They were founded in 1990 by songwriters Tim Gane (guitar, keyboards), formerly of the band McCarthy, and Laetitia Sadier (sometimes credited as Seaya Sadier; vocals, keyboards, trombone, guitar), who is from France and sings in both English and French.
Over the years, Gane and Sadier have enlisted a large number of other musicians to accompany them on stage and on record. The initial line-up featured Martin Kean, formerly of The Chills, on bass, and Joe Dilworth (from their Too Pure label-mates Th’ Faith Healers) on drums, with Russell Yates (of Moose) and Mick Conroy (ex-Modern English) also appearing at early live shows. In 1993 they recruited Andy Ramsay (drums), who has remained in the group line-up ever since, and Mary Hansen (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion). Hansen’s distinctive backing vocals became an important aspect of the Stereolab sound, and she remained a regular feature of the line-up until her death in a cycling accident on December 9, 2002. Multi-instrumentalist Sean O’Hagan of The High Llamas has also been a frequent contributor, particularly with string, brass and keyboard arrangements to the band’s studio albums. John McEntire (Tortoise) has also contributed keyboard, electronic effects and studio help over the years. Other members have come and (in some cases) gone over the years, including Duncan Brown, Dave Pajo (from Tortoise), Richard Harrison and Simon Johns (all bass); Gina Morris (vocals); and Katharine Gifford and Morgane Lhote (both on keyboards).
Early Stereolab material displayed a heavy influence of krautrock sounds, particularly Neu! and Faust, characteristically relying on droning, repetitive guitar or keyboard riffs, with or without vocals. Early heavy use of distorted Farfisa combo-organ sounds were also reminiscent of early recordings by The Modern Lovers. As the band developed, they incorporated new instrumentation, and an increasingly complex sense of rhythm and structure, frequently making use of irregular time signatures as well as unorthodox chord progressions and melodic intervals. The band has often made copious use of female backing vocal lines.
Lyrically, Stereolab’s music is quirky (song titles evoke memories of 1950s science fiction stories, and are often borrowed directly from old films and records of the period, but have nothing to do with the song’s content), but highly politically and philosophically charged, sometimes with a decidedly Surrealist or Situationist bent. (Sadier notes the libertarian Marxist theoretician Cornelius Castoriadis as a particular inspiration.) Sadier’s lyrics, in both French and English, often read like highly condensed sociological texts, standing in deliberate and distinct counterpoint to the lush hedonic pop sound of the band. A prime example would be “Ping Pong” from Mars Audiac Quintet, which is an explicit restating of Marxist theory concerning the relationship between economic cycles and war cycles.
Stereolab earned a minor place in the Britpop movement, with their sound proving influential to bands like Blur: occasional keyboard-driven b-sides and singer Damon Albarn’s love of retro keyboards showed the influence, and in recognition Laetitia Sadier was invited to provide vocals on “To The End” from Parklife.
Despite the band’s fan base and critical acclaim, Stereolab has not achieved high levels of financial or popular success. On June 7, 2004, suits at the Warner Music label (to whom the band was signed in the U.S.) announced they were dropping Stereolab in response to the poor sales (40,000 to that date) of Margerine Eclipse. This was part of an ongoing effort by Warner to cut costs; The Breeders and Third Eye Blind were also dropped from the label for this reason. Laetitia Sadier is now also a member of Monade, which is essentially expressive of her own singular musical goals.
The Incredible He Woman
Stereolab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the second she grows a beard
In the third month her breasts fall off
The fourth month testicles appear
The fifth her penis shows it's face
In the sixth month grows a foreskin
It took nine months made evident
Experience, she gave it hands
In the seventh month, Christ's sandals grow on her
In the eighth month, her chest becomes transparent
In the ninth wounds appear as Christ is apparent
And then she was Christ
And Mary disappeared
The lyrics of this song are intriguing and might be confusing at first sight. However, they are reflective of a transformation process that takes place over nine months, which symbolizes the gestational period of a human fetus. The first verse depicts physical changes such as the growth of a mustache in the first month, which could symbolize a male characteristic. Then, the beard grows in the second month, and her gender becomes more apparent. During the third month, her breasts fall off, reflecting a more radical change in her anatomy. The fourth month is notable because testicles appear, indicating the completion of the transformation into a male. The fifth month is marked by the appearance of a penis, a natural outcome given the development of testicles. In the following month, a foreskin appears, which again symbolizes the final stage of the male-body transformation. In the last two verses, the transformation continues to her spiritual body, which is a reflection of the Christ-like character. In the seventh month, the transformation includes the growth of Christ's sandals, which symbolize Jesus' journey, as well as the spiritual transformation of Mary. The eighth month involves Mary's chest becoming transparent, reflecting her the death of the material self as she embraces her spiritual nature. It is in the ninth month that she experiences spiritual wounds that simulate the wounds of Christ, signifying a transformation that leads to spiritual awakening. Finally, Mary disappears, and the Christ-like being emerges.
The song is a beautiful reflection of transformation and self-discovery that culminates in a spiritual awakening. It is not immediately evocative of any specific spiritual or religious beliefs but can be considered as a general cultural statement that is applicable to all spiritual beliefs. Interestingly, the song is an avant-garde production of the French band Stereolab, which borrows from various musical genres, including krautrock, space rock, and avant-pop. It is fascinating how the lyrics are portrayed, with music that features retro-futuristic synth sounds, rhythm guitars, and an almost-tribal drumbeat. This song might inspire the listener to ponder the possibilities of transformation and self-discovery, leading to a broader perspective of possibilities.
Line by Line Meaning
Month one Mary grows a mustache
Mary begins to develop typically male physical characteristics, starting with the growth of facial hair.
In the second she grows a beard
Mary's masculine traits continue to develop as she grows a full beard in the second month.
In the third month her breasts fall off
Mary's female attributes begin to disappear, as she loses her breasts in the third month.
The fourth month testicles appear
Mary's transformation becomes even more pronounced as she develops male genitalia in the form of testicles.
The fifth her penis shows it's face
Mary's male physiology continues to manifest, as her penis becomes visible in the fifth month.
In the sixth month grows a foreskin
Mary's penis develops even further, as she grows a foreskin in the sixth month.
It took nine months made evident
The transformation from Mary to He Woman took a full nine months to complete.
Experience, she gave it hands
Mary's transformation was a full sensory experience, as she could feel it happening with her own hands.
In the seventh month, Christ's sandals grow on her
As Mary's physical transformation continues, she begins to take on attributes associated with Christ or other religious figures.
In the eighth month, her chest becomes transparent
Mary's physical body becomes more ethereal and less grounded in the physical realm, as her chest becomes see-through or transparent.
In the ninth wounds appear as Christ is apparent
Mary's transformation culminates in a bodily manifestation of the suffering associated with Christ and his crucifixion.
And then she was Christ
Mary's transformation into a He Woman culminates in a spiritual metamorphosis as she becomes one with Christ.
And Mary disappeared
Mary's transformation was so complete that her former identity as Mary disappears entirely.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LAETITIA SADIER, TIMOTHY JOHN GANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David
This song has many levels of meaning, the psychological nature of which drives deep into the heart of the very human condition of all our own lives. Freud would cry infantile fantasy, unable to understand the shamelessness of accepting the responsibility of honoring the truth of our psyche, and even celebrating it with such a bombastic song. The last lines are a wonderful gift, aknowledging with gratitude that the very source from which all turmoil arises is, itself, the key to our enlightenment, liberation, and transcendence.
Interesting to note that a fetus will only develope male sex if testosterone is present to chemically alter the default progression of female developement. So, Chist Himself was female...while he was still an egg, before a particular sperm fertilized it.
Life is a paradox.
Marlen Bustillos
🙌🏼
MB
One of the most beautiful songs of all time.
Sebban Fabrice
I agree great song great band
Carlos Buchan
Esta canción es mi último gran descubrimiento del Aluminum Tunes. La había oído ya desde hace algo más de un año, pero después de caer absorto durante algún tiempo con canciones como "Seeperbold" o "Check and Double Check" apenas caigo de lleno en esta gema. ¡Es de una belleza que solo es capaz de lograr Stereolab! ¡La melodía es perfecta, como esculpida!
Bruisewillies
This tune always nearly brought me to tears every time I heard it. After nearly 20 years, I've had a daughter and it still works lyrically.
sbrute66
I could listen to this over and over and over. I'm a huge Stereolab fan since the early 90's but I have missed out on a lot of their music between now and then. Finding this song really helps me out. Thanks for posting it!
Captain Easychord
This was originally released as an exclusive 45rpm single during their "Dots & Loops" tour in late 1997-early 1998. The single had the song fade in gradually, whereas on Aluminum Tunes, it began at full volume.
Jeffrey Wilson
Classic group.The style and sound is really unique.Puts people in another realm of life.Timeless.The lyrics are biazzare....well read the lyrics.The production is Superior,I give it a ten..the production.Peace#25
Fariz Kovalchuk
The Incredible He Woman!!!!!!!!! Love this song and the meaning!