Stewart had earlier enjoyed success as a member of the 1960s pop band The Mindbenders and had delivered the vocals for that band's best-known track, "A Groovy Kind of Love". The Mindbenders disbanded in 1969 and Stewart teamed with fellow Mindbender and aspiring songwriter Gouldman to become part-owners of a Stockport recording studio which in 1969 was renamed Strawberry Studios (after the Beatles hit "Strawberry Fields Forever"). The pair, along with Godley and Creme, longtime friends of Gouldman, gained work writing and performing bubblegum songs under a variety of band names for US producers writer-producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz of Super K Productions.
German cover of "Neanderthal Man"
German cover of "Neanderthal Man"
"Neanderthal Man" was created by the trio of Stewart, Godley and Creme as they dabbled with recording equipment at Strawberry Studios, perfecting drum layering. The song consisted primarily of the chant "I'm a Neanderthal man/You're a Neanderthal girl/Let's make Neanderthal love/In this Neanderthal world", backed by Stewart's and Creme's acoustic guitars and a lumbering drum rhythm provided by Godley. The song was released as a single under the moniker Hotlegs (a name chosen in honour of a secretary at the studio[1])and reached No.2 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1970 and No. 22 in the US, ultimately selling two million copies worldwide.
The band recorded a follow-up album, Thinks: School Stinks, for Philips before branding themselves as Doctor Father in August 1970 for a new version of "Umbopo" on Pye Records.
Italian cover of "Neanderthal Man"
Italian cover of "Neanderthal Man"
The song was one they had originally recorded for Kasenetz and Katz for release under the name Crazy Elephant. Doctor Father's version failed to attract airplay or sales. Reverting to Hotlegs, the trio cut two more singles, "How Many Times" (1970) and "Lady Sadie" (September 1971), both of which failed to chart.
Thinks: School Stinks was repackaged for US release as Songs by the Philips label and again in Britain in 1975 as You Didn't Like It Because You Didn't Think Of It with two additional songs. The title song of the British repackaged album had originally been the B-side of "Neanderthal Man"; part of it had also been reworked to become "Fresh Air For My Mama" on the 1973 debut album by 10cc.
In 1972 Hotlegs was relaunched as 10cc.
Today
Hotlegs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I make it look easy
Today, today, today
She smiles and keeps me hungry
Today, today, today
She can look upon my face and not see me
Today, today, today
And dry my eyes completely
Let me be
For there is time enough
To raise an eyebrow
To raise your eye
To mine, ooh, ooh
You feel the same way too
And I am drawn
Away from you
It's not so easy to explain away
It takes a foolish man to try
I knew as soon as
I put pen to paper
I knew as much somehow
So show me
It's better by far and away
And I'll show you that someday
Is a very important day
In the song "Today" by Hotlegs, the artist reflects on the complexities of relationships and the emotions that come with them. At the beginning of the song, the singer talks about the urge to act on a feeling and make it look easy, but as the song progresses, it becomes clear that he is struggling to understand and express his emotions. He talks about how the woman he is with can look upon his face and not see him, and he ultimately asks to be left alone to sort through his thoughts.
Throughout the song, the singer touches on themes of love, longing, and confusion. He hints at a shared experience between himself and the woman, but he seems unsure of how to navigate their relationship. As the song reaches its conclusion, he offers a glimmer of hope, suggesting that someday will be an important day and that he may be able to understand his feelings more clearly.
Overall, "Today" is a poignant reflection on the complexities of love and relationships. The lyrics offer a glimpse into the emotionally charged inner world of the singer, and the music amplifies the intensity of the feelings he expresses.
Line by Line Meaning
If I turned upon you
If I were to betray you
And I make it look easy
And I do it without making it seem difficult
Today, today, today
Today is the day
She smiles and keeps me hungry
Her smile keeps me wanting more
She can look upon my face and not see me
She can look at me without really seeing me
And dry my eyes completely
And make me feel better when I'm sad
Let me be
Let me do what I want
For there is time enough
Because there is plenty of time
To raise an eyebrow
To express surprise or skepticism
To raise your eye
To look at something with interest
To mine, ooh, ooh
To my level of excitement
You feel the same way too
You also share my feelings
And I am drawn
And I am attracted
Away from you
Away from your presence
It's not so easy to explain away
It's difficult to make excuses
It takes a foolish man to try
Only a foolish man would attempt to do so
I knew as soon as
I realized immediately
I put pen to paper
I started writing
I knew as much somehow
I had a feeling about it
So show me
Prove it to me
It's better by far and away
It's much better
And I'll show you that someday
And I'll prove it to you someday
Is a very important day
Today is a very important day
Contributed by Gabriel E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Slaphead
This is such a brilliant piece of music. Superb chord changes, dynamic instrumentation and the angelic voice of Kevin Godley. Truly one of their best pre-10cc tunes.
Ian Alterman
And to think they weren't even 10CC yet!!
Roy Pock58
Not many people would know this is 10cc in their early beginnings. Some brilliant songs on this album. Thanks for sharing.
Dans Music
A lot of talent in one band.
Janet Harris
Such precious memories of this song.
Ronald Schettino
Beautiful song! One of my favorites be these guys!