Stereophonics is a Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman… Read Full Bio ↴Stereophonics is a Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley, Wales. The band consists of Kelly Jones (lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Richard Jones (bass guitar, harmonica, backing vocals), Adam Zindani (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Jamie Morrison (drums, percussion) and touring member Tony Kirkham (keyboards). The group previously included Stuart Cable (1992–2003) and then Javier Weyler (2004–2012) on drums. Stereophonics have released twelve studio albums, including eight UK number one albums. A successful compilation album, Decade in the Sun, was released in November 2008 and charted at number two on the UK Album Chart.

Described as "classic UK rock delivered with whiskey vocals", the band have been summarised as possessing a sound akin to the genres of alternative rock and "British traditional rock". Stereophonics' debut album, Word Gets Around, was released in August 1997 and charted at number six in the UK, aided by the singles "Local Boy in the Photograph", "More Life in a Tramps Vest" and "A Thousand Trees". The band reached mainstream success with the release of Performance and Cocktails (and its promotional singles "The Bartender and the Thief", "Just Looking" and "Pick a Part That's New") in 1999 and have achieved a total of ten top-ten singles as well as one number one: "Dakota" (2005). Having sold around 10 million copies worldwide by 2016, Stereophonics are one of the most successful Welsh rock acts. Upon their release of Pull the Pin, they achieved five consecutive UK number one albums.

The band have also been praised for their live performances, which have landed them headlining slots at many of the UK and Ireland's most high-profile music festivals, including Reading and Leeds in 2000, Glastonbury in 2002, V Festival in 2002, the Isle of Wight in 2004 and 2009, Oxegen in 2010, Tramlines Festival and TRNSMT in 2018, and Latitude in 2019. The band is part of the Cardiff music scene.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereophonics

Studio albums
Word Gets Around (1997)
Performance and Cocktails (1999)
Just Enough Education to Perform (2001)
You Gotta Go There to Come Back (2003)
Language. Sex. Violence. Other? (2005)
Pull the Pin (2007)
Keep Calm and Carry On (2009)
Graffiti on the Train (2013)
Keep the Village Alive (2015)
Scream Above the Sounds (2017)
Kind (2019)
Oochya! (2022)

09. I stopped to fill my car up
Stereophonics Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I stopped to fill my car up
The car felt good that day
I didn't know where I was going
But it felt good for a change
A five and a pocket full of silver
I paid the lady no change
And then it started to piss down
I started driving again

And then I looked up
And looked in the mirror behind me
A man round forty in the back seat
Must have stepped in when I was empty
So why's he sat there just waiting
Likely to smash my face in
He had a bag full of money
He said 'just drive me away'
I didn't know where I was going
Yet it felt good to be strange
And still I look up
And look in the mirror behind me
Curiosity is over
He stepped down from the car
He pulled a gun from his jacket
Said I was going to die
It gives me so much satisfaction
To watch you beg and cry
Well I just made up this story
To get your attention makes me smile

I never looked up or looked
In the mirror behind me

Overall Meaning

The song "I Stopped to Fill My Car Up" by Stereophonics is a narrative of a casual drive that turns into a frightening experience. It begins with the singer stopping to fuel his car and continues to narrate how he picks up an unknown man on the way, who turns out to be a dangerous criminal. The song's opening verse portrays the singer's sense of aimlessness and freedom as he stops to fill his car with petrol. He feels good, but he is uncertain about where he is headed. However, when he encounters the stranger, his freedom turns into a nightmare. The strange man approaches him from the back seat, and after a brief exchange, he reveals that he is armed and intends to kill him.

The lyrics of the song convey a sense of insecurity and danger that can arise unexpectedly in life. Despite feeling in control at the start of his journey, the singer has no power when faced with the criminal. The chorus of the song allows the listener to be fully immersed in the story while building suspense. The song is a good example of Stereophonics' distinctive style of songwriting, which often explores the darker side of human existence. The song uses metaphors and vivid imagery to create a sense of foreboding, such as the contrast between the singer feeling "good" and the rain "pissing down."

Line by Line Meaning

I stopped to fill my car up
I stopped at a petrol station to refuel my car

The car felt good that day
I was pleased with my car that day

I didn't know where I was going
I didn't have a specific destination in mind

But it felt good for a change
It was a nice change of pace for me to not have a destination

A five and a pocket full of silver
I paid for my fuel with a five pound note and some small change

I paid the lady no change
I didn't receive any change from the cashier

And then it started to piss down
It started raining heavily

I started driving again
I got back in the car and started driving

And then I looked up
I glanced upwards

And looked in the mirror behind me
I checked the rearview mirror

A man round forty in the back seat
I noticed a man in his forties sitting in the back seat

Must have stepped in when I was empty
He likely got in the car when I wasn't looking

So why's he sat there just waiting
I wondered why he was just sitting there waiting

Likely to smash my face in
I feared that he may be a threat to me

He had a bag full of money
I noticed that he had a bag full of money with him

He said 'just drive me away'
He instructed me to take him away in my car

Yet it felt good to be strange
Despite the strange and dangerous situation, I felt a sense of excitement

Curiosity is over
My curiosity about the stranger had come to an end

He stepped down from the car
The stranger got out of my car

He pulled a gun from his jacket
The stranger produced a gun from his jacket

Said I was going to die
He threatened to kill me

It gives me so much satisfaction
The stranger found pleasure in terrifying me

To watch you beg and cry
He enjoyed seeing my fear and desperation

Well I just made up this story
The events described in this song are entirely fictitious

To get your attention makes me smile
The purpose of this song was to entertain and capture the listener's imagination

I never looked up or looked
In reality, there was no stranger in my car and I never looked in the rearview mirror

In the mirror behind me
It was all just a story I made up

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KELLY JONES, RICHARD MARK JONES, STUART CABLE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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- Lyrics -

I stopped to fill my car up
The car felt good that day
I didn't know where I was going
But it felt good for a change
A five and a pocket full of silver
I paid the lady no change
And then it started to piss down
I started driving again
And then I looked up
And looked in the mirror behind me
A man round forty in the back seat
Must have stepped in when I was empty
So why's he sat there just waiting
Likely to smash my face in
He had a bag full of money
He said 'just drive me away'
I didn't know where I was going
Yet it felt good to be strange
And still I look up
And look in the mirror behind me
Curiosity is over
He stepped down from the car
He pulled a gun from his jacket
Said I was going to die
It gives me so much satisfaction
To watch you beg and cry
Well I just made up this story
To get your attention makes me smile
I never looked up or looked
In the mirror behind me