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 Rriver
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
"Down By The River" by Pulp is a somber ballad that tells the story of an individual who is revisiting the location where they witnessed a tragic event. The singer takes the listener on a journey through the trees and rushes towards the river where they reminisce the memories of the past. As they kneel on the ground and dip their toe in the water, they recall the moment when they watched someone drown in the river. The lyrics evoke a sense of guilt and regret that the singer didn't act in time to save the person.
The song talks about how the river continues to flow, and even though the singer asks it to stop, it keeps going, and it tells the singer that the one they loved is gone forever. The lyrics are poetic and have a lot of meaning that can be interpreted in different ways. One interpretation is that the river symbolizes the flow of time and how it never stops for anyone. Another interpretation is that the river represents the cycle of life and death, and how it keeps going on just like the river.
Overall, Pulp's "Down By The River" is a melancholic but beautiful song that showcases Jarvis Cocker's lyrical mastery and distinctive vocal delivery.
Line by Line Meaning
Take me down,
Bring me to the river
To the river,
To that body of water
Where I would not go before.
To a place I avoided before
Through the trees and the rushes,
Amidst the greenery and foliage
To a place we both know.
A spot familiar to both of us
And I'm feeling much younger,
I feel rejuvenated
As I kneel on the ground,
As I crouch down
Dip my toe in the water,
Touch the water with my toe
Of the river where I watched you drown
Referring to the river where someone drowned before my eyes
Oh when the river ran dry that next year,
When the river's water level lowered the following year
I could not find your body.
The person's body was never recovered
Now I'm standing here ready at last,
Now I am finally determined and prepared
To dive down and reach you again.
To submerge myself and find the lost person
And I long to be with you
To be reunited with the person
Now these cold nights have come,
In the current season where nights are chilly
Oh I go down to the river,
I visit the river
But the river will stop for no-one.
The river's flow does not halt for anyone
Though I ask it it keeps flowing on,
Even when I plead for it to stop
When I ask it,
When I inquire of the river
It tells me you're gone.
It informs me that the person has departed
Dadow
End of the song
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
sandwichguy
I remember reading this when i was young funny thing thought the dream was real still a Good story though.
Shaniqua Brown
Did a play on this when i was in 1st grade ...idk why but it just randomly popped up in my head ..i miss the old days
Mellissa Smith
I love the story
Roy Luo
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Roy Luo
yaaaa
gumdrøp_drawz
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