Sigue Sigue Sputnik is a British Pop-cyberpunk band that achieved moderate … Read Full Bio ↴Sigue Sigue Sputnik is a British Pop-cyberpunk band that achieved moderate fame in the mid- to late 1980s, when the song Love Missile F1-11 hit the pop charts around the world. "Love Missile F1-11"'s success was due in part to the song's use in the hit movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Led by former Generation X bassist Tony James, the band created a unique style of new wave music by layering vocals, yelps, guitar riffs, electronic sound effects, and short samples over pulsating synthesizer bass lines.

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

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DISCOGRAPHY

Twenty First Century Boy
Sigue Sigue Sputnik Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

From the 21st Century
Represent generational Rock 'N' Roll style
Martin Degville, James
Ray, X, Kavanagh, Yan, ya, ya

Stereo, video, sci-fi sex, let's go-go-go, let's go
Oh, Saturn dreams, laser beams
21st century sex machines

Oh, can the Cartier toss the Tissot
Timex kid, time to go go

I'm a space cowboy
I'm a 21st century whoopee boy
I'm a space cowboy

Siamese, Lebanese, Chinese speaking strip TVs
Singapore, El Salvador, Coca Cola
Mercury, luxury, shove that Fender fist at me

I'm a space cowboy
I'm a 21st century whoopee boy
Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis 1990

I'm a space cowboy
I'm a 21st century whoopee boy

Embryo, UFO, freak, oh, psycho horror show
Hips and lips and beauty queens
Venus ramp, sexy tramp
Make-up muck my Vegas vamp

I'm a space cowboy
I'm a 21st century whoopee boy
I'm a space cowboy
I'm a 21st century whoopee boy

Sigue Sigue Sputnik, affordable firepower
I am the ultimate product

I'm a space cowboy
I'm a 21st century whoopee boy
I'm a space cowboy
G-g-generation whoopee boy

Let's go, go, go
Oh, let's go, let's go
Let's go, go, go
Let's go, let's go

Let's go, go, go
Let's go, let's go
Let's go, go, go
Let's go, let's go
I love technology

I-D magazine
Once considered the most pretentious magazine
In the history of the world
Now simply the best

I-D magazine
The indispensable document of fashion, style, and ideas
Month by month, a cliche crasher for the 21st century

I-D magazine
Wholly designed for a better future

I-D is tomorrow calling
Are you brave enough to answer?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Sigue Sigue Sputnik's song "Twenty First Century Boy" are an emblematic representation of the lifestyle and cultural changes in the 21st century. The song starts by highlighting the Rock 'N' Roll style that represents the new generation. The mention of the band members' names suggests the crew behind the scenes.

The lyrics also mention modern Sci-Fi elements like "Stereo, video, sci-fi sex, let's go-go-go, let's go," "Saturn dreams, laser beams, 21st-century sex machines," which illustrate the technological advancements of the 21st century. It further describes the global cultural influence that the present century has, such as Siamese, Lebanese, Chinese speaking strip TVs, Singapore, El Salvador, Coca Cola, Mercury luxury, and shove that Fender fist at me. The song ultimately represents the modern-day culture of beauty queens, Vegas vamp, and technology admiring the futuristic world.

Line by Line Meaning

From the 21st Century
Starting off in this present day and age

Represent generational Rock 'N' Roll style
Portraying a contemporary version of classic rock and roll

Stereo, video, sci-fi sex, let's go-go-go, let's go
Encompassing rock music, fashion, and futuristic themes in a lively and energetic manner

Oh, Saturn dreams, laser beams 21st century sex machines
Alluding to various futuristic and space-inspired concepts and technologies, especially those that relate to human pleasure and desire

Oh, can the Cartier toss the Tissot Timex kid, time to go go
Dismissing high-end, elitist brands and embracing more mass-produced, affordable ones

I'm a space cowboy I'm a 21st century whoopee boy
Identifying oneself with a futuristic archetype, one that blends elements of danger, excitement, and sexuality

Siamese, Lebanese, Chinese speaking strip TVs Singapore, El Salvador, Coca Cola Mercury, luxury, shove that Fender fist at me
Referencing various global cultures and products, through a blend of exotic and plain, high and low, old and new

Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis 1990
Announcing a new era in music and entertainment, one that resembles the innovation and charisma of Elvis Presley in his prime

Embryo, UFO, freak, oh, psycho horror show Hips and lips and beauty queens Venus ramp, sexy tramp Make-up muck my Vegas vamp
Mixing together various themes of science fiction, horror, beauty, and sensuality, in a way that blurs the boundaries between them

Sigue Sigue Sputnik, affordable firepower I am the ultimate product
Promoting the band as a unique and innovative force, one that delivers quality and style at reasonable prices

G-g-generation whoopee boy
Emphasizing the band's appeal to a younger audience, one that values novelty, daring, and fun

I love technology
Expressing the band's fascination and enthusiasm for modern technology, especially in music and fashion

I-D magazine Once considered the most pretentious magazine In the history of the world Now simply the best
Praising a fashion magazine that used to be known for its elitist and snobbish attitude, but has evolved into a more relevant and inclusive publication

I-D magazine The indispensable document of fashion, style, and ideas Month by month, a cliche crasher for the 21st century
Describing the magazine as a vital and ongoing resource for new ideas and trends in fashion and style, one that defies stereotypes and conventions

I-D magazine Wholly designed for a better future I-D is tomorrow calling Are you brave enough to answer?
Presenting the magazine's mission as a visionary and inspiring one, that aims to inspire and empower people to create a better and more exciting future

Contributed by Aaron E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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