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
The Never Ending Story
Pulp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He comes round again to see,
He can't keep himself away.
He touches her hand and it starts again.
His work is an ugly mess.
He prods and it cries in pain.
He kicks and it starts to scream.
He hurries away when she cannot see.
He comes round again to see,
He can't keep himself away.
He touches her hand and it
Starts again.
Moving so slowly,
Droplets of kindness
That poison and choke
When this thing should have died long ago.
The entrails are soft and warm,
This time it must be the end.
One touch and it lives again.
He keeps it alive to be part of its pain
And that's mercy.
And that's compassion.
And that's being good friends in a crisis.
What's one corpse between friends?
Oh
Oh-oh-oh
Leave it, boy.
Just leave it alone.
Stop scratching, or it'll never heal.
Just let it lie in peace.
Get out of the way,
Get out of the way,
The brakes cannot last for long.
He knows he must let it go,
He knows but he keeps a hold.
He touches her hand and it
Starts again.
Ah!
Ah!
Ah!
Moving so slowly,
He drops it so gently,
Urging its life
To a peak to torment it again!
The lyrics to Pulp's song The Never Ending Story tell a disturbing story of a person who keeps coming back to a woman, whom they seem to have hurt before, unable to stay away from her. He touches her hand and it starts again- the cycle of pain and abuse, both physical and emotional. The lyrics paint a grisly picture of the person's work being an "ugly mess" and the victim, perhaps a body, crying and screaming in pain. The person seems to have a sense of power, keeping this thing alive, to be a part of its pain, showing a twisted sense of empathy, mercy, and compassion that only brings more misery.
The final verse is a plea to let it go- "stop scratching, or it'll never heal. Just let it lie in peace." However, the person cannot resist, keeps holding onto it, urging its life to torment it again. The lyrics are cryptic yet effective, conveying a feeling of slowly escalating darkness and desperation, leaving the interpretation of the meaning to the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
When all should be done and gone,
Despite all being finished, he still returns to her.
He comes round again to see,
He keeps coming back to her.
He can't keep himself away.
He's drawn to her and can't resist.
He touches her hand and it starts again.
His touch reignites their relationship.
His work is an ugly mess.
He's created a disaster.
He prods and it cries in pain.
He torments it, causing it to suffer.
He kicks and it starts to scream.
He hurts it and it responds with pain.
He hurries away when she cannot see.
He leaves when she isn't watching.
Moving so slowly,
He's taking his time.
Droplets of kindness
His actions seem kind, but they're actually harmful.
That poison and choke
His kindness only harms her more.
When this thing should have died long ago.
Their relationship should have ended awhile ago.
The entrails are soft and warm,
Their relationship is intimate and close.
This time it must be the end.
Their relationship really must end this time.
One touch and it lives again.
Their relationship can start up again so easily.
He keeps it alive to be part of its pain
He continues the relationship to cause her pain.
And that's mercy.
In his mind, hurting her is doing her a favor.
And that's compassion.
In his mind, hurting her is being compassionate.
And that's being good friends in a crisis.
In his mind, hurting her is being a good friend.
What's one corpse between friends?
He doesn't see their relationship as truly dead.
Leave it, boy.
Stop meddling in this relationship.
Just leave it alone.
Stop interfering in their relationship.
Stop scratching, or it'll never heal.
Stop continuing to cause pain or the relationship will never end.
Just let it lie in peace.
Let the relationship end.
Get out of the way,
Allow the relationship to end.
The brakes cannot last for long.
Their relationship can't continue much longer.
He knows he must let it go,
He understands that he needs to end things.
He knows but he keeps a hold.
He understands, but he can't bring himself to let go.
Ah!
He's struggling with his emotions.
Ah!
He's feeling conflicted about their relationship.
Ah!
He's dealing with intense emotions regarding their relationship.
Moving so slowly,
He's taking his time with everything.
He drops it so gently,
He finally ends things softly.
Urging its life
Encouraging their relationship to continue.
To a peak to torment it again!
Causing more pain and torment by reigniting their relationship.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@johnnygonzalez1683
kickass tune, gives me the chills