The themes and imagery in the band's songs were often influenced by futuristic, dystopian, or post-apocalyptic films such as A Clockwork Orange, The Terminator, Blade Runner, and the Mad Max trilogy. The band's music and image also mashed together a range of other pop culture influences, including the New York electronica duo Suicide, Marc Bolan's T-Rex, and the swagger and sex appeal of Eddie Cochran, Elvis Presley, and glam rock.
The original line-up also featured Martin Degville, Neal X (Whitmore), Chris Kavanagh, and Ray Mayhew. Tony James' friend Mick Jones, a former member of The Clash, gave James advice about starting the band and selecting musicians. While searching for members, in 1983 Tony James tried out Andrew Eldritch from The Sisters of Mercy and, on Mick Jones' suggestion, auditioned the then-unknown Annie Lennox. As well, Jones gave James a Roland G-707 synth guitar, which at the time was a new and rarely-used device. The futuristic, electronic sounds of the synth guitar helped James to create Sputnik's new wave-cyberpunk sound.
The band took its name from a Moscow street gang called Sigue Sigue Sputnik, which means "Burn, burn, satellite." Their outlandish appearance and image, which included towering, multicoloured mohawk hairstyles, wigs, makeup, and multiple piercings, and gender-bending fetish clothing (plastic, rubber, or leather outfits, fishnet stockings, and stiletto heels) garnered a great deal of attention from the media. While these styles have since been used by a number of gothic or glam bands, in the mid-1980s, Sigue Sigue band members' appearance was unique and startling.
The "packaging" of the band's appearance and presentation was carefully considered well before the band ever performed in public. Inspired by the Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren's unorthodox methods of promoting a band, Tony James generated a great deal of hype about Sigue Sigue Sputnik, while wisely not allowing anyone from the music industry a chance to hear the band. James famously showed record executives a short video collage of futuristic and science-fiction movie clips as a "demo tape" of the band. The buzz became a frenzy as several record labels began a bidding war to sign Sigue Sigue Sputnik. James finally settled on EMI, which was rumored to have given the band a £1 million advance.
The group split soon after the release of their second album, Dress for Excess (the initial single from which, Success, was produced by British hitmakers Stock Aitken Waterman). Tony James stated that the band "...couldn't sustain this pretend bastardized version of Sputnik." James also blamed the media for the band's fall from grace. When Sputnik's first singles were released, the media and James' promotional efforts worked symbiotically, sharing the mutual benefits of the band's hype and shock value. Once the initial shock and tabloid outrage over the band's unusual image and appearance had worn off, media coverage became dismissive, criticizing the band's focus on image and style.
The band was reformed once in the 1990s (featuring Tomoyasu Hotei on guitar and Christopher Novak singing) releasing Sputnik: The Next Generation and once again in 2001 with Martin Degville and Neal X, which resulted in the release of Piratespace. The reformed Sigue Sigue Sputnik continues to play live, and it has also produced a number of remixes of other artists' work. In 2004, lead singer Martin Degville left the band to pursue a solo career.
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DISCOGRAPHY
Is This the Future!
Sigue Sigue Sputnik Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A one man population for the virgin hostess
20 billion souls with an unknown face
The embryonic waste of the human race
How we wept 'n' cried
And felt the shame inside
And died to save mankind
Chorus:
If God is my computer
Then I have no choice
A pill for the pleasure
Of an endless life
The monkey house is waitin'
For a christian birth
It took seven days babe
For all it's worth
Chorus x 4
The crowds the noise the auto machines
Cryin' on our knees
As the network screams
The red alert's crazy goin'
More more more
You can't hide
You can't run
You can't score
Chorus x 4
The ozone is flyin'
Through the toxik waste
One computa glitch babe you get erased
It's a shangrila
Chorus
(Ad lib to end)
The lyrics to Sigue Sigue Sputnik's song "Is This The Future?" express a dystopian view of the future world, where suicide can be purchased and humanity's fate is uncertain. The first two lines of the song suggest a world of despair and disillusionment, where the only option for some is to end their lives. The reference to the "virgin hostess" could be interpreted as a representation of the state of modern society, where everything is consumed and used up.
The song also references the over-population of the world, with "20 billion souls with an unknown face". The line "The embryonic waste of the human race" suggests that society is discarding human life without considering the consequences. The chorus asks the question "Is this the future?" multiple times, implying that the future looks bleak and uncertain.
The verses also contain references to technology and its impact on society. The line "If God is my computer, then I have no choice" suggests that humanity has surrendered control to technology. The reference to the "pill for the pleasure of an endless life" speaks to the desire for eternal youth and life extension.
Overall, the lyrics to "Is This The Future?" are a commentary on society's excessive consumption, disregard for human life, and dependence on technology. The song paints a picture of a bleak and uncertain future, leaving the listener to ponder the consequences of their actions.
Line by Line Meaning
You can buy suicide at the E.S.S.
Suicide can be easily obtained at the E.S.S., indicating that life has become meaningless and people are willing to take drastic measures to escape it.
A one man population for the virgin hostess
The idea of human reproduction has changed, with the hostess being a virgin and only one man being necessary for population growth.
20 billion souls with an unknown face
The world is overpopulated and individuals have become so numerous that they are indistinguishable from one another.
The embryonic waste of the human race
Human reproduction has become so widespread that it has led to the creation of countless embryos that are ultimately discarded as waste.
How we wept 'n' cried And felt the shame inside And died to save mankind
People have sacrificed themselves in order to save mankind, but also feel the shame and sadness associated with the negative aspects of progress.
Chorus: Is this the future? x 2
The chorus questions whether the current state of society is the future we want to create for ourselves.
If God is my computer Then I have no choice
The idea of God has been replaced by computers, leading individuals to feel a lack of control over their lives.
A pill for the pleasure Of an endless life
A pill can provide eternal life, but at the cost of making life meaningless and pleasure-seeking.
The monkey house is waitin' For a christian birth
Despite advancements in technology, humans are still essentially animals, waiting for the next generation to keep them moving forward.
It took seven days babe For all it's worth
The creation of a new future took only seven days, but its worth is questionable and may not be positive.
Chorus x 4
The chorus is repeated multiple times throughout the song, emphasizing the importance of questioning our future and the direction we are headed.
The crowds the noise the auto machines Cryin' on our knees As the network screams
People are overwhelmed by the noise of machines and are brought to their knees as the network becomes more and more oppressive.
The red alert's crazy goin' More more more
The danger level is constantly increasing, and people are being pushed to their limits as a result.
You can't hide You can't run You can't score
Individuals have lost their autonomy and feel trapped, unable to escape or make a meaningful difference.
The ozone is flyin' Through the toxik waste One computa glitch babe you get erased
Even in the face of environmental destruction, the world is still run by computers, leading to a society where mistakes can mean certain death.
It's a shangrila
The future is presented as a perfect utopia, but in reality, the flaws in society have only become more apparent.
Chorus
The chorus is repeated at the end of the song, emphasizing the need to question the direction our future is heading in.
(Ad lib to end)
The song fades out with some improvised singing, perhaps suggesting that the future is still uncertain and not set in stone.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MARTIN DEGVILLE, NEAL WHITMORE, TONY JAMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind