Lush was a shoegaze/alternative rock band, formed in 1987 in London, Englan… Read Full Bio ↴Lush was a shoegaze/alternative rock band, formed in 1987 in London, England. The group consisted of Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson on guitars and vocals, Philip King on bass, and Chris Acland on drums. Other members were the bassist Steve Rippon (from 1987 to 1992) and the vocalist Meriel Barham (from 1987 to 1988). Lush was one of the first shoegaze bands, later moving toward Britpop.

Anderson and Berenyi had been friends since the early 1980s, and published the Alphabet Soup fanzine together. In 1986 Anderson joined The Rover Girls as bassist and Berenyi joined The Bugs as guitarist but neither band lasted long.

Lush formed in 1987, initially named The Baby Machines, with a line-up of Meriel Barham (vocals), Emma Anderson (guitar), Miki Berenyi (guitar), Steve Rippon (bass), and Chris Acland (drums). After Rippon joined, the band members decided on a change of name to Lush, making their live debut at the Camden Falcon on 6 March 1988. Barham was fired, with the rest of the band deciding she lacked commitment (she later joined Pale Saints). Anderson and Berenyi then took on lead vocal duties.

Lush gained recognition when Robin Guthrie helped the band sign to 4AD. The band's first release was Scar, an EP, in 1989. Critical praise for Scar and a wildly popular live show established Lush as one of the best-selling alternative bands of the period. That year the EPs Mad Love, produced by Robin Guthrie, and Sweetness and Light, produced by Tim Friese-Greene of Talk Talk fame, followed.

In 1990 the compilation Gala, which combined the material from the first three EPs, was released by Reprise in the United States, this being the first exposure of Lush in North America.

Lush's first full-length album of completely new material was Spooky in 1992. Produced by Robin Guthrie, Spooky featured a sound very similar to Guthrie's band Cocteau Twins, with walls of sound and a great deal of flange. Reviews were mixed and critics of the album hold that Guthrie's production brought the sound away from the band's original creative vision. Bassist Steve Rippon left the band at this stage in order to concentrate on writing, though his book Cold Turkey Sandwich - a fictionalized chronicle of his time in touring - was rejected by publishers. He was replaced by Phil King. Also in 1992, Lush toured America as part of the Lollapalooza festival.

The band's second studio album Split was released in 1994 and featured a harsher sound alternated with long and softer tracks as "Desire Lines" and "Never-Never". Despite critical praise, the album sold poorly.

After adapting to the newly popular sounds of the Britpop era, Lush's 1996 Lovelife became the biggest seller of their career, including the hit singles "Ladykillers", "500" and "Single Girl", which was released in several different versions with different tracks along with the title track. Also on this album, Jarvis Cocker from Pulp contributed guest vocals to "Ciao!" and the record included the now classic/melancholic favorite "Last Night".

In 1996, drummer Chris Acland committed suicide by hanging, at his parents' house, allegedly due to depression. The situation proved too hard for the band, and in 23 February 1998 the three remaining members of Lush decided to disband.

Emma Anderson has since formed a new band, Sing-Sing, who have released two full-length albums to date.

On September 28th 2015 Lush announced their reunion. The reunited band consists of Anderson, Berenyi & King with the addition of Justin Welch on drums, an old friend of Acland.

Lush discography:
Scar EP (1989)
Mad Love EP (1990)
Sweetness and Light EP (1990)
Gala compliation of the above EPs (1990)
Spooky (1992)
Split (1994)
Lovelife (1996)

Shut up
Lush Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I can't seem to find the time to ponder
I only think when I go for a wander

Life is too short
I feel that I'm caught
I can't go on
Feeling like this

I close my mind to boring stuff that you say
I'm cold and numb to things that you put my way

Its gone on too long
I have to be strong
My interest has gone long ago

I can't bear it when you start to moan
'Cause night and day you're always on the phone
Unaffect my houses not my home
Why can't you just leave me alone?

Life is too short
I feel that I'm caught
I can't go on
Feeling like this

I can't bear it when you start to moan
'Cause night and day you're always on the phone

Unaffect my houses not my home
Why can't you just leave me alone?

Overall Meaning

In Lush's song "Shut Up," the lyrics revolve around feeling trapped and bored with someone's constant presence in their life. The singer in the song is frustrated with the other person's constant talking and complaining, wanting to close their mind to the "boring stuff" they say. They feel like life is too short to waste time on things that don't interest them and that they're being held back by this person's presence. The singer wants to be left alone to find peace in their own space, but the other person's constant communication feels suffocating and invasive.

The repetition of the chorus, "I can't go on feeling like this," emphasizes the feeling of being stuck and wanting a way out. The singer recognizes that they need to be strong to break free from this situation, but the constant pressure from the other person makes it difficult. The line "Unaffect my houses not my home" reflects the idea that the outside world can be chaotic, but the singer's home is their sanctuary, and they want to protect that space.

Overall, "Shut Up" expresses feelings of being trapped and suffocated by someone's constant presence, wanting to find peace and space away from them. The lyrics emphasize the importance of boundaries and finding a way to break free from negative situations.

Line by Line Meaning

I can't seem to find the time to ponder
I am too busy to think

I only think when I go for a wander
I can only think when I am alone and away from distractions

Life is too short
Life is brief and precious

I feel that I'm caught
I feel trapped in my current situation

I can't go on
I cannot continue living like this

Feeling like this
Feeling miserable and suffocated

I close my mind to boring stuff that you say
I ignore the uninteresting things that you talk about

I'm cold and numb to things that you put my way
I am indifferent to the things you bring up

Its gone on too long
This has been happening for an extended period

I have to be strong
I need to be resilient

My interest has gone long ago
I lost my enthusiasm a while ago