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! There She Was
Scritti Politti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got a heart of gold and it's time to get hard and I like it
A Moto Guzzi I gotta way to get rich, all right
I gotta library and a seven day itch and I like it
I got money oh, I got around but my life was going nowhere
I was looking for love and I want your love, baby love
When you gonna get me, boom! There she was
When you gonna get me, boom! There she was for me
The Tupamaros an immutable truth, all right
I got a razor blade and a beautiful youth and I like it
A Moto Guzzi an' a Gaultier pants, all right
I got a reason girl was Immanuel Kant's and I like it
I got money oh, I got around but my life was going nowhere
I was looking for love and I want your love, baby love
When you gonna get me, boom! There she was
I was looking for love and I want your love, baby love
When you gonna get me, boom! There she was for me
Pharmacopoeia I got a way with the [Incomprehensible], all right
I wanna understand how I misunderstood and and I like it
Pharmacopoeia I got a way with the word, all right
I got an' alphabet that you never have heard and I like it
I got money oh, I got around but my life was going nowhere
I was looking for love and I want your love, baby love
When you gonna get me, boom! There she was
I was looking for love and I want your love, baby love
When you gonna get me, boom! There she was for me
Looking for love now, are you looking for me?
I'm looking for love now, wanted to get you girl
Looking for love now, are you looking for me?
I'm looking for love now, boom! There she was for me
And I was looking for love and I want your love, baby love
Umm, gonna get me, boom! There she was
I was looking for love and I want your love, baby love
Umm, gonna get me, boom! There she was for me
And I was looking for love and I want your love, baby love
Umm, gonna get me, boom! There she was
I was looking for love and I want your love, baby love
Umm, gonna get me, boom! There she was for me
The lyrics to Scritti Politti's song Boom! There She Was appear to be a reflection on the values of society and the singer's longing for love. The first verse talks about the Tupamaros, a revolutionary group from Uruguay, having a platinum card, while the singer has a heart of gold. It seems to suggest a criticism that in society, the powerful and wealthy have all the advantages, but the singer values something more pure and genuine. The Moto Guzzi mentioned in the next line is an Italian motorcycle brand known for their classic designs, implying that the singer has a unique and cool way of getting rich.
The chorus repeats the phrase "I was looking for love and I want your love, baby love. When you gonna get me, boom! There she was" twice, suggesting a sense of yearning and impatience for the love that the singer desires. It seems that the singer has been searching for love but has not found it until this specific moment. The hook "boom! There she was" captures the suddenness and intensity of love when it is finally found.
The following verses continue to describe the singer's values and unique traits, such as a razor blade and a beautiful youth, a library and a seven-day itch, and a pharmacopoeia (a collection of drugs) and an alphabet that no one has heard of. These lines suggest that the singer has a depth and complexity that sets them apart from others. The repetition of the chorus ties these ideas together, reinforcing the singer's desire for love as something genuine and true.
Line by Line Meaning
The Tupamaros got a platinum card, all right
The powerful and wealthy have many resources at their disposal
I got a heart of gold and it's time to get hard and I like it
I am a good-hearted person but am ready to become more assertive and I enjoy it
A Moto Guzzi I gotta way to get rich, all right
I have a means to attain wealth through my motorcycle
I gotta library and a seven day itch and I like it
I have access to knowledge and am restless for adventure, and I enjoy it
I got money oh, I got around but my life was going nowhere
I have had financial resources and opportunities but feel aimless
I was looking for love and I want your love, baby love
I was searching for romantic love and desire yours
When you gonna get me, boom! There she was
Suddenly, you appear as my ideal romantic partner
The Tupamaros an immutable truth, all right
The powerful and wealthy are a reality that must be accepted
I got a razor blade and a beautiful youth and I like it
I possess a sharp edge and youthful beauty that I enjoy
A Moto Guzzi an' a Gaultier pants, all right
My motorcycle and designer pants fulfill my desire for style and luxury
I got a reason girl was Immanuel Kant's and I like it
I have a logical and philosophical perspective on love that I enjoy
Pharmacopoeia I got a way with the [Incomprehensible], all right
I have skill and understanding in using drugs or medicines
I wanna understand how I misunderstood and and I like it
I desire to comprehend why I have been misinterpreted and enjoy the process
Pharmacopoeia I got a way with the word, all right
I have skill and expertise in using language
I got an' alphabet that you never have heard and I like it
I have knowledge of obscure words and enjoy it
Looking for love now, are you looking for me?
Are you currently searching for love and interested in me?
I'm looking for love now, wanted to get you girl
I am currently searching for love and desire you
Umm, gonna get me, boom! There she was
Finally, you appear as the perfect romantic partner for me
And I was looking for love and I want your love, baby love
I have been searching for romantic love and desire yours
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID GAMSON, 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.