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
Bar Italia
Pulp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I would like to take you by the hand, yeah
And go for a walk
Past people as they go to work
Let's get out of this place before they tell us that we've just died
Oh, move, move quick, you've gotta move
Come on it's through, come on it's time
Just what did you lose?
If you can make
An order
Could you get me one?
Two sugars would be great
'Cause I'm fading fast
And it's nearly dawn
If they knocked down this place, this place
It'd still look much better than you
Oh now, move, move quick, you've gotta move
Come on, it's through, come on, it's time
Oh, look at you, you, you're looking so confused
Oh, what did you lose?
Oh, it's ok it's just your mind
If we get through this alive
I'll meet you next week, same place, same time
Oh move, move quick you've gotta move
Come on, it's through, come on, it's time
Oh, look at you, you, you're looking so confused
Oh, what did you lose, oh?
That's what you get from clubbing it
You can't go home and go to bed
Because it hasn't worn off yet
And now it's morning
There's only one place we can go
It's around the corner in Soho
Where other broken people go
Let's go
The lyrics to Pulp's "Bar Italia" paint a picture of two people stumbling home from a night of clubbing, tired and disoriented as they make their way through the streets of London. The singer asks the listener to take their hand and walk with them, watching the people as they head to work while the two of them are still in the midst of their escapades. The urgency in the singer's voice suggests that they need to leave this place quickly, before they are confronted with the reality of their situation.
As the song continues, the tone becomes more pessimistic. The singer suggests that even if Bar Italia, the cafe where they find themselves, were to be destroyed, it would still look better than the listener. The lyrics take on a more desperate tone as the singer asks for an order, explaining that they are fading fast and it's nearly dawn. The listener is then urged to move quickly and make their way out of Bar Italia, where the remnants of the night's activities still linger.
The song ends with the two people making plans to meet again and go through this experience together, as they retreat to Soho where they can be with others who are similarly broken. Overall, "Bar Italia" captures the feeling of being lost in the early hours of the morning, suspended between the end of a night out and the beginning of a new day.
Line by Line Meaning
Now, if you can stand
Assuming you're not too intoxicated to stand up and walk, let's go.
I would like to take you by the hand, yeah
I would like to hold your hand and take you along with me.
And go for a walk
Let's go for a stroll together.
Past people as they go to work
We'll pass by working people who are busy going to work.
Let's get out of this place before they tell us that we've just died
We should leave before this place makes us feel dead inside.
Oh, move, move quick, you've gotta move
Hurry and move with me so we don't get caught up here.
Come on it's through, come on it's time
It's time to move on and leave this place behind us.
Oh, look at you, you, looking so confused
You seem confused or disoriented about our situation.
Just what did you lose?
What is it that you feel like you're missing or losing here?
If you can make
Assuming you're coherent enough and can focus, can you please do me a favor?
An order
Can you place an order for me?
Could you get me one?
Can you get me a drink?
Two sugars would be great
I prefer my drink with two sugars, if it's not too much to ask.
'Cause I'm fading fast
I need the caffeine and sugar to bring me back to life since I'm extremely tired.
And it's nearly dawn
It's almost morning and we've been out all night.
If they knocked down this place, this place
Even if they demolished this establishment,
It'd still look much better than you
It would still be more appealing than you are right now.
Oh now, move, move quick, you've gotta move
We have to leave and move on swiftly.
Come on, it's through, come on, it's time
It's over, we have to accept it and move on.
Oh, look at you, you, you're looking so confused
You still appear to be bewildered or perplexed about our current situation.
Oh, what did you lose?
What have you lost or left behind during our time here?
Oh, it's ok it's just your mind
It's alright, you'll be okay once you sober up.
If we get through this alive
If we can make it through this experience without any problems.
I'll meet you next week, same place, same time
We can meet up again in the future at the same location and time.
That's what you get from clubbing it
This is what you get from partying all night at clubs.
You can't go home and go to bed
You can't go home and simply go to sleep since you're still energized.
Because it hasn't worn off yet
You're still affected by the euphoria or amped-up feeling from the night.
And now it's morning
It's daytime and the night is over.
There's only one place we can go
There's only one location that we can visit or spend time at.
It's around the corner in Soho
This place is located just around the corner in Soho.
Where other broken people go
This is where individuals who may feel emotionally or physically shattered tend to spend time.
Let's go
We should go there, as well.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Candida Doyle, Jarvis Branson Cocker, Mark Andrew Webber, Nick Banks, Russell Senior, Stephen Patrick Mackey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind