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.
My Sin
Fun Lovin' Criminals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And with this cane I concentrate
And with these shoes I go flying
'Til the demons all wake up
And come to grips
And I take my sin
Down to the street
And then I'll let it go
And I take my sin
Down to the street
To be judged
And then I'll let it go
The water's blue,
And rushes past me
And through the clouds I will lament
And if I call I will deliver
Or crack my head on the cement
And I take my sin
Down to the street
To be judged
And then I'll let it go
And I take my sin
Down to the street
To be judged
And then I'll let it go
(Yeah I'll let it go)
And I take my sin
Down to the street
To be judged
And then I'll let it go
And I take my sin
Down to the street
To be judged
And then I'll let it go
(Yeah let it go now)
The song “My Sin” by Fun Lovin’ Criminals is about self-reflection and redemption. The lyrics describe the singer’s attempt to confront his inner demons and past mistakes. The opening lines, “Within this box there is a gift / And with this cane I concentrate / And with these shoes I go flying / ‘Til the demons all wake up,” suggest that the singer has locked away something valuable within his psyche, and that he must confront his personal demons to unleash his full potential. He then goes on to say that he takes his sin “down to the street / To be judged,” suggesting that he is confronting his faults in a public way and seeking external validation.
However, the song is also about personal liberation and growth. The repeated refrain of “And then I’ll let it go” suggests a sense of relief and catharsis after confronting one’s own flaws. The imagery of the rushing water and the singer’s willingness to “lament” through the clouds suggests a sense of letting go of past mistakes and moving forward. Overall, the song speaks to a universal human experience of trying to better oneself, and the struggle and fulfillment that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Within this box there is a gift
I hold something precious, something that's a gift to me. It's stored safely within me and I never let it go.
And with this cane I concentrate
I use this stick to focus, to help me hone in on my gift and bring it out for others to see.
And with these shoes I go flying
My gift propels me forward, giving me the wings to soar and reach my full potential.
'Til the demons all wake up
My gift has a dark side, and sometimes it brings out the demons in me. But I won't let them stand in my way.
And come to grips
I face my demons head on, and I won't back down until I conquer them.
And I take my sin
I own my mistakes and imperfections, I accept them as a part of me.
Down to the street
I expose myself to the world and let them judge me, I'm willing to face the consequences.
To be judged
I accept judgement, whatever form it takes. Whether it be praise or condemnation, I take it all in stride.
And then I'll let it go
I'm ready to move on, to shed my guilt and embrace the future. I'm ready to let go of my past and give it a new meaning.
The water's blue,
The world around me is a beautiful, serene place, full of opportunity and possibility.
And rushes past me
Life moves at a fast pace, and I can't slow it down. I must keep up and adapt to the changes as they come.
And through the clouds I will lament
Despite the beauty of the world, there are still times of sorrow and regret. I recognize and acknowledge those feelings.
And if I call I will deliver
If I focus on my gift and call upon it, it will be there for me, even in my darkest moments.
Or crack my head on the cement
But if I lose sight of my gift, if I let it slip away, I risk falling and injuring myself.
(Yeah I'll let it go)
(Yeah let it go now)
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Laura Barba Millán
Muy buen ritmo si señor. Elegancia y estilo.
Max
I never get tired of( or get enough of) hearing these guys.
DrSpooglemon
An absolute classic. But what else should I expect from the FLC?
mario androvic
i love it !
G. Pruegel
I still do!
nejm nejmovic
You don't make up for your sins in church – you do it in the streets - Martin Scorsese ;))
flesh cork
son re famosos, o sea no serán los rolling stones pero son re conocidos.
aardvarkmcgillicuddy
This is gooooood. Smoooove.
dkccerbero
@jackFante Viste que hay un DVD que sacaron por ahí???? No lo puedo encontrar por ningún lado!!!! =_= Yo hace menos que los sigo pero encontré los discos de la misma manera, una lástima que no tengan más difusión.... Saludos!!!!
Mia. BlackVelvet
Good i love...