The band's long career has seen them successfully adopt many different musical genres; including glam pop, power pop, electronic dance music and mainstream pop. Despite these many styles, a recognizable "Sparks sound" remains throughout, and they have enjoyed a large cult following since their first releases. Sparks have been highly influential on the development of popular music, in particular on the late 1970s scene, when in collaboration with Giorgio Moroder (and Telex subsequently), they reinvented themselves as an electronic pop duo, and abandoned the traditional rock band line up. In contrast to the esteem in which they are held by such peers as Depeche Mode, New Order, Morrissey and They Might Be Giants, who all cite Sparks as a major influence, their almost constantly changing styles and unique visual presentations have sometimes seen them dismissed as a novelty act.
The 2002 release of Lil' Beethoven, their self-described "genre-defining opus", and 2006's Hello Young Lovers (their 20th studio album) have brought Sparks renewed critical and commercial success, and seen them continue to "steer clear of pop conventions."
The 2021 documentary film 'The Sparks Brothers', directed by Edgar Wright, has renewed interest in the band for a new audience.
Let The Monkey Drive
Sparks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Toward Santa Barbara,lots of sun
Pacific Ocean on our left hand side
Tough Sata Barbara's on our mind,our love can't wait till after nine
So she says,'Can't we let the monkey drive?'
Let the monkey drive,we can have our fun
As we hop in back,out on Highway 1
Let the monkey drive,out on Highway 1
He's passing cars and passing trucks
And swigs some coffee from Starbucks
And in the backseat everything is fine
He never pries in our affairs
He never listens,never stares
And we three are enjoying our long ride
Let the monkey drive,we can have our fun
As we hop in back,out on Highway 1
Let him take the wheel,'neath the setting sun
Let the monkey drive,out on Highway 1
Let the monkey drive,and it's only fair
It's the monkey's car and he hates to share
Let him chauffeur us,while we have our fun
Keep our love alive on Highway 1
With obscene gestures,learned from me
He works off some hostility
Toward drivers who might cut him off or slide
I think his license has expired,he seems to be a little wired
He has some trouble staying on our side
But you and me are doing fine
We couldn't wait till after nine
Impossible,our love is way too strong
He hits the brakes a couple times,but everything is superfine
I'm glad the monkey asked to come along
Let the monkey drive,and it's only fair
It's the monkey's car and he hates to share
Let him chauffeur us,while we have our fun
Keep our love alive,out on Highway 1
Let the monkey drive,we can have our fun
As we hop in back,out on Highway 1
Let him take the wheel,'neath the setting sun
Let the monkey drive,out on Highway 1
Let the monkey drive,we can have our fun
As we hop in back,out on Highway 1
Let him take the wheel,'neath the setting sun
Let the monkey drive,out on Highway 1
Let the monkey drive,and it's only fair
It's the monkey's car and he hates to share
Let him chauffeur us,while we have our fun
Keep our love alive,out on Highway 1
The song "Let The Monkey Drive" by Sparks tells the story of a couple driving up the Pacific coast on Highway 1 towards Santa Barbara. They're eager for their romantic plans, but stuck in traffic. As frustration begins to set in, the woman suggests letting the monkey drive. Despite the absurdity of the idea, they decide to go along with it, and the monkey takes the wheel.
The song's lyrics are humorous and playful, as the couple enjoys their ride with the mischievous monkey behind the wheel. Sparks uses a catchy melody and upbeat rhythm to deliver the absurdity of the lyrics effectively. The lyrics also suggest that the monkey may not be the best driver as he swerves, takes coffee breaks, and gestures obscenely at other drivers. Nevertheless, the couple continues to enjoy their ride until they reach their destination.
Overall, the song is a lighthearted and entertaining story that sparks the imagination and taps into the whimsy of the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
We're driving north on Highway 1
We are traveling towards Santa Barbara on the north of Highway 1
Toward Santa Barbara,lots of sun
We are traveling towards Santa Barbara and there is a lot of sunshine
Pacific Ocean on our left hand side
The Pacific Ocean is on our left side while traveling
Tough Santa Barbara's on our mind, our love can't wait till after nine
We are thinking of Santa Barbara, but our desire to be together cannot wait until later tonight
So she says,'Can't we let the monkey drive?'
She suggests that we let the monkey drive the car
Let the monkey drive,we can have our fun
We can enjoy ourselves by letting the monkey drive
As we hop in back,out on Highway 1
We go to the backseat as we go out onto the highway
Let him take the wheel,'neath the setting sun
Allow the monkey to drive the car under the setting sun
He's passing cars and passing trucks
The monkey is passing other cars and trucks on the road
And in the backseat everything is fine
Everything is okay in the back seat
He never pries in our affairs
The monkey never interferes with our personal matters
He never listens,never stares
The monkey doesn't listen or gaze at us
And we three are enjoying our long ride
The three of us are having fun on the long ride
Let the monkey drive,and it's only fair
It is fair to let the monkey drive the car
It's the monkey's car and he hates to share
The car belongs to the monkey and he doesn't like to share
Let him chauffeur us,while we have our fun
Let him drive us around as we enjoy ourselves
Keep our love alive on Highway 1
Maintain our love as we travel on Highway 1
With obscene gestures, learned from me
The monkey uses vulgar hand expressions that it learned from me
He works off some hostility
The monkey releases some anger he has pent up
Toward drivers who might cut him off or slide
The monkey is upset at other drivers who might cut him off or slide around on the road
I think his license has expired,he seems to be a little wired
The monkey's driver's license may have expired and he appears excited
He has some trouble staying on our side
The monkey has some difficulty staying on our side of the road
But you and me are doing fine
You and I are okay
We couldn't wait till after nine
We were too impatient to wait until after nine
Impossible,our love is way too strong
It's impossible as our love is too strong
He hits the brakes a couple times,but everything is superfine
The monkey brakes a few times, but everything is still good
I'm glad the monkey asked to come along
I'm happy that the monkey wanted to join us
Contributed by Allison W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Philip Kassabian
on Scheherazade
A great Sparks song.
Philip Kassabian
on Aeroflot
This song is amazing.
Philip Kassabian
on Irreplaceable
Sparks is an absolutely fantastic band.
Philip Kassabian
on It's Educational
An absolutely great Sparks song.
Philip Kassabian
on The Calm Before the Storm
A great and fantastic Sparks song.
Philip Kassabian
on Perfume
A very catchy and great Sparks song.