They met at a Sheffield party, when Murphy had no prior professional singing experience. Meanwhile, Brydon had a thirteen-year musical résumé, first with Chakk / Hula pioneering EBM (then, aka big beat). Subsequently, within dance music, he formed and produced various pop and house acts, e.g. producing Krush's hit "House Arrest" (1987, FON) and his 1993 Cloud Nine project. Murphy approached Brydon with the chat-up line "Do you like my tight sweater? See how it fits my body!", hence their debut album's title. Respectively, 'Moloko' originates from the Nadsat slang word for "milk" (from the Russian, молоко), in Anthony Burgess' novel "A Clockwork Orange".
Recorded while the pair were dating, Do You Like My Tight Sweater? gained notice on underground dance and trip-hop scenes, then more so with I Am Not a Doctor (Jul 1998, Echo). The latter yielded "Sing It Back", which broke Moloko into the mainstream. Remixed by house producer Boris Dlugosch, "Sing It Back (Boris Musical Mix)", was a massive Ibiza hit and entered the top-five of 1999 weekly UK singles charts, helped by a psychedelic video featuring Murphy in a very short metallic flapper dress and cap. "Sing It Back" was eventually featured on more than 110 music compilations. Dlugosch's remix also appears on faux radio station Rise FM in the action-adventure game "GTA: Liberty City Stories" (2005, Rockstar Games).
In 2000 Moloko started touring as a full band along with percussionist Paul Slowly, keyboardist Eddie Stevens, and guitarist Dave Cook.
The band also had chart success with "The Time Is Now", the first single from their third album, Things to Make and Do. This album had relied less on the leftfield beats of the previous albums, and featured more organic instrumentation.
Murphy and Brydon ended their relationship in 2001. After their breakup they recorded and released their fourth and final studio album, Statues, in 2003. Statues continued a segue into more traditional instrumentation, along with electronica elements from their earlier releases. The album majorly incorporated the theme of the couple's split: all of the songs deal with a troubled and/or ending romance.
In 2004 Moloko released a live DVD, 11,000 Clicks, recorded on stage at the Brixton Academy. It contained many of their well known songs including "Indigo", "Sing It Back", and "The Time Is Now".
After concluding the tour supporting Statues, Moloko mutually parted ways, with Róisín Murphy launching a solo career.
A "best of" album, Catalogue, was released in 2006. Murphy and Brydon, along with long-time Moloko guitarist Dave Cook, played a select number of acoustic radio performances to promote the album.
Since 2006 they have been on an indefinite hiatus.
Blow By Blow
Moloko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's never simple that way
Too proud to let you know
Oh, how I wish it was so
It frightens me to say
Why don't I let sombody new take me home?
Lately I feel so alone
For me to let you go, oh no
So be it
Let it be so
It's better this way, baby
Well you can take me down
What a way to go
Blow by blow
I''s how it always happens
In the throws of passion
Is it any wonder?
It's no wonder at all
Just to live a lifetime
In the space of a lifetime
Well, it's the hardest thing to do
But there'll be nothing after you
Blow by blow
Kill me slow
Blow by blow
What a way to go
Hey, hey, hey
Ooh, hey, hey, hey
You didn't mean those things you said
You didn't mean those things, hey, hey, hey
In Moloko's song "Blow By Blow", the singer is expressing their struggle to move on from a past relationship. They are unable to forgive and forget, and find it difficult to let go of their pride to admit their true feelings. The singer wishes that they could simply move on, but it frightens them to do so, as they still have strong emotions tied to the relationship. The loneliness they feel makes them question whether they should let someone new take them home, but at the same time, they are hesitant to do so since it would make it easier to let go of their past love. Despite this inner turmoil, the singer ultimately comes to the conclusion that it's better to let go and allow themselves to be taken down, blow by blow.
The lyrics convey a sense of inner conflict and emotional pain, with an emphasis on the difficulty of moving on from a past love. The repetition of "blow by blow" suggests a sense of constant struggle and repeated emotional hits. The use of rhetorical questions, like "Is it any wonder?" and "What a way to go?" contribute to the song's introspective and emotional feel. The song conveys a sense of vulnerability and emotional turmoil that will resonate with anyone who has ever struggled to move on from a past love.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't forgive and I can't forget
It is not easy to move on from the pain and hurt you have caused me.
It's never simple that way
The process of letting go of the past and moving on is never easy and straightforward.
Too proud to let you know
My pride often prevents me from admitting how much I still care for you.
Oh, how I wish it was so
I wish I could forget all the memories we have shared and move on with my life.
It frightens me to say
The thought of starting over without you scares me more than anything else.
Why don't I let somebody new take me home?
Maybe it's time for me to move on and start anew with someone else.
Lately I feel so alone
The void you left in my heart has been causing me great loneliness and sadness.
Somebody new would make it easier
A new person in my life could make the process of healing and letting go easier for me.
For me to let you go, oh no
Despite my efforts to move on, I still find it hard to let you go.
So be it
I have made up my mind.
Let it be so
I have come to terms with the fact that it's time to move on from you.
It's better this way, baby
Even though it hurts, it's better for both of us if we go our separate ways.
Well you can take me down
You can hurt me all you want, but I will still survive without you.
What a way to go
Even though it hurts, I would rather go through the pain than keep holding on to someone who doesn't want me anymore.
It's how it always happens
People often hurt each other in the heat of the moment or in the throws of passion.
In the throws of passion
Moments of passion can cloud our judgment and cause us to say or do things we regret.
Is it any wonder?
Is it any surprise that things turned out the way they did?
It's no wonder at all
It's not surprising that our relationship ended up this way.
Just to live a lifetime
Living a lifetime without you is a daunting thought.
In the space of a lifetime
Even though we didn't spend a long time together, you left a big impact on my life.
Well, it's the hardest thing to do
Moving on from you is the most difficult thing I have ever had to do.
But there'll be nothing after you
Even though my heart is broken, I have to accept that there will be nothing between us anymore.
Blow by blow
One painful memory after another.
Kill me slow
The pain and heartbreak I feel is killing me slowly.
Hey, hey, hey
A repeated refrain, indicating the depth of emotion in the lyrics.
Ooh, hey, hey, hey
Another repeated refrain, building the emotional intensity.
You didn't mean those things you said
I hope that deep down, you didn't mean to cause me so much pain.
You didn't mean those things, hey, hey, hey
A repeated line, indicating my desperate hope that you didn't mean to hurt me as much as you did.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MARK ERRINGTON BRYDON, ROISIN MURPHY, EDDIE STEVENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind