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.
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She Bleeds
EMF Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From Mexico to San Delight
I saw her on a top floor bar
That glows flourescent from afar
She's real to me
I have a place for my feelings
Beneath purple colored ceilings
I says to her to leave me be
She left alone
And she think that tomorrow holds
Things she remembered from the past
Everything she wants
She gets everything she needs
She smiles, she sighs, and she bleeds
I saw her on a railway station
As I pass a faded destination
I saw her smiling in a crowd
When we played some far off distant land
I felt so alone
And she thought you were taking risks
The chances you took would never last
Everything she wants
She gets everything she needs
She smiles, she sighs, and she bleeds
She's real to me
I saw her in an alleyway
Streetlights dim with frustration
She comes at night when I pray
And brings a moment of elation
I see her distant coming near
I almost want her to be here
But when she comes she disappears
I'd wait if I was patient
And you don't know what cages are
Cages don't always have bars
Everything she wants
She gets everything she needs
She smiles, she sighs, and she bleeds
She smiles, she sighs and she bleeds
The song "She Bleeds" by EMF is a haunting and mysterious exploration of a woman who is constantly present and yet always seems to be slipping away. The lyrics suggest that the singer has encountered her in various places, from a top floor bar to a railway station to an alleyway, but can never quite hold onto her for long. The repetition of the refrain "She smiles, she sighs, and she bleeds" underscores the sense of loss and longing that permeates the song.
The singer seems to have a deep connection with this woman, describing her as "real to me" and having "a place for my feelings." He is drawn to her, but also pushes her away, telling her to leave him be. He senses that she represents something elusive and uncontrollable, something that he can't quite capture or hold onto.
As the song progresses, the woman becomes more and more mysterious, with the singer suggesting that "she thinks that tomorrow holds things she remembered from the past" and that "she gets everything she wants, she gets everything she needs." The sense is that she is elusive because she is constantly searching for something that she can't quite find.
The final lines of the song suggest that the singer is willing to wait for her, even though he knows that she may never come. He recognizes that cages don't always have bars, and that sometimes the things that hold us back are internal rather than external.
Overall, "She Bleeds" is a complex and intriguing song that explores themes of loss, longing, and the search for something that may always be just out of reach.
Line by Line Meaning
I met her on a midnight flight
I first encountered this woman on a late-night plane trip.
From Mexico to San Delight
The flight was from Mexico to San Delight, a destination that is significant to the singer.
I saw her on a top floor bar
Later, the singer saw her at a bar on a high elevation.
That glows fluorescent from afar
The bar was lit up brightly, making it visible from a distance.
She's real to me
To the artist, this woman is a genuine person and not just a figment of imagination.
I have a place for my feelings
The singer has reserved an emotional space for the woman in his heart.
Beneath purple colored ceilings
The emotional space that the singer has made for this woman is located under a purple ceiling, perhaps symbolizing a sense of luxury.
And when I wanted to be free
At some point, the artist desired a sense of freedom from this woman.
I says to her to leave me be
So he told her to leave him alone.
She left alone
The woman did as she was asked and departed on her own.
And she think that tomorrow holds
The singer believes that the woman is anticipating what the future will bring.
Things she remembered from the past
She is reminiscing about past experiences that she has had.
She gets everything she needs
This woman seems to receive just what she requires in life.
She smiles, she sighs, and she bleeds
Despite appearing content, this woman still experiences pain and sadness.
I saw her on a railway station
The singer encountered this woman once again on a train platform.
As I pass a faded destination
During the journey, the artist glimpses a location that has since lost its appeal and popularity.
I saw her smiling in a crowd
Amid a group of people, the artist is able to spot the woman's smile.
When we played some far off distant land
The singer recalls a past experience of traveling to a faraway country with the woman.
I felt so alone
Despite being with the woman, the singer still experienced feelings of loneliness.
And she thought you were taking risks
The woman believed that the artist was engaging in risky behavior.
The chances you took would never last
According to the woman, the risks that the artist took would not lead to long-term success or satisfaction.
I saw her in an alleyway
Another instance of seeing the woman, this time in a dark alley.
Streetlights dim with frustration
The streetlights are dim, which is a source of annoyance or irritation for the singer.
She comes at night when I pray
The woman visits the artist at night when he is praying.
And brings a moment of elation
Her presence brings the singer a brief moment of happiness and excitement.
I see her distant coming near
The singer can see the woman approaching from far away.
I almost want her to be here
The singer feels a desire for the woman to be close by.
But when she comes she disappears
However, when the woman arrives, she does not stick around for very long.
I'd wait if I was patient
The artist would be willing to wait for the woman, but he acknowledges that he lacks patience.
And you don't know what cages are
The singer suggests that the woman does not understand what it is like to feel trapped or constrained.
Cages don't always have bars
The traps or limitations that people experience in life are not always physical in nature.
She's real to me
The artist continues to affirm that this woman is a genuine person to him.
Everything she wants
The woman seems to get everything that she desires.
She gets everything she needs
Additionally, the woman receives all the necessities of life.
She smiles, she sighs, and she bleeds
Despite her many blessings, the woman still experiences emotions such as sadness and pain.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Derran Gene Brownson, Ian Dench, James Saul Atkin, Mark Simon De Cloedt, Zachary Sebastian Rex Foley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind