Their first ever single was Out There in the Jungle (Polydor 1976), but the height of their career came with the two Robert Jan Stips produced albums 10 Mistakes and Back to 78, both released in 1978.
They came to popularity just after the height of punk, but were regarded as more post-punk, veering more towards the mainstream pop. They were much admired for their live performances, which had great humour--even slapstick. Their biggest hit in their native Netherlands is Disco Really Made it (#11 in the Dutch Top 40 in 1978), but their most well-known song internationally is Beep Beep Love (from the album Ten Mistakes), which enjoyed some success in both U.K. and U.S.
The U.K.'s Radio & Records voted them "Top Newcomer '78". In July 2006 the Japanese girl band Puffy AmiYumi recorded a new version of Tokyo, originally recorded by Gruppo Sportivo in 1978.
Gruppo Sportivo kept recording and performing on and off until December 2013, when the group announced and performed their (initially) final show in Haarlem, The Netherlands. However, they reformed in 2018 and released a new studio album the same year, titled Great. They went on another promotional tour which ended in 2019.
In the summer of 2021 they began recording new music, with - for the first time again in over 40 years - Robert Jan Stips as the producer.
I Said No
Gruppo Sportivo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I said no
No jazz, big band or dixieland,
Can beat the king of rock 'n' roll
I told her all about Elvis
She begged me to go on
I thought my hair was okay,
My voice was going
when I tried to sing a catchy Elvis-song
She said: hey isn't that Jersey,
Jack Jersey?
And put his record on
I said no,
Don't put that record on the stereo
I said no,
You must have got me wrong
She said: gee, I'm sorry,
Would you please go on
I decided to rock her socks off,
With a Jerry Lee Lewis song
She said: hey, isn't that Ernie,
Long Tall Ernie
And put his record on
I said no,
Don't put that record on the stereo
I said no,
You must have got me wrong
I said no,
Don't put that record on the stereo
I said no,
You must have got me wrong
I said no,
Don't put that record on the stereo
I said no,
You must have got me wrong
The lyrics to Gruppo Sportivo's "I Said No" tell the story of a conversation between the singer and a woman who asks him if he likes jazz. The singer replies with a definitive "no," insisting that no genre can compare to "the king of rock 'n' roll," Elvis Presley. As the woman presses him for more details, the singer begins to feel less confident, noticing that his voice is starting to go as he tries to sing an Elvis song.
When the woman suggests putting on a record by Jersey or Long Tall Ernie, the singer insists that she must have misunderstood him and refuses to let her play the music. This back-and-forth between the two characters emphasizes the singer's stubbornness and perhaps his insecurity about his own musical preferences.
Overall, "I Said No" is a playful and upbeat song that pokes fun at the often-divisive nature of music fandom. The singer's insistence on Elvis and his rejection of other genres can be seen as a lighthearted commentary on the ways in which we all have our own personal tastes and biases when it comes to music.
Line by Line Meaning
She asked me: do you like jazz?
A woman asked me whether or not I enjoyed listening to jazz music.
And I said no
I responded by saying that I did not like jazz.
No jazz, big band or dixieland,
I clarified that it was not just jazz music that I disliked, but also other forms of music like big band and dixieland.
Can beat the king of rock 'n' roll
I explained that in my opinion, no other genre of music could compare to the greatness of rock 'n' roll, specifically the music of Elvis Presley.
I told her all about Elvis
I proceeded to tell the woman all about Elvis Presley and why I believed he was the greatest musician of all time.
She begged me to go on
The woman was so interested in what I had to say that she begged me to continue talking.
I thought my hair was okay,
I believed that my appearance was fine, specifically my hair.
But something else went wrong
However, something else was impacting my ability to impress or win over the woman.
My voice was going
When I attempted to sing one of Elvis Presley's hit songs, my voice was not performing as I had hoped.
when I tried to sing a catchy Elvis-song
I attempted to sing a memorable Elvis Presley tune.
She said: hey isn't that Jersey,
The woman heard a song by Jack Jersey and asked me about it.
Jack Jersey?
Specifically, she believed the song was by Jack Jersey.
And put his record on
The woman proceeded to play the song on the stereo system.
I said no,
I quickly objected to the decision to play the song.
Don't put that record on the stereo
I explicitly stated that I did not want that song to be played on the stereo.
You must have got me wrong
I made it clear that the woman had misunderstood my preferences in music.
She said: gee, I'm sorry,
Feeling apologetic, the woman asked for forgiveness.
Would you please go on
She asked me to continue on with my story or music performance.
I decided to rock her socks off,
I made the conscious choice to impress the woman with my next music selection.
With a Jerry Lee Lewis song
I opted to play a popular song by Jerry Lee Lewis.
She said: hey, isn't that Ernie,
Once again, the woman heard a song and asked about the artist.
Long Tall Ernie
She specifically thought the song was by Long Tall Ernie.
And put his record on
The woman played the song on the stereo, despite my previous objections.
You must have got me wrong
I reiterated that the woman had misunderstood my preferences in music.
I said no,
Once again, I objected to the decision to play the song.
Don't put that record on the stereo
I explicitly stated that I did not want that song to be played on the stereo again.
You must have got me wrong
I reiterated that the woman had not understood my likes and dislikes in music.
Contributed by Sophie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.