They played soulful, funky pop jazz and were initially signed to Phonogram Records' Mercury imprint. The first came to notice of the UK music and style press when they hooked up with photographer Andy Warhol for the video of the 1986 single Misfit. This featured the band in New York and at one point featured Ben Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot dancing down a side street whilst Andy Warhol referenced Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" by dropping pieces of white card in time to the music (an efect that would also be copied by INXS in the Mediate of 1988).
Their debut album Keep Your Distance entered the British charts at number one in May 1987, and stayed in the Top Ten for 13 weeks, however the release of that album's "Free" lost some of the momentum by limping to only Number 56 in the UK charts.
The bands second album Getahead was lead by an upbeat funky track called "Name and Number". Even though this record only reached Number 14 in 1989, the "Hey How You Doin'" refrain would find itself in the Top Ten two years later as part of the De La Soul song "Ring Ring Ring (Hey Hey Hey)".
After the lack-leisure performance of Getahead and second single First Place, Curiosity (as they were now billed) found themselves dropped from Mercury Records. However three years after the release of that single they returned to the UK Top Ten as a three piece on RCA Records, with a cover of Johnny Bristol's Hang on in There Baby. However the band's follow ups (covers of I Need Your Lovin' and Gimme the Sunshine) flopped in the UK, which resulted in the album Back to Front only being released in Japan and selected overseas markets.
In the 2000s the band reformed for an appearance on a National Lottery midweek show on BBC 1 and since then Ben Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot has toured under the name Curiosity Killed the Cat on a number of 1980s revival packages.
Since Curiosity disbanded, Ben has, by request, continued to perform both live and in the studio and has recently teamed up with dance supremos "Element" (AKA Bimbo Jones) who have already produced remixes for the likes of Deep Dish, Usher and The Bodyrockers. They are also the co production duo responsible for "Meck's" "Thunder In My Heart Again".
Band members
Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot (vocals; * 19 May 1965)
Julian Brookhouse (guitar; * 15 May 1963)
Nick Thorp (bass; * 25 October 1964)
Miguel Drummond (drums; * 27 January 1964)
Red Lights
Curiosity Killed the Cat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sparing vocal tones that hardly can be heard
I look into your eyes, and while I dream of you
You take me by surprise
The touch of your hand gives me the command to donate
To donate myself to loving you
How can it be that a feeling so free′s radiated from thee to me
And cuts through
I ain't gonna leave this one to fate
No red lights could ever make, me wait, don′t make me wait.
Riding on the wave
On a life-long journey on the frequency you gave
And all that I can say Is that you make me feel OK
It makes me high as a kite when I reach you in flight, yes it does
Won't you spread you wings and take my love
Any old time it'll do it′s just fine - just be mine, - be mine
I ain′t gonna leave this one to fate
No red lights could ever make, me wait, don't make me wait
The touch of your hand gives me the command to donate
To donate myself to loving you
How can it be that a feeling so free′s radiated from thee to me
And cuts through
I ain't gonna leave this one to fate
No red lights could ever make, me wait, don′t make me wait
No red lights will make me wait now, make me wait now
It's the right time baby
No, no, no there ain′t no stoppin us, there ain't no stoppin us
Cause it's the right time baby - take my hand
Got to understand, i′m at your command - take me high
There ain′t no stoppin us, there ain't no stoppin uscause it′s the right time baby
Got to understand, i'm at your command - take me high (fade out)
Lyrics taken from this page
The chorus of Curiosity Killed the Cat's song Red Lights is a declaration of an unstoppable love that refuses to be hindered by obstacles such as red lights. The song implies that the singer has fallen deeply in love with someone who consumes their thoughts and actions. The way the singer describes their feelings is quite poetic, using phrases like "the touch of your hand gives me the command to donate myself to loving you" and "how can it be that a feeling so free's radiated from thee to me and cuts through." The song is very emotional, and it uses music to express the depth of the singer's feelings, which are difficult to put into words.
The lyrics also convey a sense of urgency and a desire for immediate action, as seen in lines such as "I ain't gonna leave this one to fate" and "take my hand, got to understand, I'm at your command - take me high." The singer is not willing to wait for anything or anyone to come between them and their loved ones, and is willing to do whatever it takes to be with them. The repetition of the phrase "there ain't no stopping us" emphasizes the idea that nothing can come between the two lovers.
One of the most interesting facts about the song is that it was released in 1986 and became a top-20 hit in several countries. The band's name, Curiosity Killed the Cat, actually comes from a British proverb, "curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back." Another interesting fact is that the lead singer, Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot, actually went missing for a few days after the band's first live performance, causing a small media frenzy.
Red Lights was the band's biggest hit, and it's considered one of the quintessential pop songs of the 1980s. The music video for the song, which features the band performing in front of a red background, is also quite iconic. Interestingly, the song is often misattributed to other artists, such as Simply Red or Spandau Ballet.
Chords: Dm, Bb, Cmaj7, F, Gm, Am, E7.
Line by Line Meaning
Calling out the word
Uttering phrases to get my message across
Sparing vocal tones that hardly can be heard
Speaking in a low tone, so as not to attract unnecessary attention to myself
I look into your eyes, and while I dream of you
I gaze into your eyes, and while I dream of being with you
You take me by surprise
You catch me unaware by your sudden action
The touch of your hand gives me the command to donate
I am moved by the feeling in your touch to give, to surrender myself to you
To donate myself to loving you
To give myself wholly to you, in love
How can it be that a feeling so free′s radiated from thee to me
How is it possible that this feeling of freedom and ease is passed on from you to me
And cuts through
And breaks through any resistance or obstacles that might prevent us from being together
I ain't gonna leave this one to fate
I am not going to rely on chance to bring us together
No red lights could ever make, me wait, don′t make me wait.
I am eager to be with you and I won't let any hindrance stop me from being with you.
Riding on the wave
Going with the flow, carried by the momentum of the situation
On a life-long journey on the frequency you gave
Embarking on a lifelong journey after being inspired by the signal that you sent me
And all that I can say Is that you make me feel OK
All I can say is that you make me feel pretty good
It makes me high as a kite when I reach you in flight, yes it does
It makes me feel ecstatic when I connect with you, as if I am soaring high above
Won't you spread you wings and take my love
Please accept my love and let us be together
Any old time it'll do it's just fine - just be mine - be mine
Any time is right for me, just accept my love and be mine
No red lights could ever make, me wait, don't make me wait
I am not going to be held back by any stoppage, I want to be with you right now
It's the right time baby
This is the perfect moment, my darling
No, no, no there ain't no stoppin us, there ain't no stoppin us
Nothing can stand in the way of our love, nothing can derail us
Got to understand I'm at your command - take me high
You are in charge of this, just lead me on and make me feel special
Writer(s): Tobias Andersen, Michael John Drummond, Julian Godfrey Brookhouse, Nicholas Bernard Thorp, Martin Benedict Volpeliere-pierrot
Contributed by Kylie V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sui Generis
Lyrics
Calling out the word
Sparing vocal tones that hardly can be heard
I look into your eyes, and while I dream of you
You take me by surprise
The touch of your hand gives me the command to donate
To donate myself to loving you
How can it be that a feeling so free's radiated from thee to me
And cuts through
I ain't gonna leave this one to fate
No red lights could ever make, me wait, don't make me wait.
Riding on the wave
On a life-long journey on the frequency you gave
And all that I can say Is that you make me feel OK
It makes me high as a kite when I reach you in flight, yes it does
Won't you spread you wings and take my love
Any old time it'll do it's just fine - just be mine, - be mine
I ain't gonna leave this one to fate
No red lights could ever make, me wait, don't make me wait
The touch of your hand gives me the command to donate
To donate myself to loving you
How can it be that a feeling so free's radiated from thee to me
And cuts through
I ain't gonna leave this one to fate
No red lights could ever make, me wait, don't make me wait
No red lights will make me wait now, make me wait now
It's the right time baby
No, no, no there ain't no stoppin us, there ain't no stoppin us
Cause it's the right time baby - take my hand
Got to understand, i'm at your command - take me high
There ain't no stoppin us, there ain't no stoppin uscause it's the right time baby
Got to understand, i'm at your command - take me high (fade out)
LORNE ORLIE
I've probably listened to this song a million times and it's still so sublime, absolutely perfect.
Jason Mccormack
Sublime, exactly!
Cynthia Wilson
Me too, in the 80’s. Just remembered it Saturday.
ghost2527A
God! I can't get enough of this song. One of my favorite cruising at night songs. I wish I could go back to when this first came out.
Matt-Man
"She's my cousin."
"Really?"
"She's from ... France."
Cinema Madness
Don't just stare at it, EAT IT!
SS Camaro
Where do you summer?
SS Camaro
American Psycho
seth2901
I was looking for this.
SW
Man that red head deserved it. She was the epitome of self obsessed narcissism. Not that Bateman was any better...