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
Anorexic Beauty
Pulp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your cold, hard eyes make me feel a fool.
Pastel-white features,
High cheek-bones,
Scarlet-blooded lips and deathly tones.
The girl of my nightmares,
Sultry and corpse-like.
Of my
Nightmares.
Brittle fingers,
And thin cigarettes,
So hard to tell apart,
She hasn't spoken yet.
You put your hand on mine,
Death white on brown,
Those whirlpool eyes;
Well, I begin to drown.
The girl of my nightmares,
Erotic and skull-faced.
The girl
Of my
Nightmares.
Anorexic beauty,
Feather-weight perfection,
Anorexic beauty,
Underweight
Goddess.
Sitting alone on
A cold bar stool, your
So hard to tell apart,
She hasn't spoken yet.
Pastel-white features,
High cheek-bones,
Scarlet-blooded lips and deathly tones.
The girl of my nightmares,
Sultry and corpse-like.
The girl
Of my
Nightmares.
Anorexic beauty,
Feather-weight perfection,
Anorexic beauty,
Underweight
Goddess.
The lyrics to Pulp's song "Anorexic Beauty" describe the singer's encounter with a girl who embodies his worst fears and darkest fantasies. The girl's physical appearance is described in great detail, with her "pastel-white features," "high cheek-bones," "scarlet-blooded lips," and "deathly tones" creating a strikingly eerie image. The singer is both repulsed and drawn to her, with her "brittle fingers" and "thin cigarettes" adding to her overall image of fragility and danger.
The girl is repeatedly referred to as "the girl of my nightmares," highlighting the sense of unease and horror that she inspires in the singer. She is described as both "sultry" and "erotic" yet also "corpse-like" and "skull-faced," further emphasizing the tension between attraction and repulsion that the singer feels towards her. The repeated refrain of "anorexic beauty" emphasizes the girl's dangerously thin physique and suggests a commentary on the societal pressures that lead to disordered eating and unrealistic beauty standards.
Overall, "Anorexic Beauty" is a haunting portrait of a woman who embodies the singer's deepest fears and desires. The song raises questions about the societal pressures that contribute to anorexia and other unhealthy behaviors, while also showcasing Pulp's gift for creating evocative and unsettling imagery.
Line by Line Meaning
Sitting alone on a cold bar stool,
The subject is observing a girl sitting by herself at a bar.
Your cold, hard eyes make me feel a fool.
The girl's cold gaze is making the subject feel foolish.
Pastel-white features,
The girl's complexion is very pale and muted.
High cheek-bones,
The girl has prominent cheekbones.
Scarlet-blooded lips and deathly tones.
The girl has bright red lips and a pale, lifeless complexion.
The girl of my nightmares,
The subject is describing the girl as someone from their worst dreams.
Sultry and corpse-like.
The girl is both alluring and reminiscent of a dead body.
Brittle fingers,
The girl's fingers are fragile and delicate.
And thin cigarettes,
The girl is smoking small, skinny cigarettes.
So hard to tell apart,
The cigarettes are similar to the girl's fingers in appearance.
She hasn't spoken yet.
The girl has yet to say anything.
You put your hand on mine,
The girl places her hand on the subject's hand.
Death white on brown,
The girl's pale hand contrasts with the subject's darker complexion.
Those whirlpool eyes; Well, I begin to drown.
The girl's captivating eyes are drawing the subject in and causing them to feel overwhelmed.
Erotic and skull-faced.
The girl is both sexually alluring and resembles a skull.
Anorexic beauty,
The girl is extremely thin, yet beautiful in her own way.
Feather-weight perfection,
The girl's lightness is a form of perfection in the subject's eyes.
Underweight Goddess.
The girl's thinness is idealized as god-like.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CANDIDA DOYLE, JARVIS COCKER, PETER MANSELL, RUSSELL SENIOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind