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.
Jitterbug
Cardiacs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh I'm loads of rain, shower me!
Jelly muddy on strength of their bodies
And all I get is an odd feeling
Bend this spine out of mine
Feet seen my lies seen my fear in all the air
And seem like clay
Junior all pale again
So panic red and barmy eyed and
Broken as a bird in air with strangers
Beating a scene and pleased beneath me
Kicking at air better to eat with
Ah! Lightly carving away
And be wed all she wares
And if the 'sceeters don't get him
Then the 'gators all will
And junior is a jitterbug
Chesty and blue, a still born mouthful
Slid away and hid himself in the earths face
All good news for now
Rods make buildings in the sand pit
Fiona kissed my desk
Me I just stay out the way
Old ounce weights all blown upside down
Air, light, and labour saving devices
All sun skim her I don't want to go home
Drag back, lighting up time
Thin yellow on the cotton white
And the beautiful strangers stripes were green
And make her full of secrets
And sounded like her name
And sounded like her hair
Which I tried to smell but made a funny face instead
Lie for the beads, they are not for me
Hide them in a match box
Made all special with white cotton wool
Keep the ones that click on teeth
Hand me back the ones that won't
Hand me back the rest with the box
I love you
The lyrics to "Jitterbug (Junior Is A)" by Cardiacs seem quite abstract and difficult to decipher. However, the imagery woven into the song is vivid and emotionally evocative. The opening lines "Bend this spine out of mine, Oh I'm loads of rain, shower me!" suggest the singer is in some kind of mental or emotional pain, and seeks to be cleansed or purified by the rain. The lines "Jelly muddy on strength of their bodies, and all I get is an odd feeling" evoke a sense of disgust and discomfort at the sight of a group of people who are strong, but also repulsive to the singer.
The second stanza shifts the focus to Junior, who is described as "pale" and "panic red and barmy eyed". The allusion to Junior being "broken as a bird in air with strangers" suggests a sense of vulnerability and fear. The lines "beating a scene and pleased beneath me, kicking at air better to eat with" suggest that Junior is both trying to please someone and to escape from something simultaneously. The next stanza introduces the image of mosquitoes and alligators, suggesting danger and uncertainty, and the song continues on in this abstract and surreal vein, creating a sense of emotional distress and confusion.
Line by Line Meaning
Bend this spine out of mine
The singer is expressing a desire to be relieved of some sort of burden or stress
Oh I'm loads of rain, shower me!
The singer is asking for a flood of emotions or experiences, as though they want to be overwhelmed
Jelly muddy on strength of their bodies
The singer is describing others who are able to exert their strength and influence, but in a way that seems unappealing to the singer
And all I get is an odd feeling
Despite being surrounded by others who are strong and confident, the artist only feels disconnected and out of place
Feet seen my lies seen my fear in all the air
The artist is describing how their own emotions and thoughts are palpable to those around them
And seem like clay
The singer feels as though they are malleable and weak in the face of others
Junior all pale again
The singer is describing someone else who is visibly anxious or unsettled
So panic red and barmy eyed and
The artist describes the physical symptoms of the other person's anxiety
Broken as a bird in air with strangers
The other person is feeling as though they have lost control and are vulnerable, like a bird flying amongst hostile strangers
Beating a scene and pleased beneath me
The other person is trying to assert themselves and create a positive experience, but is struggling
Kicking at air better to eat with
The other person is feeling frustrated or powerless, unable to fully participate in what is going on
Ah! Lightly carving away
The artist suddenly interjects with a sense of glee or excitement
And be wed all she wares
The meaning of this line is unclear, but it seems to be associated with some sort of marriage ceremony
And if the 'sceeters don't get him
The singer is describing a potential threat to someone else, but using a slang term ('sceeters) to make it seem less serious
Then the 'gators all will
The singer is continuing this playful, slang-filled description of potential threats
And junior is a jitterbug
The artist is using a metaphor to describe the other person as jittery or anxious
Chesty and blue, a still born mouthful
The artist is using somewhat disturbing imagery to describe the other person as feeling trapped or suffocated by their own anxiety
Slid away and hid himself in the earths face
The other person is physically removed from the scene, either by leaving or by retreating inward
Rods make buildings in the sand pit
The singer is describing the act of creation, but in a way that makes it seem somewhat futile or insubstantial
Fiona kissed my desk
The artist is remembering some sort of encounter with someone named Fiona
Me I just stay out the way
The artist is describing their own tendency to avoid confrontation or contact
Old ounce weights all blown upside down
The artist is describing a sense of disorder or imbalance
Air, light, and labour saving devices
The singer lists off these items, which seem to represent the sterile environment of modern life
All sun skim her I don't want to go home
The artist is describing their attraction to some sort of external phenomenon, but also expressing a reluctance to return to their normal life
Drag back, lighting up time
The singer is using language that seems to describe something mechanical, but the meaning is unclear
Thin yellow on the cotton white
The singer is describing a visual phenomenon, but its significance is unclear
And the beautiful strangers stripes were green
The singer is describing how someone else looked, but there may be an element of confusion or distortion
And make her full of secrets
The artist is describing how this person seemed mysterious or intriguing
And sounded like her name
The sound of this person's name seemed to fit with their overall appearance or demeanor
And sounded like her hair
The singer makes a comparison between the sound of the person's name and the sound that their hair might make
Which I tried to smell but made a funny face instead
The singer is attempting to engage with this person in a sensory way, but is unsuccessful
Lie for the beads, they are not for me
The artist is describing some sort of deception or conflict associated with beads
Hide them in a match box
The artist suggests putting the beads away in a small, easy-to-store container
Made all special with white cotton wool
The artist is describing how they might make the match box more appealing or interesting
Keep the ones that click on teeth
The singer seems to be making a distinction between different types of beads, and preferring some over others
Hand me back the ones that won't
The artist wants someone else to dispose of certain beads
Hand me back the rest with the box
The singer wants someone else to return the remaining beads so that they can be put back in the box
I love you
The singer expresses a straightforward statement of affection
Contributed by Eva C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.