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)
Madam Helga
Stereophonics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've been out all night
You ain't got no sleep
I've been dancing in the hills
At a place I know
She said 'and that's the place
Where the fire flies glow'
Had to slap my white face
Pull my head from the clouds
And I kept
Buying and, lying and flying, relying and dying
To know what spins her world around
Good morning I missed ya
But ya bring me down
I saw an Indian roller
Today on the line
It was the forty eighth hour
We fought our forty eighth fight
Madame Helga's folly
Is where I spent last night
She's been married not once
Not twice, but three
And that's the livin' lovin' woman
I want me to be
There were pictures and paintings
Of freaks like me
So I drank with my devil
For my company
Had to slap my white face
Pull my head from my clouds
And I kept
Buying and, lying and flying, relying and dying
To know what spins her world around
Good morning I missed ya
But ya bringing me down
I saw an Indian roller
Today on the line
It was the forty eighth hour
We fought our forty eighth fight
Madame Helga's folly
Is where I spent last night
Good morning I missed ya
But ya bringing me down
I saw an Indian roller
Today on the line
It was the forty eighth hour
We fought our forty eighth fight
Madame Helga's folly
Is where I spent last night
"Madam Helga" is a song by the Welsh rock band, Stereophonics. The song depicts a man's encounter with a woman named Madame Helga, whom he visits frequently. The song starts with a conversation where Mary, the singer’s girlfriend, questions him about his whereabouts. He explains that he spent the night at Madame Helga's place dancing in the hills, where the fireflies glow. The singer seems to be fascinated with Madame Helga and doesn't hesitate to spend his money and time in her company, even though he is aware of the risks.
The lyrics suggest that Madame Helga is not your typical woman; she is married three times and lives an unconventional lifestyle, being surrounded by pictures and paintings of freaks. The singer refers to himself as a devil and drinks with it as his company. The song is a celebration of living life on the edge and taking risks, while also acknowledging the potential consequences of such behavior.
Overall, "Madam Helga" is an evocative song that tells a story of a man fascinated by a woman who lives life on the edge. The lyrics are ambiguous enough to leave room for interpretation, but they convey a sense of recklessness and desire.
Line by Line Meaning
Mary Mary where you been
Asking where Mary has been
You've been out all night
Noticing Mary has been out all night
You ain't got no sleep
Observing that Mary seems tired
I've been dancing in the hills
Explaining where the artist has been
At a place I know
Describing the location of the dance
She said 'and that's the place
Referring to someone's comments about the dance location
Where the fire flies glow'
Describing the beauty of the dance location
Had to slap my white face
Recognizing a need to return to reality
Pull my head from the clouds
Acknowledging a need to stop daydreaming
And I kept Buying and, lying and flying, relying and dying
Describing the attempt to understand a woman
To know what spins her world around
Describing a desire to understand someone better
Good morning I missed ya
Greeting someone after not seeing them
But ya bring me down
Feeling negative after seeing someone
I saw an Indian roller
Observing a bird
Today on the line
Describing where the bird was seen
It was the forty eighth hour
Describing a long duration of time
We fought our forty eighth fight
Referring to a long-standing argument
Madame Helga's folly
Describing a place where the singer spent time
Is where I spent last night
Describing where the singer was the previous night
She's been married not once
Referring to Madame Helga's past marriages
Not twice, but three
Emphasizing Madame Helga's multiple marriages
And that's the livin' lovin' woman
Describing Madame Helga as a passionate woman
I want me to be
Expressing a desire to be like Madame Helga
There were pictures and paintings Of freaks like me
Describing art in Madame Helga's place
So I drank with my devil For my company
Describing the singer's alone time with alcohol
Good morning I missed ya
Greeting someone again
But ya bringing me down
Feeling negative again
It was the forty eighth hour
Reiterating a long duration of time
We fought our forty eighth fight
Reiterating a long-standing argument
Madame Helga's folly
Reiterating where the singer was the previous night
Is where I spent last night
Reiterating that the singer was at Madame Helga's place
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KELLY JONES, RICHARD MARK JONES, STUART CABLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
me
Mary Mary where you been
You've been out all night
You ain't got no sleep
She said, "I've been dancing in the hills
At a place I know."
She said "And that's the place
Where the fireflies glow"
Had to slap my white face
Pull my head from the clouds
And I kept
Buying and, lying and flying, relying and dying
To know what spins her world around
Good morning I missed ya
But ya bringin' me down
I saw an Indian roller
Today on the line
It was the forty eighth hour
We fought our forty eighth fight
Madame Helga's folly
Is where I spent last night
She's been married not once
Not twice, but three
And that's the livin' lovin' woman
I want me to be
There were pictures and paintings
Of freaks like me
So I drank with my devil
For my company
Had to slap my white face
Pull my head from my clouds
And I kept
Buying and, lying and flying, relying and dying
To know what spins her world around
Good morning I missed ya
But ya bringing me down
I saw an Indian roller
Today on the line
It was the forty eighth hour
We fought our forty eighth fight
Madame Helga's folly
Is where I spent last night
Good morning I missed ya
But ya bringing me down
I saw an Indian roller
Today on the line
It was the forty eighth hour
We fought our forty eighth fight
Madame Helga's folly
Is where I spent last night
Gerald Gates
The most underrated Stereophonics song. Top draw this 👌🏼👌🏼
bloodfluke
For me, this has gotta be the Phonics most under-rated song, especially of the rockier songs. I can't understand why it's so unknown. Guess it must be timing, and the publicity, or lack of it. One great rock song becomes massivley popular, like 'Bar Tender...' yet another great rocky number can effectively slip under the radar, and go practically unnoticed.
Scruffy P
This was a single and a half when it came out though. XFM were pumping it lol
Gerald Gates
onepinkrose x Can't agree more I think it's a classic 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼
Gerald Gates
Absolute quality track has to be there most under rated song. In my eyes one of there greatest song 👌🏼👌🏼
me
Mary Mary where you been
You've been out all night
You ain't got no sleep
She said, "I've been dancing in the hills
At a place I know."
She said "And that's the place
Where the fireflies glow"
Had to slap my white face
Pull my head from the clouds
And I kept
Buying and, lying and flying, relying and dying
To know what spins her world around
Good morning I missed ya
But ya bringin' me down
I saw an Indian roller
Today on the line
It was the forty eighth hour
We fought our forty eighth fight
Madame Helga's folly
Is where I spent last night
She's been married not once
Not twice, but three
And that's the livin' lovin' woman
I want me to be
There were pictures and paintings
Of freaks like me
So I drank with my devil
For my company
Had to slap my white face
Pull my head from my clouds
And I kept
Buying and, lying and flying, relying and dying
To know what spins her world around
Good morning I missed ya
But ya bringing me down
I saw an Indian roller
Today on the line
It was the forty eighth hour
We fought our forty eighth fight
Madame Helga's folly
Is where I spent last night
Good morning I missed ya
But ya bringing me down
I saw an Indian roller
Today on the line
It was the forty eighth hour
We fought our forty eighth fight
Madame Helga's folly
Is where I spent last night
joshuatree989
¡qué canción tan prendida! No entiendo como es que Stereophonics no tenga el empuje comercial de otras bandas, apenas los descubrí, pareciera que estuviesen escondidos quién sabe dónde, sólo conocía "The Bartender and The Thief", de los noventas, pero ahora me he hecho su fan, desde que compré el DVD "Decade in the sun", se suponía que al comprar un DVD de los Smashing Pumkins, éste(de stereoph) vendría de regalo, pero ¡oh sorpresa!, el de regalo fue el de los Smashing, jajajja...
michelle 2003
absolutely brilliant rocking tune. should come with instructions, 'only to be played at full volume.'
Tom Rhys Davies
I love this song 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Frenchenstein555
Underrated for sure. Trying to get my band to play this. Wish me luck.