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
Your Sister
Pulp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're trying to make it straight right now
but I don't think that you know how
Your sister knows / she wears your clothes / she laughs
at all those things you chose
Your sister knows / takes off your clothes
we use your bed for goodness knows / Ow
I left something where I knew you'd find it
Hey hey / Check out if you're still alive / talking dirt won't change your life
Listen hard and you can hear her saying not to be so afraid
Loosen up and lay right down / watch her as she's going down
It's easy when you stop pretending that you just got lost on the way
na na na now now
Your sister knows / she wears your clothes
she laughs at all those things you chose / Your sister knows
takes off your clothes / We use your bed for goodness knows
I can't remember where we met / I can't remember what we said
I can't forget the things we did / when everything just seemed to fit
Your sister knows / takes off your clothes
we use your bed for goodness knows / She's says it's better with two
if you'd just stop being so stuck up / and he's coming round today
Hey hey / Check out if you're still alive / talking dirt won't change your life
Listen hard and you can hear her saying not to be so afraid
Loosen up and lay right down / watch her as she's going down
It's easy when you stop pretending that you just got lost on the way
Try it; you might like it / But you might / smudge your lipstick
and he's coming round today / Check out if you're still alive
talking dirt won't change your life
Listen hard and you can hear her saying not to be so afraid
Loosen up and lay right down / watch her as she's going down
It's easy when you stop pretending that you just got lost on the way
Loosen up and lay right down / watch her as she's going down
It's easy when you stop pretending that you just got lost on the way
It's easy when you stop pretending that you'll never ever see her,
yeah you've seen her going down (and down and down and down and down)
The song "Your Sister" by Pulp is about a sexual encounter between the singer and the sister of someone they once knew. The singer starts by expressing surprise at seeing the sister again, as their own nerve seems to have taken the sister's by surprise. They then describe the sexual encounter, which seems to involve the sister taking control and teasing the singer. The singer seems to enjoy the experience but also feels a sense of shame and fear about it. The sister, on the other hand, is confident and unapologetic.
Throughout the song, the singer refers to the sister as a kind of authority figure, someone who knows more about the world and sex than they do. The sister wears the singer's clothes and laughs at their choices, indicating a reversal of power dynamics. The sister also seems to be urging the singer to let go of their fear and inhibitions and embrace pleasure.
Overall, "Your Sister" is a provocative and subversive song that challenges traditional gender roles and power dynamics. It suggests that sexual desire is complicated and messy, but ultimately liberating if one can let go of their own insecurities and fears.
Line by Line Meaning
I never thought that you would come
The singer didn't expect to see the person they are addressing.
your sister said your nerve had gone
The singer's sister told them that the person addressing them had lost their confidence.
You're trying to make it straight right now
The person addressing the singer is attempting to make things right between them.
but I don't think that you know how
The artist doesn't believe that the person addressing them knows how to make things right.
Your sister knows / she wears your clothes / she laughs / at all those things you chose
The artist's sister is familiar with the person and their style, and finds humor in their choices.
Your sister knows / takes off your clothes / we use your bed for goodness knows / Ow
The sister of the singer engages in sexual activity with the person addressing them on the singer's bed.
I left something where I knew you'd find it / Lift your pillow and you'll see / and he's coming round today
The singer left an item near the person addressing them's pillow, and the person is visiting again today.
Hey hey / Check out if you're still alive / talking dirt won't change your life
The artist is encouraging the person addressing them to loosen up and take risks, but also reminding them that gossip won't do much good.
Listen hard and you can hear her saying not to be so afraid / Loosen up and lay right down / watch her as she's going down / It's easy when you stop pretending that you just got lost on the way
The artist is implying that the person should listen to the sister's advice, relax, and enjoy themselves, rather than pretending they got lost or making excuses.
na na na now now
An interjection used to express enthusiasm or excitement.
I can't remember where we met / I can't remember what we said / I can't forget the things we did / when everything just seemed to fit
The singer reminisces on a past sexual encounter with the person addressing them, where everything felt right.
She's says it's better with two / if you'd just stop being so stuck up / and he's coming round today
The artist's sister believes that sex is better with more than one person and urges the person addressing them to not be so uptight, and once again that person is visiting again today.
Try it; you might like it / But you might / smudge your lipstick
The singer suggests that the person addressing them should try something new and enjoy it, but it may result in them messing up their makeup.
It's easy when you stop pretending that you'll never ever see her, yeah you've seen her going down (and down and down and down and down)
The singer notes that it is easy to see the person's sister engaging in sexual activity with other people, and suggests that the person should stop pretending that they won't see it happen anymore.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: CANDIDA DOYLE, JARVIS BRANSON COCKER, NICK BANKS, RUSSELL SENIOR, STEPHEN PATRICK MACKEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind