The… Read Full Bio ↴Fucked Up is a hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The band formed and played their first shows in early 2001. The initial practicing lineup consisted of 10,000 Marbles (Guitar), Concentration Camp (Vocals), and Mustard Gas (Bass Guitar). Just prior to recording their demo tape, Concentration Camp moved to guitar and vocal duties were taken over by Pink Eyes (also known as Mr. Damian). Drums are played by Mr. Jo (also credited as G. Beat or J. Falco) and Young Governor was added as a third guitarist in 2007.
Following the release of the demo, the band embarked on a long series of 7" vinyl 45 rpms. Unlike many of their contemporaries, the band shunned full length LP or CD formats, preferring to output their music two songs at a time. While some record distributors refused to carry the singles, they were generally released to broad appeal, receiving glowing reviews in many punk fanzines. The artwork and feel of the records was a tribute to the Dangerhouse Records era of punk vinyl.
The band released the "No Pasaran" 7" in May of 2002. The records aesthetic and philosophy was greatly influenced by anarchism and the participation of anarchists in the Spanish Civil War in particular. The cover and insert featured anarchist propaganda posters and portraits of Spanish farmers and peasant soldiers.
The Police 7" was released on March of 2003, quickly followed by what is considered the bands most significant recording, the Baiting the Public 7" in May of 2003. This single was in tribute to the Viennese Actionism, a far left art movement during the 1960s, and the Situationist International. The record featured one song spread over two sides, and illegible liner notes, meant to shock and annoy the buyer.
Two more 7"'s followed in 2004, the Dance of Death single, and the Litany 4-song EP. The vinyl releases to this point were collected on 2004's Epics in Minutes CD.
The band's use of imagery and symbolism took a decided turn after the release of Epics in Minutes, as it was followed by two obscure and limited 12"s, the Looking for Gold 12", and the live Let Likes be Cured by Likes 12". Many felt at this point the band's message became esoteric to the point of confusion, while others felt the turn towards a more convoluted approach was ultimately more rewarding. The Looking for Gold 12" contained no liner notes or credits, no song titles, and a hidden track. It was self-released by the band in 2004 in a limited run of 600 copies and immediately became one of the most infamous and sought-after modern hardcore punk releases, selling for over $100 on internet auction sites like ebay. The title track was 17 minutes long, used 19 guitar tracks, had a three minute drum solo and contained 4 minutes of whistling, all unconventional by punk rock song-writing standards.
Following a lengthy and rumoured self-written interview in Maximum Rock and Roll, that discussed some of the band's politics and identity, many people became suspicious of the band's intentions, based on their allusions to mind control, fascism, early 20th centruy occultism, and Nazi mysticism. The release of a split 7" in 2004 with the band Haymaker did little to allay these concerns as it contained a picture of Hitler addressing a Hitler Youth Rally in 1938. A public clarification followed in late 2004 after the band was attacked onstage at a concert in Toronto.
In the summer of 2004 the band returned to form with the release of the Generation 7" and 12" EPs. The record contained the trademark sound the band had developed with their earlier releases. The record would go onto sell more than 6000 copies in that year and would represent the definitive Fucked Up release of the later period. The live performance of "Generation" had at this point become a focal point of most shows and saw hundreds of people dance and mosh in a mad frenzy of violence and aggression, and would result in many injuries.
After touring for most of 2005 the band took on David Eliade as a quasi-full time manager/promoter, and released a new UK-only 7", Triumph of Life, on VICE records. The band is currently signed to Jade Tree, on which they released the double album Hidden World in 2006. Hidden World was generally well received in the music community, although many traditional punk fans who once glorified Fucked Up for their "short and fast" older songs couldn't quite grasp Hidden World, which was 74 minutes long. Owen Pallett (commonly known as Final Fantasy) did the strings for the album, and Alexisonfire's vocalist George Pettit made an appearance as a guest vocalist on the final track. The album served as Fucked Up's "major label debut", receiving positive reviews from Pitchfork Media, SPIN magazine, and NOW magazine. The albums was also picked as "#1 punk album of the year" by the Canadian magazine Exclaim!.
After Hidden World, Fucked Up began their yearly record series based off of the Chinese calendar. They released the Year of the Dog 12" in late 2006. Fucked Up also appeared on MTV Live Canada in January 2007. Fans in attendance reportedly caused $2000 worth of damages during the recording. After a European tour in the spring and an early summer U.S Tour that took the band to the U.S Southeast for the first time ever, Fucked Up proceeded to play several major music festivals including South by Southwest, Tales of the Jackalope, Oshesga Fest, and POP Montreal. In July of 2007, the band released the second album in the Chinese calendar series "Year of the Pig". The 12" is technically a single, featuring the song Year of the Pig and it's b-side Black Hats. Year of the Pig is over 18 minutes long, and is about the treatment of sex workers in Canada.
Currently, the band has made comments about several different projects, including a follow up full length to Hidden World, and a musical based off the song 'David Comes to Life' from the Hidden World album.
The Recursive Girl
Fucked Up Lyrics
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Just when I think I've found hope I lose it again.
Friends become lovers then become friends,
The players pass but the feelings stay the same.
Hold the bitter taste in my mouth,
I don't want forget, don't want to spit it out.
The pain can only last for so long.
A sweetness lingers after it's gone.
I'm the sum of everyone, I hold on to the memories after the people are gone.
Hold the bitter taste in my mouth, I don't want forget, don't want to spit it out.
The pain can only last for so long.
A sweetness lingers after it's gone.
The start of something new in the end.
We all get to try this love again.
Like characters who all switch place, I'll wipe the tears from my face.
Your heart is made from the places it's been.
Mine's been through a lot and the state that I'm in
Now that I've lived through a loss and been fine,
Gives me hope that tomorrow the sun will still shine.
Hold the bitter taste in my mouth, I don't want forget, don't want to spit it out.
The pain can only last for so long.
A sweetness lingers after it's gone.
Watching the waves of my life wash to shore.
The pattern they take can't fool me anymore.
I want to feel it all because I know things change.
I want to get wet before I come in from the rain.
Hold the bitter taste in my mouth, I don't want forget, don't want to spit it out.
The pain can only last for so long.
A sweetness lingers after it's gone.
A change of perspective not one of place.
The memories mean too much to erase.
The seasons turn to come back again.
I still love him but I want it that way.
The start of something new in the end.
We all get to try this love again.
Like characters who all switch place, I'll wipe the tears from my face.
I remember our love like it was yesterday.
The scores of my heart like the charts from a play.
I don't have to let go to move on in my way.
I look back as I grow and I know that it's okay."
The Recursive Girl by Fucked Up reflects on the experience of loving and losing, and how these experiences shape our lives. The lyrics suggest that the pain of losing love is fleeting, but the memories that we hold onto last forever. The singer realizes that they are the sum of all their past loves, and that these experiences continue to shape their perspective on life. They seem to see all the highs and lows of love as a part of a bigger pattern, a cycle of seasons that comes back again and again.
The song also touches on the idea of hope and renewal. The singer acknowledges that every ending is also the start of something new, and that we all get to try love again. They have learned from their past experiences of loss and have realized that the sun will still shine tomorrow. The singer's perspective has changed, but their memories and feelings remain a part of who they are.
Overall, The Recursive Girl is a poignant reflection on the experience of loving and losing. It emphasizes the importance of embracing all our experiences, and holding onto the memories that shape us.
Line by Line Meaning
To love and to lose has been my refrain
Throughout my life, I have experienced love and loss repeatedly.
Just when I think I've found hope I lose it again.
Whenever I develop hope for the future, something happens to take it away again.
Friends become lovers then become friends,
Sometimes relationships start as friendships, turn romantic, and then go back to being just friends.
The players pass but the feelings stay the same.
People may come and go from my life, but the emotions I feel about them remain constant.
Hold the bitter taste in my mouth, I don't want forget, don't want to spit it out.
I want to hold onto the memories, even if they are painful, and not forget them.
The pain can only last for so long.
Even though the hurt may seem never-ending, it will eventually fade away.
A sweetness lingers after it's gone.
Despite the pain, there is still something sweet that remains after a relationship ends.
Take it all on board as I go through life, those loves are all that I know.
The experiences of love and loss are all I have to navigate life with.
I'm the sum of everyone, I hold on to the memories after the people are gone.
I am shaped by the people I have loved, even though they may no longer be in my life, and I hold onto their memories.
The start of something new in the end.
Even though one relationship may have ended, it could lead to the beginning of another.
We all get to try this love again.
Everyone has the opportunity to find love again after experiencing loss.
Like characters who all switch place, I'll wipe the tears from my face.
Just like the characters in a story, I too will move on and dry my tears.
Your heart is made from the places it's been.
The experiences and relationships a person has gone through shape who they are.
Mine's been through a lot and the state that I'm in
The struggles that I have faced have left an impact on me.
Now that I've lived through a loss and been fine,
Having experienced loss before and come out fine on the other side gives me hope for the future.
Gives me hope that tomorrow the sun will still shine.
Getting through tough times gives me the hope that things will get better.
Watching the waves of my life wash to shore.
I am aware of the ups and downs of my life, like the ebb and flow of waves on the shore.
The pattern they take can't fool me anymore.
I have been through enough to know what patterns to expect in my life.
I want to feel it all because I know things change.
I want to experience everything life has to offer because I understand that life is always changing.
I want to get wet before I come in from the rain.
I want to fully immerse myself in life and its experiences before it is too late.
A change of perspective not one of place.
Sometimes, a new way of looking at something is more important than a new physical location.
The memories mean too much to erase.
Even though some memories may be painful, they are too significant to forget.
The seasons turn to come back again.
Just as seasons change and come back around, life also has its cycles.
I still love him but I want it that way.
Even though the relationship has ended, there is still love there, and that is okay.
I remember our love like it was yesterday.
Even though time has passed, the memory of our love is still fresh in my mind.
The scores of my heart like the charts from a play.
The emotions I feel are like a musical score, telling the story of my life.
I don't have to let go to move on in my way.
I can move forward with my life while still holding onto the memories of the past.
I look back as I grow and I know that it's okay.
Even though I am growing and changing, it is okay to still look back and remember the past.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Joshua Elliot Zucker, Sandy Miranda, Michael Ian Haliechuk, Paul Jonah Falco, Benjamin Peter Warden Cook, Damian Abraham
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind