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
Super Crook Blues
Sigue Sigue Sputnik Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's hackin' up the banks
An' a shakin' up the skyways
It's a new ambition
It's a brand new craze
And I have to tell you boys
That supercrime pays
Well baby's got the heroin hidden in her cashmere
She's gonna be the star of an international terror
Now she's flyin' to the stars
'cause the bomb went off in error
Chorus:
Wow, oh yeah
Shakin' in my blue suede shoes
Wow, oh yeah
A wop bop a lu la bop
Dancin' to the super crook blues
Well the billionaire boys
They want a billion dollars
They're the billionaire sons of society and scholars
They're gonna join the boys of fame and wit and glory
They're gonna write a book
And they're gonna sell the story
Chorus x 2
Well there's money in rape
And there's cash in terrorism
As sex crimes shown on network television
They're laughin' in Gstaad
And they're laughin' in Marbella
Investin' in a factory and forests in Malaya
They're gonna laugh aloud
And they're gonna get away
Well I have to tell ya kids
That supercrime pays
Chorus to end
The lyrics of Sigue Sigue Sputnik's song "Super Crook Blues" describe a new wave of crime that has taken over, one that involves robbing banks and hijacking the highways. It's an ambition that's catching on and turning into a new craze among criminals, and the singer says that it pays off big time. He talks about a woman who has hidden heroin in her cashmere and is flying on a Tristar from Hollywood to Kashmir, where she will become an international terror. Despite a bomb going off in error, she continues to seek fame and fortune among the stars.
The song also talks about the wealthy elite, the billionaire boys, who are seeking to join the ranks of the famous and glorious by writing a book about their exploits and selling their story. The lyrics suggest that there is money to be made in rape and terrorism, as sex crimes are shown on network television and the wealthy invest in factories and forests in places like Malaya. Ultimately, the message of the song is that supercrime pays off, and those who engage in it will reap the rewards.
Overall, "Super Crook Blues" is a provocative critique of society's obsession with wealth and fame, and the lengths people will go to achieve those ends. It suggests that in a world where crime pays, perhaps the real criminals are those who hold the power and call the shots.
Line by Line Meaning
There's smart new art to robbin' on the highway
Robbing on the highway has become more sophisticated and organized.
That's hackin' up the banks
These new methods involve hacking into banks.
An' a shakin' up the skyways
This has also led to disturbances in the aviation industry.
It's a new ambition
This has become a new goal for criminals.
It's a brand new craze
This has become a popular trend.
And I have to tell you boys
The singer is addressing his male listeners.
That supercrime pays
The singer believes that engaging in sophisticated criminal activity can be financially rewarding.
Well baby's got the heroin hidden in her cashmere
A woman has hidden drugs in her clothing.
She's flyin' on a Tristar from Hollywood to Kashmir
She is travelling from California to India.
She's gonna be the star of an international terror
She plans to commit acts of terrorism in multiple countries and become famous for it.
Now she's flyin' to the stars
The woman's plan has been successful and now she is being celebrated.
'cause the bomb went off in error
The planned bombing was a mistake but still resulted in the woman achieving her goal.
Chorus:
The chorus repeats throughout the song and includes the lines:
Wow, oh yeah
Expressing enthusiasm and excitement.
Shakin' in my blue suede shoes
The singer is overwhelmed with emotion.
A wop bop a lu la bop
Nonsensical filler lyrics.
Dancin' to the super crook blues
The singer is dancing to the rhythm of the song.
Well the billionaire boys
The singer is referring to wealthy individuals involved in criminal activity.
They want a billion dollars
These criminals have high financial aspirations.
They're the billionaire sons of society and scholars
The criminals come from privileged backgrounds and have a high level of education.
They're gonna join the boys of fame and wit and glory
These criminals aspire to join the ranks of famous and successful criminals.
They're gonna write a book
They plan to document their criminal exploits.
And they're gonna sell the story
They plan to make money from their book.
Chorus x 2
The chorus repeats again.
Well there's money in rape
The singer suggests that there is financial gain to be made in committing sexual assault.
And there's cash in terrorism
The singer suggests that there is money to be made by committing acts of terrorism.
As sex crimes shown on network television
The media glamorizes sex crimes and violence.
They're laughin' in Gstaad
The wealthy criminals are enjoying themselves in a Swiss ski resort.
And they're laughin' in Marbella
The wealthy criminals are also enjoying themselves in a Spanish resort town.
Investin' in a factory and forests in Malaya
They are also investing their money in Southeast Asia.
They're gonna laugh aloud
The criminals are celebrating their success.
And they're gonna get away
The criminals believe that they will be able to avoid the legal consequences of their actions.
Well I have to tell ya kids
The singer is now addressing a younger audience.
That supercrime pays
The singer repeats his earlier assertion that sophisticated criminal activity can be financially rewarding.
Chorus to end
The chorus repeats a final time to close the song.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: MARTIN DEGVILLE, NEAL WHITMORE, TONY JAMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind