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)
Hey
Spiderbait Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Giris just wanna have fun fan oh yeah!
HEY! Everybody come on! Let's make noise hard overnight!
Giris just wanna have fun fan oh yeah!
minna de koe no boryuumu o agete sagete katarau
hisabisa atsumaru Home itsumo no kaobure
mochiron kyou no tokoro wa kinku nante nashi
All night long all night sonna nori de saku konya
All night long all night saikou ne Drinkin' weekend
HEY! Giris Taiking Night atsuku esukareeto shite fun fan yeah!
himitsu darake no Show Time
HEY! Giris Talking Night konya dare ga kakaeteru?
nemurasenai shougeki no Word EXCITE!
korinai tsukinai koibana uwasa ni jinsei soudan hito ichi bai ni nayamu seikaku no kanojo
mayou na hora jibun nanka sagashi ni ikou to shinakute mo ii
datte soko ni arunda kara
Allght it's alight arinomama de juubun
Alight it's alight asetta tte Nothing gonna change
HEY! Girls Talking Night tekisetsu na adobaisu de fun fan yeah! kagayaite ikou
HEY! Giris Tafking Night koukai wa shinai you ni mamoru mono wa kono te no naka
me o mireba sugu wakaru sonna onna doushi kitto kareshi yori mo unto
yowami tsukamareteru donna toki mo itsu demo mikata wa Girl Friends
Always so always korekara mo kawaranai
Always so always taisetsuna Best Girl Friends
HEY! Girls Talking Night ikkini nagusame atte fun fan yeah! koko kara ganbarou
HEY! Girls Talking Night asa no kaze kanjiru toki ame wa itsumo agatte iru It's FINE!
The lyrics of Spiderbait's "Hey" highlight the fun-loving and carefree nature of girls who just want to have a good time. The invitation to join in the "private party" is supported by a call for everyone to raise their voices and make some noise. The song describes what it is like to be with these girls at their gathering - faces full of happiness and senseless chatter, where there's no room for stress or restrictions.
The verses of the song mention that the group is not interested in anything kinky today and their conversation is all about deep talking and valuable sharing. However, when it is time to unwind, they let loose with all-night drinking and having fun together. The bridge of the song brings up the common struggles of women in love and relationships, encouraging listeners to focus on themselves and find happiness within. The chorus assures that these girls are always there for each other, to have fun and to support one another through thick and thin.
Overall, the song encourages listeners to let go of their worries and join the girls' party - the perfect escape from the stresses of everyday life.
Line by Line Meaning
HEY! Everybody come on! Let's begin the private party?
Inviting everyone to join a party among themselves.
Giris just wanna have fun fan oh yeah!
Girls just want to enjoy and have fun.
HEY! Everybody come on! Let's make noise hard overnight!
Asking everyone to create a loud sound and party all night.
minna de koe no boryuumu o agete sagete katarau
Everyone talking over each other creating a noisy conversation.
hisabisa atsumaru Home itsumo no kaobure
Gathering in a comfortable place in a familiar environment.
mochiron kyou no tokoro wa kinku nante nashi
Of course, there is no kinkiness in tonight's place.
Deep na Talking kudaranai koto mo daiji
Having deep and meaningful conversations about things that matter.
All night long all night sonna nori de saku konya
This trend will continue all night long and we are excited.
All night long all night saikou ne Drinkin' weekend
Drinking throughout the night, the best way to spend the weekend.
HEY! Giris Taiking Night atsuku esukareeto shite fun fan yeah!
Girls are having a hot and exciting talk night.
himitsu darake no Show Time
A secret-filled show time.
HEY! Giris Talking Night konya dare ga kakaeteru?
Who's carrying the conversation tonight?
nemurasenai shougeki no Word EXCITE!
Exciting, sleep-shattering words being said.
korinai tsukinai koibana uwasa ni jinsei soudan hito ichi bai ni nayamu seikaku no kanojo
A boyfriend being worried about his girlfriend due to rumors and anxious about her personality.
mayou na hora jibun nanka sagashi ni ikou to shinakute mo ii
It doesn't matter if you are lost, let's search for who you actually are.
datte soko ni arunda kara
Because it's right there within yourself.
Allght it's alight arinomama de juubun
It is alright, be yourself and enjoy to the fullest.
Alight it's alight asetta tte Nothing gonna change
It is still alright, even if there is no progress, things will remain the same.
HEY! Girls Talking Night tekisetsu na adobaisu de fun fan yeah! kagayaite ikou
Girls talking tonight, shining with each other's unique character traits.
HEY! Giris Tafking Night koukai wa shinai you ni mamoru mono wa kono te no naka
Girls talking tonight, protecting what they have in their hands and not regretting their decisions.
me o mireba sugu wakaru sonna onna doushi kitto kareshi yori mo unto
Just by looking at their eyes, you can tell that girls are more empathetic than guys towards each other.
yowami tsukamareteru donna toki mo itsu demo mikata wa Girl Friends
Even during the weakest moments, girl friends are always there to support.
Always so always korekara mo kawaranai
Always, the same will continue from now on.
Always so always taisetsuna Best Girl Friends
Always, best girl friends are the most important.
HEY! Girls Talking Night ikkini nagusame atte fun fan yeah! koko kara ganbarou
Girls talking tonight, encouraging each other and having a good time.
HEY! Girls Talking Night asa no kaze kanjiru toki ame wa itsumo agatte iru It's FINE!
Girls talking tonight, feeling the morning breeze and rain always uplifts the mood. Everything is alright.
Contributed by Lucy Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Paul Rodsted
Love this album
Bob Motster
79 seconds of perfection.
L Mace
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Jacob Mosher-todd
Hey
Rainbow Pheanix
hey
Bob Motster
Oi