The band was founded in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire in 1979 as a four piece avant-garde instrumental group called Art Nouveau, with Nick Beggs on bass guitar, Steve Askew on lead guitar, Stuart Neale on keyboards and Jez Strode on drums. Art Nouveau released a track called "The Fear Machine". The single sold a few hundred copies, and was played on the John Peel show, but the band could not get a record deal.
In 1981, they advertised for and auditioned lead singers, and finally chose Christopher Hamill. He made his profile, and therefore that of the band, catchier by using an anagram of his surname for his stage name, becoming Limahl. The name of the band was then changed to Kajagoogoo. Writing out the phonetics of a baby's first sounds gave them "GagaGooGoo". With a little bit of "casual" alteration it became Kajagoogoo.
The band attracted the interest of three record labels (and Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes) while performing at the Embassy Club in London. The band was signed to EMI in July of 1982, and Rhodes was signed to produce their first album, White Feathers. The debut single "Too Shy" was released in January of 1983 and went to the top of the charts (before any of Duran Duran's singles had done so, Rhodes noted ruefully). Follow-up releases "Ooh to Be Ah" and "Hang on Now" both reached the UK top twenty as well.
The band fired Limahl in 1983 after a huge disagreement, with Beggs taking over as singer, but the hits dried up completely. They tried a relaunch as Kaja in 1985 which failed, and they broke up for good in 1986.
Limahl enjoyed a briefly successful solo career, scoring a hit with the movie theme song "Neverending Story" in 1984.
The band briefly joined forces again on VH1's Bands Reunited (26 January 2004, Season 1, Episode 6) and performed at the Scala club in London, England for the show.
In 2007, Nick Beggs, Steve Askew and Stuart Neale continued to play together as Kajagoogoo.
June 24th, 2007 saw the release of "Rocket Boy" the first Kajagoogoo single in 22 years. The single received airplay on Steve Wright's Radio 2 show in the UK.
In September 2007 Kajagoogoo performed the opening set with other 1980s acts at Retrofest at Culzean Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Kajagoogoo is back!
They have since formally reunited. In February 2008, Kajagoogoo, under new manager Bradley Snelling, announced their reunion. on April 7, 2008 a new contract was signed with all of the original band members, Nick Beggs on bass guitar, Steve Askew on lead guitar, Stuart Neale on keyboards, Jez Strode on drums and Limahl on vocals bringing the band back together officially for the first time in 25 years.
Kajagoogoo are back! and a new website Kajagoogoo has been launched! An entire Free Album "Gone to the Moon" and tracks can be downloaded at their offical website, www.kajagoogoo.com
The website was created to mark the reformation of all original 5 band members, Nick, Limahl, Jez, Steve and Stuart.
Here you will find all the latest information on the band, live dates, band member info as well as some official Kajagoogoo goodies, mp3's, photos, downloads and more!
The Lion's Mouth
Kajagoogoo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Savage jaws are the price we pay
Take away their lies
Let me see you with my own eyes
Walk along the narrow way
Oh what a waste
Oh what a waste
Harvest the human race
Your sword's no use to you when standing face to face
Hey fool watch out
You'll get mauled by the lion's mouth
Hey fool watch out
You'll get mauled by the lion's mouth
Take away my chains
Don't want to see 'em again
Take away my misery
Take away my blindfold
Don't want to belong to the old.
Take it up and set me free
Oh what a waste
Your sword is no use when you're standing face to face
Oh what a waste
Harvest the human race
Your sword's no use to you when standing face to face
Hey fool watch out
You'll get mauled by the lion's mouth
I don't think so
Hey fool watch out
You'll get mauled by the lion's mouth
I don't think so
The lyrics of Kajagoogoo's "The Lion's Mouth" are metaphorical and speak about breaking free from chains of oppression and the truth that comes with it. The "mouth of the lion" and "savage jaws" represent the lies and manipulations of those in power that keep people trapped and oppressed. The singer wants these lies taken away so that they can see the truth of their situation with their own eyes and walk along the narrow way of freedom.
The lyrics suggest that violence and aggression are not the answer when dealing with those who hold power. The line "Your sword's no use to you when standing face to face" implies that fighting back will only lead to their own destruction. Instead, the song encourages a peaceful revolution where people can break free from the chains of oppression and take their rightful place in the world.
Overall, "The Lion's Mouth" is a cry for people to wake up and take control of their own lives. It is a call to action for people to break free from the lies and manipulations of those in power and forge a new path towards freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
Take away my prime from the mouth of the lion
Remove my best years from harm's way
Savage jaws are the price we pay
The dangers we face are the consequences of life
Take away their lies
Eliminate false pretenses
Let me see you with my own eyes
I want to experience the truth as it is
Walk along the narrow way
Follow the difficult path of righteousness
Hey fool watch out
Be cautious, oh naive one
You'll get mauled by the lion's mouth
You'll receive the harsh consequences of your actions
Take away my chains
Relieve me from bondage
Don't want to see 'em again
I refuse to return to my past state
Take away my misery
Erase my feelings of distress
Take away my blindfold
Remove the veil of ignorance from my eyes
Don't want to belong to the old.
I don't want to be attached to the past
Take it up and set me free
Remove all barriers and limitations from my life
Oh what a waste
What an unfortunate outcome
Your sword is no use when you're standing face to face
Violence is not the solution to conflicts
Harvest the human race
Benefit from the successes and failures of humanity
I don't think so
I disagree
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JEREMY STRODE, NICK BEGGS, STEVEN GEORGE ASKEW, STUART CROXFORD NEALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MrAKbass
One of the most bad ass bass lines in 80's pop history, such an original bass player
@BVRNERMVSIC
These guys are actually legit musicians, super skilled
@KingJin726
Sadly, they got rid of Limahl so ppl would see them as legit musicians.
@munsterbraum2792
Nick Beggs is a damn good bassist
@Javierblaszczyk
I wonder why they expelled limahl
@KingJin726
@@Javierblaszczyk only bcoz they wanted to be taken as legitimately good musicians and they felt Limahl's pretty image would make them labeled as a "pop boy-band" like Duran Duran. So they felt it was best for the band to let him go.
@bradywatts7170
Jazz
Games
@analogsynthplayer
Stuart Neale, on keyboards, layered some incredible chords and melody lines that just made this song so incredible and awesome. The whole band is tight and love this album 🎹🎹🎹
@phxgator
I once had someone in the 90s randomly ask me if I was him - I have the same name, spelled the same except for the trailing silent 'e'...I was like "how did i not know Kajagoogoo's keyboardist's name was that close to mine?"
@80ssynthfan48
I think Stuart made some great sounds and parts. Should get more credit.