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.
Video Life
Chris Spedding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Say hello to the video life
Meet myself on the action replay
Hope I get there right on time
Video life
Repeat
In remote control
Starts right here
Tune in
Make the image clear
All right
Got to take evasive action
Got to do it pretty soon
For fear of arial warfare
Right here in your room
Video life
Switch on
Start negotiations
Video life
On the late late show
Switch off
Baby baby I love you so
Video life
The lyrics to Chris Spedding's song Video Life encapsulate the growing obsession of society with screen culture, particularly the impact of television and video on modern life. The opening lines of the song, "I'm going to send myself an invitation, say hello to the video life," indicate the desire to enter a world of endless entertainment and distraction, where people can easily connect with others and consume media without leaving their own homes. The lyrics then progress to the idea of meeting oneself on the "action replay," suggesting the possibility of becoming lost in the world of video and losing touch with reality. It is hence a cautionary tale that raises the question of whether we can be isolated from our own lives by technology.
The singer then invites us to "tune in" and "make the image clear," indicating the appeal of the high definition and clear visual representation of the digital world that is virtually absent in real-world experiences. The impact of technology is further highlighted in the line "Got to take evasive action, got to do it pretty soon, for fear of aerial warfare, right here in your room." This suggests that the bombardment of digital information may cause a sense of uncertainty, leading to the need to escape or disconnect from devices. The song concludes by pointing out that while the video life offers the possibility of love connections on TV, it remains an illusion that cannot be trusted.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm going to send myself an invitation
I plan to invite myself to experience something new.
Say hello to the video life
Welcome to the exciting world of television.
Meet myself on the action replay
I will see myself performing on TV at a later time.
Hope I get there right on time
I want to ensure that I arrive at the right moment.
Video life
Television is everything.
Repeat
The same scenes are shown over and over again.
In remote control
I have control over the content I view on TV.
Video ife
Television is how I choose to live my life.
Starts right here
The journey into TV world starts with the click of a button.
Tune in
Adjust the channel to access different shows or content.
Make the image clear
Enhance visual clarity to enjoy the viewing experience.
All right
Everything is fine and OK.
Got to take evasive action
I need to act fast to avoid a problem that could arise due to watching too much TV.
Got to do it pretty soon
I need to take action soon to avoid negative consequences.
For fear of arial warfare
The danger of harmful effects on my mental health because of excessive TV watching.
Right here in your room
The TV effect can be felt in the comfort of your home.
On the late late show
Late-night TV show that goes on for long hours.
Switch off
Turn off the TV to end the viewing experience.
Baby baby I love you so
An expression of love that could be directed towards a real person or a TV show or character.
Video life
Television controls and shapes our lives.
Contributed by Ian H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.