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
Manon
Pulp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Manon Manon picks the flesh from her bones
Manon Manon Manon
Manon hard and white as a stone
Manon Manon sits alone, all alone
Manon Mano Manon
Oh, Manon Manon Manon leave her body alone
Manon Manon put a match to your home
Oh, Manon
Dans les jardins on peut voir Manon un enfant de quarante-cinq ans
Ca femme est morte, oui, c'est vrai, mais il cueillit la peau de ces os
Derriere les arbres, il voit une jeune fille en jouant avec son frere
Il les approche
Je vous renonce Manon
Vous etes un vrai chien
Laissez son corps en paix Manon Manon.
The lyrics to Pulp's song "Manon" describe a disturbing individual named Manon who keeps a corpse in their home and picks the flesh from their bones. Manon is described as "hard and white as a stone" and as someone who sits alone in isolation. The lyrics then take a turn, as the singer pleads with Manon to leave the body alone and put a match to their home. The song ends with a spoken-word section in French, which roughly translates to "In the gardens, one can see Manon, a child of forty-five years. His wife is dead, yes, it is true, but he picked the skin off her bones. Behind the trees, he sees a young girl playing with her brother. He approaches them. I renounce you, Manon. You are a true dog. Leave her body in peace, Manon."
The lyrics of "Manon" are intentionally opaque, leaving a lot of room for interpretation. Some have suggested that the song is inspired by a real-life case of a man in France who was found to be living with the corpse of his wife. Others have argued that the song is a commentary on loneliness and the lengths that people will go to in order to avoid being alone. In either case, the lyrics paint a picture of a deeply disturbed and unsettling individual who is incapable of connecting with other people in a meaningful way.
Line by Line Meaning
Manon
Introducing the character of Manon
Manon
Re-emphasizing the importance of the character
keeps a corpse in his home
Manon possesses a dead body in his residence
Manon
Reiterating the importance of Manon as the subject
Manon
Continuation from previous line
picks the flesh from her bones
Manon removes the remaining flesh from the body
Manon
Continuing Manon's importance to the song
Manon
Repetitive line to add emphasis on Manon
Manon
Continuing use of Manon as subject
hard and white as a stone
Describing the dead body in Manon's home
Manon
Pointing to Manon once again
Manon
Situation and location of Manon
Manon
Repetition of Manon
Manon
Continuation of Manon as the character/subject
Oh, Manon
An emotional or accentuated mention of Manon
Manon
Repetition of Manon's name
Manon
Continuation of Manon
leave her body alone
A plea to leave the dead body untouched
Manon
Repetition of Manon
Manon
Continuing the importance of Manon in the song
put a match to your home
A suggestion that Manon sets their home on fire
Manon
Reference to Manon once again as key subject
Manon
Continuing the importance of character
Manon
Repetition of Manon
Oh, Manon
A repetition of the aforementioned emotional/urgent plea to Manon
Dans les jardins
In the gardens
on peut voir Manon
Manon can be seen in the gardens
un enfant de quarante-cinq ans
A 45-year-old man
Ca femme est morte
His wife is dead
oui, see'est vrai
Yes, it's true
mais il cueillit la peau de ces os
He picks at the skin from her bones
Derriere les arbres
Behind the trees
il voit une jeune fille
He sees a young girl
en jouant avec son frere
Playing with her brother
Il les approche
He approaches them
Je vous renonce Manon
I renounce you, Manon
Vous etes un vrai chien
You are a real dog
Laissez son corps en paix Manon
Leave her body in peace, Manon
Manon
Final reference to Manon in the song
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CANDIDA DOYLE, JARVIS COCKER, PETER MANSELL, RUSSELL SENIOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind