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.
Loretta Young Silks
Sneaker Pimps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not habit for anyone, ‘cause I'm trying to break your click-track heart
Seen a vision of perfect grace, airbrushed and lifeless
All contempt and aftertaste, it's like I'm waiting for the scars to heal
You're so loretta young silks, fashioning your self escape
You're so loretta young silks, trading on your super waif
All style before content, using me as bait
Soft focus for full appeal, pictured as flawless
No context for self esteem, I'd be pushed to give your love on that
As far as the eye can see: too much perfection
Pure substance for wannabes, keeps you beating to a click-track heart
You're so loretta young silks, fashioning your self escape
You're so loretta young silks, trading on your super waif
All style before content, using me as bait
You're so loretta young silks, swapping your love for hate
You're so loretta young silks, swapping your love for hate
(You're so Loretta young silks,) swapping your love for hate
(You're so Loretta young silks,) swapping your love for hate
The lyrics to Sneaker Pimps's "Loretta Young Silks" talk about the shallow and superficial world of fashion and the people who trade their love for hate in order to maintain their image. The first verse talks about how the singer has endless answers for everyone and makes endless excuses, trying to break the click-track heart of the person they are talking about. The next verse talks about how this person is fashioning their self escape using Loretta Young Silks- a reference to the fashion icon Loretta Young who was known for her glamorous silk gowns. The singer accuses this person of using their super-skinny body as an asset to trade love for hate, and they see them as contemptible and aftertaste. The third verse talks about how the person is presented as flawless and perfect, without any context for self-esteem, and uses this to keep themselves popular and in the limelight.
Overall, the song critiques the superficial nature of the fashion industry and the exploitation of women's bodies, as well as the damaging effects this can have on self-esteem and relationships. The singer sees through the facade of perfection and sees the ugly reality of love traded for hate and the shallow expectations of society.
Line by Line Meaning
Got answers for everyone, endless excuses
I always have something to say, but it's usually just an excuse because I'm trying to avoid confronting my true feelings.
Not habit for anyone, ‘cause I'm trying to break your click-track heart
I'm not trying to fall into the same patterns as everyone else, because I want to change and open up my heart.
Seen a vision of perfect grace, airbrushed and lifeless
I've been shown an ideal image of beauty that's completely unrealistic and unattainable.
All contempt and aftertaste, it's like I'm waiting for the scars to heal
All of this unrealistic beauty has left me with a bitter taste in my mouth, and I'm waiting for time to heal my emotional wounds.
You're so loretta young silks, fashioning your self escape
You're like a movie star from a bygone era, using fashion and style to hide from your problems.
You're so loretta young silks, trading on your super waif
You're using your thinness and fragility as a way to get attention and manipulate people.
All style before content, using me as bait
You care more about how things look than what they actually mean, and you're using me as a pawn in your game.
You're so loretta young silks, swapping your love for hate
You're constantly shifting your emotions and using them to your advantage, from love to hate and back again.
Soft focus for full appeal, pictured as flawless
You use soft lighting and other tricks to create an image of yourself as perfect and unattainable.
No context for self esteem, I'd be pushed to give your love on that
You have no sense of self-worth independent of your image, and it's hard for me to feel love for someone who doesn't love themselves.
As far as the eye can see: too much perfection
You've taken the idea of beauty to an extreme degree, to the point where it's overwhelming and impossible to live up to.
Pure substance for wannabes, keeps you beating to a click-track heart
You're only interested in those who are superficial and conformist, because that's what allows you to keep up your facade and avoid confronting your true self.
(You're so Loretta young silks,) swapping your love for hate
You're so good at pretending to be one thing while actually being another, that you can switch between love and hate in an instant.
Lyrics © GOLDEN WITHERS MUSIC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LIAM COVERDALE-HOWE, CHRIS CORNER, IAN PICKERING, BILL WITHERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@theindigoexpress
Lyrics:
Got answers for everyone, endless excuses
Not habit for anyone, ‘cause I'm trying to break your click-track heart
Seen a vision of perfect grace, airbrushed and lifeless
All contempt and aftertaste, it's like I'm waiting for the scars to heal
You're so Loretta Young Silks, fashioning your self escape
You're so Loretta Young Silks, trading on your superwaif
All style before content, using me as bait
You're so Loretta Young Silks, swapping your love for hate
Soft focus for full appeal, pictured as flawless
No context for self esteem, I'd be pushed to give your love on that
As far as the eye can see: too much perfection
Pure substance for wannabes, keeps you beating to a click-track heart
You're so Loretta Young Silks, fashioning your self escape
You're so Loretta Young Silks, trading on your superwaif
All style before content, using me as bait
You're so Loretta Young Silks, swapping your love for hate
You're so Loretta Young Silks, fashioning your self escape
You're so Loretta Young Silks, trading on your superwaif
All style before content, using me as bait
You're so Loretta Young Silks, swapping your love for hate
(You're so Loretta Young Silks, ) swapping your love for hate
(You're so Loretta Young Silks, ) swapping your love for hate
(You're so Loretta Young Silks, ) swapping your love for hate
(You're so Loretta Young Silks, ) swapping your love for hate
@WonderTracks
Love this !!! why didn't this album get a larger audience back in the day
@beepst
It’s not commercial at all. Even if it has popular chords and all, it’s too slow paced for the regular listener to be interested. Even the video, just look at it. Not a lot it going on in that video. I think it doesn’t do justice to the song at all.
@Terminal-Thought-Experiment
@beepst BOT..
@jojobibi3617
@beepst with the algorithm it will explode some day
@beepst
@@UN-qj3mx ?
@Lauren-uj1ny
@beepst The regular listener does not like artistic and thoughtful music, that is the answer, not it being "slow paced". That is a weird theory because there are plenty of slow songs that are popular. Most songs have to hit popularity and then they'll be on the radio... or at least be from a mainstream artist in the first place or be very popular on social media. At the time sneaker pimps didn't hit the formula for popular music. Regardless, they have a pretty big following, and being popular "commercially" as you say is not necessary anymore. People aren't trying to get super bowl spots or TV sponsorships, getting enough views on YouTube can be enough. You stating not a lot goes on in the video just shows you don't understand the song and you need constant action to enjoy something
@veerchasm1
Such a great song and they got a new album for us in 2021!
@TheMrSlyxx
REALLY?
@kidwithcameras3
@MrSlyxx 'Squaring The Circle'. Out Sept. 10- 2021.
@josephfordsc
I've literally just discovered this song, love it. And I love the new album to!