When you have as big a celebrity fan as Stephen King, you must be doing something right! The three-piece from Finley, New South Wales, Australia, often jump genres from disco-pop (Stevie, Calypso) to mutant dance (Arse Huggin' Pants) - in the course of a single album, no less. And yet, they still manage to rock like mofos (Shazam!, Outta My Head, and - of course - their cover of Black Betty).
The three band members Mark Maher or "Kram" (drums and vocals), Damien Whitty or "Whitt" on guitar and Janet English on bass/vocals come from the small town Finley in southern New South Wales where they jammed together in their youth.
The band moved to Melbourne, Australia where Kram was studying at the Victorian College of the Arts School of Music. The band played its first gig at a loungeroom for a friend's party. The band soon became part of Melbourne's punk scene playing gigs at venues like the Tote Hotel in Collingwood, Victoria. They released their first single Circle K on Au-Go-Go Records with an EP titled P'tang Yang Kipper Bang Uh! following in 1992. The band's first album Shashavaglava was released in 1992. 'Shashavaglava' means 'dickhead' in Croatian. This album featured the songs Old Man Sam and a cover of English comedians The Goodies' song Run.
Spiderbait signed with Polydor Records and released their first album with the new label, their second album overall, named The Unfinished Spanish Galleon of Finley Lake in 1995. The album reached #14 on the Australian charts with singles Monty and Jesus receiving extensive airplay on Triple J. The album title refers to an unfinished project by the Finley Rotary Club, which became a venue for teenage drinking in their home town.
Their third album Ivy and the Big Apples was released in 1996, reached #3 and sold over 180,000 copies in Australia. Their first single Buy Me a Pony received extensive airplay on Triple J resulting in listeners voting it as their favourite song of the year. The second single Calypso also achieved commercial airplay, and reached #13 in the Australian singles charts in 1997.
In 1998, Janet English and her then boyfriend Quan Yeomans of Regurgitator recorded an album as Happyland. Around the same time, Kram and Richie Lewis of Tumbleweed released their own side-project the Hot Rollers - so named as both member's mothers were hairdressers. The Hot Rollers only album (self-titled) was released through Polydor.
Spiderbait returned together in 1999 with the album Grand Slam which also debuted at #10 on the Australian album charts.
Despite good airplay for the Grand Slam singles Shazam! and Stevie, their 2001 album The Flight of Wally Funk was a commercial flop, only selling 20,000 copies. The album was recorded in Whitt's living room.
Spiderbait recorded the Tonight Alright album in Los Angeles with producer Sylvia Massy who had worked with acts such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M., Tool, System of a Down and Skunk Anansie. The first single Black Betty was a cover version of the old Leadbelly song which became a hit in 1977 when covered by Ram Jam. The single reached #1 after 10 weeks in the singles chart in May 2004 (after debuting at #12), and stayed there for three weeks, becoming their biggest selling single ever. The film clip featured a hot rod similar to the car on the ZZ Top Eliminator. The song also made the soundtrack to the Electronic Arts video game Need for Speed: Underground 2. Tonight Alright was released on 28 March 2004, and debuted and peaked at #14. The second single Fucken Awesome debuted in the top 30 on June 28 2004. Interscope Records signed the band in 2004 to distribute Tonight Alright in the US and UK.
At the 2004 ARIA awards, Kram performed as part of the supergroup The Wrights, featuring members of many other Australian rock bands.
In September 2005 they released a Greatest Hits collection to reveal their back catalogue to younger fans who were caught up by Black Betty. This debuted at #6 and received a Gold Accreditation.
The band went on hiatus March 2005 after bassist Janet English gave birth to her daughter and planned a cycling tour across Europe. More recently Kram had announced plans of a solo album to be released sometime in 2006. On 18 November 2006 the band performed at the Queensland Council of Unions organised Rock the Vote! concert in Brisbane after a nine month hiatus from touring.
The band recorded a cover of "Ghost Riders in the Sky" as the main theme for the film Ghost Rider (2007), starring Nicolas Cage. A small excerpt is played during the film, and then in its entirety as the first song when the credits roll. The band's song "Glokenpop" is featured in the 2009 game LittleBigPlanet for the PlayStation Portable. Kram released his debut solo album, Mix Tape, in March 2009. In 2010, Magnapop's album Chase Park featured a cover of Spiderbait's song "Jesus" from The Unfinished Spanish Galleon of Finley Lake. In December of that year, they supported Guns N' Roses at a Sydney gig. The band recorded a cover of "Rock-a-Bye Your Bear" for the compilation ReWiggled - A Tribute to the Wiggles.[41]
2013–present: End of hiatus and self-titled album
In an interview with Triple J in February 2013, Kram announced that Spiderbait were in the studio, working on their first album in seven years, saying "We're doing a new record and we're about halfway through. We're just writing demos at the moment and it's coming along well. We're back in our Motorhead and Metallica metal phase—I'm all double kick at the moment."
The self-titled album, Spiderbait, was released on 15 November 2013. The band played a gig on the same day, for the opening night of the Jam Gallery, a new music venue in Bondi Junction.
On 11 March 2022, the band released "My Car's a A UFO", their first new song in nine years. The song was initially recorded for their fifth album, The Flight of Wally Funk and is the lead single from the band's third compilation album, 'Sounds in the Key of J, scheduled for released on 8 April 2022.
Studio Discography
Shashavaglava (1993)
The Unfinished Spanish Galleon of Finley Lake (1995)
Ivy and the Big Apples (1996)
Grand Slam (1999)
The Flight of Wally Funk (2001)
Tonight Alright (2004)
Spiderbait (2013)
Arse Huggin' Pants
Spiderbait Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I heard there′s people half undressed;
Poor and sick no credit card
They can't afford the cover charge;
How can i think once my butt starts to wriggle in time;
All of my cares and my thoughts just go out of my mind;
I hit the dance floor with faintly familiar songs,
We've got to do something for all the poor;
What we need now is an ambassador;
We'll send them Kylie to teach them to dance;
And maybe whip up some arse hugging pants;
How can they think once their butts starts to wriggle in time?
All of their cares and their thoughts just go out of their mind;
They′ll hit the dance floor with faintly familiar songs,
They′re counting the calories.
We should go out to the refugee camps;
And turn them into hot discotheques;
All of the people will then hear the call;
All of the world under one mirror ball;
How can they think once their butts starts to wriggle in time?
All of their cares and their thoughts just go out of their mind;
They'll hit the dance floor with faintly familiar songs,
They′re counting the calories.
Arse huggin' pants
Put on arse huggin′ pants
Arse huggin' pants
Put on arse huggin′ pants
Arse huggin' pants
Put on arse huggin' pants
The song "Arse Huggin' Pants" by Spiderbait is a lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek critique of the way we tend to forget about the struggles of poverty and ill-health once we hit the dance floor. The singer acknowledges that there are people in the world who can't even afford the cover charge to get into the club, and yet once they start dancing, all their troubles melt away. The singer suggests that we need to do something for these people, and proposes sending Kylie Minogue as an ambassador to teach them to dance and make arse-hugging pants. The idea is that if we can get everyone dancing, maybe we can forget about the world's troubles for a little while and come together under one mirror ball.
Throughout the song, the singer repeats the phrase "how can they think once their butts start to wriggle in time?" This is a reflection of the idea that dancing is a form of escapism, a way to forget about the problems of the world and just let loose for a little while. The chorus, which is simply the repeated phrase "arse huggin' pants", plays into the idea that looking good on the dance floor is more important than anything else.
Overall, "Arse Huggin' Pants" is a humorous song that pokes fun at our tendency to get caught up in the moment and forget about the world's problems. It suggests that if we can all just come together and dance, we might be able to bridge the gap between rich and poor, healthy and sick, and forget about our differences for a little while.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday i got so stressed
I had a rough day
I heard there's people half undressed;
I became aware of people in need
Poor and sick no credit card
Those in need lack the means to access entertainment
They can't afford the cover charge;
They cannot pay the entry fee to clubs
How can i think once my butt starts to wriggle in time;
I become absorbed in the music and dancing
All of my cares and my thoughts just go out of my mind;
I forget my problems
I hit the dance floor with faintly familiar songs,
I enjoy the music and become fully immersed in dancing
I'm counting the calories.
I am also conscious of the health benefits of dancing
We've got to do something for all the poor;
There is a need to help those in need
What we need now is an ambassador;
Someone who can inspire and lead others in helping those in need
We'll send them Kylie to teach them to dance;
A popular celebrity can help draw attention to the cause through dancing
And maybe whip up some arse hugging pants;
Stylish clothes can add to the enjoyment of dancing
How can they think once their butts starts to wriggle in time?
People become absorbed in the music and dancing
All of their cares and their thoughts just go out of their mind;
Dancing helps them forget their problems
They'll hit the dance floor with faintly familiar songs,
They will enjoy the music and fully immerse in dancing
They're counting the calories.
They are also conscious of the health benefits of dancing
We should go out to the refugee camps;
There is a need to help those in refugee camps
And turn them into hot discotheques;
Creating a fun and enjoyable environment can help uplift the refugee camp residents
All of the people will then hear the call;
The music and dancing can bring together people from different backgrounds
All of the world under one mirror ball;
Music and dancing can unite people from all over the world
Arse huggin' pants
Fitting clothes can further enhance the dance experience
Put on arse huggin' pants
Encouraging people to dress well and enjoy themselves
Arse huggin' pants
Stylish clothes can elevate the dance experience
Put on arse huggin' pants
Emphasis on dressing up for a fun and enjoyable experience
Arse huggin' pants
Stylish and fitting clothes can add to the enjoyment of dancing
Writer(s): Janet English, Damian Whitty, Mark Maher
Contributed by Adrian M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alta Regofortrolling
Hands up if Maday's featuring of aviation expert Wally Funk lead you here!