As well as Smith, around 23 musicians were part of the Cardiacs over the years, including Smith's brother, Jim, and multi-instrumentalist, Sarah Cutts, who married Tim Smith in 1983.
Their music combined the excitement and energy of punk with the intricacies and technical cleverness of early British progressive rock, a combination sometimes referred to as pronk, although frontman Smith disavowed this classification.
Cardiacs released eight studio albums plus a number of live albums, compilation albums and singles between 1980 and 2007, and are best known for the 1988 minor hit single "Is This the Life?" They are also noted for attracting strongly diverse responses: they have remained one of Britain's leading cult rock bands during their four-decade-spanning career, but have also attracted virulent critical attack (including a lengthy editorial ban from the British music magazine New Musical Express).
On the 30th June 1990, Cardiacs played at Salisbury Arts Centre (a former church). The show was recorded and initially the video of it was released on VHS tape under the name "All That Glitters Is A Mare's Nest". The video helped Cardiacs achieve a cult following, with pirated copies of the video, being highly sought after. The audio from the show was released on CD in 1995.
The band was on hiatus following the 2008 hospitalisation of Tim Smith after a heart attack and series of strokes which affected his speech and movement.
Commenting on his condition, in 2017, Smith wrote: “Imagine if you were wearing a skintight bodysuit made of fishnet all around you, with electrical pulses going all the time. This is what my body feels like unless I fall asleep.”
In 2018, fundraising was set up for Tim Smith, which included the comment “This condition has affected Tim’s movement, his dexterity, his ability to speak, and it has added painful muscle tone and spasms that are a permanent feature of his life these days.”
On Tuesday 21st July 2020, at around 10.30 pm, Tim Smith passed away at his home, as a result of a heart attack.
Cardiacs final album, "LSD" remained unfinished at the time of Tim Smith's death. At the time of his death, Cardiacs still remained a cult following, their recordings were not, for example, available on Spotify. For many years there were few new copies of Cardiacs albums in circulation. Later on, re-releases became available on CD and then vinyl.
Is This the Life?
Cardiacs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Always calling itself on its own phone
Though its never quite at home in the world today
See it to arranging the day
Prepared in its own special way
With added loving care
Though its not been there since yesterday
Looking so hard for a cause
And it don't care what it is
And never really ever seeing eye to eye
Though it doesn't really mind
Perhaps that's why It never really saw
Never really saw
Saw
The lyrics to Cardiacs' "Is This the Life?" touch on themes of detachment, isolation, and the search for meaning. The song describes an individual who is constantly seeking fulfillment and purpose, but is never quite able to find it. They are "following around to see a life that's never in," and always "calling itself on its own phone" - suggesting a certain level of disconnection from the world around them. Despite their efforts to "arrange the day" and live with "loving care," they feel distant and disconnected from their own life. They are "looking so hard for a cause," but don't really care what that cause is. The song suggests that this person is unable to connect with others, as they never "really ever see eye to eye," but they don't seem to mind.
Overall, "Is This the Life?" seems to lament the feeling of disconnection and isolation that the singer experiences. The lyrics suggest a desire for meaning and purpose, but also a sense of hopelessness and detachment. The song's repetitive, cyclical melody reinforces this sense of stagnation and repetition, as if the singer is trapped in an endless loop of searching.
Line by Line Meaning
Following around to see a life that's never in
Trying to find a meaningful existence that is always out of reach
Always calling itself on its own phone
Engaging in self-reflection and introspection
Though its never quite at home in the world today
Feeling out of place in society
See it to arranging the day
Organizing its daily routine
Prepared in its own special way
Developing a unique approach to life
With added loving care
Taking care to ensure everything is perfect
Though its not been there since yesterday
Still feeling incomplete without something missing from its life
Looking so hard for a cause
Searching for a purpose or reason to exist
And it don't care what it is
Being open to any possibility for significance
And never really ever seeing eye to eye
Feeling misunderstood and unable to communicate effectively with others
Though it doesn't really mind
Being okay with being different from the rest
Perhaps that's why It never really saw
Maybe because it is different, it cannot see or understand the same perspectives as others
Never really saw
Struggling to comprehend the world and finding meaning in existence
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: TIM SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind