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.
The Stench of Honey
Cardiacs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Easy life and love for money
Violent shrieking sirens of warning
Aeroplanes up in the evening
We split a wing of that one tiny fly
In the world that he thrives
In the world that he dies on other world
Birds of ill omen forever
Airmen lay their heads together
In the once that he dies
Getting heard get a word in
As I saw you deserved
As I saw you deserved in as deserved
One single fly, flying and singing
Flying in a room singing hard
In a room as deserved
We split a wing of that one tiny fly
In the world that he thrives
In the world that he dies on
Shot pilot blind, and a sight for his eyes
In the air where he flies
In the air where he dies
We split the wings, tiny blue spitfire wings
Thousands shot pilot blind
And a thousand tiny flies
And that thousands to be won
To be won in their thousands to be won
The lyrics to Cardiacs' song "The Stench of Honey" are enigmatic, with fragmented lines that suggest a stream-of-consciousness narrative that is difficult to parse. The opening lines, "Loves smell for the stench of honey / Easy life and love for money," suggest a tension between the pleasures of love and the quest for material wealth. The violent imagery that follows, with "shrieking sirens of warning" and "aeroplanes up in the evening," introduces a sense of danger and urgency.
The middle section of the lyrics seems to describe the arbitrary nature of life and death, with references to a "tiny fly" that is both thriving and dying in different worlds. The lines "Birds of ill omen forever / Airmen lay their heads together" suggest a connection between the natural world and the violence of human conflict. The final lines of the song bring together these disparate elements, with references to a "shot pilot" and a "tiny blue spitfire," images that suggest the chaos of war and the fragility of life.
Interestingly, Cardiacs' music is known for its energetic, punk-influenced sound, and the lyrics to "The Stench of Honey" are similarly jagged and unpredictable. The song features driving bass and guitar riffs, as well as complex time signatures that allow the band to shift seamlessly between different sections. The song has been praised for its inventive arrangements and unorthodox song structures.
Line by Line Meaning
Loves smell for the stench of honey
People are attracted to pleasant things like the sweet smell of honey
Easy life and love for money
Some people prioritize an easy life and material wealth over genuine love and relationships
Violent shrieking sirens of warning
Loud sirens are used to alert people of danger and urge them to take action
Aeroplanes up in the evening
Airplanes can often be seen flying during the evening hours
We split a wing of that one tiny fly
The artist is describing harming a small insect, causing it to lose a wing
In the world that he thrives
The fly exists and does well in its natural habitat
In the world that he dies on other world
The fly would not survive in an environment where it does not belong
Birds of ill omen forever
Certain birds are associated with negative events and are considered unlucky
Airmen lay their heads together
People who fly planes often work together and rely on each other for safety
Getting heard get a word in
It's important to speak up and make oneself heard if they want to contribute to a conversation or decision-making process
As I saw you deserved
The singer feels that the subject of the song has earned or deserves something
As I saw you deserved in as deserved
The artist is emphasizing that the subject truly deserves whatever they have earned
One single fly, flying and singing
The singer is once again describing the small, resilient fly
Flying in a room singing hard
The fly is flying around and making noise in a small, enclosed space
In a room as deserved
The fly belongs in this particular room for some reason
Shot pilot blind, and a sight for his eyes
The artist mentions a pilot who was shot and blinded, but whose sight was eventually restored
In the air where he flies
The pilot is able to see once again while flying in the sky
In the air where he dies
It's possible that the pilot could die while flying due to the inherent danger of the activity
We split the wings, tiny blue spitfire wings
The singer is now referring to the wings of planes, specifically the Spitfire
Thousands shot pilot blind
Many pilots were shot and blinded during battle
And a thousand tiny flies
There are countless flies in the world, each with their own unique story
And that thousands to be won
There are many battles in which to engage, and many victories to be won
To be won in their thousands to be won
The singer reflects on the many struggles and triumphs of both humans and animals
Contributed by Adalyn V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
The Primer
Most of it's here. or go buy it on itunes. Musicians like to eat, y'know.
silvernoise1
Aeroplanes up in the evening!
Sox Milligex
One tiny fly