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)
As Long As We Beat The English
Stereophonics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We don't wanna be your enemy,
But when we're on the field,
It's red, white and green,
Get beat by the Irish,
Get beat by the Scots,
But you're the one we want,
We want...
As long as we beat the English,
As long as we beat the English,
As long as we beat the English, we don't care
As long as we beat the English,
As long as we beat the English,
As long as we beat the English, we don't care
We don't care
The lyrics of Stereophonics' song As Long As We Beat The English reflect the very essence of the popular British sport rivalry between England and other nations such as Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and France. The singer of the song is addressing the English team and is clear in his intentions - they do not want to be enemies but on the field, it's all about the colors of their respective flags. The Irish may beat them, the Scots may do well, and the French may struggle, but in the end, it's a victory over the English that they yearn for.
Through these words, the songwriter taps into the passionate love for sports, national pride, and competitiveness. The lyrics echo a common sentiment of fans and athletes alike that winning over the English is a significant achievement worth pursuing. The use of repetition in the chorus drives home the point that nothing else matters as long as they beat the English.
The song does not promote hatred or malice towards the English but instead taps into the energy and vigor of sportsmanship. It stands as a testament to the beautiful game, the thrill of the competition, and the joy of victory.
Line by Line Meaning
We don't wanna be your enemy,
We don't want to have a hostile relationship with you,
But when we're on the field,
But when we are playing a game,
It's red, white and green,
The colors we wear represent our country (Wales).
Get beat by the Irish,
If we lose to the Irish team,
Get beat by the Scots,
If we lose to the Scottish team,
The French ought'ta struggle,
The French team may have a hard time winning against us,
But you're the one we want,
But it is the English team we want to beat the most,
We want...
We have a strong desire to beat the English team.
As long as we beat the English,
As long as we win against the English team,
As long as we beat the English,
As long as we win against the English team,
As long as we beat the English, we don't care
We don't care about any other results as long as we beat the English team.
As long as we beat the English,
As long as we win against the English team,
As long as we beat the English,
As long as we win against the English team,
As long as we beat the English, we don't care
We don't care about any other results as long as we beat the English team.
We don't care
Our focus is solely on beating the English team, nothing else matters.
Contributed by Cooper R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.