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.
Dirty Monkey
Moloko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cheeky monkey
Dirty monkey
He was a cheeky monkey
Dirty monkey
Cheeky monkey
Dirty monkey
The lyrics in Moloko's "Dirty Monkey" appear to be about a mischievous primate, referred to as both "cheeky" and "dirty." Although the song repeats the same few phrases over and over again, the tone of the song suggests a certain degree of fascination or admiration for the animal. The first verse states simply "dirty monkey, cheeky monkey," while the second adds "he was a cheeky monkey" to give a sense of the monkey's character. The chorus simply repeats these phrases, almost as if they are a chant or a mantra. The song seems to be less about literal monkeys and more about using the image of this animal to convey a kind of playful, mischievous spirit. The simplicity of the lyrics also perhaps suggests a primal essence that such a creature embodies.
Interestingly, the song includes a fairly traditional bassline and drums, but is then accompanied by electronic flourishes and scat-like vocals from lead singer Róisín Murphy. The combination of more organic music with experimental flourishes gives the song an almost other-worldly feel. Despite being a relatively obscure song in Moloko's catalogue, "Dirty Monkey" hints at the kind of unique, unconventional sound that the duo would become known for.
Line by Line Meaning
Dirty monkey
A monkey that is unclean and uncivilized.
Cheeky monkey
A monkey that is mischievous and impudent.
Dirty monkey
Referring to the aforementioned unclean and uncivilized monkey.
He was a cheeky monkey
Referring to a specific monkey that was mischievous and impudent.
Dirty monkey
Referring to the same unclean and uncivilized monkey previously mentioned.
Cheeky monkey
Referring to the same mischievous and impudent monkey previously mentioned.
Dirty monkey
Repeating the description of the unclean and uncivilized monkey.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MARK ERRINGTON BRYDON, ROISIN MURPHY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind