In the 80s, Hanoi Rocks were the most successful Finnish band internationally and are still popular in the United States, Japan, and the UK. They were also one of the first rock bands to tour in Asia, and were the first western rock band to play in Delhi. According to Finnish radio and TV personality Jone Nikula (who was also Hanoi Rocks' tour manager in the 2000s), Hanoi Rocks' albums have sold between 780,000 and 1,000,000 copies around the world, but mostly in Scandinavia and Japan. Although their album sales are strong, they are more widely known for their energetic live performances.
Hanoi Rocks was formed in Helsinki in 1979 and the first line-up included vocalist and saxophone player Michael Monroe (Matti Fagerholm), guitar player Nasty Suicide (Jan Stenfors), guitar player Stefan Piesnack, bass player Nedo and drummer Peki Sirola. The following year Piesnack, Sirola and Nedo were replaced by guitar player Andy McCoy (Antti Hulkko), bass player Sam Yaffa (Sami Takamäki) and drummer Gyp Casino (Jesper Sporre). In 1981 they moved to Stockholm and in 1982 to London to take advantage of the livelier music scene in these cities. Later that year Casino was fired and replaced by Razzle (Nicholas Dingley).
Although the band never gained significant commercial success, they have a considerable cult following and critical acclaim for their 'sleazy' yet melodic style of music. They have been cited as an influence by major bands such as Guns N' Roses and Manic Street Preachers. The re-release of Hanoi Rocks' albums on CD was in large part due to efforts by Guns N' Roses via their own record label UZI Suicide. In Finland, however, Hanoi Rocks is known as the Finnish rock band who at their time had come closest to real international fame, only much later giving way to such groups as HIM.
In 1983 the band signed to CBS Records and appeared to be on the cusp of gaining commercial acceptance. They recorded their fifth album in January 1984 with producer Bob Ezrin in his home town Toronto. The album had just been released when disaster struck in December of that same year: Razzle was killed in a car accident (the driver was Vince Neil, singer with the band Mötley Crüe). Although replaced by Terry Chimes, drummer on The Clash's first album, and René Berg from the Idle Flowers, the band never recovered; first Yaffa and then Monroe left, and in 1985 the band folded. The members spent the next 15 years in various short-lived projects, and although they worked with numerous artists including Iggy Pop, Stiv Bators, Steve Stevens, Little Steven, Samantha Fox, Sebastian Bach, Sylvain Sylvain, Nicky Hopkins, Joan Jett and Guns N' Roses they never achieved anything resembling their earlier success
In 2002 Monroe and McCoy reformed the band, with two members of the Electric Boys, and a drummer who had previously featured in Monroe's solo project. They have released two new albums and toured heavily since then.
2005 and beyond: Nasty Suicide works as a pharmacist. Sami Yaffa now plays in a band called Mad Juana with his wife, Karmen Guy, and is based in New York City. Yaffa is also touring and recording with the reformed New York Dolls. Suicide and Yaffa have appeared onstage with the reformed Hanoi although not at the same time. The single "Fashion", released in May, went straight to #1 in the Finnish singles chart. On the 8th of August, a the single 'This One's For Rock'n'Roll' was released to be downloaded from selected sites. This was featured on the album 'Street Poetry', which was released early September 2007.
In October 2008, the band announced that they will be splitting up for good in spring, 2009. The band will play their farewell tour in Japan and end their career with a gig in Tavastia, Helsinki where they originally started playing. According to Mike Monroe and Andy McCoy, the band has reached its full potential now and has gone as far as it will ever go.
Michael Monroe - lead vocals (1979-1985, 2002-2009)
Andy McCoy - guitar, backing vocals (1980-1985, 2002-2009)
Conny Bloom - guitar (2004-2009)
Andy "A.C." Christell - bass (2004-2009)
Lacu - drums (2002-2008)
Delirious
Hanoi Rocks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one gets it right with me
No one knows what I'm about
That's why I just scream and shout
No one stands up for the real me
YOU DON'T TAKE ME SERIOUS
SAY I'M JUST DELIRIOUS
I'M JUST IMPOSSIBLE
I'M JUST DELIRIOUS
Well I hope someone up there loves me
Don't know where I've been lately
Close my eyes and I see red
Was it something I just said
Maybe I'm going out of my head
YOU DON'T TAKE ME SERIOUS
SAY I'M JUST DELIRIOUS
I'M NOT RESPONSIBLE
I'M JUST IMPOSSIBLE
I'M JUST DELIRIOUS
No one knows what I'm about
That's why I just scream and shout
I'm going out of my head
YOU DON'T TAKE ME SERIOUS
SAY I'M JUST DELIRIOUS
I'M NOT RESPONSIBLE
I'M JUST IMPOSSIBLE
I'M JUST DELIRIOUS
The lyrics to Hanoi Rocks's song "Delirious" convey a sense of alienation and frustration, as the singer feels misunderstood and unappreciated by the world around them. The repeated refrain of "you don't take me serious, say I'm just delirious" reinforces this feeling of being dismissed and ignored.
The verses further emphasize the singer's sense of isolation, with lines like "no one in the world likes me" and "no one stands up for the real me." This leads to a sense of confusion and disorientation, with the singer wondering if they are "going out of [their] head."
The song's overall message seems to be one of defiance, with the singer refusing to conform to others' expectations or compromise their sense of self. The repeated refrain of "I'm just delirious" can be seen as a rejection of the idea that the singer's feelings and perceptions are simply a product of mental instability, instead insisting that their emotions are valid and worth paying attention to.
Line by Line Meaning
No one in the world likes me
I feel like no one in the world likes me or understands me.
No one gets it right with me
People don't really understand me or what I'm going through.
No one knows what I'm about
People don't really understand who I am or what I stand for.
That's why I just scream and shout
I feel so unheard and misunderstood that I resort to yelling out my frustrations.
No one stands up for the real me
People often judge me without really knowing who I am, and no one tries to defend or understand me.
YOU DON'T TAKE ME SERIOUS
I feel like people don't take me seriously, no matter how much I try to be heard.
SAY I'M JUST DELIRIOUS
People dismiss my emotions and frustrations as just being 'crazy' or 'delirious'.
I'M NOT RESPONSIBLE
I don't feel like I have control over my life or what's happening around me.
I'M JUST IMPOSSIBLE
People find me difficult to deal with or understand, and there's seemingly no solution to this issue.
Well I hope someone up there loves me
I'm feeling so alone and misunderstood that I can only hope for a higher power or force to love and care for me.
Don't know where I've been lately
I've been feeling so disconnected and out of touch with myself and what's happening around me.
Close my eyes and I see red
I'm so consumed with anger and frustration that it's all I can see, even when I close my eyes.
Was it something I just said
I'm second-guessing myself and wondering whether I'm the source of my own problems.
Maybe I'm going out of my head
I'm feeling so overwhelmed and stressed that I'm beginning to question my own sanity.
I'm going out of my head
I'm feeling so consumed with confusion and frustration that I feel like I'm losing my mind.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PRINCE ROGERS NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Axel Torres
Love this song<3 so far in no album they had a slump<3
Arry Rocks
How did these guys not get mega huge? So many great, hooky tunes like this!
Ian
its a cover. heavy metal kids released this song in 1977
6METAL6HEART69
Täydellistä Glam-RoCK MEININKIÄ,Absolutelu Finnish-Spirit("of the forests".... 5*!!! )
69Markowski
Alunperin kaiketi Heavy Metal Kids'sien biisi.. Gary Holton laulaa sen siinä. Tunnettu myös Näkemiin Muru -TV sarjasta.
fuck you
heavy metal kids best cover
laukka22
tight !
lizeth rocker
This song is fucking great!!!!!!!!!
Axel Torres
This song is soooo bitchin(:
Chris Ficeto
I'm guessin' with my luck you live nowhere near NYC or play guitar. I'm tryin' to put a band together, and anyone who loves Hanoi Rocks as much as I do is cool as fuck. Whether you do or don't, PM me anyways.