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?"
The International Narcotics Traffic
McCarthy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
These are chiming chords to take us both away from here
The beat of a drum slips off your head
The bass is shaking off your cares
On it goes you're carried away on a sea of sound
On and on to an ecstasy on a sea of sound
The beat of a drum slips off your head
Up up and away on the beautiful tune
Up up and away on the beautiful tune
Image burns and silence is filled to a new pitch
Cymbals crash with frantic guitars you are lucid
The beat of a drum slips off your head
The bass is shaking off your cares
In McCarthy's song, "The International Narcotics Traffic," the lyrics begin with a description of music that has the power to take the listener to a new place. The "chiming chords" and "beat of a drum" create a hypnotic effect that is hard to resist. The bass is described as "shaking off your cares," signaling a sense of release and escape.
As the song progresses, the listener is carried away on a "sea of sound," entranced by the music. The image of being carried away on a sea of sound is further emphasized in the repetition of the phrase, "on and on to an ecstasy on a sea of sound." The lyrics suggest that music has the power to transport us beyond our everyday concerns to a state of transcendent ecstasy.
The second verse continues this theme, describing how the music causes an image to burn in the listener's mind and fills the silence with a new pitch. Finally, the song comes to a close with a powerful explosion of cymbals and guitars, leaving the listener in a state of lucidity.
Overall, "The International Narcotics Traffic" uses music as a metaphor for the power of escapism and the allure of drugs. The song suggests that music, like drugs, has the ability to transport us beyond our mundane concerns and provide temporary relief from the stresses of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Music that could take you and your mind to a new steer
This song has the potential to transport and elevate your thoughts to new heights.
These are chiming chords to take us both away from here
The harmonizing sounds of the music have the power to transport us away from our current physical location.
The beat of a drum slips off your head
The rhythm of the drum has a hypnotizing effect, causing listeners to forget their worries.
The bass is shaking off your cares
The deep, resonating notes of the bass guitar have a calming effect, relieving listeners of their burdens.
On it goes you're carried away on a sea of sound
The constant flow of music carries listeners away on a journey of sound.
On and on to an ecstasy on a sea of sound
The continuous stream of music leads to an ecstatic state, as if floating on a sea of sound.
Up up and away on the beautiful tune
The uplifting melody of the song has the ability to lift listeners to a higher state of being.
Image burns and silence is filled to a new pitch
The music creates vivid mental imagery and fills the silence with its own unique sound.
Cymbals crash with frantic guitars you are lucid
The crashing sound of the cymbals and the fast-paced strumming of guitars creates a feeling of clarity and focus.
Contributed by Jayden C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
R. ROOKSBY
Brilliant. :)
Red Cloak
woah