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.
http://www.sputnikworld.com
http://www.sputnik2.com
DISCOGRAPHY
M * A * D
Sigue Sigue Sputnik Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There goes my love rocket red,
Shoot it up,
Shoot it up
Blaster bomb bomb bomb ahead,
Multi millions still unfed,
Amondo teeno givin' head,
Shoot it up
Hold me shake me, I'm all shook up,
Psycho maniac interblend, shoot it up,
Now shoot it up,
Shoot it up,
Shoot it up,
Shoot it up
Teenage crime now fashion's dead,
Shoot it up,
There goes my love rocket red,
Shoot it up,
Shoot it up,
Shoot it up,
Shoot it up,
Shoot it up
The song M A D by Sigue Sigue Sputnik appears to be a commentary on the state of the world during the Cold War, a time when tensions were high between the US and the USSR, and the threat of nuclear war was ever-present. The lyrics describe US bombs cruising overhead while the singer's "love rocket" goes up in flames. The "red" rocket could be a reference to the color of the USSR's flag, indicating that even those on the other side of the divide were not immune to the destructive effects of war. The lyrics then describe a "blaster bomb" ahead and the millions of people who are still unfed, suggesting that the world's leaders are more interested in waging war than in addressing the problems of poverty and hunger.
The phrase "Amondo teeno" may be a nod to the emerging influence of Japanese culture and technology on the world stage, and "givin' head" could be taken as a reference to the willingness of young people to embrace new ideas and technologies. The repeated refrain of "shoot it up" could be interpreted in a variety of ways – as a call to arms, a commentary on drug use, or simply as an expression of frustration with the state of the world.
Ultimately, the song seems to suggest that the world is spinning out of control, with teenage rebellion now serving as a substitute for meaningful social change. By contrasting the image of a "love rocket" with the destructive power of war, the lyrics underscore the futility of violence and the need for a new way of thinking.
Line by Line Meaning
US bombs cruisin' overhead,
American aerial bombs flying over the place where I am situated,
There goes my love rocket red,
My beloved rocket-shaped missile is also being launched,
Shoot it up,
Go ahead and launch it!
Blaster bomb bomb bomb ahead,
A type of explosive device, Blaster bomb, is present ahead of us,
Multi millions still unfed,
There are millions of individuals who are still suffering from hunger,
Amondo teeno givin' head,
A teenage person with the name Amondo is making a certain sexual gesture,
Shoot it up,
Go ahead and launch it!
Hold me shake me, I'm all shook up,
Take me in your arms and shake me well, I'm feeling unstable,
Psycho maniac interblend, shoot it up,
Two different personalities, one insane and the other enjoying recklessness, launch another explosive device,
Now shoot it up,
It's time to launch it now!
Teenage crime now fashion's dead,
Crimes committed by teenagers is a growing trend; the youth is no longer interested in fashion,
Shoot it up,
Go ahead and launch it!
There goes my love rocket red,
My beloved missile is being launched once again,
Shoot it up,
Go ahead and launch it!
Shoot it up,
Go ahead and launch it!
Shoot it up,
Go ahead and launch it!
Shoot it up
Go ahead and launch it!
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MARTIN DEGVILLE, NEAL WHITMORE, TONY JAMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind