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 Is Hardcore
Pulp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You name the drama and I'll play the part
It seems I saw you in some teenage wet dream
I like your get-up, if you know what I mean
I want it bad
I want it now
Oh, can't you see I'm ready now?
I want to make a movie, so let's star in it together
Don't make a move till I say "action"
Oh, here comes the hardcore life
Put your money where your mouth is tonight
Leave your make-up on and I'll leave on the light
Come over here, babe, and talk in the mic
Oh yeah, I hear you now
It's gonna be one hell of a night
You can't be a spectator, oh no
You got to take these dreams and make them whole
Oh, this is hardcore
There is no way back for you
Oh, this is hardcore
This is me on top of you
And I can't believe it took me this long
That it took me this long
This is the eye of the storm
It's what men in stained raincoats pay for
But in here it is pure, yeah
This is the end of the line
I've seen the storyline played out so many times before
Oh, that goes in there
Then that goes in there
Then that goes in there
Then that goes in there
And then it's over
Oh, what a hell of a show
But what I want to know
What exactly do you do for an encore?
'Cause this is hardcore
The song "This Is Hardcore" by Pulp is an evocative exploration of sex as a mode of power and the way that performative masculinity can become a kind of theater of cruelty. The lyrics describe the singer's attraction to someone who is "hardcore" - a term that evokes both pornography and a kind of masculine authority - and their desire to play out fantasies of domination and submission with them. The singer is drawn to the other person's "get-up," which could be a reference to clothes or makeup or some combination of both, and they want to film their encounter in order to create a kind of evidence of their performance.
The song is full of subtle references and imagery that give it a complex and layered meaning. For example, the line "this is the eye of the storm, it's what men in stained raincoats pay for" could be read as a reference to the kind of seedy theaters or bookshops where people go to watch pornography or purchase erotica, but it is also a metaphor for the intense and dangerous emotional space that the singer and their partner are inhabiting. They are both participants in a kind of performance that is simultaneously thrilling and dangerous, and it's unclear who is really in control.
Overall, "This Is Hardcore" is a song that reveals the darker corners of human desire and the way that sexuality can become a kind of theater. It's a complex and nuanced exploration of the way that sex and power intersect, and it's an example of Pulp's ability to combine rich and complex lyrics with catchy and memorable melodies.
Line by Line Meaning
You are hardcore, you make me hard
The persona is attracted to the subject because of their hardcore nature
You name the drama and I'll play the part
The persona is willing to do whatever the subject wants, even if it's dramatic
It seems I saw you in some teenage wet dream
The persona has had fantasies about the subject
I like your get-up, if you know what I mean
The persona is attracted to the subject's appearance
I want it bad
The persona is eager to fulfill their desires
I want it now
The persona is impatient and wants their desires fulfilled immediately
Oh, can't you see I'm ready now?
The persona is ready to go and fulfill their desires
I've seen all the pictures, I've studied them forever
The persona has researched their desires and knows what they want
I want to make a movie, so let's star in it together
The persona wants to create a memory with the subject
Don't make a move till I say 'action'
The persona wants control in this situation
Oh, here comes the hardcore life
The persona is ready for an intense experience
Put your money where your mouth is tonight
The persona wants the subject to back up their words with actions
Leave your make-up on and I'll leave on the light
The persona wants an authentic experience and doesn't want the subject to hide behind their appearance
Come over here, babe, and talk in the mic
The persona wants intimacy and closeness with the subject
Oh yeah, I hear you now
The persona is listening and aware
It's gonna be one hell of a night
The persona is looking forward to an intense experience
You can't be a spectator, oh no
The persona wants the subject to be an active participant
You got to take these dreams and make them whole
The persona wants their fantasies to come true with the subject's participation
Oh, this is hardcore
The experience is intense and extreme
There is no way back for you
Once you start this, there is no going back
This is me on top of you
The persona is in control of the experience
And I can't believe it took me this long
The persona regrets not having experienced this sooner
This is the eye of the storm
The experience is the most intense part
It's what men in stained raincoats pay for
The experience is usually associated with a dirty and shameful desire
But in here it is pure, yeah
The persona feels like this experience is acceptable and pure in this context
This is the end of the line
This experience is the peak of the persona's desires
I've seen the storyline played out so many times before
The persona has seen this experience portrayed in media multiple times
Oh, that goes in there
The persona is familiar with what to do
Then that goes in there
The persona is familiar with the steps of this experience
Then that goes in there
The persona is familiar with the steps of this experience
Then that goes in there
The persona is familiar with the steps of this experience
And then it's over
The experience ends quickly
Oh, what a hell of a show
The persona is pleased with the experience
But what I want to know
The persona has a question
What exactly do you do for an encore?
The persona is thinking about what could be done next that's even more intense
'Cause this is hardcore
The experience is extremely intense
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Candida Doyle, Jarvis Branson Cocker, Mark Andrew Webber, Nick Banks, Peter Thomas, Stephen Patrick Mackey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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You are hardcore, you make me hard
You name the drama and I'll play the part
It seems I saw you in some teenage wet dream
I like your get-up, if you know what I mean
I want it bad
I want it now
Oh, can't you see I'm ready now?
I've seen all the pictures, I've studied them forever
I want to make a movie, so let's star in it together
Don't make a move till I say "action"
Oh, here comes the hardcore life
Put your money where your mouth is tonight
Leave your make-up on and I'll leave on the light
Come over here, babe, and talk in the mic
Oh yeah, I hear you now
It's gonna be one hell of a night
You can't be a spectator, oh no
You got to take these dreams and make them whole
Oh, this is hardcore
There is no way back for you
Oh, this is hardcore
This is me on top of you
And I can't believe it took me this long
That it took me this long
This is the eye of the storm
It's what men in stained raincoats pay for
But in here it is pure, yeah
This is the end of the line
I've seen the storyline played out so many times before
Oh, that goes in there
Then that goes in there
Then that goes in there
Then that goes in there
And then it's over
Oh, what a hell of a show
But what I want to know
What exactly do you do for an encore?
'Cause this is hardcore
bluejam
Easily one of my favourite music videos of all time. Everything from the 40s Hollywood setting to that shot of Jarv swaggering his way towards the camera past the chorus girls. Just magnificent.
Peztopher
It's the 50s.
dixon pinfold
If only the suit had been well made and fit him well. Bathetic.
Gabriel Mercado
This was Pulp at their absolute prime. What a song and what a video. Takes me back to the days when we had to eagerly anticipate the video coming on MTV or MuchMusic, and when it finally came the entire world seemed to come to a halt as we got to watch our heroes. The cadence in this song is so provocative and profound, filled with layers of innuendo. And that Busby Berkeley part, with Jarvis surrounded by all those dancers, is just so creatively mesmerizing. They don't do stuff like this anymore. What a jewel.
Laughing Stock
I agree. 90%. They do do stuff like this today. Two words: Aldous Harding.
kadelbach63
Totally agree about the Busby Berkeley section and beyond. Pulp at their finest. What a video💥
Stefan
This song is extraordinary and still gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it. Not only once. Twice... First when the piano intensifies at the end of the verse and then even more when the guitars kicks into the chorus. So I guess this is the song that probably have given me the biggest eargasm by listening to music...
Little FIsh
Have you heard the The Doublejumps? if you like Pulp you might like them
Stefan
@Little FIsh No, but I will check them up. Thanks.
josé maria
The crowning moment of Pulp's carrer. One of the best songs ever made with one of the greatest music videos ever produced.