecision
I can sense that you're not sure of what you want
You won't make up your mind
You're hesitant and can't seem to make a decision
You're in the dark no light to guide each turn
You're lost and don't know which direction to take
It matters what I say and what I do
My words and actions affect your decisions and actions too
And truth's the light to guide you through
Honesty and clarity will help you find your way
Adversity's the lesson we must learn
Learning from tough experiences helps us grow and move forward
Oh sneaky sneaky
Addressing the person's tendency to be elusive or evasive
Will you ever have the time
Asking if the person will ever prioritize their relationship enough to devote more attention to it
I'm with you in my dreaming
Thinking about the person even when away from them
I just want you to stay
Expressing a desire to keep the relationship going
Don't take away my very heart and soul
Asking not to have the most important part of oneself taken away by ending the relationship
There's no real need to say goodbye
Believing that the relationship is not truly over
Because you are the reason why
Acknowledging the importance of the person in one's life
And staying on the path's the only goal
Focusing on remaining together as the main objective
You never have the time to give
Reiterating the feeling of being neglected or not prioritized
All your attention to me
Asking for more undivided attention from the person
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PETER SHELLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jorge Gil
🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶
Langston Marcos
@Jonathan Phoenix Definitely, been watching on instaflixxer for months myself =)
Jonathan Phoenix
You probably dont care but if you guys are bored like me atm you can watch all of the latest movies and series on instaflixxer. Been binge watching with my brother for the last couple of weeks =)