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.
Say Goodbye
Pere Ubu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It slides across some boards.
Had some wings.
Had some dusty tides rollin' across the floor.
What a strange debris left on a foreign shore.
Who knows how it goes to go walkin' out of that door?
Say goodbye, how hard I try.
Say goodbye, how hard I try.
Some air to breathe
There's no one half so sure as a drowning man who knows
He's coming on up for more.
"Gimme worth! Gimme words!"
Well, I heard a man did pray.
I've never known a fear like it, nothing left to say.
Say goodbye, how hard I try.
Say goodbye, how hard I try.
How can I leave you when you won't go away?
To get caught in the middle,
Neither night neither day well I,
I feel so broke up and it's harder to be sure when the
Whole wide world's slowly rollin' out of that door.
Say goodbye, how hard I try.
Say goodbye, how hard I try.
How can I leave you when you won't go away?
Am I a mule or a goat?
Or it's my heart that's bound to stay.
Why, I might be the barricuda's nearest next of kin.
Oh man, here it comes.
They say it's comin' on round again.
Say goodbye, how hard I try.
Say goodbye, how hard I try.
Say goodbye, how hard I try.
Say goodbye, how hard I try.
Pere Ubu’s “Say Goodbye” is a melancholic and introspective song about the ephemeral nature of life and the constant struggle to find meaning and purpose amidst the chaos of the world. The lyrics are full of cryptic images and metaphors, suggesting a sense of dislocation and detachment from reality. The singer is struggling to come to terms with his place in the world and his relationships with others. At times, he seems resigned to his fate, accepting the inevitable passage of time and the impermanence of all things. But at other times, he seems to be fighting against the current, trying to hold on to something that is slipping away.
The song’s refrain, “Say goodbye, how hard I try,” is a poignant reminder of the singer’s powerlessness in the face of life’s uncertainties. He knows that he must let go of something or someone, but it is not clear what that is. Is he saying goodbye to a lover, a friend, a place, or his own self? The uncertainty adds to the song’s sense of pathos and existential angst. The line “How can I leave you when you won't go away” suggests a paradoxical situation where the singer is both attached to and repelled by something or someone. He is caught in a limbo, unable to move forward or backward, lost in a sea of doubt and confusion.
The song’s haunting melody and sparse instrumentation add to its haunting quality, creating a sense of emptiness and longing. The singer’s voice is fragile and vulnerable, conveying a sense of desperation and resignation. Overall, “Say Goodbye” is a powerful meditation on the human condition, capturing the contradictions and complexities of life in a few sparse verses.
Line by Line Meaning
The day recedes.
As the day ends, it feels like it is slipping away from me.
It slides across some boards.
Time passes unnoticed, like a board sliding across a surface.
Had some wings.
I experienced some moments of freedom and joy.
Had some dusty tides rollin' across the floor.
I dealt with some difficult and unpredictable situations.
What a strange debris left on a foreign shore.
I am left with unfamiliar and confusing remnants of my experiences.
Who knows how it goes to go walkin' out of that door?
I am uncertain about how to move on from this situation.
Say goodbye, how hard I try.
Despite my effort, it is difficult to say goodbye.
Some air to breathe
I need some space and time to process everything.
There's no one half so sure as a drowning man who knows
He's coming on up for more.
When in a difficult situation, a person can gain clarity and determination.
'Gimme worth! Gimme words!'
I long for meaning and clarity in this confusing situation.
Well, I heard a man did pray.
I seek guidance and hope for a better outcome.
I've never known a fear like it, nothing left to say.
My fear is overwhelming and I am left speechless.
How can I leave you when you won't go away?
I feel stuck and unable to move on from this situation.
To get caught in the middle,
Neither night neither day well I,
I am stuck in a confusing and uncertain place where nothing is clear.
I feel so broke up and it's harder to be sure when the
Whole wide world's slowly rollin' out of that door.
I feel overwhelmed and uncertain as the world continues to change and move forward.
How can I leave you when you won't go away?
Am I a mule or a goat?
Or it's my heart that's bound to stay.
I feel like I am trapped and unable to leave for various reasons, and I doubt my own ability to move on.
Why, I might be the barracuda's nearest next of kin.
I feel like I am in an impossible situation, similar to the barracuda who is trapped in a fishing net.
Oh man, here it comes.
They say it's comin' on round again.
I am bracing myself for another challenging situation in the future.
Say goodbye, how hard I try.
Even though it is difficult, I know I need to say goodbye.
Say goodbye, how hard I try.
Repeating the difficulty of saying goodbye.
Say goodbye, how hard I try.
Repeating the difficulty of saying goodbye.
Say goodbye, how hard I try.
Repeating the difficulty of saying goodbye.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRIAN BURTON, NORAH JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Duan Torruellas
I can't believe how ahead of its time this stuff was. It keeps growing on you . And thank the God and Goddess because I hate popular music .
Foar Field
Pere Ubu is on the exact fringe of pop music IMO. A couple steps closer and it's Talking Heads, a couple steps further and it's Captain Beefheart.
Rich S
Emotional content w\a touch of gothic horror?
maria stella ferloni
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Omega f
I hear more varese ,robert whyatt and zappa. Abstract music often appears in horror film but it's a mistake i think. Not its original purpose..it's.just another way to record music and to express feelings...the exact opposite of horror film. Heavy métal has the purpose to horrify .
Peter Tiemann
maria stella ferloni 2
vor 2 Wochen
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS