Originally called "Arabicus Pulp" (although they shortened it to Pulp within a year), the band achieved sudden success some thirteen years after their formation and became known during the Britpop era as much for their music as for frontman Cocker's antics (notably conducting a stage invasion during Michael Jackson's performance of Earth Song at the 1996 BRIT Awards).
Achieving little success off the back of a Peel session in 1981, Pulp were finally able to release their debut album, It, in 1983. This album and its 1986 follow-up, Freaks, showcased a Pulp keen on Nick Drake (notably on the It single, My Lighthouse), with strong folk roots and little sign of the tendencies for storytelling and acid house music which would eventually bring forth success.
After the release and commercial flop of "Freaks", the band disbanded for a year, but reformed a year later to record a third album, Separations. Delayed for three years after its recording, Separations showed Cocker's increasing exposure to acid house, featuring multiple synths, and a hit single, My Legendary Girlfriend, which helped Pulp's career start to rocket.
Their next single, Babies, which would eventually feature on their 1994's commercial breakthrough His 'n' Hers, and it was the first example of the Pulp-sound most listeners associate with the band--cheap synths, rolling guitars, and Cocker's deadpan vocals telling a story. "His 'n' Hers" in sound, was lumped in with the Britpop movement of the time, receiving commercial and critical acclaim. However, it was the 1995 single Common People, which finally saw them become known, eventually charting at number 2 in the UK charts. Awash with Britpop guitars, catchy keyboard lines and that trademark Cocker vocal performance it has remained a favorite. A successful appearance at Glastonbury that summer cemented their fame, and their success was subsequently confirmed by the release of Different Class, which arrived at the peak of the Britpop movement and featured this song and other UK hits as Disco 2000 and Sorted for E's & Wizz.
Their last two albums, 1998's darker This Is Hardcore, -an album that marked the end of the Britpop era- and 2001's more downbeat We Love Life were commercial successes, but Pulp were no longer as famous or trendy as they had been in the height of Britpop. Following their curation of a music festival, Auto, in 2002, the band announced that they would be embarking on an "indefinite hiatus".
In 2003, Jarvis Cocker released an album as Relaxed Muscle and then two solo efforts, 2006's Jarvis and 2009's Further Complications.
On 8th November 2010, it was announced that the band with its most relevant lineup will reform to play a series of gigs in summer 2011.
Discography:
It 1983
Freaks 1986
Separations 1992
His 'n' Hers 1994
Different Class 1995
This Is Hardcore 1998
We Love Life 2001
Official website:
http://www.pulppeople.com
A Little Soul
Pulp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How come you treat your woman so bad?
That's not the way you do it
No, no, no, you shouldn't do it like that
I could show you how to do it right
I used to practice every night on my wife, now she's gone
Yeah, she's gone
You see, her mother and me
I'd love to help you
But everybody's telling me you look like me
But please don't turn out like me, you look like me
But you're not like me I know
I had one, two, three,
Four shots of happiness, I look like a big man
But I've only got a little soul
I only got a little soul
Yeah, I wish I could be an example
Wish I could say I stood up for you
And fought for what was right
But I never did
I just wore my trenchcoat and stayed out every single night
You think I'm joking?
Try me
Try me
Yeah come on, try me tonight
I did what was wrong though I knew what was right
I've got no wisdom that I want to pass on
Just don't hang round here, no, I'm telling you son
You don't want to know me
Oh, that's just what everybody's telling me
And everybody's telling me you look like me
But please don't turn into me
You look like me
But you're not like me I hope
I have run away form the one thing that I ever made, now
Only wish that I could show you
Wish I could show a little soul
Wish I could show a little soul
The Pulp song "A Little Soul" speaks to the difficulties of fatherhood, offering apologies and warning against making the same mistakes. It starts with the lead singer standing in as a father figure, offering advice to someone who is mistreating their partner. He reflects on his own past, admitting he treated his own wife poorly and acknowledging that it was his fault their relationship ended. He then expresses regret for not being a better role model for the person he is talking to, warning them not to end up like him.
The chorus of "I only got a little soul" represents the lead singer's recognition that he never fully developed as a person. He became a father but never fully matured, and as a result, he failed both his wife and child. The line "I wish I could show a little soul" represents the singer's desire to have been a better parent, in the hopes that he could have prevented his child from making the same mistakes he did.
Overall, "A Little Soul" speaks to the complexity of fatherhood and the hard lessons that come with it. The song is a warning for those who may fall into the same traps, and a recognition of the singer's own failures as a father.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, man
The singer addresses the listener, asking about their treatment of a woman.
How come you treat your woman so bad?
The singer questions the listener's negative treatment of the woman in their life.
That's not the way you do it
The singer believes that the listener's treatment of their woman is incorrect.
No, no, no, you shouldn't do it like that
The artist emphasizes that the way the listener is treating their woman is wrong.
I could show you how to do it right
The artist offers to show the listener a better way to treat their woman.
I used to practice every night on my wife, now she's gone
The singer practiced treating their own wife well, but it didn't prevent her from leaving.
Yeah, she's gone
The singer's wife has left them.
You see, her mother and me
The artist has had issues with their wife's mother.
We never got along that well, you see
The artist and their wife's mother didn't have a good relationship.
I'd love to help you
The artist still wants to help the listener.
But everybody's telling me you look like me
Other people are pointing out similarities between the singer and the listener.
But please don't turn out like me, you look like me
The artist doesn't want the listener to make the same mistakes they did, despite their similarities.
But you're not like me I know
The singer acknowledges that the listener might not be like them.
I had one, two, three,
The singer is about to describe their own experience.
Four shots of happiness, I look like a big man
The singer felt happy and important after drinking.
But I've only got a little soul
Despite his outward appearance, the artist feels empty on the inside.
Yeah, I wish I could be an example
The artist wishes they could be a positive influence for the listener.
Wish I could say I stood up for you
The singer wishes they had advocated or fought for the listener's well-being.
And fought for what was right
The singer wishes they had stood up for morals and justice.
But I never did
The artist admits they did not act according to their own wishes and beliefs.
I just wore my trenchcoat and stayed out every single night
The artist was distant and uninvolved in their own life.
You think I'm joking?
The artist challenges the listener's doubt about their words.
Try me
The singer is urging the listener to test their words.
Try me
The artist again urges the listener to test their words.
Yeah come on, try me tonight
The singer is inviting the listener to test their words that very evening.
I did what was wrong though I knew what was right
The singer made bad choices even though they knew what the right choices were.
I've got no wisdom that I want to pass on
The singer feels they have no valuable knowledge to share with the listener.
Just don't hang round here, no, I'm telling you son
The artist urges the listener to avoid them and their negative influence.
You don't want to know me
The artist is telling the listener that they don't want to be associated with someone like them.
Oh, that's just what everybody's telling me
The singer has heard that other people also advise the listener to avoid them.
And everybody's telling me you look like me
The singer is again acknowledging the similarity between themselves and the listener.
But please don't turn into me
The artist again urges the listener not to become like them.
You look like me
The artist sees visual similarities between themselves and the listener.
But you're not like me I hope
Despite their similarities, the artist hopes that the listener won't become like them.
I have run away form the one thing that I ever made, now
The singer has avoided or abandoned the one significant thing they accomplished in their life.
Only wish that I could show you
Despite their flaws, the artist still wishes they could help the listener.
Wish I could show a little soul
The singer wants to demonstrate and share genuine emotion or compassion with the listener.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Candida Doyle, Jarvis Branson Cocker, Mark Andrew Webber, Nick Banks, Stephen Patrick Mackey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind