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
I Want You
Pulp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can look, you can look just like anyone else
If that's what you want to do.
I,
I could laugh,
I could laugh in your face if I want
Oh, but I'm not going to.
When we met last week on Saturday,
I couldn't even say
What I meant to say:
That I want you
It doesn't hurt to say I want you,
I need you
I never thought I'd say I need you,
I'll keep you,
Oh yes I'll keep you and I'll throw myself away, away, away,
And I'll break you
Because I lose myself inside you,
I'll make you
Fit in the space that I provide you, I'll take you,
Oh yes, I'll take you just to push you far away, away, away.
Yes,
Yes, you're all,
Yes you're all that I ever desire,
Still I'll kill you in the end.
When,
When it seems,
When it seems that it's getting too soft,
When you lapse into a friend,
There's someone just behind the door
So don't betray your feelings,
No don't talk anymore,
Never dare to say
That I want you
It doesn't hurt to say I want you,
I need you
I never thought I'd say I need you,
I'll keep you,
Oh yes I'll keep you and I'll throw myself away, away, away,
And I'll break you
Because I lose myself inside you, I'll make you
Fit in the space that I provide you, I'll take you,
Oh yes, I'll take you just to push you far away, away, away.
Now,
Now we come,
Now we come to the end of it all,
See it squirming, almost dead.
No,
You can't leave,
You can't leave it to die here in pain.
You've got to stamp upon it's head.
I'll go out and you'll stay home
Facing up to living,
Living on your own,
And I'll curse my pride,
Curse my pride,
Curse my stupid pride
Because I want you
It doesn't hurt to say I want you,
I need you
I never thought I'd say I need you,
I'll keep you,
Oh yes I'll keep you and I'll throw myself away, away, away,
And I'll break you
Because I lose myself inside you, I'll make you
Fit in the space that I provide you, I'll take you,
Oh yes, I'll take you just to push you far away, away, away.
The song "You" by Pulp is a dark and introspective exploration of desire, obsession, and the destructive power of love. The lyrics speak to the singer's overwhelming desire for someone, and their willingness to do anything to possess and control that person. The first verse sets the scene, with the singer acknowledging that their object of desire can look like anyone else if they want to. They then confess that they could laugh in the person's face, but they won't. When they met last week, they were unable to express themselves, and the singer reflects on how they are unable to control their own desire for this person.
The chorus repeats several times, with the singer stating that they want and need the person, that they will keep them, throw themselves away for them, and break them. They also acknowledge their tendency to lose themselves inside this person and push them away when they get too close. In the second verse, the singer warns the person not to betray their feelings or talk anymore, indicating that they have a possessive and controlling nature. The bridge sees the song reach its climax, with the singer declaring that they will kill the person in the end, and exhorting them to stamp on the head of the dying relationship.
Overall, "You" is a chilling exploration of the darker side of love, and the dangers of obsessive desire.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey,
You can look, you can look just like anyone else
If that's what you want to do.
Hey, you have the freedom to appear like anybody else if that's your choice.
I,
I could laugh,
I could laugh in your face if I want
Oh, but I'm not going to.
I could mock you if I wished, but I won't do that.
When we met last week on Saturday,
I couldn't make a sentence,
I couldn't even say
What I meant to say:
When we've seen each other last week, I couldn't articulate myself properly, nor speak truly about my emotions.
That I want you
It doesn't hurt to say I want you,
I need you
I never thought I'd say I need you,
I'll keep you,
Oh yes I'll keep you and I'll throw myself away, away, away,
And I'll break you
Because I lose myself inside you,
I'll make you
Fit in the space that I provide you, I'll take you,
Oh yes, I'll take you just to push you far away, away, away.
I want you; it's easy to say I want you. I need you, and I never predicted that. I'll keep you, even if it means giving up my own life. I'll harm you because I'm too attached to you, and I'll force you to fit in my world, only to abandon you when the time comes.
Yes,
Yes, you're all,
Yes you're all that I ever desire,
Still I'll kill you in the end.
You're everything that I want, yet, in the finale, I'll destroy you.
When,
When it seems,
When it seems that it's getting too soft,
When you lapse into a friend,
There's someone just behind the door
So don't betray your feelings,
No don't talk anymore,
Never dare to say
When you appear to relent in the relationship or drift off into a superficial friendship, there's always someone around waiting to replace you, so don't talk about your true feelings or broach the subject.
Now,
Now we come,
Now we come to the end of it all,
See it squirming, almost dead.
Now we come to the conclusion of our relationship, with no life remaining.
No,
You can't leave,
You can't leave it to die here in pain.
You've got to stamp upon it's head.
No, you can't just abandon our relationship to perish in agony; you must end it properly.
I'll go out and you'll stay home
Facing up to living,
Living on your own,
And I'll curse my pride,
Curse my pride,
Curse my stupid pride
I'll leave and let you deal with life on your own, and I'll blame my ego for our downfall.
Because I want you
It doesn't hurt to say I want you,
I need you
I never thought I'd say I need you,
I'll keep you,
Oh yes I'll keep you and I'll throw myself away, away, away,
And I'll break you
Because I lose myself inside you, I'll make you
Fit in the space that I provide you, I'll take you,
Oh yes, I'll take you just to push you far away, away, away.
I want you, and it doesn't hurt to admit it. I need you, which I never anticipated. I'll retain you, even if it means giving up my own life. I'll harm and manipulate you because my attachment to you clouds my judgment, and I'll discard you when I'm done with you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MICHAEL DAVID LEESON, PETER BENSON VALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind