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.
Roll On
Sneaker Pimps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Roll off, you can come next time
I'm in love with your confusion, on your knees
When you're breathing through your elbows
Down on me, down on me
Roll on roll off
Roll on roll off
Don't take that wrong
Roll up, these doors are open
Load up, come next time
Don't try to hurry me along
Just walk ahead a little gone
A little gone (gone)
Roll on roll off
Roll on roll off
Don't take that wrong
Roll on, going down on me
Roll off, make it easy on me
You can't think you're someone special
On your knees
We're throwing punches underwater
Sink with me, sink with me, sink
Roll on roll off
Roll on roll off
Something is sinking
Something is sinking
Something is sinking
Something is sinking
Something is sinking
The lyrics to Sneaker Pimps' "Roll On" are both mysterious and evocative, with a number of different interpretations possible. At its heart, the song seems to be about power dynamics and control, with the singer celebrating the sense of dominance they feel when their partner is on their knees and under their control. This is reflected in lyrics like "I'm in love with your confusion, on your knees" and "Down on me, down on me." The repetition of the phrase "roll on roll off" throughout the song reinforces this sense of power dynamic - it's something that the singer can control, using their partner like a toy.
However, there are other elements of the song that suggest a deeper level of emotional complexity. Lines like "You can't think you're someone special" and "We're throwing punches underwater" hint at a sense of betrayal or disappointment, and there's a melancholic quality to the repeated refrain of "something is sinking." Ultimately, the lyrics to "Roll On" are open to interpretation, but they create a vivid and haunting portrait of a relationship where control and intimacy are deeply intertwined.
Line by Line Meaning
Roll on, these doors are open
Proceed forward, the doors are not obstructing your way
Roll off, you can come next time
Take your leave now, you have the chance to come back next time
I'm in love with your confusion, on your knees
I have a deep admiration for your indecisiveness and humility
When you're breathing through your elbows
When you're attempting to cope with a difficult or uncomfortable situation
Down on me, down on me
Submitting to someone or something, giving in to the power dynamic
Roll on roll off
Repeat the cycle of entering and exiting
Don't take that wrong
Do not misinterpret my intentions
Roll up, these doors are open
Move forward, the doors are not blocking your path
Load up, come next time
Prepare and come back next time
Don't try to hurry me along
Do not rush me or force me to move faster than I want to
Just walk ahead a little gone
Continue to move forward, just a little further
A little gone (gone)
A slightly longer distance ahead
Roll on, going down on me
Keep moving forward, becoming more submissive to me
Roll off, make it easy on me
Move out of the way, allowing me to have less difficulty
You can't think you're someone special, on your knees
Do not feel superior or entitled to special treatment while being submissive
We're throwing punches underwater
We are in a situation where our efforts are not effective
Sink with me, sink with me, sink
Join me in accepting defeat or failure
Something is sinking
Something is failing or causing harm
Something is sinking
Something is failing or causing harm
Something is sinking
Something is failing or causing harm
Something is sinking
Something is failing or causing harm
Something is sinking
Something is failing or causing harm
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRIS CORNER, IAN PICKERING, LIAM COVERDALE-HOWE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind