Roxy Music became a successful act in Europe and Australia during the 1970s. This success began with their self-titled debut studio album in 1972. The band pioneered more musically sophisticated elements of glam rock while significantly influencing early English punk music, and provided a model for many new wave acts while innovating elements of electronic composition. The group also conveyed their distinctive brand of visual and musical sophistication with their focus on glamorous fashions. Ferry and co-founding member Eno have had influential solo careers. Eno became one of the most significant British record producers of the late 20th century. Rolling Stone originally ranked Roxy Music No. 98 on their greatest artists list ("The Immortals – The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time"), but dropped the group from the list when they updated it in 2011.
Roxy Music's final studio album was Avalon (1982), which was certified Platinum in the United States. In 2005, the band began recording what would have become their ninth studio album—and their first album with Eno since 1973 (he wrote two songs for it and also played keyboards). However, Ferry eventually announced that the material from these sessions would instead be released as a Ferry solo studio album, with Eno playing on "a couple of tracks", and that he believed the group would never again produce a record as Roxy Music. The album was released in 2010 as the Ferry solo studio album Olympia. It featured contributions from Eno, Manzanera, and Mackay (amongst many other session players).
In 2011, Roxy Music played a series of 40th-anniversary shows, but went inactive as a performing entity following the concerts. In 2019, Roxy Music were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2022, Roxy Music reformed for a tour to mark the 50th anniversary of their debut studio album.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxy_Music
Studio albums
Roxy Music (1972)
For Your Pleasure (1973)
Stranded (1973)
Country Life (1974)
Siren (1975)
Manifesto (1979)
Flesh and Blood (1980)
Avalon (1982)
Trash
Roxy Music Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Heavy metal trick or treat?
Only seventeen
On the level trash is neat
Teenage fever oh you've got it bad
Caught the flavor want it all
Only seventeen
Bet you know the trash I mean
Row your features into magazines
Go to Plaza, where's the trade?
Only seventeen
Slips are lower trash is in
The lyrics of Roxy Music's song "Trash" speak to the commodification of culture, particularly youth culture. The opening lines "Are you customized or ready-made? / Heavy metal trick or treat?" pose the question of whether the listener is an individual with unique tastes and preferences, or simply a product of the mass-produced culture that surrounds us. The contrast between "customized" and "ready-made" and "heavy metal" and "trick or treat" suggest the ways in which culture is created and consumed, with individuals being both subject to and participating in these processes.
The following lines "Only seventeen / On the level trash is neat / Teenage fever oh you've got it bad / Caught the flavor want it all" further develop the theme of youth culture as a carefully constructed commodity. The idea that "trash is neat" speaks to the ways in which even the most lowbrow, mass-produced cultural products are elevated to the level of desirable currency in youth culture. The references to "teenage fever" and "caught the flavor" suggest that this commodification of culture is both desired and infectious. The phrase "want it all" reinforces the idea that youth culture is defined by the desire for the latest and greatest products, fashion, and media.
The chorus "Bet you know the trash I mean / Row your features into magazines / Go to Plaza, where's the trade? / Only seventeen / Slips are lower trash is in" further speaks to the ways in which youth culture is marketed and consumed. The idea of "row[ing] your features into magazines" suggests the ways in which youth culture is defined by visual representations in the media. The reference to "Plaza" and "the trade" reinforces the idea that youth culture is an economy in which individuals must participate in order to be seen as relevant and desirable. The final line "Slips are lower trash is in" further emphasizes the idea that even the most lowbrow and sexualized culture is a desirable commodity in youth culture.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you customized or ready-made?
Are you a unique individual or a product of mass production?
Heavy metal trick or treat?
Is this a serious or playful interaction?
Only seventeen
You're young and inexperienced.
On the level trash is neat
Honesty and directness about lowbrow culture is cool.
Teenage fever oh you've got it bad
You're young and infatuated with this culture.
Caught the flavor want it all
You're captivated by the allure of the culture and want to fully immerse yourself in it.
Bet you know the trash I mean
You likely have a familiarity with the specific lowbrow culture being referenced.
Row your features into magazines
Use your appearance to fit into the visual aesthetic of the culture and be featured in publications that cater to it.
Go to Plaza, where's the trade?
Go to the commercial center where this culture is bought and sold.
Only seventeen
You're still young and inexperienced.
Slips are lower trash is in
Revealing clothing and other forms of vulgarity are in fashion.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRYAN FERRY, PHIL MANZANERA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@saiwan3621
Are you customized or ready- made?
Heavy metal trick or treat?
Only seventeen
On the level trash is neat
Teenage fever oh you've got it bad
Caught the flavor want it all
Only seventeen
Bet you know the trash is mean
Row your features into magazines
Go to Plaza, where's the trade?
Only seventeen
Slip are lower is in
@kaushikganguli1091
the whole album was a dark chocolate version of their music. Masterpiece!
@GrantTarredus
Well said! And I agree with you.
@leewallace7192
Roxy music never cease to amaze me! So bloody cool
@aaronbeauchamp3312
On a whim, I bought Manifesto in a used CD shop. Put it in my convertible Mustang and went for a drive......30 minutes later I was hooked on this CD. Drove around forever, listening to it over and over again......top down in the CA night air, cranking Roxy and loving every second of it.
@rachelar
Great comment. Makes me think life is worth living again and got me interested in living in USA
@stevesmith5807
right on
@GrantTarredus
I love your story because I know well how potent a trigger music is to the memory. The mind can bond an experience to the music heard during it so strongly that we associate them forever.
@raymondbonington9355
Don't know why this track gets bad press I love it .
@Mrariesdave
It should have been a huge fukin' hit. And a bit longer. I always assumed that Bryan took one look at Americans and jotted out this song...
@Sphat90
It would've been a hit if released as the third single from Manifesto rather than the first I think. It's a great song but a bit of a non-starter as the first single in 4 years.