Released on the Rough Trade record label in 1981, "The Sweetest Girl" (also known as "Sweetest Girl") became Scritti Politti's first song to be a hit, peaking at #64 on the U.K. singles chart. According to the The Sweetest Girl Songfacts, was cited by The New York Times as one of the ten best singles of the year. Scritti Politti went on to enjoy significant success in the music charts in the U.K. and U.S. as the decade went on, rivaling slick new wave contemporaries such as Duran Duran, The Human League, Simple Minds, and others.
Following this period of fame, however, Gartside became disillusioned with the music industry and the related pressures of being an artist. He retired to the South Wales of his childhood for nearly a decade. He returned to music-making in the late 90s, releasing two critically-acclaimed albums (in 1999 and 2006). As well, the success of the 2006 Mercury Music Prize-nominated 'White Bread Black Beer' release proved to be a major comeback for Gartside. He toured the U.K., Ireland, the U.S.A., and Japan in the same year, these efforts being his first time performing live on stage for about twenty-five years.
Gartside is known for his distinctive, whispering vocal style; he was described by one critic as having "a voice that's eternally 14 years old". Born in Cardiff in 1956, Gartside attended Leeds Polytechnic and experienced the Sex Pistols' infamous 'Anarchy tour' in 1977. Like so many others who saw this musical and cultural car crash, he felt inspired to make music. As well, again like so many others, he swiftly became disillusioned with punk's stylistic parameters of the time. Following years of work evolving Scritti Politti's sound, the group's debut studio album, titled 'Songs to Remember', came out on 3 September 1982. Though not a commercial hit, the relase's eccentric set of influences,including 60s pop rock and 70s soul, and many philosophical lyrical references, with Gartside avoiding direct left-wing preaching in favour of confessional storytelling, brought the band serious critical praise.
In 1989, the British music magazine 'Record Mirror' placed 'Songs to Remember' at number fourteen in their critics' list of the best albums of the 80s. Nonetheless, heavy line-up changes occured after that album's release. When 1985's 'Cupid & Psyche 85' came out, that work proved both to be a commercial smash as well as to be innovative in terms its early use of the techniques of sampling and MIDI sequencing. Hit singles such as "Perfect Way", "The Word Girl", "Wood Beez", and "Absolute" brought the group legions of fans.
As stated before, Scritti Politti is known for being, at times, a commercially-friendly outfit, particularly during when Gartside worked with American producer and keyboard player David Gamson and drummer Fred Maher, yet its songs still retained a critically acclaimed, heavily poetic look on life (a factor which, no matter what sound or guise Gartside's current band may adopt, has always been carried through).
In a recent BBC Radio 2 interview, Gartside enthusiastically stated that he will be working on two further albums in the future, one being hip-hop based (a la 1999's Anomie & Bonhomie).
Recently, Gartside has been performing live with Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip - a fellow Mercury Music Prize nominee - and it is rumoured that the pair are currently writing a joint album.
Absolute
Scritti Politti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I need you so to keep me alive
Absolute, I long for you
A girl to make a dream come true
Oh baby understand
Absolute, on power drive
I need you so to keep me alive
A girl to make a dream come true
Absolute, a principal
To make your heart invincible
To love (do do-do-do)
(Ooh love you)
(Ooh love you)
(Ooh and I love you)
(Ooh and I love you)
Holy girl your lips of clay
Will whisper words of yesterday
Holy girl my paramour
I know too much to be so sure
Holy girl you kiss away
The meaning of the working day
For love (do do-do-do)
(Ooh love you)
(Ooh love you)
(Ooh and I love you)
(Ooh and I love you)
Where the words are worn away
We live to love another day
Where the words are hard 'n fast
We talk of nothing new but the past
(Ooh love you)
(Ooh love you)
(Ooh and I love you)
(Ooh and I love you)
Where the words are vodka clear
Forgetfulness has brought us near
Absolute, a principal
To make your heart invincible
To love (near)
To love (oh)
To love
(Love you) love you
(Love, love you)
(Love) absolute
(Love you) love you
(Love)
(Love you)
(Love) absolute
(Love you) love you
(Love)
(Love you)
(Love) absolute
(Love you) love you
(Love)
(Love you)
(Love) absolute
(Love you) love you
(Love)
(Love you)
In Scritti Politti's song "Absolute", the lyrics depict a longing for and dependency on someone who is referred to as "Absolute". The person is described as being on a "power drive" and is needed to "keep me alive". The singer longs for Absolute to be the girl who will make his dream come true and make his heart "invincible". The repeated refrain of "I love you" and the use of the term "holy girl" adds a spiritual element to the song. The verses also touch on the theme of forgetfulness, with the notion that forgetting the past can bring people closer together. The use of the word "invincible" suggests a need for protection or strength.
The song can be interpreted in a few different ways, but it seems to be primarily about a yearning for love and connection with someone who is powerful and can bring a sense of invincibility to the singer. The repeated refrain of "I love you" adds to the sense of need and desperation, while the lyrics about forgetfulness and living for the present suggest a desire to escape from reality and find solace in love.
Overall, "Absolute" is a song about the intense emotions that come with falling in love and the power that love has to make people feel invincible and protected.
Line by Line Meaning
Absolute, on power drive
The singer is in a state of power and vigor, needing a particular thing to keep them going
I need you so to keep me alive
The singer is dependent on something or someone to sustain them
Absolute, I long for you
The singer desires something or someone greatly and absolutely
A girl to make a dream come true
The artist wants a girl to help them fulfill a dream or aspiration
Oh baby understand
The artist is pleading for understanding from someone, perhaps the girl they long for
Absolute, a principal
The singer is seeking a fundamental truth or value
To make your heart invincible
This fundamental truth or value will give strength and protect from harm
To love (do do-do-do)
The fundamental truth or value is related to love
(Ooh love you)
The artist is expressing their love for someone
Holy girl your lips of clay
The girl the artist desires is pure and innocent
Will whisper words of yesterday
She will speak of things from the past
Holy girl my paramour
The girl the artist desires is their lover
I know too much to be so sure
The singer is uncertain despite their knowledge or experience
Holy girl you kiss away
The girl has the power to take away the stresses of the work day
The meaning of the working day
The singer's work day is important but the girl makes it feel insignificant
Where the words are worn away
When words lose their meaning over time
We live to love another day
Despite the loss of meaning, the artist persists with love
Where the words are hard 'n fast
When words are inflexible or unchanging
We talk of nothing new but the past
People focus too much on the past and don't embrace the present or future
Where the words are vodka clear
When words are sharp and focused due to a drunken state
Forgetfulness has brought us near
The artist has a closer connection to someone due to forgetfulness
To love (near)
Love is close or intimate
To love (oh)
The singer is expressing love again
(Love you) love you
The artist is expressing love again
(Love) absolute
Love is the absolute truth or value the singer is seeking
(Love you) love you
The singer is expressing love again
(Love)
Love is emphasized as the most important thing
(Love you)
The artist is expressing love one final time
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Green Gartside
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jan
It should be principle, not principal
@itsjonathangray
Lyrics:
Absolute on power drive
I need you so to keep me alive
Absolute, I long for you
A girl to make a dream come true
Oh baby, understand
Absolute on power drive
I need you so to keep me alive
Absolute, I long for you
A girl to make a dream come true
Absolute, a principal
To make your heart invincible
To love (do do-do-do)
(Ooh! Love you)
(Ooh! Love you)
(Ooh and I love you)
(Ooh and I love you)
Holy girl, your lips of clay
Will whisper words of yesterday
Holy girl, my paramour
I know too much to be so sure
Holy girl, you kiss away
The meaning of the working day
For love (do do-do-do)
(Ooh! Love you)
(Ooh! Love you)
(Ooh and I love you)
(Ooh and I love you)
Where the words are worn away
We live to love another day
Where the words are hard and fast
We talk of nothing new but the past
(Ooh! Love)
(Ooh! Love)
(Ooh and I love)
(Ooh and I love you)
Where the words are vodka clear
Forgetfulness has brought us near
Absolute, a principal
To make your heart invincible
To love, near
To love, oh
To love
(Love you) And I love you
(Love)
(Love you)
(Love) Absolute
(Love you) And I love you
(Love)
(Love you)
(Love) Absolute
(Love you) And I love you
(Love)
(Love you)
(Love) Absolute
(Love you) And I love you
(Love)
(Love you)
(Love) Absolute
(Love you) And I love you
(Love)
(Love you)
(Love) Absolute
@gjv2234
This album was way ahead of its time. Sublime.
@Gianfranco_69
Its that syrupy midi synch.... loved this production style BITD
@MILESDEBRA
No doubt. I know her word to the songs. Still dig it. Where are they from ?
@dj-ak2912
@@MILESDEBRAfrom the uk 🇬🇧
@user-kl4bh4lq6r
Love the Nike track top
I have got one now
@zdenkok.m.-6339
Yes!
@EugeneL1956
One of the outstanding songs of the 80s.
@SamUrtonDesign
The entire album though.
@RicardoMartinez-oh9sq
In the Eighties quality pop was made only in Great Britain.