As Postcard's flagship band, Orange Juice quickly distinguished the label as a leading proponent of independent pop music; their 1980 debut single "Falling and Laughing," recorded for less than 100 pounds, garnered massive critical acclaim, and subsequent releases like "Blueboy," "Simply Thrilled Honey," and "Poor Old Soul" further established the group as a major new talent. Soon, sessions began for a full-length album; however, in the midst of recording, Orange Juice left Postcard to sign to Polydor, which funded the LP's completion. After the 1982 release of the album, titled You Can't Hide Your Love Forever, ex-Josef K guitarist Malcolm Ross joined the group, hastening the exit of Kirk and Daly (who went on to form Memphis) and paving the way for Zimbabwe-born drummer Zeke Manyika.
The addition of Manyika gave Collins the new capability of exploring a more complex fusion of pop and blue-eyed soul; consequently, 1982's Rip It Up was a more ambitious affair than its predecessor, veering from the buoyant Motown tribute "I Can't Help Myself" to the energetic pop of the title track, Orange Juice's lone Top Ten single. However, subsequent releases failed to chart, and relations between the group and Polydor began to disintegrate; amid these tensions, both Ross and McClymont quit, with Ross later resurfacing in Aztec Camera. Reduced to the duo of Collins and Manyika, Orange Juice enlisted reggae producer Dennis Bovell to record the 1984 EP Texas Fever.
After a makeshift tour, Collins and Manyika returned to the studio to record a dark, ambitious full-length effort; released in 1984, neither The Orange Juice nor its singles "What Presence?!" and "Lean Period" charted, and Collins was dropped from his contract, although Polydor kept Manyika on as a solo act. Only in 1995 did the stunning single "A Girl Like You" finally win Collins the commercial respect that had so long eluded him and his former bandmates. Later on, throughout the late '90s and early 2000s, the rise of Scottish bands as disparate as Belle & Sebastian and Franz Ferdinand won Orange Juice a younger set of fans, helped in great part by the 2005 compilation The Glasgow School.
Biography by Jason Ankeny
The Artisans
Orange Juice Lyrics
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Just locked in the confines of my room
'Cause my mother told me that I never should
Play with the gypsies down in the wood
Then I fell in with a bunch of hoods
Who go by the name of the 'Artisans'
Gonna trade in my snakeskin boots
'Cause I'm in cahoots with the 'Artisans'
Who just happen to be my favourite band
At the best all the rest are just 'also rans'
When compared to the fabulous 'Artisans'
The lyrics of Orange Juice's "The Artisans" speak to a young person's desire to break free from the confines of their upbringing and embrace a new way of life. The singer begins by sharing that they used to spend their afternoons locked in their room, likely due to strict rules imposed by their mother. The singer's mother warned them never to play with the gypsies down in the wood, but despite this warning, the singer eventually fell in with a group of hoods called the 'Artisans.'
The 'Artisans' represents a new way of life for the singer. They're a group of rebels who embrace a lifestyle that goes against the traditional values the singer was raised with. The singer claims that they're in cahoots with the Artisans and that they're going to trade in their snakeskin boots and rhinestone suit to better align themselves with the group. The final lines of the song suggest that the Artisans are the singer's favorite band and that, from their perspective, all other bands are "also-rans."
Overall, "The Artisans" speaks to the universal desire to break free from the constraints of one's upbringing and embrace a new, exciting way of life.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to spend each afternoon
I had a habit of spending my afternoons indoors
Just locked in the confines of my room
I always locked myself up in my room, not doing nothing or exploring the outside world.
'Cause my mother told me that I never should
It was because my mother instructed me to avoid doing something that I refrained from doing it
Play with the gypsies down in the wood
My mother specifically warned me not to play with the gypsies who lived in the forest near our place
Then I fell in with a bunch of hoods
Later, I got associated with some folks who had a hoodlum nature, as per my mother's perspective
Who go by the name of the 'Artisans'
The hoodlums that I started hanging out with are known as the 'Artisans'
Gonna trade in my snakeskin boots
I have decided to swap my snakeskin boots for something else
Gonna trade in my rhinestone suit
I intend to abandon my rhinestone suit and purchase something new
'Cause I'm in cahoots with the 'Artisans'
I'm very familiar with the 'Artisans,' and we're in something of a partnership
Who just happen to be my favourite band
Interestingly, I adore 'The Artisans' band more than any other band
At the best all the rest are just 'also rans'
When compared to the fabulous 'Artisans,' every other band seems like a mediocre attempt
When compared to the fabulous 'Artisans'
It is my belief that nothing can compare to the fabulous 'Artisans'
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: EDWYN STEPHEN COLLINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind