While Pere Ubu have never been widely popular—usually categorized as "underground rock"—they have a devoted following, have been hugely influential on several generations of avant-garde musicians and are a critically acclaimed American musical group. To define their music, Pere Ubu coined the term Avant Garage to reflect interest in both avant-garde music (especially Musique concrète) and raw, direct garage rock.
When Cleveland-based band Rocket From The Tombs fragmented some members formed Dead Boys, while David Thomas and guitarist Peter Laughner joined with guitarist Tom Herman, bass guitarist Tim Wright, drummer Scott Krauss and synthesist Allen Ravenstine to form Pere Ubu in 1975. At the time the band formed, Herman, Krauss, and Ravenstine lived in a house owned by Ravenstine.
Pere Ubu's first single (their first five releases were singles on their own "Hearthan" label) was "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" (inspired by the "Doolittle Raid" and named after a film depicting the raid), backed with "Heart of Darkness"; followed by "Final Solution" in 1976. One review noted that "30 Seconds..." "was clearly the work of a garage band, yet its arty dissonance and weird experimentalism were startlingly unique."
Of their second single, "Final Solution" (backed with "Cloud 149"), one reviewer wrote that Ubu's "call for a 'final solution' was the cry of teen angst run down in the decaying rust belt of America, and unlike the British punks who were looking around England the same year, seeing no future, and hating what they saw, Ubu reveled in it." They would rarely perform this song after some listeners misinterpreted it as being associated with the 'Nazi final solution'.
After "Street Waves", their third single, Pere Ubu signed to Blank Records, a short-lived imprint of Mercury Records.
Laughner left the group after their first two singles, and died soon afterward after a struggle with drug addiction. Tony Maimone signed on as bassist after Tim Wright left to join DNA.
In 1978 they released their debut album, The Modern Dance, which sold poorly but has proven influential. With the song "Sentimental Journey," the debut also introduced the practice of re-appropriating titles from well-known popular songs: Pere Ubu's "Sentimental Journey" has no obvious relation to the Doris Day hit song of the same name; "Drinking Wine Spodyody" has no apparent connection to the Sticks McGhee song (later revived by Jerry Lee Lewis). This practice has continued through 2006's Why I Hate Women, which has a song called "Blue Velvet" (again, no relation to the 1963 hit song by Bobby Vinton).
Special note should be made of Ravenstine's contributions to Pere Ubu. While most synthesizer players tended to play the instrument as they would a piano or organ, Ravenstine generally opted instead to make sounds that were reminiscent of spooky sound effects from 1950s science fiction films, or perhaps electronic music and musique concrète.
Dub Housing was released in 1978 and New Picnic Time in 1979. The group briefly disbanded in 1979, but reformed soon afterward with Tom Herman replaced by Mayo Thompson (of Red Krayola).
The Art of Walking was released in 1980, and by the release of Song of the Bailing Man in 1982, Krauss was replaced by Anton Fier. The group disbanded again soon afterwards; Krauss and Maimone formed Home and Garden, while Thomas worked on a solo career, notably with Richard Thompson and with members of Henry Cow.
By the late 1980s, one of Thomas' solo projects eventually featured much of Pere Ubu. The band was reformed again in 1987, with Jim Jones and Chris Cutler joining for the release of The Tenement Year in 1988, a far more pop-oriented album than ever before. The following year, the track "Waiting for Mary" (off the album 1989 Cloudland) appeared on MTV briefly. After the recording of Cloudland, Ravenstine left the group (although he made a guest appearance on Worlds in Collision in 1991) and later became an airline pilot. Eric Drew Feldman joined the band in time for the Cloudland tour and the recording of Worlds in Collision but left afterwards, joining Frank Black.
Story of My Life was released in 1993 on Imago Records; Maimone left (once again) to join They Might Be Giants, and Michele Temple and Garo Yellin joined the band for the Story of My Life tour and feature on Ubu's 1995 album, Ray Gun Suitcase. Robert Wheeler has played synthesizer and theremin with Pere Ubu since 1994. Krauss left the band during the Ray Gun Suitcase sessions. For the Ray Gun Suitcase tour, guitarist Jim Jones departed as a touring member (although he continued to contribute to recordings), founding guitarist Tom Herman replaced him for the tour.
Concurrent with the 1996 release of the Datapanik in Year Zero box set, Jim Jones retired due to health problems. Tom Herman returned to the band after a twenty year absence to tour with the band in 1995, and went on to record Pennsylvania in 1998 and St. Arkansas in 2002. Jim Jones contributed guitar tracks to each album as well, and guitarist Wayne Kramer of MC5 fame joined the band for their 1998 summer tour. Herman left again in 2005, being replaced by Keith Moliné, of David Thomas's "solo" group Two Pale Boys. The new lineup completed an album entitled Why I Hate Women, which was released on September 19th 2006.
On 18 February 2008, Jim Jones passed away at his Cleveland residence.
Humor Me
Pere Ubu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was the first thing that I saw
You never see that kind of Classical Girl
Understand
It was the first thing that I saw
That was fate
It was the ballistics!
That was fate
It was a world
What a world!
What a world?
What a big world
But a world to be drowned in
It's just a joke man!
Another day?
Well
Suffer
For that's the way of the west
Suffer
Oh
Oh it's a joke!
It's a joke
Oh
It's a joke
That's a joke?
Hunh-unh
Well
Humor me
The lyrics to the Pere Ubu song "Humor Me" are cryptic and open to multiple interpretations. In the first verse, the singer describes seeing a Classical Girl, which seems to be an anomaly in their world. The singer declares that it was fate that they saw this girl, but then immediately dismisses the idea in the next line, saying "No, that was fate." The next few lines are confusing, with the mention of ballistics and drowning in the world. It's possible that the singer is feeling overwhelmed by their surroundings and the randomness of life.
The next verse starts off with the line "It was a world," which could be a nod to the previous line about drowning in the world. The singer seems resigned to the idea of suffering, saying "Suffer / For that's the way of the west." But then they declare that it's all just a joke, questioning if the idea of suffering is even real. The final line of the song is the title itself, "Humor me," which again could be interpreted in multiple ways. It could be a plea for someone to make them laugh, or it could be a sarcastic dismissal of the entire situation.
Overall, the lyrics to "Humor Me" are intentionally opaque and surreal, leaving it up to the listener to draw their own conclusions about what the song is really about.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh
The singer begins by expressing surprise or wonder.
It was the first thing that I saw
The singer saw something noteworthy and remarkable.
You never see that kind of Classical Girl
The person or thing the singer saw was unusual or rare.
Understand
The artist wants the listener to comprehend something important.
It was the first thing that I saw
The artist restates the same point made in the first line for emphasis.
That was fate
The singer believes that destiny played a role in what they witnessed.
It was the ballistics!
The singer uses hyperbole to describe the intense feelings they experienced in the moment.
No
The artist negates whatever the previous statement was, indicating a change in thought or emotion.
That was fate
The artist returns to the idea that destiny played a role in the matter at hand.
It was a world
The artist perceives their surroundings as a complex and diverse place.
What a world!
The singer is in a state of awe or disbelief at the world's intricacy and vastness.
What a world?
The artist ponders the meaning and purpose of existence.
What a big world
The singer emphasizes the scale and unlimited potential of the world.
But a world to be drowned in
The singer recognizes that the world can also be burdensome, overwhelming, or traumatic.
It's just a joke man!
The singer downplays the seriousness or significance of a situation, or uses humor as a coping mechanism.
Another day?
The artist wonders if the cycle of daily life will continue as expected.
Well
The artist uses this word as a filler or to buy time before speaking.
Suffer
The singer acknowledges that pain or hardship is a common experience in life.
For that's the way of the west
The singer connects the idea of suffering to the norms and values of Western culture.
Suffer
The artist emphasizes the pervasive nature of suffering.
Oh
The artist expresses sympathy or disappointment.
Oh it's a joke!
The artist shifts from a negative emotion to a humorous or ironic perspective.
It's a joke
The singer repeats the previous line for emphasis, and may be laughing at themselves or the situation.
That's a joke?
The artist is questioning the veracity or usefulness of a statement or behavior.
Hunh-unh
The singer is conveying a negative response or disbelief.
Well
The singer uses this word again as a filler or to buy time before speaking.
Humor me
The singer asks the listener to indulge their desire for amusement, distraction, or comfort.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALLEN RAVENSTINE, DAVID THOMAS, SCOTT KRAUSS, TOM HERMAN, TONY MAIMONE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@matteo7059
Oh
It was the first thing that I saw
You never see that kind of Classical Girl
Understand
It was the first thing that I saw
That was fate
It was the ballistics!
No
That was fate
It was a world
What a world!
What a world?
What a big world
But a world to be drowned in
It's just a joke man!
Another day?
Well
Suffer
For that's the way of the west
Suffer
Oh
Oh it's a joke!
It's a joke
Oh
It's a joke
That's a joke?
Hunh-unh
Well
Humor me
@matteo7059
Oh
It was the first thing that I saw
You never see that kind of Classical Girl
Understand
It was the first thing that I saw
That was fate
It was the ballistics!
No
That was fate
It was a world
What a world!
What a world?
What a big world
But a world to be drowned in
It's just a joke man!
Another day?
Well
Suffer
For that's the way of the west
Suffer
Oh
Oh it's a joke!
It's a joke
Oh
It's a joke
That's a joke?
Hunh-unh
Well
Humor me
@Artaud1957
That guitar solo is so incandescent, it still brings tears to my eyes, even after all these years...
@MMulcair
I find it deeply unsettling but fascinating at the same time.
@WhatWouldAlBundyDo
Stuck in my head at least once a day every day for the last 20+ years. Not complaining.
@Lemonukeable
Can't get over how much good stuff is in this song. The bassline, the solo, the groove with those handclaps on the accents, Thomas's vocals and damn just the way it climaxes in the final minute or so. Just amazing.
@micheleocchialini4512
that solo is haunting man
@richardo5951
I know. It has a kind of internal logic.
@TheFuzzieWuzzie
Probably the greatest song ever.
@punkpoetry
The best one on the album for sure.
@BGlatz
serious#?
@VittorioIacovella
Indeed