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
Countdown
Pulp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I heard the countdown start, it started slowly,
And I thought it was my heart but then I realised,
That this time it was for real there was no place to hide,
I had to go out and feel,
But there was time to kill,
And so I, I walked my way around town,
I tried to love the world,
And so I looked for you,
In every street of every town I wanted to see your face,
I want to, I want to see you now.
I want to see you now.
Oh and so it went,
Oh so it went for several years I couldn't stand it
No, oh it must be getting near now that
You just don't know,
Oh no you, you just don't understand how many people have seen you,
In the arms of, of of some other man,
I've got to meet you, and find you,
And take you by the hand, oh my God
My God, you've got to understand,
That I was seventeen.
I didn't, I didn't know a thing at all.
I've got no reason,
I've got no reason at all, Oh no.
The time, of my life,
Oh I think you came too soon,
Yeah you came too soon then,
Oh and it could, it could be tonight,
If I ever leave this room,
(I never leave this room no)
Oh I wasted all my time on all those stupid things that only get me down,
Get down, oh.
Oh and the sky,
Is crying out tonight,
For me to leave this town,
So I'm gonna leave this town.
Goodbye.
O.K.
Yeah you can leave me,
Oh you, you can go some other place,
You can't forget it.
Yeah, you know, you know that's O.K.
'cause, 'cause I own this town,
Yeah, I brought it to its knees,
Can you hear it crying?
Can you?
Can you hear it begging to me "Please?"
I know it's coming,
So soon now
Oh, oh it's on it's way.
Oh no, oh no, oh I can hear them say,
They say I can't survive,
They say I, I'll never leave the ground,
They say it's all a lie,
And now, and now it's coming down,
Oh baby now,
Time, of my life, oh I think you came too soon.
Yeah you came too soon now,
Oh and it could, oh it could be tonight,
If I ever leave this room,
(I never leave this room now)
Oh oh oh
I wasted all my time on all those stupid things that only get me down.
Get down, oh
Oh and the sky, is crying out tonight,
For me to leave this town,
So I'm gonna go, gonna be there,
I'm gonna go.
Bub-bye.
It's O.K,
You don't have to care.
Really.
Oh, oh really, I swear,
No, no you owe me nothing,
You owe nothing to me,
And if I messed it up baby,
Then, that's all up to me.
And if you go, then, then I won't follow, no, no
'cause so many times I've been,
I've been thinking maybe, oh maybe I should
No, I, I'm gonna stay
I, I'm gonna make my way
Oh, I'm gonna get on through babe
I'm gonna make it all some day
Oh, time, of my life,
No I think you came too soon,
You came too soon then.
Oh and it could, it could be tonight,
If I ever leave this room,
(I never, I never leave this room, no)
Oh oh oh
I wasted all my time on all those stupid things that only get me down
Get down, oh
And the sky, is crying out tonight,
For me to leave this town.
So I'll leave this town.
The sky, is crying out tonight,
For me to leave this town,
Yeah I'm gonna leave this town
Time
Is crying out tonight
For me to leave this town
So I'm gonna go yeah
I'm gonna go
Yeah
Bub-bye
I'm gonna leave this town
You're not gonna have me around
Oh
The sky and stars and God will never ever laugh
Me and stars and moon are falling down.
“Countdown” by Pulp tells the story of unrequited love and lost chances, as the singer reflects on his youth and the missed opportunities with his love interest. The song begins with the singer reminiscing about his teenage years and how he heard the countdown, possibly to a rocket launch, which signaled the start of his life journey. The countdown was slow at first and he thought it was his heart racing, but soon, he realized it was for real, there was no place to hide, and he had to go out and feel. He tried to love the world but the world got him down, and so he looked for his love interest in every street and every town. He comes to realize that she has been in the arms of other men, but he still wants to meet her and take her by the hand.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh I was seventeen, When I heard the countdown start, it started slowly, And I thought it was my heart but then I realised, That this time it was for real there was no place to hide, I had to go out and feel, But there was time to kill
The singer is reminiscing about when he was younger and how he thought he had all the time in the world, but then the countdown began for something (probably adulthood) and he had to face it with no escape. He had to go out and experience life, but he also had much time left to do so.
And so I, I walked my way around town, I tried to love the world, Oh but the world just got me down, And so I looked for you, In every street of every town I wanted to see your face, I want to, I want to see you now. I want to see you now.
The singer wandered aimlessly through town, trying to appreciate the world but finding it difficult to do so. He searched for a specific person whom he hoped would make things better for him, someone he wanted to see desperately.
Oh and so it went, Oh so it went for several years I couldn't stand it No, oh it must be getting near now that You just don't know, Oh no you, you just don't understand how many people have seen you, In the arms of, of of some other man, I've got to meet you, and find you, And take you by the hand, oh my God My God, you've got to understand, That I was seventeen.
The singer spent several years in pain and unable to tolerate his situation. He longs for the person he has been looking for and feels that he must find her soon. He thinks of how he was once so young and naive and how he wishes to reclaim that feeling.
I didn't, I didn't know a thing at all. I've got no reason, I've got no reason at all, Oh no. The time, of my life, Oh I think you came too soon, Yeah you came too soon then, Oh and it could, it could be tonight, If I ever leave this room, (I never leave this room no) Oh I wasted all my time on all those stupid things that only get me down, Get down, oh.
The artist recognizes how unaware he was when he was younger, and how he has no valid excuse for his current predicament. He feels like life has progressed too quickly for him, and that he may have missed out on important opportunities. He also regrets not making better use of his time.
Oh and the sky, Is crying out tonight, For me to leave this town, So I'm gonna leave this town. Goodbye. O.K. Yeah you can leave me, Oh you, you can go some other place, You can't forget it. Yeah, you know, you know that's O.K. 'cause, 'cause I own this town
The artist feels like the weight of his disappointments is too much to bear, and that he needs to leave his current situation behind. He tells someone that they are free to leave him behind if they wish, as he is content to leave it all behind and start over somewhere else.
Yeah, I brought it to its knees, Can you hear it crying? Can you? Can you hear it begging to me "Please?" I know it's coming, So soon now Oh, oh it's on it's way. Oh no, oh no, oh I can hear them say, They say I can't survive, They say I, I'll never leave the ground, They say it's all a lie, And now, and now it's coming down, Oh baby now, Time, of my life, oh I think you came too soon.
The singer is in a state of despair and feels like he has lost everything. He imagines the place he's leaving behind is begging him not to go, but he feels like he has no choice. He also knows that many people doubt him and think he will fail, but he hopes to prove them wrong.
Oh and it could, oh it could be tonight, If I ever leave this room, (I never leave this room now) Oh oh oh I wasted all my time on all those stupid things that only get me down. Get down, oh Oh and the sky, is crying out tonight, For me to leave this town, So I'll leave this town.
The singer is fixated on the idea of leaving and sees it as an escape from his troubles. He recognizes again that he has wasted valuable time on unimportant things, and feels like the hopelessness of his situation has caught up with him. He will leave regardless.
You're not gonna have me around Oh The sky and stars and God will never ever laugh Me and stars and moon are falling down.
The artist seems to be saying goodbye to someone who has wronged him in some way, telling them that they won't have him to kick around anymore. He feels like the heavens are mocking him and that everything is falling apart.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: NICHOLAS DAVID BANKS, STEPHEN Mackey, Nicholas BANKS, CANDIDA DOYLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jarobles80
@@noelreverberation I guess taste is subjective.
I understand what he meant.
His n Hers, and Different Class made Pulp famous over the world, they found their sound, for fit in commercial mass music (called britpop).
But some old songs have an original and creative sound, for a few people, that some fans like more.
I do think Pulp evolved and got better quality songs later.
Some bands have lived similar changes, for instance, The Verve.
In South America, most people only know their album Urban Hymns, because of the hit Bittersweet symphony and a couple of ballads. While a real fan could say earlier albums are much better.
@iainmair485
I had the pleasure of meeting the band and shaking Jarvis’ hand. They all signed my copy of their album(CD). Jarvis is pure class.
@Styx1980
i grew up with this song, and it peaked when i was 17 :D <3 Pulp and indeed timeless as someone wrote earlier
@IbarraEspinosa
I cant believe that i never listened to this song before... and know it's always in my head
@diskochimp
If they released this now it'd be MASSIVE.
@maltelauridsbrigge3776
What about now?
@user-dg3re2gz5w
@@maltelauridsbrigge3776 Anytime
@dominion1976
Fantastic! One of the best Pulp songs ever!
@leopardking23
This songs says so much. To anyone who has any depth or has made mistakes, it heals the wounds!!! : )
@waydeburton
heard this track in 1991, recording rage with long play tapes, trawling for hip hop, and it always stayed in my head, so good.
@iluvmorrissey
This is brilliant. I've been listening to their countdown 1983-92compilation in my car :)