Fun Lovin' Criminals are a band from New York City. Their musical style is … Read Full Bio ↴Fun Lovin' Criminals are a band from New York City. Their musical style is eclectic, covering styles such as hip hop, rock, blues, jazz, R&B, punk, and funk.[11][9] They are best known for their hit "Scooby Snacks", which features samples from films by Quentin Tarantino, and the song "Love Unlimited", which recalls Barry White's backing vocal group. Their songs often focus on life in New York City, as well as urban life in general. Their lyrics can be gritty or existentialist in nature, touching on topics such as organized crime and urban violence, but they are just as often humorous or satirical.[12][9][13][10] The band gained a large following internationally, notably in north-west Europe, around the release of their first two albums in the late 1990s.

History
Formation and first albums: 1993–1999
The band was formed in 1993 by Huey Morgan, Brian "Fast" Leiser and Steve Borgovini after Leiser, who was already friends with Borgovini, met Morgan at the club where they both worked.[14] They started playing together and would provide the entertainment for the club when a booked act failed to show up. It was during one of these stand-in gigs that they came to the attention of EMI and they were offered a record deal.

Come Find Yourself, the band's first album, was released in the summer of 1996 by Chrysalis Records and followed their single "The Grave And The Constant" (UK No. 72), which was released a month earlier, into the UK charts. The album also featured the UK Top 40 hits, "Scooby Snacks" (UK No. 22), "The Fun Lovin' Criminal" (UK No. 26) and "King Of New York" (UK No. 28). The subject of latter touched on the imprisonment of Italian-American mafioso John Gotti, the wannabe gangsters emulating his style, and his fans and followers in his community that maintained his innocence. The biggest hit, "Scooby Snacks", features samples from films by Quentin Tarantino and a guitar sample from Tones On Tail song "Movement of Fear", interspersed with rap verses and a sung, anthemic, chorus. Come Find Yourself had a slow rise up the UK Albums Chart, finally peaking at No. 7 and spending well over a year in the chart, however it failed to make any impact in the US. The success of the album prompted the re-release of "Scooby Snacks" as a single, alongside a cover of the 10cc classic "I'm Not In Love", which this time reached UK No. 12.[14]

100% Colombian, released in August 1998 by Virgin Records,[14] had a far grittier sound to it tempered by three upbeat songs, and several downtempo tracks, including "Love Unlimited", a tribute to Barry White. "Korean Bodega", one of the aforementioned upbeat songs, was the biggest hit from the album, reaching No. 15, their second-highest placing single so far after the re-release of "Scooby Snacks".[14]

In June 1999 the band played at Glastonbury Festival on the Pyramid Stage. Their December 1999 album Mimosa, released by EMI was a compilation album consisting mostly of laid back lounge style covers and different versions of earlier released tracks. While making reasonable sales, the album was their weakest selling album yet and remained so for some years. It was around this time, in 1999, that Steve Borgovini left the band. He was replaced by Maxwell "Mackie" Jayson. A permanent replacement was found in 2003 in the form of Mark Reid (aka Frank Benbini) from Leicester, United Kingdom, who had previously worked with the band as Jayson's technician.

Mainstream success: 2000–2008
The band's third studio album, Loco, was released in early 2001. Back under EMI, the album had all new songs including the eponymous single which became their biggest hit yet, reaching No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart. It was the only single release from the album to reach the UK Top 40, and its success helped Loco to reach No. 5 in the UK Albums Chart.

Their final album under EMI was a "best of" compilation called Bag of Hits released in 2002. It was released in both one and two disc versions, with the second disc featuring remixes of Fun Lovin' Criminals songs by other artists. EMI released this album against the wishes of the band, who were not happy with the two disc version. However, despite their objections it reached No. 11 in the UK Albums Chart.

After parting company with EMI the band was picked up by Sanctuary Records in the UK, under which they released their fourth studio album Welcome to Poppy's (2003). While it received strong, but not fantastic, music reviews it failed to live up to the commercial success of any of the previous albums, peaking at No. 20 in the UK Albums Chart. The best-selling single from the album reached No. 61.

EMI continued to release the band's back catalog, as well as unreleased songs on two more albums. The Fun Lovin' Criminals made no further releases until 2005 album Livin' in the City, still under Sanctuary Records. This was very much a love letter to New York with many songs extolling the virtues of the city.

In June 2008 they made their second appearance at the Glastonbury Festival, this time on the Jazz World Stage.

2009–present
In April 2010 Classic Fantastic was released, kicking off a European tour which began in Manchester. Legal wranglings with their previous manager meant that this album was their first official output in five years, although they had played live during this period. Leiser and Benbini had produced much of the album in London, while Morgan recorded his parts in New York.

Classic Fantastic was the first album on Kilohertz, the band's own label, and signaled a new business model for the Fun Lovin' Criminals based on touring their live shows rather than relying on record sales alone. Singles from the album were the title track "Classic Fantastic" followed by "Mr Sun". The official video for "Mr Sun" was cancelled due to volcanic ash, and a montage of old home movies was used in its place.

The third single was the double A-side "We The Three" and "Keep On Yellin" featuring South London's Roots Manuva, released August 16, 2010. During July 2010 the band recorded a special series of songs with Roots Manuva. The project, dubbed "Criminal Manuvas", was recorded at Maida Vale studios for BBC Radio 6 Music; songs included a reggae version of "Scooby Snacks" and an alternative version of "Witness".

In September 2010 the band were touring, and they announced a live album: Fun, Live and Criminal via Pledge Music.

In March 2014 they released The Bong Remains The Same, a live concert video.

In February 2016, they released a deluxe, expanded edition of debut album "Come Find Yourself" to mark its 20th anniversary, and the band toured the album by performing it in full alongside some of their other tracks, throughout the UK and Europe, and at a number of festivals that Summer and into 2017. In January 2019, The band released the follow-up to their "Mimosa" compilation, titled "Another Mimosa", which features covers of some of their favourite songs. The band have also been working on their 7th studio album of new original material, expected in 2020.

Side projects
Huey Morgan is a radio personality on BBC.[11][15]Morgan has appeared on Jack Osbourne's Adrenaline Junkie, a boy racer show Slips, sat in for Jonathan Ross and Dermot O'Leary on BBC Radio 2, appeared in Soulboy (film) as a Dick Van Dyke accented London record shop owner, voiced a character in the Scarface: The World Is Yours video game, and most bizarrely appeared with Liza Tarbuck on Liza & Huey's Pet Nation on prime-time SKY TV.

All three band members have released side-projects. Benbini's band Uncle Frank has released an album, as has Leiser, albeit some of his previous 'unreleased' work. Both Leiser and Benbini have collaborated on myriad remixes as well as a full remix album in a reggae-dub style under the moniker Radio Riddler. Morgan has released an album Say it to my Face and toured with several acquaintances, including Benbini, as Huey and the New Yorkers, raising money for veterans as he did so.

Come Find Yourself
Fun Lovin' Criminals Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hemlock five caught me out there later on
It's the girl I told the man, but he swore he'd prove me wrong
Not seeing as I saw it as I gazed at the skyline
Someone dropped me a dime, someone took the time

I'm not a man with a grasp on reality
Kerouac is whack but I'm down with Dostoevsky
Sugar's got my back plus Beretta .380's

One of which I dropped as the man tried to bait me.

Come on, find yourself.
Its you, its always been you, its always been in you.
Now don't get it messed up, they got me all dressed up.
To feed me to the fishes, I use my mojo for the loco

I know the soft machine and its goings ons and I'll be
Damned if the man's gonna spill me
You want to see me go wild and crazy, I'm sorry man but your
Threats don't phase me. You covered the ground but you're

Lazy. Come on contest me.

Come on, find yourself.
It's you, it's always been you, it's always been in you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Come Find Yourself" by Fun Lovin' Criminals are a mix of different elements, ranging from streetwise poetry to hip hop lyrics. The song tells the story of a man who is caught up in his own reality, trying to survive in a world where he is constantly under threat. The opening lines, "Hemlock five caught me out there later on, It's the girl I told the man, but he swore he'd prove me wrong", suggest that the man has been caught doing something wrong and is now trying to explain himself. However, he finds himself at the mercy of someone who seems determined to make him pay for his mistakes.

The second verse of the song moves on to describe the man's mindset. He claims not to have a grasp on reality, and references the works of writers such as Kerouac and Dostoevsky. This suggests that he is a complex character with a deep understanding of the world around him. He also talks about Sugar, who has his back, and the Beretta .380s, one of which he drops as the man tries to bait him. These are all markers of his streetwise persona and his ability to handle himself in tough situations.

The chorus of the song, "Come on, find yourself. It's you, it's always been you, it's always been in you", is a mantra of sorts, urging the listener to look within themselves and find their own identity. The song is a mix of different elements, including funky beats, bluesy guitar riffs, and hip hop rhythms. It is a unique blend of genres that reflects the eclectic nature of the band.

Line by Line Meaning

Hemlock five caught me out there later on
I was caught by the police on Hemlock Street at a later time

It's the girl I told the man, but he swore he'd prove me wrong
The man accused me of lying about a girl, but I insisted I was telling the truth

Not seeing as I saw it as I gazed at the skyline
I did not see what the man accused me of because I was distracted by the skyline

Someone dropped me a dime, someone took the time
Someone gave me a warning, someone helped me out

I'm not a man with a grasp on reality
I am not someone who is firmly grounded in reality

Kerouac is whack but I'm down with Dostoevsky
I don't like Kerouac, but I appreciate Dostoevsky's work

Sugar's got my back plus Beretta .380's
I have the support of my girlfriend Sugar, as well as two Beretta .380 pistols

One of which I dropped as the man tried to bait me.
I dropped one of my pistols while the man was trying to trap me

Come on, find yourself.
You need to discover who you really are

Its you, its always been you, its always been in you.
The answers you seek are within yourself

Now don't get it messed up, they got me all dressed up.
Don't get confused, the police have me wearing a disguise

To feed me to the fishes, I use my mojo for the loco
The police want to get rid of me, but I will use my charm to stay out of danger

I know the soft machine and its goings ons and I'll be
I am familiar with the underground criminal world and its activities

Damned if the man's gonna spill me
I will not let the man reveal any secrets about me

You want to see me go wild and crazy, I'm sorry man but your
You hope to provoke me, but you won't succeed

Threats don't phase me. You covered the ground but you're
Threats don't intimidate me. You have a lot of power, but you're not invincible

Lazy. Come on contest me.
You're too lazy to take me on. Come on and challenge me

It's you, it's always been you, it's always been in you
Once again, the key to finding yourself is within you

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN ANDREW LEISER, HUGH THOMAS MORGAN, STEPHEN BYRON BORGOVINI

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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