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 Emilíana 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.
Lolita
Sneaker Pimps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She was unbroken
Dressed in the pink
That she wore as a token
To the summer
To the summer
Always clean
She was the devil
And she danced with the roses
In the summer...
She was rhyme
She was the reason
I left my life
For a sole that was freezing
In the summer...
Always cold, always in endearing
Sweet in the woods
She was naked and kneeling
In the summer...
A thought came down
And washed away the hurt
And there's always something
You can learn
A thought came down
And washed away the hurt
And there's always something
You can learn
Maybe wrong
Way beyond redemption
Caught between
My desire and intention
To protect her
From the summer...
I gave my word i would only teach her
Deep in believing
That the wisdom would release her
From her keepers
And the summer
Overwhelmed, primitive emotions
Struck by the river
That was screaming for the ocean
In the summer...
Silent now
No-one else beguiling
Lost in thew woods
I will always hear her crying
In the summer...
A thought came down
And washed away the hurt
And there's always something
You can learn
A thought came down
And it washed away the hurt
And there's always something
You can learn
You can learn
The song "Lolita" by Sneaker Pimps is a haunting and melancholic reflection on a relationship between the singer and a younger woman. The lyrics are filled with contradictions and complexity, touching on themes of innocence, corruption, protection, and desire. The opening verse describes the woman as soft and unbroken, dressed in pink as a symbol of the summer, and always clean and precautious. However, the next verse reveals that she is also the devil, dancing with roses and always cold and endearing. The singer is drawn to her, leaving his life behind for a "sole that was freezing," but also feels conflicted and responsible for protecting her from the summer.
As the song progresses, the singer reflects on his attempt to teach the woman wisdom and release her from her keepers. However, he is caught between his desire and intention to protect her and his own desires, which he acknowledges may be wrong and beyond redemption. The song culminates in a plaintive cry, as the singer remembers the woman's crying and feels lost in the woods. The repeated refrain, "A thought came down / And washed away the hurt / And there's always something / You can learn," suggests a glimmer of hope or redemption, even in the face of difficult and painful experiences.
Overall, "Lolita" is a powerful and introspective song that explores the complexities of relationships and human desire. The lyrics are poetic and metaphorical, drawing on themes of nature and purity to emphasize the contrast between innocence and corruption. The singer's reflections also highlight the importance of learning and growth, even in difficult or painful circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
She was soft
She had a gentle nature.
She was unbroken
She had endured many hardships and remained resilient.
Dressed in the pink That she wore as a token To the summer To the summer
She wore a pink outfit as a symbol of summer.
Always clean Always precautious She was the devil And she danced with the roses In the summer...
She was very cautious and clean, but also had a mischievous side when enjoying the summer flowers.
She was rhyme She was the reason I left my life For a sole that was freezing In the summer...
She was the inspiration for him to leave his life behind and chase a freezing dream in the summer.
Always cold, always in endearing Sweet in the woods She was naked and kneeling In the summer...
Despite being cold, she was endearing and had a sweet personality. She was found kneeling naked in the woods during the summer.
A thought came down And washed away the hurt And there's always something You can learn
A comforting thought came to him and eased the pain. He acknowledges that there is always a lesson to be learned.
Maybe wrong Way beyond redemption Caught between My desire and intention To protect her From the summer...
He knows that his actions were not entirely right and he is unable to redeem himself. His desire to protect her conflicts with his intention to stay away from the summer.
I gave my word i would only teach her Deep in believing That the wisdom would release her From her keepers And the summer
He promised to teach her and believed that his wisdom would help her break free from her captors and the summer season.
Overwhelmed, primitive emotions Struck by the river That was screaming for the ocean In the summer...
He was overwhelmed by his own primal feelings, just like a river that screams to flow into the ocean in the summer.
Silent now No-one else beguiling Lost in the woods I will always hear her crying In the summer...
Now that she is gone, he is left alone and haunted by her cries in the summer woods.
You can learn
The song reminds the listener that there is always something to learn and grow from.
Contributed by Alexander W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sunnynova6
Hey do you have the other version of the song? The one deleted from the internet? Thank you
@paullawrence4552
I WISH