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.
Wake Up Call
Buzzcocks Lyrics
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Life's not what it seems
This is the time for your wake up call
No sense of being
No way of seeing
This is the time for your wake up call
On that ice you swerve
This is the time for your wake up call
When you're living a lie
Can't see eye to eye
This is the time for your wake up call
Tell me, tell me, tell me
Tell me what were you thinking of
Tell me, tell me, tell me
Tell me what were you thinking of
No cause for alarm
It can't do you no harm
This is the time for your wake up call
So you walk in your sleep
All those dreams you can keep
This is the time for your wake up call
The lyrics of Buzzcocks's song Wake Up Call seem to convey a sense of urgency to the listener to snap out of their illusions and face reality. The song begins with the lines "Well you live in a dream, life's not what it seems," which establishes the theme of disillusionment. The singer urges the listener to wake up and abandon their illusions, saying "This is the time for your wake up call." The second verse emphasizes this point by stating, "No sense of being, no way of seeing," meaning that the listener is disconnected from reality and lacks awareness.
The lyrics also make reference to driving on ice and swerving, alluding to the dangerous consequences of being disconnected from reality. The lines "When you're living a lie, can't see eye to eye" suggest that the listener has been lying to themselves and no longer sees the world clearly. The chorus then asks the listener to reflect on their actions, by saying "tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me what were you thinking of." The final verse reminds the listener that waking up will not harm them, and that they should let go of their dreams and illusions.
Overall, Wake Up Call is a call to action for listeners to break out of their illusions, face reality, and make necessary changes in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Well you live in a dream
You're not living in reality
Life's not what it seems
Your perception of life is not accurate
This is the time for your wake up call
It's time for you to realize the truth
No sense of being
You lack a sense of purpose
No way of seeing
You can't see the big picture
On that ice you swerve
You're skating on thin ice
Well you got a nerve
You're audacious
When you're living a lie
You're not being truthful with yourself or others
Can't see eye to eye
You don't share the same perspective as someone else
Tell me, tell me, tell me
I want to know
Tell me what were you thinking of
Explain your thought process
No cause for alarm
There's no need to panic
It can't do you no harm
It won't hurt you
So you walk in your sleep
You're not fully awake or aware
All those dreams you can keep
You can hold onto your fantasies and desires, but you also need to face reality
This is the time for your wake up call
It's a critical moment for you to snap out of your delusions and face the truth
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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