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)
On My Way
Spiderbait Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
honey, you've been wastin' your time,
Keep tryin' to get me, get me towin' the line
I've been goin' out, all night long,
Can't even get me, on the telephone.
Just wanna stay a little longer now,
I'm on my way. (oh yeah, come on)
just take a load off, this time,
I'll be comin' back, to be with you tonight.
Don't you know baby, I'm in love,
when I'll be drinkin' now,
And you'll be thinkin' now,
That I'm no good, and I'm
I'm never comin' back.
I'm on my way, honey you don't have to drive me home,
Just wanna stay a little longer,
I'm on my way (oh yeah, alright)
(alright now baby, alright now baby, yeah, come on!)
(oh yeah, right now)
want you together with me,
Just not the same alone, you know it's meant to be,
Honey I've been lovin' our time,
so come one over now, lets get together now
Just you and me now baby, just you and me now.
now I'm on my way, honey you don't have to drive me home,
Just wanna stay a little longer,
I'm on my way. (oh yeah, alright, its alright now, oh yeah, ooh come on)
let's do the talkin' now,
Come on I'll tell ya how,
Let's get together now,
Just you and me now, now.
Let's do the talkin' now,
Come on I'll tell ya how,
Let's get together now,
Just you and me now baby
On my way
Spiderbait's song "On My Way" is a song about a man who is not ready to settle down in his relationship. The man is telling his partner that she has been wasting her time trying to get him to commit to a more serious relationship. He has been going out all night and cannot even be reached on the phone. However, the man is not completely heartless, and he does acknowledge that he is in love. Though, when he drinks, he knows his partner thinks he is no good, and he is afraid she may never want him back.
Throughout the lyrics, it is evident that the man enjoys the time he spends with his partner but that he is not yet ready to fully commit. He acknowledges that they are meant to be together, but he is not quite ready to be with her all the time. He wants to stay out a little longer and live his life, but he still loves her, and he will come back to her tonight.
The chorus of the song, "On my way, honey, you don't have to drive me home, just wanna stay a little longer now, I'm on my way," reiterates the man's sentiment that he is not ready to leave just yet. He wants to stay out a little longer and enjoy his freedom before returning home to his partner.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh yeah,
Excitement and enthusiasm for the situation.
honey, you've been wastin' your time,
The singer believes that the person has been trying too hard to win their affections.
Keep tryin' to get me, get me towin' the line
Despite the person's efforts, the singer has not been impressed.
I've been goin' out, all night long,
The artist has been out partying and enjoying themselves.
Can't even get me, on the telephone.
The person has been unable to reach the artist by phone.
on my way, honey you don't have to drive me home,
The singer is leaving but they don't need a ride.
Just wanna stay a little longer now,
Even though they're leaving, the singer wants to stay a bit more.
just take a load off, this time,
The artist wants the person to relax and not stress about their departure.
I'll be comin' back, to be with you tonight.
Although they're leaving now, the artist plans to come back and be with the person later.
Don't you know baby, I'm in love,
The artist is in love with the person they're leaving.
when I'll be drinkin' now,
The singer plans to drink later.
And you'll be thinkin' now,
The person will be thinking about the artist.
That I'm no good, and I'm
The person might doubt the singer's intentions.
I'm never comin' back.
The singer is not gone forever but for a little while.
want you together with me,
The singer wants to spend time with the person they're leaving.
Just not the same alone, you know it's meant to be,
The artist believes that they are meant to be together.
Honey I've been lovin' our time,
The artist has enjoyed the time they've spent with the person they're leaving.
so come one over now, lets get together now
The singer plans to reunite with the person later.
now I'm on my way, honey you don't have to drive me home,
The singer is definitely leaving but doesn't need assistance.
let's do the talkin' now,
The artist wants to have a conversation.
Come on I'll tell ya how,
The artist is ready to explain their feelings.
Just you and me now, now.
The conversation should only involve the artist and the person they're talking to.
Let's get together now,
The singer wants to get back together with the person.
Just you and me now baby,
The artist only wants to be with the person they're addressing.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, O/B/O DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Robbieboy1976
How timeless are Spiderbait?! If they hit the scene now they'd be huge still... great mix of rock and punky tunes - amazing talent.
@cilkandmookies
Saw these guys on Sunday. They are as awesome as ever.
@Halfdragon
Sick artwork, and just as sick song freaking awesome!
@dudleyparkglscene336
Love the Tumbleweed shirt. Great Aussie band. On my way. Very cool song.
@dddaaallleeeyyy
my favorite song for the next few days
@gypsy8961
Why am I just now hearing this? It's fuckin awesome!
@BRAN_BOSS
I can’t get cram on the telephone to say that I love this song
@nellocrxspeed
0:33 DH;ZK 0:55 PK 1:28 KCM 2:09PS;LB 2:30 IK 2:35DV 2:42 DD
@radowid9445
I tym sposobem laska z okładki Mistrza Gry 2 Neuroshoma się załapała :)
@TheCha0sC0ntr0ller
fuckin love it