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
This House Is Condemned
Pulp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He sees the floor
He sees the wall
He sees the roof
He sees the door
It's nine thirty-eight
So he goes up to the door
And he finds himself in another room
The clock still reads nine thirty-eight
So he goes out of that room
But he finds himself in a parallel room
A mirror image of the one before
He hits the floor
He hits the wall
He hits the door
He hits the door
The clock reads nine thirty-eight
He throws it at the roof
He breaks a hole
He climbs out
He sees the moon
He sees the stars
He sees the sky
The stars are small light bulbs
Set in a black cardboard dome
He climbs out
He sees the stars, he sees the sky
The stars are small light bulbs
Set in a black cardboard dome
He hits the floor
He hits the wall
He hits the roof
He hits the dome
He hits the dome
Condemned
This house
This house is
This house is
Is this house
This house
Is this house
Fill in housing form
Buy one clock
Time again
Sort housing papers
Still nine thirty-eight
Two thousand years from now
It will still be ticking
He hits the floor
Wall, roof, door
The clock reads nine thirty-eight
He hits the dome
Door, wall
Space, floor
Time
He sees the moon
He sees the stars
For some romantic reason
Space, dome, door, wall, clock face
Space, time, place, floor, wall, door, roof
This is one small step for mankind
One giant leap for man
Ten
Nine
Eight
Seven
Six
Five
Four
Three
Two
One
Zero
We have lift-off
He takes the clock, he breaks the dome, he sees the moon,
He sees the stars, he sees the sky, he sees the Earth
For some romantic reason
He takes the clock, he breaks the dome, he sees the moon,
He sees the stars, he sees the sky, he sees the Earth
Space, time, place, condensed
Space, time, place, condemned
This is house is
This house is
This house is
Condemned
This house is
This house is
This house is
Condemned.
The lyrics to Pulp's "This House Is Condemned" tell the story of a man who is trapped in a never-ending cycle, trying to escape from a condemned house. He finds himself in a room with no apparent escape, seeing only the floor, walls, roof, and door. He tries to leave but ends up in a parallel room, identical to the one before, and again and again, finding himself in the same type of rooms. He hits the floor, hits the wall, hits the door, and throws the clock at the roof in frustration, breaking a hole through which he climbs out of the house. As he looks up at the sky, he realizes the stars are just small bulbs in a black cardboard dome, shattering his romantic view of the universe.
The repetitive and cyclic nature of the song's lyrics tells a broader story about the traps and routines that we face in our lives. We often find ourselves repeating the same actions and struggling to escape the same types of situations. The lyrics suggest that it is possible to break out of these routines and see the world in a new way, but it takes a moment of frustration or failure to recognize the flaws in our perspectives.
Line by Line Meaning
He's in a room
He is in a room
He sees the floor
He observes the floor
He sees the wall
He notices the wall
He sees the roof
He views the roof
He sees the door
He sees the door
It's nine thirty-eight
The time on the clock is 9:38
So he goes up to the door
He approaches the door
And he finds himself in another room
He discovers himself in a different room
Identical to the one before
It's an exact copy of the previous room
The clock still reads nine thirty-eight
The time on the clock is still 9:38
So he goes out of that room
He exits that room
But he finds himself in a parallel room
He realizes he's in a parallel room
A mirror image of the one before
It's a perfect reflection of the previous one
He hits the floor
He collides with the floor
He hits the wall
He hits the wall
He hits the door
He strikes the door
He hits the door
He hits the door
The clock reads nine thirty-eight
The time on the clock is 9:38
He throws it at the roof
He hurls the clock at the ceiling
He breaks a hole
He creates a hole
He climbs out
He ascends and leaves the room
He sees the moon
He spots the moon
He sees the stars
He perceives the stars
He sees the sky
He sees the sky
The stars are small light bulbs
The stars are miniature light bulbs
Set in a black cardboard dome
They're arranged in a black cardboard hemisphere
He climbs out
He emerges and leaves
He sees the stars, he sees the sky
He beholds the stars and the sky
The stars are small light bulbs
The stars are tiny light bulbs
Set in a black cardboard dome
They're placed in a black cardboard dome
He hits the floor
He collides with the floor
He hits the wall
He strikes the wall
He hits the roof
He hits the ceiling
He hits the dome
He strikes the dome
He hits the dome
He hits the dome
Condemned
Marked for demolition
This house
This building
This house is
This building is
This house is
This building is
Is this house
This structure is
This house
This building
Is this house
This structure is
Fill in housing form
Complete the housing form
Buy one clock
Purchase a clock
Time again
Time repeats itself
Sort housing papers
Arrange the housing papers
Still nine thirty-eight
The time is still 9:38
Two thousand years from now
Two millennia from today
It will still be ticking
It will continue to tick
He hits the floor
He collides with the floor
Wall, roof, door
Wall, ceiling, door
The clock reads nine thirty-eight
The time is 9:38
He hits the dome
He strikes the dome
Door, wall
Doorframe, wall
Space, floor
Area, ground
Time
Time
He sees the moon
He spots the moon
He sees the stars
He perceives the stars
For some romantic reason
For sentimental reasons
Space, dome, door, wall, clock face
Area, sphere, door, wall, clock facade
Space, time, place, floor, wall, door, roof
Area, duration, location, ground, wall, door, ceiling
This is one small step for mankind
This is a momentous occasion in human history
One giant leap for man
It's a significant milestone for humankind
Ten
Ten
Nine
Nine
Eight
Eight
Seven
Seven
Six
Six
Five
Five
Four
Four
Three
Three
Two
Two
One
One
Zero
Zero
We have lift-off
The rocket takes off
He takes the clock, he breaks the dome, he sees the moon,
He seizes the clock, smashes the dome, and observes the moon,
He sees the stars, he sees the sky, he sees the Earth
He beholds the stars, the sky, and the Earth
For some romantic reason
For sentimental reasons
He takes the clock, he breaks the dome, he sees the moon,
He grabs the clock, shatters the dome, and perceives the moon,
He sees the stars, he sees the sky, he sees the Earth
He identifies the stars, the sky, and the Earth
Space, time, place, condensed
Area, duration, location, compressed
Space, time, place, condemned
Area, duration, location, marked for demolition
This is house is
This building is
This house is
This building is
This house is
This building is
Condemned
Marked for destruction
This house is
This structure is
This house is
This building is
This house is
This building is
Condemned.
Marked for demolition.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind