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
Sorted For E
Pulp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or just twenty thousand people standing in a field?
And I don't quite understand just what this feeling is
But that's okay 'cause we're all sorted out for E's and wizz
And tell me when the spaceship lands 'cause all this has just got to mean something-ing
Oh, in the middle of the night
It feels alright, but then tomorrow morning
Oh yeah, the pirate radio told us what was going down
Got the tickets from some fucked up bloke in Camden Town
Oh, and no-one seems to know exactly where it is
But that's okay 'cause we're all sorted out for E's and wizz
At four o'clock the normal world seems very, very, very far away
All right
In the middle of the night
It feels alright, but then tomorrow morning
Oh, oh, then you come down, oh
Just keep on moving
Everybody asks your name, they say we're all the same and now it's
"Nice one," "geezer"
But that's as far as the conversation went
I lost my friends, I dance alone
It's six o'clock, I want to go home
But it's "no way," "not today"
Makes you wonder what it meant
And this hollow feeling grows and grows and grows and grows
And you want to call your mother
And say "mother, I can never come home again
'Cause I seem to have left an important part of my brain somewhere
Somewhere in a field in Hampshire, all right"
In the middle of the night
It feels alright, but then tomorrow morning
Oh, oh, then you come down
Oh, oh, then you come down
Oh, what if you never come down?
The lyrics of Pulp’s song Sorted For E’s & Wizz are open to interpretation but they seem to be describing a drug-fueled experience at a music festival or rave. The first verse questions whether the feeling of being part of a large crowd is what the future is meant to feel like, or if it’s just a result of drugs. The chorus includes the titled phrase that suggests that the singer and his friends have prepared themselves for the party with Ecstasy and speed (E’s and wizz) and have blended in, going along with the crowd with the help of drugs. They are waiting for something exciting to happen, perhaps a spaceship landing, and they want to believe that there’s something more to this experience than just the drugs, but they aren't quite sure.
The second verse describes getting the tickets for the event from a sketchy individual and how no one really knows where they are. It’s a surreal experience, with time seeming to stretch out, the normal world and responsibilities left behind. The singer and his friends are dancing and riding a high, but in the back of their minds they know that they will have to come down sooner or later. The final verse takes a more melancholic turn, with the singer feeling disconnected from his friends and from his own sense of self. He feels lost and hollow, wondering how much of his altered state of mind is due to drugs or the environment he's in. He has lost something, perhaps some sense of himself, and worries that he will never find it again.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, is this the way they say the future's meant to feel?
Are these the emotions we should be feeling in the future?
Or just twenty thousand people standing in a field?
Or is it simply a result of the huge gathering of people?
And I don't quite understand just what this feeling is
I can't figure out what this particular emotion is
But that's okay 'cause we're all sorted out for E's and wizz
But that doesn't matter because we've all got our E's and wizz
And tell me when the spaceship lands 'cause all this has just got to mean something-ing
Let me know when something significant happens because all of this must signify something
Oh yeah, the pirate radio told us what was going down
The pirate radio informed us what was happening
Got the tickets from some fucked up bloke in Camden Town
We obtained the tickets from a shady guy in Camden Town
Oh, and no-one seems to know exactly where it is
And no one knows precisely where it is
But that's okay 'cause we're all sorted out for E's and wizz
But we're okay because we've all secured our E's and wizz
At four o'clock the normal world seems very, very, very far away
At four in the morning, the ordinary world feels exceedingly far away
All right
Okay
Everybody asks your name, they say we're all the same and now it's
Everyone inquires what your name is and then states we are all alike and say
"Nice one," "geezer"
"Great job," "dude"
But that's as far as the conversation went
But that was the extent of the conversation
I lost my friends, I dance alone
I lost my companions and now dance by myself
It's six o'clock, I want to go home
It's six in the morning, and I'd like to return home
But it's "no way," "not today"
But the answer is "absolutely not," "not today"
Makes you wonder what it meant
This makes one consider what it all meant
And this hollow feeling grows and grows and grows and grows
This unsettling sensation continues to escalate
And you want to call your mother
And you feel like phoning your mother
And say "mother, I can never come home again
And tell her "Mom, I can't ever return home
'Cause I seem to have left an important part of my brain somewhere
Because I seem to have misplaced a vital part of my mind somewhere
Somewhere in a field in Hampshire, all right"
Presumably in a field in Hampshire, okay"
Oh, what if you never come down?
Oh, what if you never come back to reality?
In the middle of the night
In the middle of the night
It feels alright, but then tomorrow morning
It's comfortable at the moment, but in the morning
Oh, oh, then you come down, oh
Oh, oh, then you return to normal
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CANDIDA DOYLE, JARVIS BRANSON COCKER, MARK ANDREW WEBBER, NICK BANKS, RUSSELL SENIOR, STEPHEN PATRICK MACKEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind