"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.
You Do Something to Me
Dum Dums Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wanting to kill the family before the news,
She's the ruler of the Prozac kingdom,
Her appliances and phoney conversations,
Talk to your mum, Wendy,
Even if she seems distant lately,
It's just the sunshine in her eyes,
The weather that the doctor prescribed,
And Wendy's warming her hands on the flames,
The Halvesons will never be the same, woah-oh-oh,
You do something to me,
You do something to me,
You do something to me all the time.
Dad was sick,
He got his fingers burnt getting close to an old flame,
Wonders why his wife cries all the time,
He wonders why he can't find peace of mind,
You can't expect your kids to turn out fine,
When you're playing with matches,
Another tragic fall from success,
Nero fiddles on enchanted,
And Wendy's warming her hands on the flames,
The Halvesons will never be the same, woah-oh-oh,
You do something to me,
You do something to me,
You do something to me all the time,
You do something to me,
You do something to me,
You do something to me all the time.
He wanders god-like through the ruins of his private world,
Lights up a joint and Wendy slips away,
Looks for redemption in her hazel eyes,
And cries all the time woah-oh-oh,
You do something to me,
You do something to me,
You do something to me all the time,
You do something to me,
You do something to me,
You do something to me all the time. (all the time)
(Woo-hoo-hoo) All the time,
(Woo-hoo-hoo) All the time,
(Woo-hoo-hoo) All the time,
(Woo-hoo-hoo) All the time,
(Woo-hoo-hoo) Said all the time,
(Woo-hoo-hoo) I said all the time,
(Woo-hoo-hoo) All the time.
The lyrics of Dum Dums' song "You Do Something to Me" tells the story of a dysfunctional family where both parents are dealing with their emotional problems, and their daughter Wendy is somehow trying to cope with the situation. The first verse describes how Wendy's mother is feeling fine yet is contemplating killing her family before the news. She's the queen of the Prozac kingdom, which implies that she's taking antidepressants to cope with her anxiety. The chorus says that despite all the chaos, Wendy can't help feeling that the family still has hope, and something still connects them, namely her father's and mother's influence.
The second verse sheds some light on Wendy's father's story. He got burned after trying to reconnect with an old flame, and his wife cries all the time, leaving him wondering why he can't find peace of mind. The bridge in the song paints a picture of the father's downward spiral where he finds solace in smoking weed while Wendy cries and looks for redemption in his eyes. The final chorus repeats the same lines, but the emphasis on the "all the time" phrase is more significant, implying that Wendy believes that whatever they are going through will be constant, though she still hopes for a better outcome.
Line by Line Meaning
Mum felt fine,
Despite her desire to harm her family, Mum outwardly appeared to be okay.
Wanting to kill the family before the news,
Mum had the urge to kill her family even before receiving any bad news.
She's the ruler of the Prozac kingdom,
Mum is heavily reliant on Prozac to control her mental state.
Her appliances and phoney conversations,
Mum's interactions with her family are shallow and insincere, much like the appliances in her home.
Talk to your mum, Wendy,
The singer urges Wendy to communicate with her distant mother.
Even if she seems distant lately,
Although Mum has been distant lately, it is due to external factors beyond her control.
It's just the sunshine in her eyes,
Mum's mood is affected by the weather and sunshine in particular.
The weather that the doctor prescribed,
The doctor prescribed sunshine as part of Mum's treatment.
And Wendy's warming her hands on the flames,
Wendy is using the ongoing chaos in her family as a source of warmth and comfort.
The Halvesons will never be the same, woah-oh-oh,
The Halveson family has undergone significant changes that will irreversibly alter their future.
You do something to me,
The actions of someone, likely Wendy, have a profound effect on the singer.
Dad was sick,
The father of the Halveson family is unwell.
He got his fingers burnt getting close to an old flame,
Dad suffered consequences after reconnecting with an old lover.
Wonders why his wife cries all the time,
Dad is unsure why Mum frequently cries.
He wonders why he can't find peace of mind,
Dad is struggling to achieve peace of mind and contentment with his life.
You can't expect your kids to turn out fine,
Parents cannot expect their children to be successful when they themselves are struggling.
When you're playing with matches,
Parents are responsible for the outcomes of their risky decisions and actions.
Another tragic fall from success,
A family member has fallen from success and experienced tragedy as a result.
Nero fiddles on enchanted,
Parents remain unbothered and continue with their destructive behavior, similar to Nero's reaction to the burning of Rome.
He wanders god-like through the ruins of his private world,
Dad arrogantly navigates through the destruction he has caused in his personal life.
Lights up a joint and Wendy slips away,
Dad turns to drugs and Wendy distances herself from the chaos surrounding her family.
Looks for redemption in her hazel eyes,
The singer seeks redemption and solace within Wendy's gaze.
And cries all the time woah-oh-oh,
The emotional turmoil within the Halveson family persists.
You do something to me all the time,
The actions and behaviors of others continuously affect the singer, particularly Wendy.
(Woo-hoo-hoo) All the time,
The refrain emphasizes the lasting and ongoing impact of the events within the Halveson family.
Contributed by Evelyn E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dan Gosbee
Why do all the best bands break up? DumDums had to be one of the best.
edskt
love this band so much
Amy
I remember this from many of my compilation CDs...can't believe it's over 10 years ago now!
dyslexic89
cool drummer really nice chap when they gave up i brought his 7 piece silver kit from him. great kit.
halfwaybridge
So cool! Never seen this one before and had to run it through a couple of times to recognise everyone.
reecemarshall1991
this songs impossible to get hold of
Daniel Chapman
Man.. this takes me back to a much simpler time of life
jack danial
Real shame they only did one album before brakeing up
CHUCKER COMEDY
If it wasn’t for this band… McFly would have never existed lll
Patrick Stocks
1:24 that’s something we don’t see everyday