1. An English band who were pionee… Read Full Bio ↴There are 2 bands under the name LFO:
1. An English band who were pioneers of bleep techno
2. An American three-man pop and rap group
1. English band LFO were one of the pioneers of the bleep techno of the early 1990s. Originally comprising Gez Varley (also known as Jez Varley) and Mark Bell, they met while studying at Leeds and gave their first track, the eponymous “LFO”, to Nightmares On Wax. The demo’s popularity in clubs lead to the track being released by Warp in 1990, where it made it into the Top Twenty. The name LFO comes from the term Low Frequency Oscillator, a component used to alter sounds in synthesizers, samplers etc.
Gez Varley left the duo in 1996, and continues to have a solo career. Mark Bell continued to record under his own name and that of LFO, as well as producing albums for Björk and Depeche Mode until his untimely passing in October 2014.
LFO’s album Frequencies (containing the previously mentioned “LFO” and its follow-up single, We Are Back) was a popular album for Warp Records and undoubtedly helped establish them as a successful global independent electronic label, along with label-mates Nightmares On Wax and Sweet Exorcist.
It was originally released with a warning sticker stating that the record company was not responsible for the potential damage to speakers due to the the extremely loud, low frequency bass signals contained within the music.
Frequencies was followed by the less commercially successful Advance and, in 2003, by Sheath which saw a return to the earlier minimal techno sound of LFO’s debut.
2. Lyte Funkie Ones (LFO) was an American three-man pop/rap group consisting of Rich Cronin (August 30, 1974 – September 8, 2010), Devin Lima (born Harold Lima, March 18, 1977 – November 21, 2018), and Brad Fischetti (born September 11, 1975). Before Lima joined the group in 1999, the third member was Brian Gillis (known as Brizz), who was with the group from its start in 1995.
The band is best known for their hit songs Summer Girls, Girl on TV, and Every Other Time.
Origins (1995–1998)
In 1995, in Fall River, Massachusetts, Rich Cronin met Brian "Brizz" Gillis. LFO had marginal success with the remake of the Yvonne Elliman's song, If I Can't Have You, which missed the Top 40, reaching No. 54 on the UK Singles Chart.
In 1997, they released a cover of New Kids on the Block's Step By Step as a single.
In 1999, Gillis was frustrated with the lack of progress that the group had made so he left to pursue a solo career, which led him to multiple college tours and a job in the music industry, with a radio promotion position in Florida with BMG.
Success (1999–2002)
After Gillis left, Fischetti and Cronin still wanted to continue to pursue their dreams of making it big, so they headed back to the United States and had an open audition. Devin Lima, an employee of a hardware store at the time, was chosen in place of Gillis.
Devin decided that the group should discontinue being called Lyte Funky Ones and use the name LFO exclusively instead.
In the UK, however, they were unable to use the abbreviated name of LFO due to an IDM act on the Warp Records label, who had been using the name since 1988.
Still signed with Trans Continental and now with Arista Records, LFO recorded some new material with Dow Brain, Brad Young and Danny Wood of New Kids on the Block, at Underground Studios second location, the basement of a 200+ year old house in Needham, MA. Wood had been a long-time friend of original member Brian Gillis.
Among the songs LFO had recorded in an attempt to make a demo was a song called Summer Girls. It was produced by Dow Brain and Brad Young of Underground Productions. This song gave LFO their path to success.
Their debut album, LFO, sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide, and scored two Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: Summer Girls and Girl on TV.
In 1999, Summer Girls was nominated for a Billboard Music Award for Top Selling Single of the Year; the song sold over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. The song itself contained numerous non sequiturs, such as You're the best girl that I ever did see/The great Larry Bird, jersey 33 and Fell deep in love, but now we ain't speakin'/Michael J. Fox was Alex P. Keaton. This album featured many vocals from original member Brian.
The label loved the original versions of the records so much that they left all of the vocals from Brian, including leads on If I Can't Have You.
The year 2000 was a busy year for LFO, featuring nonstop tours, performing at over 230 concerts that year. They also served as opening act for Britney Spears, and co-headlined Nickelodeon's All That Music & More summer tour. They found success in the UK at the same time when second single, the Dow Brain and Brad Young co-written Girl on TV, entered the UK chart at #6.
In 2000, the band won the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Group of the Year. Play Along Toys made dolls of the group in 2001.
They appeared on The Amanda Show as guest stars, singing a song while Amanda danced in the background with the show's signature 'dancing lobsters'. At the end, LFO described Amanda as 'the most beautiful girl in the world'. The episode has been repeated on Nickelodeon since its creation.
In the summer of 2001, the group released their sophomore and final album, Life Is Good, with the release of only two singles Life Is Good and Every Other Time, which was the only commercial release from the album.
After lackluster record sales of the album and the late-1990s/early-2000s boyband craze coming to an end, LFO officially decided to part ways in February 2002.
Reunion (2009)
On June 3, 2009, LFO posted a blog entitled "LFO is Back" on their unofficial MySpace page which announced that they have reunited and are going on the Malcolm Douglas Tribute tour beginning September 23, 2009, with Rookie of the Year, Go Crash Audio, and Kiernan McMullan.
A new song titled Summer of My Life was also announced in association with the reunion.
Nearly four months later, on September 28, 2009, LFO announced (through their YouTube page) that they had broken up. However, the individual members of the band planned to continue making music with their various side projects.
What If
LFO Lyrics
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Oh where'd that horse and carriage go?
In the castle I'll build for you
On an island meant just for two
What if people stuck around?
What if all that's lost was found?
What if I could be
If I were some movie star
With some big expensive car
At some big first night premiere
With Ben Affleck and Richard Gere
Would you give me just one look
If I wrote some obscure book?
Would you give me just one chance
In some other circumstance?
Someone like me deserves someone like you
Marlyn without a Joe D'maggio
Oh where'd that horse and carriage go?
In the castle I'll build for you
On an island meant just for two
What if people stuck around?
What if all that's lost was found?
What if I could be
The only one that she'd ever dream of?
If I was the great Houdini
Granting wishes like a genie
If I were some big tough guy
Who went to Mars and made you cry
Told you lies because they say
Nice guys will lose anyway
In some other circumstance
Would you give me just one chance?
Someone like me deserves someone like you
Marlyn without a Joe D'maggio
Oh where'd that horse and carriage go?
In the castle I'll build for you
On an island meant just for two
What if people stuck around?
What if all that's lost was found?
What if I could be
The only one that she'd ever dream of?
What if I, what if I was the only one?
If I were a super hero
A good fella like De'niro
If I could face all my fears
Dated girls like Britney Spears
Wore black leather on a Harley
In Jamaica like Bob Marley
In some other circumstance
Would you give me just one chance?
Marlyn without a Joe D'maggio
Oh where'd that horse and carriage go?
In the castle I'll build for you
On an island meant just for two
What if people stuck around?
What if all that's lost was found?
What if I could be
The only one that she'd ever dream of?
Marlyn without a Joe D'maggio
Oh where'd that horse and carriage go?
In the castle I'll build for you
On an island meant just for two
What if people stuck around?
What if all that's lost was found?
What if I could be
The only one that she'd ever dream of?
LFO's song "What If" is a romantic, dream-filled track that explores the limitless possibilities of love. The lyrics express the singer's desire to be someone different and to have a chance with someone he admires.
The first verse suggests that the singer wants to provide the ultimate romantic experience for his love interest by building a castle on an island just for the two of them. The chorus poses several questions revolving around the concept of "what if". The singer ponders what if people stayed together, what if things that were lost were found, and what if he could be the only one his love interest ever dreams of. The chorus implies that the singer believes in the power of love to change everything for the better.
The subsequent verses feature the singer listing various personas he could inhabit that might catch the attention of his love interest. He imagines being a movie star at a premiere, a successful author, a magician granting wishes, a strong and tough guy, and even a superhero. The lyrics suggest that the singer is willing to be whoever his love interest wants him to be in order to win her over.
Overall, "What If" is a song about the transformative power of love and the lengths one might go to in order to gain the affection of someone they admire.
Line by Line Meaning
Marlyn without a Joe D'maggio
If I can't have the perfect partner like Joe D'maggio, can I still have true love?
Oh where'd that horse and carriage go?
I want to sweep you off your feet and take you away, but where is the perfect fairy tale?
In the castle I'll build for you
On an island meant just for two
I'll give you everything you've ever wanted and make a perfect world for just us two
What if people stuck around?
What if all that's lost was found?
What if I could be
The only one that she'd ever dream of?
What if we could have true love and happiness without any obstacles?
If I were some movie star
With some big expensive car
At some big first night premiere
With Ben Affleck and Richard Gere
If I were rich and famous, would you still give me a chance?
Would you give me just one look
If I wrote some obscure book?
Would you give me just one chance
In some other circumstance?
If I tried to make myself different, would you still notice me?
If I was the great Houdini
Granting wishes like a genie
If I were some big tough guy
Who went to Mars and made you cry
If I could do anything and everything, would you still choose me?
Told you lies because they say
Nice guys will lose anyway
In some other circumstance
Would you give me just one chance?
If I act different than myself, would you still love me?
Someone like me deserves someone like you
I believe I'm deserving of someone amazing like you.
Lyrics © CONSALAD CO., Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRADLEY K. YOUNG, DOW S. BRAIN, RICH CRONIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind