1.
McCarthy were a British … Read Full Bio ↴There are 2 bands with this name.
1.
McCarthy were a British indie pop band, formed in Barking, East London in 1985 by schoolmates Malcolm Eden, Tim Gane, John Williamson and Gary Baker. They mixed a sweetly melodic style, dominated by Gane's 12-string guitar playing, with Eden's overtly political lyrics, often satirical in tone, which reflected the band's far left leanings.
After a string of singles, including 'Red Sleeping Beauty' and 'Frans Hals', and a track on the NME C86 album, their debut album 'I Am A Wallet' was released in 1987 to much critical acclaim. Two further singles appeared in early 1988, then an EP in February 1989 was followed by a second album, 'The Enraged Will Inherit The Earth', which was considerably less well received. A year later, in 1990, they released a third album 'Banking, Violence and the Inner Life Today', on which they were joined by Gane's girlfriend Lætitia Sadier on vocals. The album suggested a new willingness to experiment musically, and was seen by critics as something of a return to form, but it in fact proved to be their swansong and they split soon afterwards.
Gane and Sadier went on to form Stereolab, while Eden formed Herzfeld while studying Literature.
McCarthy were a major early influence on the Manic Street Preachers who covered 'We Are All Bourgeois Now', which appeared as a hidden track on the CD of their 'Know Your Enemy' album, as well as 'Charles Windsor', which appeared as a b-side on their Life Becoming A Landslide EP. Manics frontman James Dean Bradfield has also covered 'Red Sleeping Beauty'.
2.
A Southern Metal band from Barrie Ontario. They have released one EP: "Wanna Get Rough?"
Red Sleeping Beauty
McCarthy Lyrics
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If I'm sound asleep a hundred years
She won't wake me
She won't wake me
I've been sound asleep for twenty years
If I'm sound asleep a thousand years
He won't wake me
Nothing stirs us
Sound asleep
We're sound asleep
Nothing stirs us
Sound asleep
We're sound asleep
While there's still a war to win
My red dream is everything
They won't wake me
They won't wake me
Nothing stops us
Sound asleep
We're sound asleep
Nothing stops us
Sound asleep
We're sound asleep
The lyrics of "Red Sleeping Beauty" by McCarthy are mysterious and intriguing, seemingly contrasting the idea of sleep and war. The song brings up an interesting dilemma where the need to rest conflicts with the urge to stay alert, active, and continue to fight. The repeated lines "I've been sound asleep for twenty years" and "if I'm sound asleep a hundred years" suggest deep states of slumber that nobody can disturb, while the war still rages on. The gender-neutral pronouns "she" and "he" in the second verse could indicate the universality of the situation, where anyone can be caught sleeping and miss the most crucial event happening around them.
The song's refrain is "Nothing stirs us, sound asleep", creating a sense of calmness and detachment, amplifying the idea that the sleeper is not worried about the external world. The second verse brings up the idea of a red dream, which could be interpreted in many ways. It could be the triumph of the socialist cause, represented by red, which could bring about the sleeper's wake-up call. On the other hand, it could mean the need to hold onto a vivid, almost a utopian image when everything else is bleak and disappointing.
Overall, McCarthy's "Red Sleeping Beauty" paints an apathetic picture of a society caught between rest and action, trying to balance between the two during wartime. It highlights the importance of rest and taking care of oneself while continuing to hold onto optimism, even when the stakes are high.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been sound asleep for twenty years
I've been inactive and oblivious to the happenings around me for the past two decades.
If I'm sound asleep a hundred years
Even if I remain apathetic for one hundred years, nothing would prompt me to rise.
She won't wake me
No external force or influence can persuade me to change my current state of ignorance or torpor.
She won't wake me
My inactivity, ignorance, and indifference are deeply entrenched, and I am unresponsive to any external stimuli.
Nothing stirs us
We are oblivious to anything that happens around us, and nothing can penetrate our state of dormancy.
Sound asleep
We are fully immersed in our state of dormancy and ignorance, oblivious to anything that happens in the world around us.
While there's still a war to win
Despite the ongoing struggles in the world around us, we remain unmoved and ignorant of the events and the consequences of our inactivity.
My red dream is everything
We hold fast to a utopian dream, where everything is ideal and perfect, and our inaction and ignorance enable us to remain comfortable and undisturbed.
They won't wake me
I am resistant to external influence and inertia, remaining persistently in my state of ignorance and comfort.
Nothing stops us
Our inactivity and ignorance persist unperturbed, regardless of any external event, personal circumstance, or global crisis that may occur.
Sound asleep
Our state of dormancy and indifference does not allow for any progress or change, leaving us obsolete and irrelevant in a world that moves on and evolves.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: GARY BAKER, JOHN ROBERT WILLIAMSON, MALCOLM EDWIN EDEN, TIMOTHY JOHN GANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind