The band originated with vocalist Stephen Holt (vocals) and guitarist Graham Lambert. Another uncredited founding member, was basist Glenn Chesworth. His partnership with the band lasted only a couple of years. The band emerged alongside The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays from the indie scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Bassist, Martyn Walsh, and drummer, Craig Gill, joined in 1984. Playing garage rock, they were joined by keyboardist, Clint Boon, who changed their sound based around harmonic (and often psychedelic) keyboards and jangly guitars.
After a couple of singles on a local indie label, Holt left the group and was replaced by Tom Hingley. The band were propelled to fame after being 'discovered' by the Radio 1 DJ John Peel and had their greatest chart success in the UK with a single entitled This is How it Feels, which is a song about loneliness and unemployment.
At the time of their initial success, the band earned some notoriety for their squiggly-eyed cow 'Cool as Fuck' T-shirts; a student at Oxford Polytechnic was prosecuted on obscenity charges for wearing one. One of their roadies, Noel Gallagher, went on to great success with the band Oasis. The band is named after an Inspiral Carpets tour poster which included the venue Swindon Oasis.
They reworked their single Find Out Why as the theme tune to early 90's kids TV show 'The 8:15 From Manchester'. Another release I Want You was used by Sony to advertise their in-car entertainment systems on this advert ; an early example of advertising agencies co-opting and promoting non-mainstream music to add kudos to mainstream brands (a trend that has increased significantly).
After the release of their 4th studio album, Devil Hopping, they started to record new, more darker-sounding demos in 1995 which their label, Mute Records rejected. An amicable split followed but they re-formed in 2003 for a tour and new compilation. For the next several years, they played gigs on and off, until Hingley could no longer give his 100% commitment so original vocalist, Stephen Holt, rejoined in March 2011.
Skidoo
Inspiral Carpets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cast right out from paradise
I watched you fall through day and night
Spreading out your blackened wings, open up your heart to sin
Watched your eyes, they'd shone like gold
The loss of treasures life has stolen
Come into my broken arms
Come into my broken arms
Feel the comfort of the man
(My possession is your excuse - I would rather reign in hell)
(Your obsession is my excuse - I will rather reign in hell)
(I would rather reign in hell, I would rather reign in hell)
Fallen angel, I know where you've gone
Passed right through this world to her burning home
It's a dark and twisted piece of misery
It leaves her sunk and ruined in the deepest sea
They bound you up in eternal chains
You're building heaven out of hell and you're to stay
Come into my broken arms
Feel the comfort of the man
Come into my broken arms
Feel the comfort of the man
Fallen star, I know what you are
Cast right out from paradise
I watched you fall through day and night
Spreading out your blackened wings, open up your heart to sin
(My possession is your excuse - I would rather reign in hell)
(Your obsession is my excuse - I would rather reign in hell)
It's a dark and twisted piece of misery
It leaves her sunk and ruined in the deepest sea
Come into my broken arms
Feel the comfort of the man
Come into my broken arms
Feel the comfort of the man
The lyrics of Inspiral Carpets' song Skidoo are about a fallen angel who was cast out of paradise and fell through day and night, spreading out their blackened wings and opening up their heart to sin. The singer is watching the fallen angel and is inviting them to come into his broken arms and feel the comfort of a man. However, there is an underlying darkness to the lyrics, as the fallen angel is bound up in eternal chains and building heaven out of hell, leaving a woman sunk and ruined in the deepest sea. The repeating lines of "My possession is your excuse - I would rather reign in hell" and "Your obsession is my excuse - I would rather reign in hell" suggest a power struggle between the singer and the fallen angel, where each is using the other for their own purposes.
The lyrics can be interpreted in a few different ways. One interpretation is that the fallen angel represents someone who has fallen from grace and is engaging in sinful behavior. The singer is offering comfort to this person but may also be taking advantage of them. Another interpretation is that the lyrics are about addiction, with the fallen angel representing the addictive substance or behavior and the singer representing the codependent person who is trying to offer comfort but is also enabling the addiction.
Line by Line Meaning
Fallen angel, I know what you are
The singer knows that the person they are addressing has fallen from grace
Cast right out from paradise
The fallen person has been expelled from a place of bliss and perfection
I watched you fall through day and night
The singer has seen the person's descent into darkness and despair
Spreading out your blackened wings, open up your heart to sin
The person has embraced evil and corruption, giving into temptation
Watched your eyes, they'd shone like gold
Despite the person's fall, they still possess an inner beauty
The loss of treasures life has stolen
The person has suffered great losses and tragedies in their life
Come into my broken arms
The singer is offering comfort and support to the fallen person
Feel the comfort of the man
The artist is providing a feeling of safety and warmth to the other person
(My possession is your excuse - I would rather reign in hell)
The artist is claiming ownership over the fallen person, and would rather rule in a place of suffering than serve anyone else
(Your obsession is my excuse - I will rather reign in hell)
The fallen person's preoccupation with the artist is an excuse for the artist to continue on their path of destruction
Fallen angel, I know where you've gone
The singer is aware of the person's destination, which is a place of torment
Passed right through this world to her burning home
The person has traveled through life and ended up in a place of fiery suffering
It's a dark and twisted piece of misery
The place the person is in is full of pain and suffering
It leaves her sunk and ruined in the deepest sea
The person is completely consumed by their circumstances and unable to escape
They bound you up in eternal chains
The person is trapped in their current situation with no hope of escape
You're building heaven out of hell and you're to stay
The person is attempting to find some good in their situation, but they are doomed to stay there forever
Fallen star, I know what you are
The artist is once again addressing the fallen person and their situation
(My possession is your excuse - I would rather reign in hell)
The singer is repeating their desire to own and control the fallen person, even in a place of suffering
(Your obsession is my excuse - I will rather reign in hell)
The fallen person's attachment to the singer is once again seen as an excuse for the singer to continue their destructive path
Come into my broken arms
The artist is still offering comfort and support to the fallen person
Feel the comfort of the man
The artist is once again providing a sense of safety and security to the other person
Writer(s): BOON CLINTON DAVID, GILL CRAIG DOUGLAS, HINGLEY THOMAS WILLIAM, LAMBERT GRAHAM PAUL, WALSH MARTYN JOHN
Contributed by Levi W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.