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.
Lover To Fall
Scritti Politti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, about you baby I do (ooh)
Hard that I'm gonna be without you
Oh, without you baby I do
I stand to lose if I love you
You stand to gain
We stand for all who believe in vain (vain, vain)
Oh, I'm over baby for you (ooh)
Call him and tell him that it's over
Oh, it's over baby it's through
I got the time that you left me
You got the keys to his car
We got the nerve to have got this far (far, far)
I'm tellin' you baby Cause baby it's true
I'm gonna be the lover to fall for you
I'm tellin' you baby Cause baby it's true
I'm gonna be the lover to fall for you
I'm tellin' you baby Cause baby it's true
I'm gonna be the lover
Oh I'm gonna be the lover
(I'm gonna be the lover)
Heard you're the heroine of virtue
Oh, I heard it baby it's true (yeah)
Heard how your honesty had hurt you
You know I heard it baby it's true
I found a new hermeneutic
I found a new paradigm
I found a plan just to make you mine (mine, mine)
Now I know that I need you to be near me
Oh, near me baby you do (ooh)
Know that I need you girl to hear me
Come on and hear me baby I do (yeah)
Come back 'n give me a reason
Come back 'n take me away
Come back 'n mean all the things you say (say, say)
I'm tellin' you baby Cause baby it's true
I'm gonna be the lover to fall for you
I'm tellin' you baby Cause baby who cares
There's gonna be a day when the rich get their's
I'm tellin' you baby Cause baby it's true
I'm gonna be the lover
Oh I'm gonna be the lover
(I'm gonna be the lover)
Heard you're the heroine of virtue
Oh, I heard it baby it's true (yeah)
Heard how your honesty had hurt you
I know I heard you baby it's true (yeah)
Know that I need you to be near me
Oh, near me baby I do (yeah)
Know that I need you girl to hear me
Come on and hear me baby you do (oh)
Love 'n be glad to get it over
Oh, it's over baby for you (yeah)
Hard that I'm gonna hear about you
Oh, about you baby I do (yeah)
The song "Lover To Fall" by Scritti Politti is about the struggles and conflicts of a relationship. The first stanza speaks about the fear of losing the other person and the potential consequences of loving them. This conflict is further emphasized in the second stanza, where the singer decides to end the relationship because he cannot risk losing himself. However, in the third stanza, the singer realizes he cannot let go of the other person and decides to pursue them once again.
The song is an interesting take on the vulnerability that comes with love and relationships. The lyrics show how the singer tries his best to be honest with his feelings, but he also acknowledges that there is a possibility of pain and heartbreak. The song explores the complexity of emotions and how hard it is to balance the risks and rewards of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Hard that I'm gonna hear about you
It's going to be difficult for me to hear about you
Oh, about you baby I do (ooh)
But I do hear about you, and it's hard
Hard that I'm gonna be without you
It's going to be difficult for me to be without you
Oh, without you baby I do
But I am without you, and it's hard
I stand to lose if I love you
There's a risk involved for me if I love you
You stand to gain
You have something to gain from this relationship
We stand for all who believe in vain (vain, vain)
Our relationship represents those who hold onto beliefs that are ultimately unfulfilling
Let's fall in love 'n be glad to get it over
Let's fall in love and get it over with
Oh, I'm over baby for you (ooh)
I'm willing to move on from everything for you
Call him and tell him that it's over
It's time to end it with the other person
Oh, it's over baby it's through
We need to end it completely
I got the time that you left me
I have the time you left me
You got the keys to his car
You have the keys to your other partner's car
We got the nerve to have got this far (far, far)
We have the courage to have come this far
I'm tellin' you baby Cause baby it's true
I'm being honest with you, it's true
I'm gonna be the lover to fall for you
I'm going to be the one to fall in love with you
Heard you're the heroine of virtue
I've heard that you're a virtuous woman
Oh, I heard it baby it's true (yeah)
And I believe it's true
Heard how your honesty had hurt you
I've heard how your honesty has caused you pain
You know I heard it baby it's true
And I believe it
I found a new hermeneutic
I have found a new way of understanding things
I found a new paradigm
I have found a new way of looking at the world
I found a plan just to make you mine (mine, mine)
I have a plan to make you mine
Now I know that I need you to be near me
I now know that I need you to be close to me
Oh, near me baby you do (ooh)
And I know that you feel the same way
Know that I need you girl to hear me
I need you to listen to me, girl
Come on and hear me baby I do (yeah)
Please listen to me, I need you to understand
Come back 'n give me a reason
Come back and explain yourself
Come back 'n take me away
Come back and take me with you
Come back 'n mean all the things you say (say, say)
Come back and be serious about what you're saying
Cause baby who cares
It doesn't really matter, baby
There's gonna be a day when the rich get their's
Someday, the wealthy will get what they deserve
I'm gonna be the lover
I'm going to be your lover
Oh I'm gonna be the lover
I will be the one you love
(I'm gonna be the lover)
I'm going to be your lover
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Green Gartside
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vegan M
Listen to this with a great sound system and a high quality recording and it is amazing how much is going on within the song. the production is great, the bass pounds and it is just a fun song!
tomstickland
There's a really nice bass boom effect in the chorus at about 1:21, not so strong on youtube.
Oppose Group-Think!
The album this brilliant song came from, 'Cupid & Psyche 85', is awesome from beginning to end. It's one of the best albums of the 80s!
KaceyRepublic
@Trotskyxx Just pretend the username is in reference to the desire for a full public healthcare system rather than the market based system of the ACA :)
Trotskyxx
Agree with your comments about the brilliant Cupid and Psyche, but your "Abort ObamaCare" username is moronic and needs changing. Access to proper healthcare for EVERYONE (not just life's "winners") is a universal human right.
JEAN-ERIC TATEÏA
Absolutely.
yann coquemont
Such a catchy tune, I can’t help but smile and dance
Teniola
I first heard this in 2004/05. 16 years later, I still in love with this song 🎵😍💕❤
Your Man In London Collecting
Great pop craftsmanship.
If your hungry for some recent Green Gartside,then check out Everything is Recorded - Bloodshot red eye. Green is on the backing track..and you can sense Scritti Politti in how the song is built up.
Great Track....
Andy Preston
Great stuff! If I recall correctly, this was the inspiration for the 1990-onwards Grange Hill theme tune!