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.
Mother
Moloko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seek the advice of a solicitor
Mother dear you'll never be my sister
Show me
Empathy
Californian sensibilities
All my problems spring from my troubled upbringing
We need to go right back to the beginning
What you need is precisely what you get
Mother dear it should be you that's sitting here
On this couch.
Ouch.
Mother dear you'll never be my sister
Seek the advice of a solicitor
Mother dear you'll never be my sister
On my shoulder you're a chip
On my foot you're a blister
Mother dear you'll never be my sister
Seek the advice of a solicitor
Mother dear you'll never be my sister
So tell me what am I gonna do
They told me that maybe I could sue
And oh how the many
Were corrupted by the few
So I dance the mambo and the cha cha cha
I run you over in my beautiful car
Dearest darling mummy dearest
We can't bear to have you near us.
Mother dear you'll never be my sister
Seek the advice of a solicitor
Mother dear you'll never be my sister
On my shoulder you're a chip
On my foot you're a blister
Mother dear you'll never be my sister
Seek the advice of a solicitor
Mother dear you'll never be my sister
The blame lies in the family name
It's not my fault I did as I was taught
Escape to Mongolia or Timbuktu
I know somehow, somewhere
I'll be bumping into you
You see, I'm blameless
I had a mother who was shameless
No wonder my life collapsed
See I'm aimless
With all this analysis
I think I'm having a relapse
Mother dear you'll never be my sister
Seek the advice of a solicitor
Mother dear you'll never be my sister
On my shoulder you're a chip
On my foot you're a blister
Mother dear you'll never be my sister
Seek the advice of a solicitor
Mother dear you'll never be my sister
On my shoulder you're a chip
On my foot you're a blister
We love you
We do
We've taken advice
We may sue
You see I'm blameless
I shall remain nameless
You can't run away from the past
I know what her game is
But I've forgotten what my name is
I'm just too frightened to ask
Tell me what did you expect
What you made is precisely what you get
Precisely what you get
Precisely what you get
The lyrics to Moloko's "Mother" appear to be about a strained relationship between a mother and her child. The first verse suggests that the mother is trying to be too close to her child, perhaps even trying to be their friend, rather than a parent figure. The child is asking for empathy and understanding from their mother but instead, they are met with Californian sensibilities, which may suggest an insincere, superficial response. The second verse delves deeper into the child's troubles, hinting at a difficult upbringing that has left them feeling dispossessed. They feel that what they need is exactly what they are getting, which may suggest that the negative patterns from their past are continuing in their current relationships.
The chorus repeats the line, "Mother dear you'll never be my sister" which suggests that there is a fundamental lack of understanding and connection between the two. The chip on the child's shoulder and blister on their foot could be metaphors for the emotional pain that their mother has caused them. The child is frustrated and seeking legal advice, likely due to the degree of hurt that they feel. The bridge talk about running away from the past, blamelessness, and forgotten names. The child appears to be confused and scared, unsure of how to heal from the past and move forward.
Overall, "Mother" seems to be a poignant song about the difficulties that can arise in familial relationships, as well as the enduring impact of troubled upbringings. The singer seems to be struggling with their own emotions and traumas as they try to come to terms with their past and their relationship with their mother.
Line by Line Meaning
Mother dear you'll never be my sister
Addressing the mother, the singer emphasizes the fact that they will never have the bond of sisterhood.
Seek the advice of a solicitor
The mother is advised to seek professional legal counsel.
Show me empathy
The singer makes a request for empathy from the mother.
Californian sensibilities
The artist compares the mother's behavior and attitude to Californian values and attitudes.
All my problems spring from my troubled upbringing
The artist attributes all their problems to the difficulties faced during their upbringing.
We need to go right back to the beginning
The singer suggests that they need to delve deeper into the past to uncover the root of their problems.
Dispossessed from the outset
The singer feels they were deprived of something essential from the very start.
What you need is precisely what you get
The artist suggests that one's desires and actions lead to consequences that are directly related to those desires and actions.
Mother dear it should be you that's sitting here
The artist believes that the mother should be in their place on the couch receiving advice and criticism.
Ouch.
The artist expresses the pain caused by the actions of their mother.
On my shoulder you're a chip
The mother's actions and influence are compared to an irritating, burdensome chip on the singer's shoulder.
On my foot you're a blister
The mother's actions and influence are compared to a painful, irritating blister on the artist's foot.
So tell me what am I gonna do
The singer expresses their confusion and desperation for a solution to their problems.
They told me that maybe I could sue
The singer has been advised to take legal action against the mother.
And oh how the many were corrupted by the few
The singer acknowledges that others in their family were affected by the actions of a select few.
So I dance the mambo and the cha cha cha
The artist uses dance as a metaphor for coping and moving forward.
I run you over in my beautiful car
The artist expresses their desire for revenge and justice against the mother.
Dearest darling mummy dearest
The singer uses sarcasm to address the mother.
We can't bear to have you near us.
The singer explains that they cannot tolerate being in the presence of the mother.
The blame lies in the family name
The artist suggests that the family's reputation and history are responsible for their problems.
It's not my fault I did as I was taught
The artist absolves themselves of responsibility for their actions, blaming their upbringing instead.
Escape to Mongolia or Timbuktu
The artist expresses their desire to escape their problems and start anew somewhere far away.
I know somehow, somewhere, I'll be bumping into you
The singer acknowledges that no matter where they go, they will never fully escape their past or the mother's influence.
You see, I'm blameless. I had a mother who was shameless
The artist justifies their actions and behavior, blaming their mother's lack of shame or guilt for their own actions.
No wonder my life collapsed. See I'm aimless
The singer attributes their current state of aimlessness and confusion to their dysfunctional upbringing.
With all this analysis, I think I'm having a relapse
The singer expresses their frustration with over-analyzing their problems, leading them to fall back into the same patterns and behaviors.
We love you. We do
The singer expresses their love and care for the mother despite their issues with her behavior.
We've taken advice. We may sue
The artist explains that they have taken advice and may pursue legal action against the mother.
I shall remain nameless
The artist suggests that their identity has been obscured or lost due to their struggles and issues.
You can't run away from the past
The singer acknowledges that they cannot fully escape or ignore their past or the trauma caused by upbringing.
Tell me what did you expect
The singer is frustrated with the mother for expecting the singer to turn out differently despite negative factors in their upbringing.
What you made is precisely what you get
The artist suggests that the mother's actions and influence were responsible for shaping the artist's current situation and behavior.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BARNARD, GUEST, MURPHY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind