Their first single was 1993's "Stutter", which was a word-of-mouth hit largely due to the promotional efforts of Radio 1 DJ and Deceptive Records label boss Steve Lamacq. In spite of a period of relative quiet, Elastica's fame grew throughout 1994 as Frischmann's relationship with Blur's Damon Albarn made tabloid headlines. Elastica's first LP, Elastica, entered the charts at #1.
Further UK chart hit singles followed: "Connection" and "Waking Up". In 1995 there was a lawsuit from Wire claiming that many of the band's melodies were taken from Wire compositions. Notably, Wire's "I Am the Fly" has a chorus similar to Elastica's "Line Up", and the intro of "Connection" is nearly identical to Wire's "Three Girl Rhumba". Indeed the band had originally intended to sample the intro of the song directly. The Stranglers also passed comment that Elastica's "Waking Up" bore a marked resemblance to their song "No More Heroes". The band did not deny these accusations and were not ashamed by these similarities, stating that all pop bands have borrowed ideas and all music was eventually recycled.
Elastica were able to garner better American sales than other Britpop bands, replacing Sinéad O'Connor on Lollapalooza in 1995. "Connection" and "Stutter" were huge airplay favorites on modern rock radio in the United States and also both charted Pop. Among their extensive tour schedule the band performed at Glastonbury in 1995, where their set was interrupted by a streaker, a George Best look-alike, who would briefly join the band as a keyboard player in 1997.
After extensive touring, the band began to experience personnel problems. In 1997, bassist Annie Holland left the band, citing repetitive strain injury following excessive touring as her reason for departure. In 1999 Donna Matthews left the band. There were several line up changes and keyboard players. Various supporting musicians came and went. Their second album was much delayed after several years of recording. There were worrying rumours of entire albums being scrapped and band tensions due to the perfectionism of Frischmann. The "lost years" of the band were often compared to the Stone Roses recording their Second Coming album.
A quickly recorded lo-fi self-titled EP was released in 1999, and the follow-up LP, The Menace, was finally released in 2000 to moderate sales. A less focused effort than their debut, the album nonetheless contained some interesting moments and more electronic songs than before. One of the high points was "How He Wrote Elastica Man" featuring Mark E. Smith (of The Fall) on vocals, and a cover of Trio's 1982 hit "Da Da Da". A new line up was revealed with two keyboard players replacing Matthews for tour dates.
The band made their long-awaited UK comeback at the Reading Festival in 1999, where they headlined the Radio 1 stage. A largely successful UK tour followed in 2000 to support the release of The Menace, although their festival appearances that year were marred by illness. The band released a final single "The Bitch Don't Work" on limited edition 7" and announced their break-up in September 2001.
Elastica's song "Connection" was used in May 2004 in Garnier television commercials, and was also used as the theme of Trigger Happy TV.
Line Up
Elastica Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's got her keys, money and fags,
I know that her mind is made up,
To get rocked.
Drivel Head needs a new man,
As only a drivel head can,
He's a hormonal nightmare,
Another victim of line up in line,
Line up in line is all I remember.
Oh, how their favours change,
You could have been kinder.
Yes, yes, line up in line,
Line up in line is all I remember.
Oh, how their favours change,
You could have been kinder.
Drivel Head knows all the stars,
Loves to suck their shining guitars,
They've all been right up her stairs,
Do you care?
Drivel Head knows all the bands,
Knows them like the back of her hands.
You can't see the wood for the trees,
On your knees.
Another victim of line up in line,
Line up in line is all I remember.
Oh, how their favours change,
You could have been kinder.
Yes, yes, line up in line,
Line up in line is all I remember.
Oh, how their favours change,
You could have been kinder.
The lyrics of Elastica's "Line Up" are a commentary on the music industry and the way it objectifies women. The singer, presumably a woman, refers to another woman as "Drivel Head," implying that she is stupid or shallow. Drivel Head wears her best clothes and carries her keys, money, and cigarettes, which suggests that she is going out to party and meet men. The singer acknowledges that Drivel Head has made up her mind to "get rocked," which could mean that she wants to have sex, but also implies that she is seeking some kind of excitement or validation.
The lyrics also suggest that Drivel Head has a history of sleeping with musicians. She "knows all the stars" and "loves to suck their shining guitars." The singer implies that Drivel Head is not the only woman chasing after musicians, but that they are all competing for the same men. The line "Another victim of line up in line" suggests that there is a kind of assembly line or conveyor belt of women waiting to meet and sleep with musicians. The repetition of "line up in line" emphasizes the dehumanizing nature of this process.
The chorus "Oh, how their favours change, you could have been kinder" suggests that the singer has been mistreated or taken advantage of by someone in the music industry. The "favors" may refer to sexual acts, but could also include more general exploitation or manipulation. The second verse reinforces the idea that musicians are often exploitative and abusive towards women. Drivel Head is seeking a "new man," but the singer warns that he is a "hormonal nightmare." The final line, "On your knees" implies that women in the music industry are expected to be submissive and deferential.
Overall, "Line Up" is a feminist critique of the music industry and its treatment of women. The lyrics challenge the objectification of women and call attention to the way they are exploited by powerful men. At the same time, the song has a catchy, upbeat melody that invites the listener to dance along.
Line by Line Meaning
Drivel Head wears her glad rags,
Drivel Head dresses up fancy and is ready to go out.
She's got her keys, money and fags,
She has her essentials - keys, money, and cigarettes.
I know that her mind is made up,
I know that she has made up her mind.
To get rocked.
To have a good time, party, and have fun.
Drivel Head needs a new man,
Drivel Head is looking for a new romantic partner.
As only a drivel head can,
As only someone foolish or naive would.
He's a hormonal nightmare,
The man Drivel Head is looking for is likely to have emotional turbulence.
So beware.
Be cautious and careful when dealing with him.
Another victim of line up in line,
Another person who fell in line and conformed to society's expectations.
Line up in line is all I remember.
Society's expectations and conformity are all that I recall.
Oh, how their favours change,
Oh, how people's behavior and attitudes can change.
You could have been kinder.
You could have been more empathetic and understanding towards those who conformed to society's expectations but may not have wanted to.
Drivel Head knows all the stars,
Drivel Head is familiar with and admires many celebrities.
Loves to suck their shining guitars,
Drivel Head likes to live vicariously through celebrities and their glamorous lifestyles.
They've all been right up her stairs,
Many celebrities have likely been to Drivel Head's home for various reasons.
Do you care?
Does it matter to you that Drivel Head is so connected to celebrities?
Drivel Head knows all the bands,
Drivel Head is knowledgeable about various music groups.
Knows them like the back of her hands.
Drivel Head is very familiar with the music bands, as if she knows them as intimately as the back of her hands.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JUSTINE ELINOR FRISCHMANN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tveye1398
[Verse 1]
Drivel head wears her glad rags
She's got her keys, money and fags
I know that her mind is made up
To get rocked
[Verse 2]
Drivel head needs a new man
As only a drivel head can
He's a hormonal nightmare
So beware
[Chorus]
Another victim of line up in line, line up in line is all I remember
Oh, how the favour has changed, you could've been kinder
Yes, yes, line up in line, line up in line, is all I remember
Oh, how their favours change, you could have been mine
[Verse 3]
Drivel head knows all the stars
Loves to suck their shining guitars
They've all been right up her stairs
Do you care? No
[Verse 4]
Drivel head knows all the bands
Knows them like the back of her hands
You can't see the wood for the trees
On your knees
[Chorus]
Another victim of line up in line, line up in line is all I remember
Oh, how the favour has changed, you could have been kinder
Yes, yes, line up in line, line up in line is all I remember
Oh, how the favour has changed, you could have been mine
@kinderstreet6006
It's one of most underrated UK elastica's single( shame it's even only has viewers under a million
@kristenellsworth454
I played this CD nonstop in 1995. What a great year. What a great fucking decade, in fact.
@stevencoil402
More like fly in the ointment of disappointment
@puckinhell622
Steven Coil if that’s what you think of the nineties......god knows how disappointed you must be with today.
@HitchcockBrunette
couldnt agree more
@jtaylor9562
One of the best albums from the britpop era. Utterly brilliant. They just waited waaaaay to long to follow it up.
@theblurtones
Absolutely!! Longpigs also suffered from that a little.
@user-ru6mq5sc5n
Almost all of the time it is in control of the record companies. You sign a contact from day one and if you don't do exactly what they tell you they will make sure you don't make it. We will probably never know but most likely they had material ready to go but there were some disagreements. This use to happen all the time with bands in the 80s and 90s before the internet, where there would be massive delays between albums ( it should be one year approx. ) but for sure if it is 2, and if it's 3 or more years every one doesn't care about you anymore.
@xtstevie
Quite simply one of THE great Britpop songs.... Musical perfection.
@attentionaddicts
I've just noticed the verse sounds identical to Blur - Girls and Boys