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.
Wood Beez
Scritti Politti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To get to be together
There's nothing I wouldn't be
My heart depends on me
There's nothing I wouldn't do
Including doing nothing
There's nothing I wouldn't do
For you to be with me now sugar
Each time I go to bed I pray like Aretha Franklin
Each time I go to bed I pray like Aretha Franklin
Nothing, oh nothing
'Cause baby, baoo
I'm a would be
W-O-O-D
I'm a would be would be
B-E-E-Z
There's nothing I wouldn't do
To make you want for nothing
There's nothing I wouldn't do
My heart belongs to you
There's nothing we shouldn't do
To get to be so happy
There's nothing we shouldn't do
Oh, let's forget taboo now sugar
Each time I go to bed I pray like Aretha Franklin
Each time I go to bed I pray like Aretha Franklin
Nothing, oh nothing
'Cause baby, baoo
I'm a would be
W-O-O-D
I'm a would be would be
B-E-E-Z
Each time I love you
You know what I need to do
And each time I need you
Oh, baby you know, you know, know, kn-know
There's nothing I wouldn't take
Oh, even intravenous
There's nothing I wouldn't take
To get to be approved
There's nothing I wouldn't be
Oh that's the gift of schizo
There's nothing that's new to me
I've seen it all before, now sugar
Each time I go to bed I pray like Aretha Franklin
Each time I go to bed I pray like Aretha Franklin
Nothing, oh nothing
'Cause baby, baoo
I'm a would be
W-O-O-D
I'm a would be would be
B-E-E-Z
The lyrics to Scritti Politti’s song “Wood Beez” are a declaration of love and commitment to a significant other. The singer proclaims that there is nothing he wouldn’t do to be with his beloved, including doing nothing. He asserts that his heart relies on him to make the right choices to ensure their relationship flourishes. He mentions that he prays each night like Aretha Franklin, possibly referring to her hit song “Respect” which emphasizes the need for respect in a relationship. The chorus of the song exclaims that the singer is a “would be” and spells it out as W-O-O-D B-E-E-Z.
The song’s bridge emphasizes the importance of communication and understanding in the relationship. The singer declares that he knows what he needs to do each time he loves his partner and knows that his partner knows what he needs each time he needs them. The final verse expresses the singer’s willingness to do whatever it takes to prove his love, even taking intravenous drugs. He describes his condition as “the gift of schizo,” possibly referring to mental illness or society’s labels that make it hard for him to be with his partner. The song’s overall message is one of love and devotion, despite the challenges that the relationship may face.
Line by Line Meaning
There's nothing I wouldn't be
To get to be together
I am willing to be anything to be with you
There's nothing I wouldn't be
My heart depends on me
I will be anything for you because my heart desires you
There's nothing I wouldn't do
Including doing nothing
I will even do nothing for you, if that's what it takes
There's nothing I wouldn't do
For you to be with me now sugar
I will do anything to have you by my side right now
Each time I go to bed I pray like Aretha Franklin
Nothing, oh nothing
When I pray at night, there's nothing else on my mind
'Cause baby, baoo
I'm a would be
W-O-O-D
I'm a would be would be
B-E-E-Z
I am a Wood Bee, willing and able to be anything for you
There's nothing I wouldn't do
To make you want for nothing
I will do everything to fulfill your needs
There's nothing I wouldn't do
My heart belongs to you
My heart is yours, I will do anything for you
There's nothing we shouldn't do
To get to be so happy
We should do whatever it takes to be happy together
There's nothing we shouldn't do
Oh, let's forget taboo now sugar
Let's forget any societal norms or taboos and do what we feel is right for us
Each time I love you
You know what I need to do
Whenever I love you, I know what actions I need to take to keep you happy
And each time I need you
Oh, baby you know, you know, know, kn-know
Whenever I need you, you know that you are always there for me
There's nothing I wouldn't take
Oh, even intravenous
I am willing to take even an intravenous (injection) for you
There's nothing I wouldn't take
To get to be approved
I will take anything to be approved by you
There's nothing I wouldn't be
Oh that's the gift of schizo
I will be anything for you, even if it means embracing my craziness
There's nothing that's new to me
I've seen it all before, now sugar
I have experienced everything, and I am still here, waiting for you
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Green Gartside
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@davidhunt7071
If your about 50 now yull remember playing this full volume the best erA of music nostalgic innocent awesome 😊
@joanna8138
Ahem...I am..And I did 😉
@MrBlaugeist
I’m about 60 , I did play this loud
@gjbap
It's 2023 and I'm still playing this!
I remember hearing this as a child and thinking it was way ahead of its time.
@cbate2702
I sooooo luv this ;)
@mheu-pw4mm
Haven’t heard this song in yeaaaarsssss….. but I’m still in love with it 😍😍😍
@michaelh.suzieq6354
More than 40 years on, I've never come across music that grooves so strangely and yet so perfectly.
@edfigueroa6765
😂😂😂😂🎉
@itsjonathangray
The fact that Scritti Politti are now releasing their music videos in HD means the world to die hard fans like me. 💯
@debowiec3
HD = Hecka Deck!!!!!!