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
Down By The River
Pulp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the river,
Where I would not go before.
Through the trees and the rushes,
To a place we both know.
And I'm feeling much younger,
As I kneel on the ground,
Dip my toe in the water,
Nadadum nananana nana na
Oh when the river ran dry that next year,
I could not find your body.
Now I'm standing here ready at last,
To dive down and reach you again.
And I long to be with you
Now these cold nights have come,
Oh I go down to the river,
But the river will stop for no-one.
Though I ask it it keeps flowing on,
When I ask it,
It tells me you're gone.
Dadow
The lyrics to Pulp's song Down By The River seem to tell a story of lost love and grief. The singer takes us on a journey to a familiar place by the river where he had never dared to venture before. He talks of feeling young again as he kneels on the ground and dips his toe in the water, reminiscing about the time he watched his lover drown in its depths. He keeps going there in the hopes of finding some solace, but the river keeps flowing on, unchanging and without his lover's presence.
The lyrics are poignant and emotive, capturing the pain and longing that comes with losing someone who was dear to you. The river serves as a metaphor for the passage of time, as it keeps flowing and moving forward, even if we wish it would stop or reverse. The singer's quest to reconnect with his lover is both heart-wrenching and futile, as he knows deep down that nothing will bring her back.
Overall, the song is a beautiful showcase of Pulp's songwriting skills and their ability to evoke strong feelings with their music.
Line by Line Meaning
Take me down,
Bring me to a place I've never been before.
To the river,
To a body of water.
Where I would not go before.
A place he's never been, possibly because of fear or reluctance.
Through the trees and the rushes,
Moving through foliage on the way to the river.
To a place we both know.
To a familiar spot between the two of them.
And I'm feeling much younger,
A sense of youthfulness or nostalgia in returning to this spot with this person.
As I kneel on the ground,
A physical action taken upon arriving at the spot.
Dip my toe in the water,
A physical action taken next to the river.
Of the river where I watched you drown
Reveals that this is a spot where a traumatic event occurred in the past.
Oh when the river ran dry that next year,
A memory from the past when the river was no longer flowing.
I could not find your body.
The person he is addressing has gone, and he is unable to locate them.
Now I'm standing here ready at last,
A sense of resolution, preparedness and closure.
To dive down and reach you again.
Overcoming the fear or hesitation felt in the past to take action in the present.
And I long to be with you
A deep desire to be reunited with the person he is addressing.
Now these cold nights have come,
A change in season indicating the passage of time since the traumatic event.
Oh I go down to the river,
Continuing to return to the spot despite past trauma.
But the river will stop for no-one.
Highlighting the passing of time and inevitability of change and transformation.
Though I ask it it keeps flowing on,
Desire for control or influence over the flow of time.
When I ask it,
Desire for communication or understanding from the river.
It tells me you're gone.
The river reflects his understanding of the loss of the person he is addressing.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CANDIDA DOYLE, JARVIS COCKER, NICHOLAS BANKS, RUSSELL SENIOR, STEPHEN MACKEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind