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.
It's Nothing
Moloko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nothing can break you now
This is'ness has put you out of business
Bought and sold me
I'm lonely
I will admit I'm lonely
Just keep on walking
Disown me
Go ahead disown me
It doesn't really matter
At all
Nothing seems to matter
Nothing can hurt you
Nothing can bring you down
Nothing at all
Nothing can break you
Nothing can take you now
Nothing at all
Let me down easy
Speak softly
Let me down gently
I realize it must be
Disorientating
What was I
What was I saying
Doesn't really matter
Anymore
Nothing seems to matter
Nothing at all
Nothing can hurt you
Nothing can bring you down
Nothing at all
Nothing can take you
Nothing can break your heart
Nothing at all
Nothing can hurt you
Nothing can bring you down
Nothing at all
Nothing can take you
Nothing can break your heart
Nothing at all
This is a matter
This is a matter
This is a matter
This is a matter
Nothing can wreck me
Nothing can take me down
The lyrics to Moloko's "It's Nothing" speak of a sense of isolation and disconnection from the world around the singer. In the opening lines, the singer acknowledges that they are impervious to external pressures and forces: "Nothing can stop you, Nothing can break you now." They are adrift in a void of emptiness and indifference, and the phrase "This is'ness" reflects a kind of resignation to the status quo. The singer no longer has any goals or ambitions, and they have been "put out of business" by the world around them. This phrase could be interpreted as a loss of identity, or the feeling that one's sense of self has been eroded by external pressures.
The second stanza expands on this theme of loneliness and isolation. The singer acknowledges that they are lonely and that they have been "bought and sold," perhaps suggesting that they have become just another commodity in a world that values material wealth and status above all else. They implore others to "disown" them, as they have already disowned themselves. The singer seems resigned to this state of affairs, suggesting that "nothing really matters / at all." They are numb to the world around them, and nothing can hurt or affect them.
The final stanza continues the theme of isolation and disorientation. The singer pleads to be let down gently, indicating that they feel fragile and vulnerable. They acknowledge that they may be difficult to understand or relate to, saying "what was I saying." Despite this, they maintain that "nothing can wreck me, nothing can take me down," suggesting that they are resilient, if not entirely invulnerable.
Overall, the lyrics to "It's Nothing" paint a picture of a person who has given up on the world around them. They feel alone and disconnected, and they have been reduced to a kind of passive observer of their own life. Despite this, they maintain a sense of resilience and inner strength, suggesting that they may yet find a way to connect with the world and others around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Nothing can stop you
You are unstoppable and no obstacle can get in your way.
Nothing can break you now
You have become unbreakable and nothing has the power to harm you anymore.
This is'ness has put you out of business
Your current situation or circumstance has caused you to lose your way and you feel like you are no longer in control of your life.
Bought and sold me
You feel like you have been taken advantage of or exploited by others.
I'm lonely
You feel isolated and disconnected from others.
I will admit I'm lonely
You are acknowledging and accepting your feelings of loneliness.
Just keep on walking
You want others to ignore you and pretend like they don't know you.
Act like you don't know me
You want others to pretend like they have never met you before.
Disown me
You feel like you have been abandoned or rejected by others.
Go ahead disown me
You are giving others permission to disassociate themselves from you.
It doesn't really matter
You have reached a point where nothing seems to have any significance or meaning anymore.
At all
Absolutely nothing matters to you anymore.
Let me down easy
You are asking someone to break bad news to you in a gentle and compassionate way.
Speak softly
You want someone to communicate with you in a calm and gentle tone.
Let me down gently
You want someone to deliver bad news to you in a kind and thoughtful manner.
I realize it must be
You understand that the situation or circumstance you are in is difficult for others as well.
Disorientating
You feel lost and confused about your current situation or circumstance.
What was I
You are questioning your identity and purpose in life.
What was I saying
You are unsure and confused about your own thoughts and words.
Anymore
You have lost interest or concern in something that was once important to you.
Nothing can wreck me
You have become resilient and nothing has the power to destroy you.
Nothing can break your heart
You have become emotionally invincible and nothing can hurt you anymore.
This is a matter
The situation or circumstance you are in is significant to you.
Nothing seems to matter
You have become indifferent and apathetic towards everything in your life.
Nothing can hurt you
You have become emotionally immune and nothing has the power to inflict pain on you anymore.
Nothing can bring you down
You have become impervious to negative influences and nothing has the power to affect you negatively anymore.
Nothing can take you
You have become invulnerable and nothing has the power to take anything away from you anymore.
Nothing at all
Absolutely nothing can touch or affect you anymore.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Mark Brydon, Roisin Murphy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind