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.
Photoshop
Sparks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sadness is erased
Baldness or aloofness
Gone without a trace
Signs you know the way to make men men
To make "Miss Everyday" a 10
To think you used to be my friend
There you see a billboard
Faces super smooth
There an illustration
Whiteness, every tooth
Signs you've worked your magic once again
It's always better in the end
To think you used to be my friend
Photoshop me out of your life (x6)
Every blemish is gone in a flash
Lines that are crooked and colours that clash
Every blemish is gone in a flash
Lines that are crooked and colours that clash
Photoshop me out of your life (x4)
You know what you're doing
Look at the acclaim
Grant me one more favour
Alter the terrain
Make it look like as though I were in Hell
Or something near enough to Hell
Or something near enough to Hell
Give it a caption of "Farewell"
Photoshop me out of your life (x6)
The song 'Photoshop' by Sparks talks about the manipulative power of image editing and its impact on our perception of reality. The lyrics are a reflection on how digital tools like Photoshop have brought about a change in our society's beauty ideals and standards. The first stanza talks about how Photoshop magically makes stars look younger and erases all their sadness, baldness, or aloofness. The second stanza talks about how successful these manipulations can be, as we see billboards that show super smooth faces and whiteness in every tooth. The song suggests that the power of image editing has turned our world into a superficial, plastic one, and that the woman who wields these tools must be very powerful to manipulate people's perception in this way.
The chorus of the song, "Photoshop me out of your life" is repeated six times, communicating the idea of wanting to be erased or forgotten in a world that values image over substance. The last stanza is a request for the manipulator to do one final favor by altering the terrain so that the person looks like they are in Hell or something near enough to it. The song ends with the plea to Photoshop the person out of your life. Overall, the song speaks to a lack of authenticity in our culture, and the damage that can come from relying too heavily on appearances.
Line by Line Meaning
Stars made to look younger
Making stars look younger by altering their pictures.
Sadness is erased
Removing any sign of unhappiness in the picture.
Baldness or aloofness
Eliminating baldness or other characteristics which make an individual look distant.
Gone without a trace
Eliminating all undesired traits in the picture, leaving no trace of them.
Signs you know the way to make men men
Implying that the picture editor is proficient in the art of making men look more masculine.
To make 'Miss Everyday' a 10
The editor is capable of making ordinary looking individuals look more attractive with the help of photo-editing tools.
To think you used to be my friend
Contemplating how someone who was once a friend could turn out to be an editor who manipulates photos for commercial purposes.
Photoshop me out of your life(x6)
Asking the editor to completely remove the artist from their life using Photoshop editing software.
There you see a billboard
Observing a billboard displaying a picture that has been edited to perfection.
Faces super smooth
The editor has removed all the wrinkles and fine lines from faces on the billboard.
There an illustration
Noticing an illustration that has also been meticulously edited.
Whiteness, every tooth
The editor has even whitened the teeth of the individuals in the picture.
Signs you've worked your magic once again
Implying the editor is successful at his job of making the picture perfect.
It's always better in the end
Highlighting the fact that edited pictures are always better looking than the original ones.
Every blemish is gone in a flash
Referring to how quickly the editor can remove any blemishes or imperfections from a picture.
Lines that are crooked and colours that clash
Editing a picture to fix lines that are bent or colours that do not match.
You know what you're doing
Acknowledging the fact that the photo editor is a professional who knows how to work the software efficiently.
Look at the acclaim
Proudly showcasing the number of satisfied customers, who are praising the work.
Grant me one more favour
Requesting one more favour from the editor, despite not being on good terms with them.
Alter the terrain
Asking to change the background of a picture for a specific purpose.
Make it look like as though I were in Hell
Asking to change the background to look like the artist is in a living Hell.
Or something near enough to Hell
Suggesting a similar location for the background of the picture.
Give it a caption of 'Farewell'
Adding a message of goodbye in conjunction with the picture's new background.
Contributed by Eli P. 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.