The band is comprised of vocalist Johnny Rotten, guitarist Steve Jones, drummer Paul Cook, and bassist Glen Matlock. Matlock left the band in 1977 and was replaced by Sid Vicious, who remained until the band's initial 1978 breakup. Matlock rejoined the band for their 1996 reunion and has remained with them throughout most subsequent reunions, including the most recent, in 2008.
Sex Pistols were managed by the infamous Malcolm McLaren, after he saw Johnny Rotten sporting a Pink Floyd shirt with "I hate" scribbled on. Impressed by Johnny Rotten's attitude, McLaren brought Rotten to audition for frontman of The Strand, the band that would later become the Sex Pistols. The Sex Pistols have been described by the BBC as "the definitive English punk rock band" and are widely credited with initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and creating the first generation gap within rock and roll.
Sex Pistols emerged as a response to what was perceived to be the increasingly safe and bloated progressive rock and manufactured pop music of the mid-1970s. The band created various controversies during their brief career, which captivated England but often eclipsed their music. Their shows and tours repeatedly faced difficulties from authorities, and public appearances often ended in disaster and riot. Their 1977 single, God Save the Queen, released during the build up to the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, was widely regarded as an attack on the British monarchy and British Nationalism.
The group broke up in 1978 amid a turbulent tour of the United States, but reunited in 1996 for the "Filthy Lucre" tour, and have staged subsequent reunion tours in 2002 and 2003. On 24 February 2006, The Sex Pistols were officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but refused to attend the induction, calling the museum a "piss stain".
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of their debut album, The Sex Pistols reunited for 7 live shows. They played 5 nights at the Brixton Academy in London between 8 November and 14 November, 1 night at the MEN Arena in Manchester, and 1 night at the SECC in Glasgow. The band last performed live in 2008 are are currently on hiatus as John Lydon tours with Public Image Ltd., which reunited in 2009.
No Feelings
Sex Pistols Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the story began
And I fell in love with you.
I love yer mortal sin
Yer brains are locked away
But I love your company
I only ever leave you
I got no emotions for anybody else
You better understand
I'm in love with myself, myself
My beautiful self
I've no feeling, no feeling, no feeling
For anybody else
Hello and goodbye
And a run around Sue
You follow me around
Like a pretty pot of glue
I kick you in the head
You got nothing to say
Get out of the way
'Cause I gotta get away
You never realize
I take the piss out of you
You come up and see me
And I'll beat you black and blue okay
I'll send you away
I got no feeling, no feeling, no feeling
For anybody else
Except for myself
My beautiful self-ish
There ain't no moonlight
After midnight
I see you selling people
Out looking for delight
Well I'm so happy
I'm feeling so fine
I'm watching all the rubbish
You're wasting my time
I look around your house
And there's nothing to steal
I kick you in the brains
When you get down to kneel and pray
You pray to your God
I've no feeling, no feeling, I got no feeling
For anybody else
I've no feeling, no feeling, no feeling
For anybody else
Except for myself
Your daddy's gone away
Be back another day
See his picture hanging on your wall
The song No Feelings by the Sex Pistols is a raw and unapologetic expression of the idea of self-love and self-preservation. The singer of the song is in love with themselves and has no emotions for anybody else. The first few lines set the tone for the rest of the song as the singer confesses that they have fallen in love with their own image in the mirror. The following lines reveal that the singer loves the sins that they commit and the lack of emotions that they have for anyone else. The singer acknowledges that they only leave someone when they have no money left, further emphasizing their selfishness and desire for self-preservation.
In the chorus, the singer repeats that they have no feelings for anyone else but themselves. They explain that they are happy to say hello and goodbye to others and are not interested in any emotional connections. The bridge of the song reveals the singer's contempt for those who are easily influenced by others and cannot think for themselves. They describe someone following them around like a pretty pot of glue and how they take the piss out of them. The song ends with the singer declaring that they have no feelings for anybody else except for themselves and pointing out that the person they were speaking to earlier, their daddy, is no longer around.
Line by Line Meaning
I've seen you in the mirror
When the story began
And I fell in love with you.
I first saw you when I was young, and I couldn't help but be drawn to you.
I love yer mortal sin
Yer brains are locked away
But I love your company
I find your dark side and mysteriousness intriguing, even though you may not be the sharpest tool in the shed.
I only ever leave you
When you got no money
I got no emotions for anybody else
You better understand
I'm in love with myself, myself
My beautiful self
The only reason I stick around is because you have money, and I'm not capable of loving anyone else because I'm so obsessed with my own image and persona.
I've no feeling, no feeling, no feeling
For anybody else
Simply put, I have no emotional connection with others.
Hello and goodbye
And a run around Sue
You follow me around
Like a pretty pot of glue
I'm not interested in any kind of genuine relationship with you, and only keep you around as a convenient follower who will do whatever I want.
I kick you in the head
You got nothing to say
Get out of the way
'Cause I gotta get away
You never realize
I take the piss out of you
I have no problem hurting you physically or emotionally in order to push you out of my way, and you're too blinded by your attraction to me to see how much I'm using and manipulating you.
I got no feeling, no feeling, no feeling
For anybody else
Except for myself
My beautiful self-ish
Again, I'm emphasizing that I only care about myself and my own image, and the world revolves around me.
There ain't no moonlight
After midnight
I see you selling people
Out looking for delight
I'm aware of your character flaws and am disgusted by your immoral behavior.
Well I'm so happy
I'm feeling so fine
I'm watching all the rubbish
You're wasting my time
Despite my negative attitude towards you, I'm in a good mood because I'm able to see through your façade and am not falling for your tricks.
I look around your house
And there's nothing to steal
I kick you in the brains
When you get down to kneel and pray
You pray to your God
Even your possessions have no value to me, and I enjoy hurting you mentally and physically when you're at your most vulnerable.
I've no feeling, no feeling, I got no feeling
For anybody else
I've no feeling, no feeling, no feeling
For anybody else
Except for myself
Once again, I reiterate that I am incapable of feeling empathy or love for anyone but myself.
Your daddy's gone away
Be back another day
See his picture hanging on your wall
Somehow, I find comfort in your pain and trauma, which is evident in the picture of your absent father hanging on your wall.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Iricom US Ltd, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Paul Thomas Cook, Stephen Philip Jones, John Lydon, Glen Matlock
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind