Over the next year, the band conquered the San Francisco club scene, selling out such clubs as the Ivy on a regular basis. The following year, the group decided to give their hometown of Los Angeles another go. Shortly after arriving back in town, the band played a benefit show for the local music magazine Rock City News at the Whiskey A-Go-Go. To the band's surprise, the Sunset Strip crowd couldn't get enough of their crazy glam-punk stage antics. The show turned out to be a major turning point for the band; Celebrity Skin's audience grew in numbers with each new show, selling out some of the very clubs that they had previously been banned from playing. At one show in particular, ex-Germs/45 Grave drummer Don Bolles went to review the band's live performance for the L.A. Weekly newspaper and gave the band a favorable review. The following week the band went to Bolles' apartment in hopes of persuading him to join the group. When asked to join the band, Bolles' pet rat went into a spastic fit and died. Bolles took this as some sort of strange sign and joined the group cementing his spot as the band's permanent drummer.
Soon the group signed a recording contract to L.A. independent label Triple X Records and released a self-titled three-song EP that featured their glam version of ABBA's pop classic "S.O.S." The band toured America several times as well as Europe, taking unsuspecting crowds by surprise with their flamboyant appearance and over-the-top live show. 1991 saw the release of the band's first and last full-length release, Good Clean Fun, which was produced by legendary punk producer Geza X. To support their new album, the band toured even more extensively through the U.S., but on the eve of what was to be their European tour, the group broke up due to personal conflicts.
Since the group's breakup, Gary Jacoby adopted the stage name Gary Celebrity and released a solo LP, Diary of a Monster, on Triple X Records and guitarist Jason Shapiro formed the band 3-Way. Drummer Don Bolles had the long-running radio show All Night Truck Drivers Show on Mars FM, as well as the Arturo Batman radio show on Los Angeles' KPFK; Bolles also plays in the Los Angeles-based group Three Day Stubble. Bassist Tim Ferris went on to form the twisted punk-pop band Big Baby in the mid-'90s and became an addition to psychobilly trailblazers the Cramps. ~ Rick Kutner, All Music Guide
S.O.S
Celebrity Skin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I try to reach for you. but you have closed my mind
Whatever happened to our love? I wish I understood
It used to be so nice. It used to be so good
So when you're near me, darling, can't you hear me S.O.S.?
The love you gave me. nothing else can save me, S.O.S.
When you're gone, how can I even try to go on?
You seem so far away though you are standing near
You made me feel alive but something died I fear
I really tried to make it out. I wish I understood
What happened to our love? It used to be so good
So when you're near me, darling, can't you hear me S.O.S.?
The love you gave me. nothing else can save me, S.O.S.
When you're gone, how can I even try to go on?
When you're gone though I try how can I carry on?
When you're gone, how can I even try to go on?
When you're gone though I try how can I carry on?
The lyrics to "S.O.S" by Celebrity Skin provide a narrative about a lost relationship. The singer is lamenting over the fact that the love that used to exist between them and their partner seems to have vanished. They talk about how it feels as though they are unable to communicate with their partner anymore, as if the partner has "closed [their] mind". The singer is filled with confusion and doesn't know what has caused their relationship to decay.
The chorus of the song is an expression of the singer's anguish. They are pleading with their partner to hear them, to understand how they feel. They are using the acronym "S.O.S" to encapsulate their instability and desperation in the wake of their crumbling relationship. The singer seems to know that the love their partner once gave them was the only thing that could save them, and that the absence of that love is tearing them apart. The final verses are a continuation of the singer's search for answers. They are trying to understand why their love fell apart and why they are having such a hard time moving on. The song is a poignant reminder of the tumultuous emotions that come with the end of a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Where are those happy days they seem to hard to find?
I miss the happy moments we used to have and I find it difficult to experience such moments again.
I try to reach for you. but you have closed my mind
I attempt to communicate with you but you have stopped communicating with me.
Whatever happened to our love? I wish I understood
I don't understand how our love fell apart or what caused it to happen.
It used to be so nice. It used to be so good
Our love used to bring us happiness and positive feelings, but now it appears to be broken.
So when you're near me, darling, can't you hear me S.O.S.?
When you're close to me, I feel the need to contact you and request your help.
The love you gave me. nothing else can save me, S.O.S.
My love for you was so significant and valuable that without it, there is nothing else that can fill that void in my life.
When you're gone, how can I even try to go on?
Without you, I feel lost and uncertain about how I can continue living.
When you're gone though I try how can I carry on?
Even though I try to move on, I find it difficult to overcome the deep hurt I feel from our separation.
You seem so far away though you are standing near
Even though you are in close proximity to me, I feel like we are emotionally distant from one another.
You made me feel alive but something died I fear
You brought excitement and passion into my life, but now that feeling has disappeared and left me feeling empty.
I really tried to make it out. I wish I understood
I did everything in my power to save our relationship, but sadly, it still fell apart.
When you're gone, how can I even try to go on?
Without you, the thought of moving forward and living my life seems unbearable.
When you're gone though I try how can I carry on?
Even though I've attempted to move on, I'm still struggling with the emotional weight of our separation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER LE FRIANT, DANIEL DALMADY, ZSOLT MILICHOVSKI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind