Over the years Cabaret Voltaire's music continued to evolve, from its experimental, Velvet Underground-inspired beginnings in the mid 1970s to the pop-oriented dance music in the early 1990s. Each consequent phase saw the band pushing the boundaries of its time, proving highly influential for the many electronic artists that followed in its footsteps. The band pioneered many techniques that for years fuelled industrial music and consequent electronic genres such as house and techno. Among these were the cut-up techniques of William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin, using snippets of spoken word (pre-dating sampling), and incorporating experimental video in their live shows (pre-dating VJ-ing).
The band first came to public attention in the late 1970s, during the era of post-punk and industrial music, with their debut album Mix-Up (1979) and the EP Nag Nag Nag with its seminal noise-punk title track. They honed their style with the follow-up albums Voice of America (1980) and Red Mecca (1981).
The early 1980s was an important transitional phase for the band, as it shifted towards more structured dance music. In late 1981, halfway during the recording of the album 2X45 (released in 1982), Watson left the group, which continued as a duo until their (de facto) disbandment in 1994.
In 1983, with the album The Crackdown, the Cabs switched labels from Rough Trade to Virgin and started using increasingly more digital technology. A prime example is their industrial funk dance floor hit Sensoria from 1984, which got picked up by MTV and saw the band starting to infiltrate the mainstream.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s Cabaret Voltaire continued their trajectory towards dance pop incorporating house and techno styles, with many tracks like Easy Life and later Colours fusing hooks with all the excitement of the then burgeoning rave scene in the UK.
By 1994, on the duo's last album The Conversation, Mallinder's input had become insignificant and he left the band after its release. From then on until his death in 2021, Kirk had sole legal ownership of the Cabaret Voltaire name. His view was that, as Watson and Mallinder had both left the band, he was left to carry it on. He used the name for remix projects of Kora and The Tivoli in 2010, and for the albums Shadow Of Fear (2020), Dekadrone (2021) and BN9Drone (2021).
Kirk had a staggering amount of solo outings under various names. His Sweet Exorcist collaboration with DJ Parrot opened the doors for Warp Records in their "bleep" days, was the harbinger for the sonic experimentation of Aphex Twin, Autechre, The Black Dog, and more. Other solo projects of Kirk were Sandoz, Biochemical Dread, Bit Crackle, Blacworld, Chemical Agent, Cold Warrior and Dark Magus, to name but a few.
Mallinder has since been involved in various projects, such as Ku-Ling Bros., Sassi & Loco, Hey, Rube! and most recently Wrangler.
As well as working on his own aural experiments, Watson now works as a critically-acclaimed sound recordist, developing some innovative techniques for Natural History radio and TV, such as the BBC's Galapagos series in 2006.
Nag Nag Nag
Cabaret Voltaire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nag Nag Nag
Nag Nag Nag
Nag Nag Nag
Home again
Asphalt boys
Broken bodies
Not too tall
Amoeba like
Mono head
Mono mind
Nag Nag Nag
Nag Nag Nag
Nag Nag Nag
Nag Nag Nag
Live for lust
Quite unnerving
Live unjust
Even more frightening
15 minute pharaohs
Happy now
Golden hands then back below
Nag Nag Nag
Nag Nag Nag
Nag Nag Nag
Nag Nag Nag
What nerve
Perfect face
Perfect stranger
Perfect place
Up to now so far so good
Please recall if you could
Nag Nag Nag
Nag Nag Nag
Nag Nag Nag
Nag Nag Nag
The song "Nag Nag Nag" by Cabaret Voltaire starts off with a repetitive chant of the title, which sets the tone for the rest of the track. The lyrics themselves are quite cryptic and difficult to decode, but they seem to depict a sense of monotony and ennui in daily life. The line "Home again, asphalt boys, broken bodies, broken toys" could refer to the disillusionment and sense of isolation that urbanites often experience.
The lyrics also refer to the idea of conformity and uniformity, as seen in the lines "Not too tall, amoeba-like, mono head, mono mind". This suggests a lack of individuality and an adherence to societal norms. The lyrics "Live for lust, quite unnerving, live unjust, even more frightening" seem to portray the darker, more sinister aspects of human behavior, highlighting our tendency towards desire and imbalance.
Overall, "Nag Nag Nag" can be interpreted as a commentary on the banality and suffocation of our modern society, and the need to break free from the monotony.
Line by Line Meaning
Nag Nag Nag
Repeatedly expressing minor grievances or complaints
Nag Nag Nag
Continued nagging or pestering
Nag Nag Nag
Persistent repetition of unimportant matters
Nag Nag Nag
Repetitive complaining or faultfinding
Home again
Returning to a familiar place
Asphalt boys
Streetwise youths
Broken bodies
Injured or disabled physical form
Broken toys
Damaged or dysfunctional playthings
Not too tall
Lacking in height
Amoeba like
Resembling a single-celled organism
Mono head
Having a single-minded focus
Mono mind
Limited or narrow thinking
Live for lust
Existing solely for sexual gratification
Quite unnerving
Rather unsettling or disturbing
Live unjust
Endure an unfair existence
Even more frightening
More terrifying than expected
15 minute pharaohs
Temporary rulers who will soon be forgotten
Happy now
Satisfied in the present moment
Golden hands then back below
Basking in accolades before returning to obscurity
What nerve
How audacious or daring
Perfect face
Flawless appearance
Perfect stranger
Completely unknown person with a flawless exterior
Perfect place
Impeccable setting or environment
Up to now so far so good
Everything has gone well up until this point
Please recall if you could
Kindly remember if you are able to
Contributed by London J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@fuzzface100
This is probably THE most criminally underrated punk track of all time (admittedly late to the party) but you can hear so many influences from this in music today. The Cabs were so far ahead of their time.
@peterheatley7670
This is the First time that i have viewed this video. I used to dance to this record in the indie room at Pips in Manchester way back in 1979. Brings back memories
@lewisb85
my friend once described them to me as "joy division with added dystopia" and he was right they became one of my favriote bands ever from the day i heard this song.
@nassreddin3064
if you're interested, the 'sampled' (spun-in) voice is Patrick Moore from "The Sky at Night" (2:20 & 3:10 & elsewhere). sorry if that doesn't mean much to people outside the UK and younger than 30. even if you're not interested, it's still true =) was actually conceived as a cover of a Seeds song.
@jermey1
+Nassr Eddin Thanks for the comment and the information that you just mentioned. I did not know that it was Patrick Moore but than again I never knew who he was until you mention him.. :) Again Thanks!! :)
@markadamtube
all of the cabs should be knighted for services to pop music. i was there in the 80s in sheffield and they were our very own velvet underground. thanks guys. still sounds good today
@oSMITHEREENZo
Great tune and brought back a lot of memories... John Peel used to hammer this during his show, he was a massive fan and helped promote them
@chinkogakusaizo
I never get bored of listing to Cabs.Anything from thier very early RoughTrade years up to EMI years.Legend.
@pattycat100567
MAN IVE BEEN LOOKIN FOR THIS FOR DECADES,FIRST HEARD IT ON 1985????MTVS"SNUBBED'ALONG WITH THE DIGITS AND POP WILL EAT ITSELF,YES...MTV DID PLAY REAL UNDERGROUND ONCE,I ALWAYS WATCHED CUTTING EDGE HAPPY HOUR THEN 120 MINUTES THEN THE YOUNG ONES,THE YOUTH TODAY JUST MISSED OUT,39 AND TIRED
@Zelda36J
You are right - bought this when it came out in 78 and loved the pouting lead singer !!