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.
BOOM
Scritti Politti Lyrics
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Well, that's the beat of my life
A weak heart drop, oh, poppa don't stop
Bittersweet about life
You know that barroom belles, well, they're calling
You know their perfume smells like blood
If looks could kill singing dollar, dollar bill
A Zigaboo kick, a Jimmy Chank lick
Well, that's the beat of my heart
A come again cut, I'll be telling you what
That's the betterest part
You know the barroom boys, well, they've fallen
And juice joint Jane got high
If looks could kill singing dollar, dollar bill
On the street of my heart
To the beat, to the beat, to the beat
Play it over and over again
Play it over and over again, let me know, let me know, let me know
I am yours and I'm ready to go
The yes, yes y'all was the siren call
To come around to my life
I said big beat drum, hear it kitty come, come
That's the sound of my life
The Brewski Point was calling
That got bellywash blood in my heart
The boom boom rap, the tap a tap tap
And that's only the start
I'll wait till December, baby
I'll wait till my hands stay still
And then in December, baby
I'm in for the cure or kill
Hard times sucker MC's
Jays Game, thirty days
Wake up Hollis Crew
Rock Box it's like that
I love you still, I always will
Scritti Politti's song The Boom Boom Bap is a reflection on the singer's experiences with the barroom culture of drinking and the rough, gritty sounds that accompany it. The lyrics paint a picture of a world where the beat of the heart is synonymous with the sound of the bar, and where the barroom belles' perfume smells of blood. The lyrics also suggest that the singer's heart is weak, and that he is bittersweet about life.
The song is a commentary on the harsh realities of life, and the powerless feeling that comes with being trapped in a cycle of addiction and bad habits. The lyrics suggest that the singer is unable to escape the allure of the barroom culture, and that he will always be a part of it. The chorus of the song, which encourages the listener to play the beat of the song over and over again, symbolizes the unrelenting nature of addiction and the difficulty of breaking away from it.
Line by Line Meaning
The boom boom bap, the tap a tap tap
This is the rhythm that defines the singer's life
Well, that's the beat of my life
The beat of life is perfectly captured in the song's rhythm
A weak heart drop, oh, poppa don't stop
Life is bittersweet, with moments of pain and heartbreak
Bittersweet about life
Life is a complex and emotional experience
You know that barroom belles, well, they're calling
The singer is drawn to the lure of nightclubs and the women who frequent them
You know their perfume smells like blood
The women in these establishments exude a sense of danger and temptation
If looks could kill singing dollar, dollar bill
The singer is drawn to the allure of money and fame
Well, that's the beat of my life
Money and fame are integral parts of the singer's life
A Zigaboo kick, a Jimmy Chank lick
The song's rhythm is a mix of different styles and influences
Well, that's the beat of my heart
The song's rhythm defines the singer's emotional state
A come again cut, I'll be telling you what
The song's structure and arrangement is a source of great enjoyment for the singer
That's the betterest part
The structure of the song is highly satisfying for the singer
You know the barroom boys, well, they've fallen
The male patrons of nightclubs are often victims of their own excesses
And juice joint Jane got high
The singer is drawn to the drugs and danger that permeate these establishments
On the street of my heart
The singer's emotional life is defined by these experiences
To the beat, to the beat, to the beat
The singer is highly entranced and obsessed with the song's rhythm
Play it over and over again
The singer is highly obsessed with the song's rhythm and structure
Let me know, let me know, let me know
The singer wants everyone to know how much he loves this song
I am yours and I'm ready to go
The singer is fully invested in the pleasures and temptations of life
The yes, yes y'all was the siren call
The allure of the nightclub lifestyle is impossible for the singer to resist
To come around to my life
The singer is inviting others to join him in his lifestyle
I said big beat drum, hear it kitty come, come
The song's rhythm is an irresistible call to pleasure
That's the sound of my life
The song's rhythm is an integral part of the singer's lifestyle
The Brewski Point was calling
The singer is drawn to the pleasures and camaraderie of drinking
That got bellywash blood in my heart
Drinking is an emotional and deeply satisfying experience for the singer
And that's only the start
The singer's pleasures and temptations are just beginning
I'll wait till December, baby
The singer is willing to wait for anything that will bring him pleasure
I'll wait till my hands stay still
Until he is physically unable, the singer will continue to pursue pleasure
And then in December, baby
The singer is confident that his patience will pay off
I'm in for the cure or kill
The singer is committed to living his life to the fullest, no matter the consequences
Hard times sucker MC's
The singer recognizes the difficulties of life, but remains determined to overcome them
Jays Game, thirty days
Sports and other activities are an important escape from the difficulties of life
Wake up Hollis Crew
The singer is calling on others to join him in his lifestyle
Rock Box it's like that
The singer is excited to experience the pleasures of music and dance
I love you still, I always will
The song's rhythm and structure will always be a source of great joy and pleasure for the singer
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Green Gartside
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jan
on Absolute
It should be principle, not principal
Reg Side
on After Six
The context is the dumbed-down public sphere in which all politics is spun and lying is always a matter of how more or less convincing it can be. In its chart-topping heyday Scritti Politti was a pop political project concerned with language and power and this song is a remnant from that, albeit more personalised like most of what's on White Bread Black Beer. The result here is an irony of the kind you might expect to find in a vintage Paul Simon song.