While at art college in Reading, Liam met David Westlake and Joe Wilson, who would both contribute to the first three albums and join the band on tour. When F.R.I.S.K. performed a gig with this line-up they later recorded some demos with Chris singing - these were considered the next stage in the evolution of Chis and Liam's professional partnership; another in an ever-improving set of smaller projects intended for a few thousand records at most. Drafting in Ian Pickering in 1995 to help with lyrics, they recruited Kelli Dayton for vocal duties after seeing her singing in a pub in Reading. The name 'Sneaker Pimps' itself was taken from a Beastie Boys article about a man they hired to track down classic shoes.
The first single Roll On preceded the first album, followed by Spin Spin Sugar, Post-Modern Sleaze, 6 Underground and Tesko Suicide. The album contains a myriad of 90s pop-culture references (such as film Thelma and Louise) coupled to dark double entendres and puns on drug taking and suicide. It was wildly successful everywhere: in America it remains their only real hit. In 2005, the song "Post-Modern Sleaze" (from the Becoming X album) was used as the theme song for Matroesjka's, an acclaimed Flemish drama series about Eastern European prostitutes and Belgians involved in the related sex trade.
Becoming X was "toured to death" over two years, particularly in America where the toll on Chris led to mental instability chronicled in the song Low Five. Depending on who you believe, Kelli Dayton left the band in 1998 or was sacked, going on to a solo career as Kelli Ali. The band trialled new vocallists, demoing some new songs with Icelandic chanteuse Emilรญana Torrini, but coupled with the feeling that these demos fit Corner's voice better, and the fear of being identified with the fad for trip-hop acts, Corner became the singer. The Line of Flight studio was moved from Hartlepool to London and production on the next album started immediately.
1999's Splinter features the back of Chris' head, symbolizing the break with Kelli and his not feeling up to the responsibility of being a 'front man'. Dayton's departure, while lamented by many, was positively received by some critics who felt that it gave the band a more honest, emotional timbre and a more uniquely identifiable sound, especially with regard to the rawer and more personal quality of the lyrics. The album's production retains the sampled style of Becoming X while being edgier, less beat-driven, and at times more psychedelic. Due to wrangles with Virgin Records, the album was self-released on their own Clean Up label and not released in the US. Without significant promotion, and the lack of obvious singles that Becoming X had shown, the album was not as successful, but the favourable critical response led the band to set up their own club night in London. Called 'Home Taping' and hosted at the [venue]ICA[/venue], it invited celebrities and musicians to submit their own cassette mixes for the night's entertainment, and the odd live set by the band. Allegedly, one was even received by Madonna.
For 2002's Bloodsport, the band decamped to France and Germany, recording in a farmhouse while capturing the trans-European essence of Berlinesque "new-wave punk". Liam Howe was unavailable, so long-term associate and friend Chris Tate was brought in for synthesizer duties. The album was a glossier affair than before and included Flood on production duties rather than the band. On Bloodsport's release (including this time the US via Tommy Boy Records) the album was a comparative flop, but made the Austrian top twenty. Its singles were more successful in both the UK and Europe.
Sneaker Pimps recorded demos, previewed live in Russia and on European radio in 2003 for an unknown movie soundtrack and a fourth album tentatively titled 'Recall' or 'Songs of Imaginary Beings'. The album was never released; Chris and Liam purportedly shelved the tracks as a Sneaker Pimps album for several reasons. One, they contained some very emotional songs penned by Corner that were felt to be more suitable for a solo project, and two, in some cases were simply not being good enough to be released. The band eventually drifted apart during protracted sessions for the 4th album: many of the 'SP4' demos leaked and have been rereleased by Chris Corner's solo project IAMX on 2004's Kiss and Swallow and 2006's The Alternative. Another solo project, not including Corner or Howe, was the nu-rave and Madchester influenced Trash Money.
In late 2006, it emerged that seven new demos had been found and leaked from a portable music player left in a Russian bar. The demos, including "Rush", "Samaritan", "Sun Ate The Moon", "The Shutdown" and "Satellite" all sung by a new female singer believed to be Paris Hampton and referred to by fans as 'SP5. The band did not comment on the leaking of this material until 2015 when Liam Howe confirmed that "the Magnificent 7" had been recorded by Sneaker Pimps exploring a new, poppier sound.
Joe and David left the band to work in film production and academia. Liam Howe went on to have a successful career in music production, while Chris moved to Berlin and later Los Angeles as IAMX enjoyed a sustained alternative career, releasing Kingdom of Welcome Addiction in 2009, Dogmatic Infidel Comedown Ok in 2010, Volatile Times in 2011, The Unified Field in 2013, Metanoia in 2016, Everything is Burning in 2017, Unfall in 2018, Alive in New Light in 2019 and Echo, Echo in 2020. Ian Pickering launched his new project The Noise who Runs in 2020.
Chris and Liam continued to tease working together on new projects throughout various IAMX eras, including a session initially planned as Sneaker Pimps material becoming the Liam-produced IAMX mini-album "Everything is Burning".
In 2019, singer Simonne Jones was confirmed as the new featured singer of Sneaker Pimps which then began recording their new album together in earnest. Finally in May 2021, 18 years after their last album was released, the Squaring the Circle era was announced with two new singles, "Fighter" and "Squaring The Circle," which were released in July.
A remix album 'Rework Collection 1' was released in August, and their fourth full studio record 'Squaring The Circle' was released on September 10th, 2021 on Chris Corner's label UNFALL Productions. 'Squaring The Circle' features material recorded with both Simonne and Chris on lead vocals.
More remix albums and a re-release of the band's older records is also planned, with the band regaining copy and distribution rights of 'Becoming X' and 'Splinter' via One Little Independent Records and the ongoing negotiations of a re-release of 'Bloodsport' with Tommy Boy Records.
Bloodsport
Sneaker Pimps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come down having Sunday best
See me staying home bunking school
Knowing wrong from right just rules
I wish I'd never seen your face
Better done wonder phase
I need an echo, not your praise
My mother, my mother, my mother never told
My mother, my mother, my mother never told me
Love is just a bloodsport
Love is just a bloodsport
'Cause love is just a bloodsport
Love is just a bloodsport
Sex and love is not a game
A game is something you can win
Maybe something kind of fun
'Cause love is just a bloodsport, son
My mother, my mother, my mother never told
My mother, my mother, my mother never told me
Never told me
Never told me
'Cause love is just a bloodsport
Love is just a bloodsport
'Cause love is just a bloodsport
Love is just a bloodsport
'Cause love is just a bloodsport
Love is just a bloodsport
'Cause love is just a bloodsport
Love is just a bloodsport
The lyrics to Sneaker Pimps' song Bloodsport explore themes of nostalgia, disillusionment, and the harsh realities of love and relationships. The first stanza expresses a desire to return to a simpler time, when the singer was a child and life was governed by clear rules. However, the second stanza reveals that this desire is motivated by a disdain for the complexities and hardships of adult life -- represented by a failed romantic relationship. The singer wishes they had never met the person who hurt them and longs for recognition and affirmation, but ultimately realizes that these things are not enough. The repeated line "Love is just a bloodsport" reinforces the idea that love and relationships are fraught with danger and pain.
The chorus of the song emphasizes this message, asserting that love is not a game that can be won or enjoyed like other forms of entertainment. Instead, it is a brutal contest in which participants fight for survival. The final line of the song -- "Love is just a bloodsport" -- echoes the previous choruses, leaving the listener with a sense of finality and resignation.
Overall, Bloodsport is a dark and introspective song that explores the difficult aspects of love and life in a mature and honest way.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to be a kid again
I wish I could relive the experience of being a child
Come down having Sunday best
Wearing one's finest clothes on a Sunday
See me staying home bunking school
Skipping school and staying home
Knowing wrong from right just rules
Being aware of the difference between right and wrong, and following the rules
I wish I'd never seen your face
Regretting having met and become involved with someone
Better done wonder phase
Preferable to have been in a state of wonder and curiosity before being disillusioned by love
I need an echo, not your praise
Craving reassurance from oneself rather than seeking validation from a lover
Straying from the god you nailed
Rejecting the idea of love as something absolute and unchanging
My mother, my mother, my mother never told
Referring to the lack of guidance and advice from one's mother regarding love
Love is just a bloodsport
Describing love as a brutal and cutthroat competition
Sex and love is not a game
Stating that sex and love should not be taken lightly or treated as a game
A game is something you can win
In contrast to love and sex, a game is structured and has a clear winner and loser
Maybe something kind of fun
Acknowledging the possibility of enjoyment in sex and love, but also noting the risks involved
'Cause love is just a bloodsport, son
Reiterating the earlier statement that love is a fiercely competitive and intense experience
Never told me
Returning again to the lack of guidance from one's mother
Lyrics ยฉ DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Mute Song Limited, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVE STRANGE, RUSTY EGAN, BILLY CURRIE, MIDGE URE, JOHN MCGEOGH, DAVID TOMLINSON, BARRY ADAMSON, LIAM COVERDALE-HOWE,, CHRIS CORNER, IAN PICKERING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@camilolopez9805
[Verse 1]
I want to be a kid again
Combed down hair and Sunday best
See me staying out bunking school
Knowing wrong from right just rules
[Verse 2]
I wish I'd never seen your face
"Better door than window" phase
I need an echo, not your praise
Straying from the point you nailed
[Pre-Chorus]
My mother, my mother, my mother never told
My mother, my mother, my mother never told me
[Chorus]
Love is just a bloodsport
Love is just a bloodsport
Cause love is just a bloodsport
Love is just a bloodsport
[Verse 3]
Sex and love is not a game
A game is something you can win
Maybe something kind of fun
Cause love is just a bloodsport, son
[Pre-Chorus]
My mother, my mother, my mother never told
My mother, my mother, my mother never told me
Never told me
Never told me
[Chorus]
Cause love is just a bloodsport
Love is just a bloodsport
Cause love is just a bloodsport
Love is just a bloodsport
Cause love is just a bloodsport
Love is just a bloodsport
Cause love is just a bloodsport
Love is just a bloodsport
@ShesThe1yup
I loved Sneaker Pimps back in the day and it still sounds amazing!
@DrumsTheWord
This was one of the greatest albums I ever purchased. The dark energy throughout is still very exciting for me!
@milouribe4082
If you search this song by yourself you're a legend โบ๏ธโจ
@EDQMusic
Thanks ๐
@RozzDarkly
Thanks bro, it goes nice with some junk
@nealdomdey7673
I'm a f@$$ing legend!
@ReshonBryant
๐
๐ฟ
@karicias05
โจโจโจโจโจ
@charlene9638
I was absolutely obsessed w this album
@daveywavey2593
Still am. Just spun it today ๐๐