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)
Black Betty
Spiderbait Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Black Betty had a child, bam-ba-lam
Damn thing gone wild, bam-ba-lam
She's always ready, bam-ba-lam
She's all rock steady, bam-ba-lam
Whoa Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Yeah Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Alright
Whoa Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Go Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Yo really gets me high, bam-ba-lam
Yeah that's no lie, bam-ba-lam
She's always ready, bam-ba-lam
She's all rock steady, bam-ba-lam
Whoa Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Yeah Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Yeah
Oh yeah, oh right [Repeat: x3]
Hey-eh-eh-eh
Whoa Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Go Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
She's from Birmingham, bam-ba-lam
Way down in Alabam', bam-ba-lam
Black Betty had a child, bam-ba-lam
Damn thing gone wild, bam-ba-lam
Whoa Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Yeah Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Oh yeah
Oh right
Oh yeah [Repeat: x1]
The song "Black Betty" by Spiderbait is a rendition of an old African-American folk song that has been covered by many artists over the years. The song has a catchy tune and a repetitive chorus, but the lyrics are somewhat cryptic and open to interpretation. The song is named after the singer of the story, Black Betty, a woman who seems to be tough and always ready for anything.
The first verse of the song describes Black Betty as a woman who had a child that has gone wild. The next two lines suggest that Black Betty herself is always ready and all rock steady, implying that she is a tough and independent woman who can handle anything that comes her way. The chorus repeats the phrase "Whoa Black Betty, bam-ba-lam / Yeah Black Betty, bam-ba-lam" four times, emphasizing the importance of this woman in the story.
The second verse of the song suggests that Black Betty is somehow associated with getting high, although it's not entirely clear what that means. The final verse mentions that Black Betty is from Birmingham, Alabama, and that her child has gone wild. The song concludes with another repetition of the chorus, leaving the listener to wonder what exactly Black Betty represents.
Line by Line Meaning
Whoa Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
The singer exclaims Black Betty's name.
Yeah Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
The singer repeats Black Betty's name with affirmation.
Black Betty had a child, bam-ba-lam
Black Betty gave birth to a child.
Damn thing gone wild, bam-ba-lam
The child is now out of control.
She's always ready, bam-ba-lam
Black Betty is always prepared and willing.
She's all rock steady, bam-ba-lam
Black Betty is steady and reliable.
Go Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
The singer motivates Black Betty.
Yo really gets me high, bam-ba-lam
Black Betty's presence excites the singer.
Yeah that's no lie, bam-ba-lam
The singer emphasizes that Black Betty does, in fact, make them feel good.
She's from Birmingham, bam-ba-lam
Black Betty is from Birmingham, Alabama.
Way down in Alabam', bam-ba-lam
Birmingham is located in southern Alabama.
Oh yeah, oh right
The singer expresses agreement and enthusiasm.
Hey-eh-eh-eh
An expressive vocalization.
Oh yeah [Repeat: x1]
The singer repeats their agreement and enthusiasm.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Huddie Ledbetter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rogal Dorn
Rogal Dorn approves