Formed in 1995 by Sister Bliss, Faithless was a London, England, United Kin… Read Full Bio ↴Formed in 1995 by Sister Bliss, Faithless was a London, England, United Kingdom-based group of musicians whose music is described by one of their band members as a cross between trip-hop and techno. The four original members of Faithless were vocalist/rapper Maxi Jazz, keyboardist/producer Sister Bliss, instrumentalist/vocalist Jamie Catto and keyboardist/producer Rollo Armstrong. Jamie Catto (now in 1 Giant Leap) left after their second album, Sunday 8PM, which was released in 1998. Rollo Armstrong's sister Dido also features on several Faithless tracks.
For the 2004 album No Roots, Faithless were joined by rapper/vocalist LSK.

Rollo's studio relationship is quite unique as he has synesthesia [a clinical condition where sounds have colour] . He also acted as producer for the second half of his sister Dido's debut album, No Angel.

Dido has been a guest singer on a number of Faithless tracks, including "Flowerstand Man" from the 1995 debut album Reverence, "Hem of his Garment" from Sunday 8PM, "One Step Too Far" from Outrospective and "No Roots" from the album of the same name.

Faithless have now released 5 studio albums, with a remix album for the first three (Reverence, Sunday 8pm and Outrospective) and an instrumental for the last (No Roots), plus a Greatest Hits collection (Forever Faithless) and 2 DVDS, one of which showcased their universally acclaimed live performances. Their most mature album and arguably their best is the latest album 'To All New Arrivals' released on 27th November 2006, the album name being inspired by the recent birth of two babies to Rollo and Sister Bliss.

Part of one of their tracks featured on the 'Greatest Hits' album (Taruntula) was remixed by the BBC and used as the theme for their World Cup coverage in 2002.

It was reported that Faithless were to split up after their 2005 tour, which was due to end on 30 April 2005. Speculation started after Rollo wrote "We set out thinking it would be our last album, feeling maybe we have had our time in the sun". Fortunately, this was not meant to be. A fresh clutch of tour dates prolonged the tour until December 2005.

In 2006 the band made several summer festival appearances, including the V Festival in England.

In August of 2006, Faithless released a 3 CD compilation for the Renaissance series titled, "Renaissance 3D". The first CD contains a mix of then current club hits, the second CD is a collection of Faithless remixes and productions, and the third CD is a laid back chill out CD.

On the 27th of November 2006, Faithless released its fifth studio album titled "To All New Arrivals". Previews of the tracks were made available via the Faithless website in early October.

Their 'Music Matters' tour in the UK started in early 2007.

In May 2010, Faithless released "The Dance", their best selling album to date in Europe. The album has been followed a few months later by an upgrade, including a remix bonus CD, "The Dance Never Ends".

On March 16th 2011, Maxi Jazz announced on his website that Faithless would cease to be, commenting "But, like when writing a song, you always just ‘know’ when it’s finished… this is and was the “Thank YOU And Goodbye’ tour".

Scandalous
Faithless Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hey,
She's wicked, delightful, bright and spiteful,
Not to be trifled with mid-cycle (?)
She may be slight but she can be frightful
Known to fire lovers in a quiet disciple
Side of her full thighs eyes makes my blood pound around (?)
And I can't hear nothing but the rushing sound
Face down, [...] on the crown of my head

Bound tight to an idea that drags me down
And I'ma never be found inside of sense again
The phone ring and I have no defense again
Intense to end all intensity
My propensity may be the death of me
You see

Propensity may be the death of me
You see...

Hey,
I'm in love with another man's woman
Cancerous what I'm doing
Didn't plan for this
Never before felt so amorous
Or frightened of people with cameras
Anybody who stands with us
Will be damned with us
Head stuck in the sand with us
Others abandon us
Even friends telling me I will never be believed again
And what's scandalous
Not a trace of remorse, even then,
Even when all my floors are exposed
Still showed (?) the shed clothes on the floor again
And again, and again...

And again, and again...

Hey,
My world has contracted end to end
My friends are subtracted
The only feeling is a numbness
Waiting for the phone to ring
Start my heart to beating (?)
The blood in my veins seen (?)
If it's not you I just resume my pacing (?)
Up and down, frustrated [...]
I can't [...] the way I'm aching
Till I get my fix my body won't quit shaking
Check the telephone connection, make sure it's working
[...] tear my skin (?)
People keep knocking but they can't come in
It's like the walls of my mind are falling in
And all I can think about is more linen
On my bed all day I ignore women offering a path way from affliction
But I'm in love with my addiction
You see...

People keep knocking but they can't come in...
People keep knocking but they can't come in...
People keep knocking but they can't come in...

People keep knocking but they can't come in...
People keep knocking but they can't come in...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Faithless's song Scandalous revolve around the tumultuous emotions and actions of the singer who is deeply in love with another man's woman. He describes her as wicked, delightful, bright, and spiteful, and admits that he knows he shouldn't trifle with her, especially when she's mid-cycle. This woman, who is known to fire her lovers while also being a quiet disciple, has a power over the singer that he cannot resist. He is both frightened and amorous towards her, and the intensity of their relationship might lead to his death.

As the song progresses, the singer confesses that he is addicted to this woman and his world has contracted end to end. His friends have abandoned him, and he is numb, waiting for the phone to ring. He is trapped in a cycle of intense emotions and can only think about being with this woman, even though he knows it's scandalous. He is ashamed of his actions but cannot stop himself from shedding his clothes on the floor again and again. The walls of his mind are falling in, and he is in love with his addiction.

The lyrics of Scandalous paint a vivid picture of a man caught in the throes of a scandalous affair, unable to extricate himself from the intense emotions he feels for another man's woman. It is a cautionary tale of how love and addiction can consume a person and lead them down a dangerous path.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey, She's wicked, delightful, bright and spiteful, Not to be trifled with mid-cycle (?), She may be slight but she can be frightful, Known to fire lovers in a quiet disciple
The singer describes a woman who is charming, attractive, and dangerous. He warns against underestimating her, as she can be aggressive and is known to lead people astray.

Side of her full thighs eyes makes my blood pound around (?), And I can't hear nothing but the rushing sound, Face down, [...] on the crown of my head, Bound tight to an idea that drags me down
The singer is captivated by the woman's physical appearance, which overwhelms him to the point where he cannot think clearly. He feels trapped by his obsession.

And I'ma never be found inside of sense again, The phone ring and I have no defense again, Intense to end all intensity, My propensity may be the death of me, You see
The singer feels like he is losing his grip on reality and cannot resist the pull of his obsession. He is aware that his behavior is self-destructive.

Propensity may be the death of me, You see...
The singer reflects on his propensity towards destructive behavior and realizes that it may end up killing him.

Hey, I'm in love with another man's woman, Cancerous what I'm doing, Didn't plan for this, Never before felt so amorous, Or frightened of people with cameras, Anybody who stands with us, Will be damned with us, Head stuck in the sand with us, Others abandon us, Even friends telling me I will never be believed again, And what's scandalous, Not a trace of remorse, even then, Even when all my floors are exposed, Still showed (?) the shed clothes on the floor again, And again, and again...
The singer confesses that he is sleeping with another man's partner and describes feeling ashamed and afraid of being caught. He acknowledges that his actions are immoral and that anyone who associates with him will face the same issues. Despite this, he feels no regret and continues his affair.

And again, and again...
The singer repeats that he is continuing his affair, despite knowing the consequences.

Hey, My world has contracted end to end, My friends are subtracted, The only feeling is a numbness, Waiting for the phone to ring, Start my heart to beating (?), The blood in my veins seen (?), If it's not you I just resume my pacing (?), Up and down, frustrated [...], I can't [...] the way I'm aching, Till I get my fix my body won't quit shaking, Check the telephone connection, make sure it's working, [...] tear my skin (?), People keep knocking but they can't come in, It's like the walls of my mind are falling in, And all I can think about is more linen, On my bed all day I ignore women offering a path way from affliction, But I'm in love with my addiction, You see...
The singer is consumed by his addiction to the woman and feels like he is losing touch with his surroundings. He obsessively waits for her calls and becomes physically and mentally agitated when she is not around. He is unable to focus or function normally and thinks only about his addiction.

People keep knocking but they can't come in...
The singer repeats that he is shutting everyone out and isolating himself from the world.

Contributed by William J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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