The baseball-capped, baggy-shorted EMF-- standing for either 'Epsom Mad Funkers' or, in the words of their eponymously titled song, 'Ecstasy Mother Fuckers' (the band could never quite make up their minds)-- made their first attack on the U.K. music scene in the autumn of 1990 with the Jesus Jones-influenced Top 10 single "Unbelievable." Sampling hard-hitting U.S. comic Andrew Dice Clay, the single was a catchy pop pile-up featuring fresh-faced vocalist James Atkin's sneery schoolboy vocals, band leader Ian Dench's swaggering rock guitar and a booming bassline, courtesy of Zac Foley. mischief-maker Derry Brownson (keyboards), and Mark Decloedt (drums).
The new social scene of 'Madchester' had exploded in 1990, and every previously no-hoper band with half an idea sold their souls to hitch a ride on the ensuing 'indie dance' bandwagon. EMF's ideas were better formed than most, despite the fact that they had been signed by a major label (EMI/Parlophone) after only a handful of gigs. Denounced as beered-up party animals by some and cider-drinking country bumpkins who'd struck lucky by others, the group cultivated a hedonistic young upstart image that ensured that they felt as at home on the cover of Smash Hits as they did the NME.
Steered through these giddy times by the older, somewhat Svengali-like figure of guitarist and songwriter Dench, who had already enjoyed previous limited success with the band Apple Mosaic, the quintet quickly dispatched identikit follow-up singles in "I Believe" and "Children," with little drop in quality or commercial impact. By this stage, "Unbelievable" was breaking the band in the U.S., but their debut single's worldwide success was to hang heavy on their shoulders in years to come. In May 1991, EMF released their debut album, titled 'Schubert Dip' ("If ever I'm short of a chord sequence, I nick one from Schubert", Dench was quoted as saying), which contained all the band's singles to date and already felt like a greatest hits collection. Similarly it topped the charts, although the fourth single, "Lies," like much of the rest of the album (with the possible exception of the slower tune "Girl of an Age"), paled in comparison with their initial batch of exuberant singles. It also drew attention from Yoko Ono's lawyers, who objected to the single's use of a sample of John Lennon lyrics recited by her husband's murderer, Mark Chapman.
With 'Schubert Dip' becoming a million-selling album, the group's members were international superstars, the album hitting #12 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S. while tracks such as the aforementioned I Believe" and "Lies" being Top 40 American hits as well. The band then took to hanging out in L.A. with such luminaries as Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction, getting tattoos, getting high and talking big about making a 'real' rock record. When second album 'Stigma' appeared in late 1992, heralded by the noisy single "They're Here" and the 'Unexplained' EP (containing a rowdy cover of seminal proto-punk band the Stooges' "Search and Destroy"), it was interpreted by many as a deliberate attempt by EMF to distance themselves from their teenage fan base.
Though they may have won some respect from the critics by going for a harder, less straightforward sound, the album wasn't received as well as hoped, sliding quickly out of the charts and selling only a fifth of its predecessor's total. The limitations of Atkin's voice were also readily apparent against the crunchier guitar backing. Perhaps the band had been partying too hard and simply forgot to write some tunes; "Around the time of Stigma, I was pumping myself full of anything", bassist Foley would later admit. At any rate, listeners that had bought into the band's ethos of catchy pop meets indie-fueled dance music flocked to other groups, and the band's success had been crippled.
With the band either touring or doing nothing during 1993–94, there was a hiatus in the group's recording career, and many assumed that EMF had simply split up until the single "Perfect Day" appeared from nowhere in early 1995. Though it was the band's breeziest, grooviest single for a long while, it failed to recapture their previous fortunes. The album that followed, 'Cha Cha Cha'-- from which Massive Attack/Neneh Cherry producer Johnny Dollar had walked out during the sessions-- stubbornly refused to shift units. "Bleeding You Dry", the next single to be pulled from the album, seemed titled perversely appropriate.
The summer of 1995 saw the band abandoning promotion of 'Cha Cha Cha' and teaming up with comics Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer on a quirky cover of The Monkees' pop rock hit "I'm a Believer". Although this commercial move ensured the band appeared on Top of the Pops again-- wearing gaudy Mike Nesmith wigs and miming badly no less-- many critics smelled the stench of desperation. Their self-promoted follow-up, "Afro King", seen in some quarters as a return to their alternative dance origins, and in others as too little too late, failed to do as well. Though influencing many later British rock groups, said groups had very well eclipsed them completely. The band were subsequently dropped by their label and, with no other offers forthcoming, called it a day.
In 2001, EMF reformed and released a greatest hits album. They played a number of comeback shows in the UK, and even sold out the London Astoria in June of 2001. However, on January 3, 2002, Foley died due to an overdose of heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, barbiturates and alcohol. He was aged 31. The remaining members of EMF played just four more gigs in late 2002, before deciding to split up for the final time. Still, sporadic reunions have taken place since then, although with the band's future still murky.
http://www.emf-theband.com/
Lies
EMF Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And what you said it was a lie
You said too much
And what you said it was a crime
I've bled too much
With every lie you keep on telling
I've bled too much
The harder we fall, the closer we are
I don't feel blue, when I'm with you
You said too much
And what you said, it was a lie
Lie and what you said, it was a lie
Each time we fall
You say too much
This time, each time
This time I don't feel so blue
When I'm with you
I've got a gun, got hollow point bullets
Do it
That's the way destiny works
You don't always question it
Right now, do it now
The lyrics to EMF's song "Lies" depict the singer's realization that someone they trusted has been lying to them, and the pain it has caused. The repeated refrain "You said too much and what you said it was a lie" emphasizes the betrayal and the magnitude of the falsehoods. The line "I've bled too much with every lie you keep on telling" suggests that the singer has been emotionally wounded by the lies and cannot take it any longer. The phrase "the harder we fall, the closer we are" could be interpreted as meaning that the more the lies hurt, the more the singer clings to the liar for comfort or familiarity. However, the last lines of the song take a dark turn, with the singer declaring that they have a gun with hollow-point bullets and urging themselves to "do it." The meaning of this line is open to interpretation, but it could be read as the singer contemplating suicide or murder as a result of the pain caused by the lies.
The overall mood of the song is one of anger and hurt, with a sense of desperation and the threat of violence hanging over the lyrics. The driving beat of the music enhances this feeling, with pounding drums and a relentless guitar riff. The contrast between the harshness of the music and the vulnerability of the lyrics creates an interesting tension that draws the listener in.
Line by Line Meaning
You said too much
You talked excessively
And what you said it was a lie
Your words were untrue
You said too much
You talked excessively
And what you said it was a crime
Your words were illegal or immoral
I've bled too much
I've suffered greatly from the lies you've told
With every lie you keep on telling
Your continuous falsehoods harm me more
I've bled too much
I've suffered greatly from the lies you've told
This time, each time
Every instance of your lies hurt me more
The harder we fall, the closer we are
Our struggles bring us together
I don't feel blue, when I'm with you
Being with you brings me happiness
You said too much
You talked excessively
And what you said, it was a lie
Your words were untrue
Lie and what you said, it was a lie
A repetition of your lies being falsehoods
Each time we fall
Every time we fail or struggle
You say too much
You talk excessively
This time, each time
Every instance of your behavior negatively impacts us
This time I don't feel so blue
Despite our struggles, I'm not unhappy
When I'm with you
Being with you brings me happiness
I've got a gun, got hollow point bullets
I have a weapon with particularly destructive ammunition
Do it
An instruction to shoot the gun or act recklessly
That's the way destiny works
This is how fate operates
You don't always question it
We don't always inspect or challenge our predetermined paths
Right now, do it now
Take action before it's too late
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PENNY ELIZABETH FOSTER, CARA FREW, DEATH AT THE DISCO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@skrap5461
You said too much
And what you said it was a lie
You said too much
And what you said it was a crime
I've bled too much
With every lie you keep on telling
I've bled too much
This time, each time
The harder we fall, the closer we are
I don't feel blue, when I'm with you
You said too much
And what you said, it was a lie
Lie and what you said, it was a lie
Each time we fall
You say too much
This time, each time
This time I don't feel so blue
When I'm with you
I've got a gun, got hollow point bullets
Do it
That's the way destiny works
You don't always question it
Right now, do it nowhere
@wichochickenshit1984
Recordando una época de muy buena música y muy buenas bandas como: EMF
@juancaca938
Can't remember how many times I watched this video when I was a kid... right now as a full grown family father I still watch it and feel the same 👌
@billymkirkwood4956
Ah dude, I'm also all of that, I'm 50 and this was my era, well said 👏 👍
@skrap5461
You said too much
And what you said it was a lie
You said too much
And what you said it was a crime
I've bled too much
With every lie you keep on telling
I've bled too much
This time, each time
The harder we fall, the closer we are
I don't feel blue, when I'm with you
You said too much
And what you said, it was a lie
Lie and what you said, it was a lie
Each time we fall
You say too much
This time, each time
This time I don't feel so blue
When I'm with you
I've got a gun, got hollow point bullets
Do it
That's the way destiny works
You don't always question it
Right now, do it nowhere
@HammerLex77
Best song on the album for me.
@wubonkald322
For sure
@sandrabr10
La canción es buenísima, y recién me entero de que existe.
@inversionesincia5754
Damn! it took me 2 years to find this song in YT, couldn't remember the lyrics, but in a flashback with unbelievable I finally remembered.
It's just great to enjoy this work of art again!
@Toropurorock
hermosos 90' s la mejor etapa de mi vida ( y de la mejor musica!!!!)
@Thrillkisser
The superior version and such a shame it was never released on vinyl.