Arriving just as the UK punk scene was building momentum, the Heartbreakers developed a following playing in and around London. The Sex Pistols invited them to open on the ill fated Anarchy Tour. They shortly signed up with Track Records. Their debut--and only--studio album, L.A.M.F., featured all the Heartbreakers' popular live songs. The release of the album put a huge strain on the band because of anger among some band members over the poor quality of the mix. Several members left at this point. The band reformed in 1979 for a few farewell shows at Max’s Kansas City with drummer Ty Stix filling in for Nolan. The result was the live album Live at Max's Kansas City '79, considered a punk classic.
The band re-formed occasionally to play at New York clubs (and for a sold out show at The Lyceum in London, England in 1984) until the death of Thunders in 1991 of a supposed methadone overdose. The facts remain unclear: Johnny's passport and money were missing. The coroner's report said no alcohol was in his bloodstream, though many witnesses say Johnny was drinking the night before with people that he had just met. He was 38 years old. Jerry Nolan died of a stroke a few months later at age 40.
Live shows often consisted of songs performed with the New York Dolls or taken from Thunders' solo career. Richard Hell rarely plays music live, concentrating instead on writing and spoken word performances. Billy Rath's whereabouts are currently unknown, leading to various rumors such as that he died or became a priest. Walter Lure still performs about once a month with his band the Waldos, playing mostly Heartbreakers songs. The influence of Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers is still noticeable today in many punk rock bands. Johnny Thunders solo work is mainly made up of live albums, although he recorded the critical success So Alone in 1978 and Que Sera Sera in 1985. He often worked with Patti Paladin of the band Snatch and they recorded an album of covers, Copycats in 1987.
Blank Generation
Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers Lyrics
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even born--it's such a gamble when you get a face
It's fascinatin to observe what the mirror does
but when I dine it's for the wall that I set a place
I belong to the blank generation and
I can take it or leave it each time
I belong to the ______ generation but
I can take it or leave it each time
He was a cartoon long forsaken by the public eye
The nurse adjusted her garters as I breathed my first
The doctor grabbed my throat and yelled, "God's consolation prize!"
I belong to the blank generation and
I can take it or leave it each time
I belong to the ______ generation but
I can take it or leave it each time
To hold the t.v. to my lips, the air so packed with cash
then carry it up flights of stairs and drop it in the vacant lot
To lose my train of thought and fall into your arms' tracks
and watch beneath the eyelids every passing dot
I belong to the blank generation and
I can take it or leave it each time
I belong to the ______ generation but
I can take it or leave it each time
I belong to the blank generation and
I can take it or leave it each time
I belong to the ______ generation but
I can take it or leave it each time
The lyrics of Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers' "Blank Generation" seem to speak of the disillusionment and detachment of a generation caught in the cycle of consumerism and alienation. The singer declares that they belong to the "blank generation", a group of people who seem to have lost their sense of purpose and identity. The idea of being "blank" suggests a hollowness or emptiness, a sense of being disconnected from the world around them. The singer seems to feel that they are trapped in a cycle of conformity and meaninglessness, symbolized by the image of the mirror and the act of dining for the sake of appearance.
The second stanza speaks of the singer's birth, though the imagery is surreal and nightmarish. The doctor is compared to a cartoon, no longer taken seriously by the public, and the nurse is focused on adjusting her garters rather than caring for the newborn. The violent imagery of the doctor grabbing the singer's throat and yelling about "God's consolation prize" suggests a bleak and uncaring world into which the singer has been born. The final stanza introduces more imagery of consumerism, with the singer grasping a TV to their lips and carrying it up stairs, only to drop it in a vacant lot. The idea of losing one's train of thought and falling into someone's "arms' tracks" suggests a desire for escape and human connection, even in the midst of a seemingly meaningless world.
Line by Line Meaning
I was sayin let me out of here before I was even born--it's such a gamble when you get a face
Existence is akin to a lottery, and I was already feeling trapped even in my pre-natal state, knowing that my physical appearance would be a determining factor in how I am perceived by others.
It's fascinatin to observe what the mirror does but when I dine it's for the wall that I set a place
While it's intriguing to witness how a reflection can distort reality, I only put on a facade during meals, as if performing for a non-existent audience.
I belong to the blank generation and I can take it or leave it each time
I am a part of a group without direction or motivation, and I have no strong feelings one way or the other about my membership.
Triangles were fallin at the window as the doctor cursed, He was a cartoon long forsaken by the public eye
As I was born, the outside world appeared chaotic and nonsensical, while my caretakers were disillusioned and jaded, like a cartoon character no longer popular enough to maintain their relevance.
The nurse adjusted her garters as I breathed my first, The doctor grabbed my throat and yelled, God's consolation prize!
As I took my first breaths, the nurse was more interested in her physical appearance, and the doctor was angry at the perceived unfairness of childbirth, likening me to a pity gift from a higher power.
To hold the t.v. to my lips, the air so packed with cash, then carry it up flights of stairs and drop it in the vacant lot
In my mind, material possessions and wealth are worthless, so I would take a television and dispose of it carelessly, causing destruction to what is often worshipped in society.
To lose my train of thought and fall into your arms' tracks, and watch beneath the eyelids every passing dot
I have the tendency to become easily distracted and follow the lead of others, losing my sense of self and becoming a passive observer in my own life.
I belong to the blank generation and I can take it or leave it each time
Once again, I express my indifference towards my own identity and place in society.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RICHARD HELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind