Playing With Fire (1989) expanded on the psychedelic and drone themes of the earlier albums; its second single, "Revolution" reached #1 on the UK indie charts. But soon after, a combination of personnel changes, drug problems and intra-band tension (especially between Kember and Pierce) began to break the band apart. Recurring, released in 1991, was their last proper album, though its recording reflected the split between Pierce and Kember as each recorded their own side of the album in different studios, with a cover of Mudhoney's 'When Tomorrow Hits' to separate them (Mudhoney would later return the favour with a cover of Spacemen 3's 'Revolution'). It was their most popular record, but by its release Kember and Pierce had already formed new bands, Spectrum,were self described "noise experimentation" and Spiritualized, respectively. The final conflict that contributed to the split was Pierce's decision to release a cover of The Troggs' 'Any Way That You Want Me', as the first Spiritualized single, which Kember had been wanting to cover for years.
From the outset Spacemen 3 had a very defined set of aesthetic principles. They based almost their entire sound on their own concept of minimalism—droning guitars, feedback, as few chords as possible, pounding drums—with their motto “Taking drugs to make music to take drugs to”. Their minimalism bled into their stage show as well. Sitting down to play their guitars and covered in the spinning colours of a cheap psychedelic light show, their stage “act” was very anti-performance. Another striking aspect of Spacemen 3 was their willingness to cover and share their influences. Song titles, lyrics and interviews were peppered with references to bands and artists they believed shared their “minimal is maximal” aesthetic. The Velvet Underground, the Rolling Stones, The Stooges, MC5, early Captain Beefheart, out-there jazz legend Sun Ra, Silver Apples, garage punk of the 1960s such as the 13th Floor Elevators, Red Krayola, and the Electric Prunes; the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean and other surf bands; ’80s rockabilly groups The Cramps, the Gun Club, Tav Falco; blues and gospel acts like Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, the Staple Singers and John Lee Hooker; and the production techniques of Joe Meek, Brian Wilson and Delia Derbyshire were just some of the names mentioned by the band.
Since the break-up there have been a stream of semi-legitimate albums, early demos and live recordings, many of which have been issued by the Kember-affiliated Space Age Recordings. Highlights include Dreamweapon: An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music, a 45 minute drone piece performed in front of a live audience, Forged Prescriptions, a collection of Perfect Prescription demos and alternate versions (Kember claims in the liner notes that the alternate versions reproduce the layers of guitars they recorded but later removed because they felt they'd never be able to reproduce them live), and the band's singles compilation, which is perhaps the best introduction to the breadth of their work.
In 1998, a tribute album was released on Rocket Girl, which included tracks by Mogwai and Low. Kember’s Spectrum has toured under the banner “Songs the Spacemen Taught Us”, while Pierce routinely includes their songs in his Spiritualized set. In 2004, US journalist Erik Morse published his account of the band’s life and work, Dreamweapon: Spacemen 3 and the Birth of Spiritualized.
Members of the band went on to form Spiritualized, the Darkside and Spectrum (AKA Sonic Boom). Spiritualized carry on, to critical acclaim, though they have largely discarded the dark psychedelic edge. Sonic has also been on the road, playing gigs in London and occasional tours in the US as E.A.R. (Experimental Audio Research), which features synthesizers heavily. The Darkside split, while Rosco (AKA Sterling Roswell) went on to form the Sterling Roswell Blues Band and now is currently in The Gimps.
So Hot
Spacemen 3 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lord it's so hot, and I ain't got a lot
I don't need much but I ain't satisfied right now
Just want the water, I just want an ocean
An endless river to wash away all of my tears
Lord it's so hot, and my heart's bleeding
Just want the water, I just want an ocean
An endless river to wash away all of my tears
When your hot, and lord how it's steamin'
You gotta go back to the river babe
Just want the water, I just want an ocean
An endless river to take me back to my babe
So hot
in 2-3 long paragraphs:
Spacemen 3's "So Hot" is an intensely emotional and introspective song about a person's desire for relief from the overwhelming heat of both the physical climate and the emotional turmoil inside. The lyrics express a deep sense of dissatisfaction and longing for something pure and vast enough to soothe the intense pain being felt. The singer seeks to find solace in the form of a vast body of water, an endless river or ocean that can wash away their tears and heal their broken heart.
The opening lines of the song are a lamentation of the unbearable heat which serves as a metaphor for emotional distress. The singer is feeling unfulfilled despite not needing much and desires something vast and endless to submerge themselves in - an ocean to wash away their emotions and sorrows. The chorus "just want the water, I just want an ocean, an endless river to wash away all of my tears," represents the plea for relief that the singer so desperately wants.
The verse "when you're hot, and lord how it's steamin', you gotta go back to the river babe, just want the water, I just want an ocean, an endless river to take me back to my babe" depicts the singer's desire to return to their lover, to be rejuvenated both physically and emotionally by the immense power of water. The song speaks to the human need for sensory experience and connection, and how that connection can offer solace and healing.
Line by Line Meaning
Lord it's so hot, and I ain't got a lot
The weather is really hot and uncomfortable, and I don't have much to my name.
I don't need much but I ain't satisfied right now
Even though I don't require much, I still feel unsatisfied in my current state.
Just want the water, I just want an ocean
All I long for is some water to cool me down, even if it's just a large body like an ocean.
An endless river to wash away all of my tears
I need a flowing river that can symbolically cleanse all of my sad emotions.
Lord it's so hot, and my heart's bleeding
The heat has become a metaphor for my emotional pain and heartache.
I ain't been with you and it's you I'm needing right now
I haven't been in your presence recently, and I am craving your company right now.
When your hot, and lord how it's steamin'
When things get heated, both literally and figuratively, you need to take a step back and cool off.
You gotta go back to the river babe
The river is an important symbol of purification and rejuvenation, and it's where you need to return to find solace.
An endless river to take me back to my babe
Only an ongoing stream can take me back to my lover and reunite us in a place of peace and healing.
So hot
This phrase is repeated several times throughout the song, emphasizing the theme of heat and discomfort, both physical and emotional.
Contributed by Alaina A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.