"Who are Britain's most important guita… Read Full Bio ↴Dum Dums; A Brief History...
"Who are Britain's most important guitar band ? JJ72? Coldplay? Muse? But look at that list and tell me whether those bands are really changing peoples lives? Because, believe it or not, Dum Dums are. ...where others preach to the converted, they are leading an increasingly significant segment of the pop massive up the dark slopes of indie" - MELODY MAKER
From their formation in 1997 to their farewell show in August 2001, Dum Dums went from early years of intensive gigging around the UK toilet circuit to rock stardom and chart success. Their one and only album, "It goes without saying", recorded with producer Steve Power (Feeder, Robbie Williams, Babybird, Blur) was the "Ferris Bueller" for its generation. Sonically influenced by other British bands such as the Police and the Jam, it spoke of dead end jobs, the pressures of finding your own way, and struck a chord in the hearts of anyone faced with having to decide what to do with their lives.
Released at a time when radio was saturated with manufactured pop acts, Dum Dums were one of the few British guitar bands to breakthrough in 2000, having four chart hits in and around the official top 20, a hit album, and a constant residency on MTV, VH1, and CD:UK. They sold out tours in the UK and abroad, had top 20 chart success in Japan and a major record deal with MCA in the USA.
But still none of this accounts for their continuing popularity. Three years after the band parted ways, the Dum Dums website still attracts thousands of hits weekly from all over the world. The message bored(sic) is a thriving community active 24 hours a day. There is at least one Dum Dums cover band, many reports of bands starting because of them, and record companies have even manufactured acts to be new versions of the Dum Dums - ironically one of the things the band railed against.
Closer To You
Dum Dums Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rain falling down on the empty house,
Far too young to be making out.
We woke up late and we both freaked out,
You didn't want your mum and dad to find out,
When you sleep, it looks like you are dead,
And I get so upset, living without you.
Ahh ahhhh I wanna be closer to you,
Ahh ahhhh I wanna be closer to you.
I'll send you valentines written in my blood,
I'll give you poetry written in my head,
Would your life be happier without me,
Maybe I'll just stop living,
I've got a photograph of you inside my head,
I've got your lipstick in a shrine beside my bed,
You're my religion, my death and resurrection,
And we are destined to spend eternity together.
Ahh ahhhh I wanna be closer to you,
Ahh ahhhh I wanna be closer to you,
Ahh ahhhh I wanna be closer to you,
Ahh ahhhh I wanna be closer to you.
Feel free to take me for granted,
I'll be doing the same to you, ohh,
Feel free to take me for granted,
I'll be doing the same to you, ohh,
Feel free to take me for granted,
I'll be doing the same to you, ohh,
Feel free to take me for granted,
I'll be doing the same to you.
For so long.... for so long,
What we had can we ever get back,
Innocence of a child and all that,
And they say I've gotta stay away,
I've gotta wait my turn,
I know it's gonna come someday.
Ahh ahhhh I wanna be closer to you,
Ahh ahhhh I wanna be closer to you,
I wanna be closer to you,
I wanna be closer to you,
I wanna be closer to you,
I wanna be closer to you.
The lyrics of Dum Dums' song "Closer To You" speak about the intense feeling of love felt by the singer towards a person portrayed as a lover. The song starts by describing the circumstances in which their relationship began, "Falling asleep on the family couch, Rain falling down on the empty house, Far too young to be making out." From the context, the relationship seems rushed and maybe immature as they were young, but the feeling of love was undoubtedly strong.
Later in the song, the tone becomes more intense, and the singer expresses the length they'd go for the person they love, "I'll send you valentines written in my blood, I'll give you poetry written in my head, Would your life be happier without me, Maybe I'll just stop living." It's clear that the singer is willing to do anything for this person, even to the extent of hurting themselves, just so they can be closer to them.
Overall, "Closer To You" seems like a song about unrequited love, of a person whose affection is not fully returned but who is unable to stop loving the other person.
Line by Line Meaning
Falling asleep on the family couch,
I drifted off to sleep on the couch that belongs to my family.
Rain falling down on the empty house,
The sound of the raindrops tapping against the house that was vacant was audible.
Far too young to be making out.
We were too young to be kissing intimately.
We woke up late and we both freaked out,
Both of us panicked when we realized we had overslept.
You didn't want your mum and dad to find out,
You were scared that your parents would find out and you didn't want that to happen.
When you sleep, it looks like you are dead,
You look lifeless when you fall asleep.
And I get so upset, living without you.
The thought of living without you saddens me deeply.
I'll send you valentines written in my blood,
I'll express my love for you by writing love letters in blood.
I'll give you poetry written in my head,
I'll share my deepest thoughts by writing poetry in my mind.
Would your life be happier without me,
I wonder if your life would be more joyful without me.
Maybe I'll just stop living,
Perhaps ending my life is the answer.
I've got a photograph of you inside my head,
Your image is etched in my mind like a photograph.
I've got your lipstick in a shrine beside my bed,
I've kept your lipstick as a souvenir and placed it near my bed like a holy object.
You're my religion, my death and resurrection,
You are everything to me; my faith, my death, and my rebirth.
And we are destined to spend eternity together.
We are meant to be together forever.
Feel free to take me for granted,
You are welcome to not appreciate me.
I'll be doing the same to you, ohh,
I'll do the same to you, too.
What we had can we ever get back,
Can we ever recapture the love we had in the past?
Innocence of a child and all that,
The purity and naivety of youth and all those feelings.
And they say I've gotta stay away,
People say that I should stay away.
I've gotta wait my turn,
I have to wait for my turn.
I know it's gonna come someday.
I am hopeful that it will happen someday.
Ahh ahhhh I wanna be closer to you,
I crave being close to you.
I wanna be closer to you,
I wish to be closer to you.
I wanna be closer to you,
I desire to be nearer to you.
I wanna be closer to you,
I want to be close to you.
Contributed by Elijah B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mark Latham
Love this song
simoncelli marco
I love DUMDUMS. forever
MsKaz2y5
Fave song ever!!
MsKaz2y5
333