While "Good" earned the band critical notoriety and substantial underground cred, they did not -- with this release or any subsequent -- break into the mainstream. After the release of Good, the band replaced Dupree with Billy Conway, a former bandmate of Sandman. Morphine's 1992 release of Cure for Pain, promoted by heavy touring, received some mainstream positive attention, selling over 300,000 copies worldwide and spawning a chart hit in many countries with the single Buena
Subsequent releases include Yes and Like Swimming.
On July 3, 1999, Mark Sandman collapsed on stage in Palestrina, Italy, a suburb of Rome. He was pronounced dead of a heart attack at the scene. He was 46. Morphine released The Night -- arguably their best effort -- posthumously in 2000.
After Sandman's death, the remaining band members reformed and continued to record as Twinemen and later as The Ever Expanding Elastic Waste Band
In 2004, the Mark Sandman box set Sandbox was released by Hi-n-Dry, Mark Sandman's own label. It contains two CDs and a DVD of previously unreleased material spanning Sandman’s musical career. The DVD features clips from early Sandman shows, interviews from the Morphine tours, and various videos from other Sandman solo and group projects, such as Treat Her Right.
"Some day there'll be a cure for pain,
And that's the day I throw my drugs away" - Mark Sandman
Links:
The Other Side - A Morphine Fanzine
Morphine at Myspace
Top Floor Bottom Buzzer
Morphine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And Mary Ellen needs a ride, we're goin' by her place
We're goin' to a party, our friends will all be there
I got the directions, it's across the river somewhere
We rang the top floor, bottom buzzer
Top floor, bottom buzzer
The middle won't work
Ring the one under
Priscilla's in the kitchen, she's mixing drinks
She's mixing one for me, I think
And one for Mary Ellen and one for Jane
Priscilla, she knows how to use a shaker
She doesn't get up as early as a baker, uh-uhn
There's a muchacha, teachin' me to mambo
There's my buddy Pete eyein' a bowl of Combos
Ramona and a man do a tango dip
Cheek to cheek, hip to hip, come on
The window's open, it's the heart of the summer
More people comin' lookin' for the number
Mary Ellen sees them she has a little stutter, she yells
The top floor, bottom buzzer
Top floor, bottom buzzer
Top floor, bottom buzzer
Top floor, bottom buzzer
The middle won't work
Ring the one under, come on, woo
It was later it was after two
We found a bottle of good Chartreuse
The lights were green and gold, we played Latin soul
By the time Priscilla put the Al Green on
The bottle was gone
On the top floor, bottom buzzer
Top floor, bottom buzzer
Top floor, bottom buzzer
The middle won't work
Ring the one under, come on, woo
Top floor, bottom buzzer
Top floor, bottom buzzer
Top floor, bottom buzzer
The middle won't work
Ring the one under, come on, woo
The song "Top Floor Bottom Buzzer" by Morphine is about a fun night of partying with friends. The lyrics describe the singer and their group of friends picking up various people along the way and heading to a party across the river. When they arrive, they buzz the top floor and bottom buzzer to try to get in, but the middle buzzer doesn't work. Priscilla is at the party, mixing drinks and showing off her skills with a shaker. The party guests include a woman teaching the singer to mambo, and the singer's friend Pete eyeing a bowl of Combos. The night continues with dancing, more guests arriving, and the group enjoying good music and good company.
The lyrics are full of descriptive imagery that paints a picture of a lively and colorful party. The references to specific people and their actions make the story feel personal and invite the listener into the atmosphere of the party. The repeated refrain of "top floor, bottom buzzer" creates a catchy hook that mirrors the energy of the party itself.
Overall, "Top Floor Bottom Buzzer" is a tribute to the joy of partying with friends and the memories that can be created through shared experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
First we'll pick Priscilla up and then we'll stop for Jane
We have arranged to drive to the party with Priscilla and then we'll be picking up Jane along the way
And Mary Ellen needs a ride, we're goin' by her place
We also need to pick up Mary Ellen on our way to the party
We're goin' to a party, our friends will all be there
We are headed to a social gathering where we expect to see many of our friends
I got the directions, it's across the river somewhere
I have the directions to the party location but it's somewhere across the river
We rang the top floor, bottom buzzer
We pressed both the top and bottom floor buzzers to get someone to open the door for us
The middle won't work
We have found out that pressing the buzzer for the middle floor is not effective to gain entry
Ring the one under
We must ring the buzzer for the floor below to gain entry into the building
Priscilla's in the kitchen, she's mixing drinks
Priscilla is currently in the kitchen preparing beverages for us
She's mixing one for me, I think
Priscilla is making a drink specifically for me
And one for Mary Ellen and one for Jane
Priscilla is also making drinks for our other passengers Mary Ellen and Jane
Priscilla, she knows how to use a shaker
Priscilla is skilled in the use of a cocktail shaker for drink preparation
She doesn't get up as early as a baker, uh-uhn
Priscilla is not an early riser like a baker who must wake up quite early for work
There's a muchacha, teachin' me to mambo
There is a young lady demonstrating to me how to perform the Mambo dance
There's my buddy Pete eyein' a bowl of Combos
My friend Pete is admiring a bowl of Combos snack mix
Ramona and a man do a tango dip
A lady named Ramona is dancing the Tango with a gentleman and they do a fancy dip move
Cheek to cheek, hip to hip, come on
They are in very close bodily contact during the dance moves
The window's open, it's the heart of the summer
The open window highlights the fact that it is summer time
More people comin' lookin' for the number
More party guests are arriving in search of the correct address
Mary Ellen sees them she has a little stutter, she yells
Mary Ellen notices their arrival and is so excited she stutters as she calls out to them
It was later it was after two
It is now quite late, roughly around 2am
We found a bottle of good Chartreuse
We discovered an unopened bottle of the high-quality Chartreuse liquor
The lights were green and gold, we played Latin soul
The party atmosphere was enhanced by the green and gold decor and we listened to Latin soul music
By the time Priscilla put the Al Green on
By the time Priscilla switched the music over to Al Green, for other guests the alcohol was probably finished
The bottle was gone
The Chartreuse bottle had been fully consumed by the party guests
Come on, woo
This is an exhortation to move on and embrace the party atmosphere
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Mark Sandman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Edgamingpro
2023 vibes/Lyrics:
First we'll pick Priscilla up and then we'll stop for Jane
And Mary Ellen needs a ride, we're goin' by her place
We're goin' to a party, our friends will all be there
I got the directions, it's across the river somewhere
We rang the top floor, bottom buzzer
Top floor, bottom buzzer
Top floor, bottom buzzer
The middle won't work
Ring the one under
Priscilla's in the kitchen, she's mixing drinks
She's mixing one for me, I think
And one for Mary Ellen and one for Jane
Priscilla, she knows how to use a shaker
She doesn't get up as early as a baker, uh-uhn
There's a muchacha, teachin' me to mambo
There's my buddy Pete eyein' a bowl of Combos
Ramona and a man do a tango dip
Cheek to cheek, hip to hip, come on
The window's open, it's the heart of the summer
More people comin' lookin' for the number
Mary Ellen sees them she has a little stutter, she yells
The top floor, bottom buzzer
Top floor, bottom buzzer
Top floor, bottom buzzer
Top floor, bottom buzzer
The middle won't work
Ring the one under, come on, woo
It was later it was after two
We found a bottle of good Chartreuse
The lights were green and gold, we played Latin soul
By the time Priscilla put the Al Green on
The bottle was gone
On the top floor, bottom buzzer
Top floor, bottom buzzer
Top floor, bottom buzzer
The middle won't work
Ring the one under, come on, woo
Top floor, bottom buzzer
Top floor, bottom buzzer
Top floor, bottom buzzer
The middle won't work
Ring the one under, come on, woo
rdslover53
Years ago I got a call from my daughter's 8th grade teacher when my girl was overheard at lunch declaring that she liked Morphine. In fact she went on, my whole family loves Morphine. My personal highlight of the day was explaining to the teacher that Morphine is a band.
Noble Savage
Hilarious 😆
Booshank23
I once felt shady asking the record store guy if he's got any Morphine, was only until afterwards, about 10 minutes after I'd left the store, I realised he might have been unaware of the band.
Jr Timberland
That's crazy. Lol
Θεοδωρος Λ.
@Booshank23 imagine him to reply smtng like: yeah, got some morphine but got no rush...
bruno petakovic
daddy was on top (high) ;)
kegsofvomitspit
Glad I got to see them before Mark’s passing. Watching a man play two saxophones at once nearly melted my face.
biofire
Saw them at the American Music Hall in San Francisco, and yes, the two saxes. Wow! Wow! Wow!
IM
You might like to hear about Rahsaan Roland Kirk (if you haven't already)
Rob Carus
@IM Or Ian Dury and the Blockheads