Spedding was raised by adoptive parents in Sheffield before moving to Birmingham. During the late 1960s and early 1970s he became known as a guitar player on sessions for Alan Price, Jack Bruce, Pete Brown's Battered Ornaments and others. During this time he was also playing jazz with Nucleus and recorded and toured with Mike Gibbs. He was a session player on Harry Nilsson's breakthrough album, Nilsson Schmilsson, recorded in London.
During 1972-74 Spedding played a central role in Sharks, initially with ex-Free bassist Andy Fraser. They recorded two albums and toured with Roxy Music. After that, he toured and recorded with John Cale. He also played with Roy Harper's occasional backing band Trigger, notably on 1975's HQ album.
In 1975 Spedding had a Top Twenty solo hit in the UK with "Motor Bikin'", but subsequently became better known as a session guitarist, appearing and recording with Bryan Ferry, Roxy Music, Elton John, Brian Eno, Jack Bruce, Nick Mason and Katie Melua, amongst others. During the mid 1970s, he even took part in the Wombles' UK tour in full furry costume, whilst wielding his trademark Gibson Flying V.
Spedding recorded a version of the American singer-songwriter Garland Jeffreys' song, "Wild In The Streets", on his own Hurt album. The song has since been covered by the Circle Jerks and is featured on Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.
He also was the producer of the Sex Pistols first demos, which were recorded on 15 May 1976. The three tracks recorded were "Problems", "No Feelings" and "Pretty Vacant".
He made an appearance in Paul McCartney's Give My Regards to Broad Street in 1984, playing guitar in a session with McCartney and his wife, Linda. In 1995, he played on Willy DeVille's Big Easy Fantasy, and later that year, on his album Loup Garou.
Spedding was producer of the first two albums by Canadian rockabilly band "The Razorbacks" entitled "Go to Town"(1988) and "Live a Little"(1989).
Spedding has had a long association with rockabilly legend Robert Gordon recording the classic albumn 'Live at the Lonestar' in 1989. Their cover of Springsteen's 'Fire' is reported to be the Boss' favorite version.
In 2011 Spedding and Steve Parsons (aka "Snips", former vocalist with Sharks) are back together with Martin Chambers (Pretenders) on drums, Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols) on bass, and a new mysterious guitarist named Sixteen, making a five-piece band called King Mob.
Mother Earth
Chris Spedding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You may never look my way
Mother Earth if layin' for you
And that's a debt you've got to pay
Don't care how great you ar
I don't care what you're worth
When it all comes up
You may have a lot of money
Diamonds and pearls
You may have your own airplane
To fly all over this world
Don't care how great you ar
I don't care what you're worth
When it all comes up
You got to go back to Mother Earth
[ …………………. ]
You may play the race horses
You may own your own race track
You may have enough money, darlin'
To buy anything you lack
Don't care how great you ar
I don't care what you're worth
When it all comes up
You got to go back to Mother Earth
The lyrics to Chris Spedding's song 'Mother Earth' speak to the inevitability of death and the ultimate powerlessness of wealth and status in the face of Mother Nature. The first verse acknowledges the arrogance of those who act as though they are above the natural world, emphasizing that no matter how much someone may ignore or disrespect the Earth, they are still indebted to it. The second verse continues this sentiment, with Spedding asserting that possessions and wealth will not save someone from the fate of returning to the soil.
Despite the heavy topic, the song has an upbeat and almost playful feel, with a bouncy rhythm and playful guitar riffs that contrast the solemn lyrics. Spedding's use of repetition in the chorus underlines the universality of the message, and his gritty vocals provide an earthy counterpoint to the twangy instrumentation.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the human condition - on our desire to cheat death and control the natural world, and the futility of those endeavors in the end.
Line by Line Meaning
You may high-hat me all the time
You might treat me like I'm beneath you all the time
You may never look my way
You may never acknowledge me or give me the time of day
Mother Earth if layin' for you
The natural world is waiting for you to give back what you've taken and used from it
And that's a debt you've got to pay
You owe the earth for all that it has given you and you must repay that debt
Don't care how great you ar
It doesn't matter how important you think you are
I don't care what you're worth
Your net worth or status doesn't factor in here
When it all comes up
When everything is said and done
You got to go back to Mother Earth
You will eventually return to the earth when you die
You may have a lot of money
You may be wealthy
Diamonds and pearls
You may own expensive jewelry
You may have your own airplane
You may own a private jet
To fly all over this world
To travel anywhere you wish
You may play the race horses
You may gamble on horse races
You may own your own race track
You may own the facility where the horse races take place
You may have enough money, darlin'
You may have a significant amount of wealth, my dear
To buy anything you lack
You can buy anything you don't already have
Contributed by Vivian P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.