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)
Madame Helga
Stereophonics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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"
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
The chorus of "Madame Helga" repeats the phrase "Good morning, I missed ya, but ya bringin' me down" twice, but it's not until the verses that we begin to get a sense of who this "ya" is. Singer Kelly Jones tells the story of Mary, who has spent a night dancing in the hills at a mystical place where fireflies glow. He's curious about what could make her do such a thing, but also discouraged by her seeming lack of interest in him. He's not the only one pining after someone, as Madame Helga - a woman who's been married several times and surrounded by pictures of "freaks like me" - has become a sort of refuge for him. The chorus becomes a sort of refrain throughout, with Jones describing a moment of beauty - the sighting of an Indian roller, a bird known for its blue and purple feathers - after yet another argument with Mary.
The song is ripe for interpretation, but at its core, it seems to be about the hold certain people or places can have on us. Mary is drawn to the hills and the glow of the fireflies, while Jones is drawn to Madame Helga and the comfort he finds in her world of "freaks." Yet he's also aware that these people/places are not the cure for his problems - hence the chorus, which shifts from being wistful to almost accusatory. It's these contradictions that make "Madame Helga" a compelling listen - and proof that even simple lyrics can tell complex stories.
Line by Line Meaning
Mary Mary where you been
Asking where Mary has been
You've been out all night
Obvious statement that Mary has been out all night
You ain't got no sleep
Mary has not gotten any sleep
She said, "I've been dancing in the hills At a place I know."
Mary explains that she has been dancing in a specific place in the hills
She said "And that's the place Where the fireflies glow"
Mary elaborates on the place she was dancing and notes that the fireflies there are special
Had to slap my white face Pull my head from the clouds
The singer had to snap out of his daze to focus on reality after hearing Mary's explanation
And I kept Buying and, lying and flying, relying and dying To know what spins her world around
The singer is constantly trying to understand Mary's world and what makes her happy, while engaging in destructive behavior as a result
Good morning I missed ya But ya bringin' me down
The singer missed Mary, but now her behavior is frustrating him
I saw an Indian roller Today on the line
The singer saw a type of bird called an Indian roller while out
It was the forty eighth hour We fought our forty eighth fight
The singer and Mary have had many fights and this is the 48th one
Madame Helga's folly Is where I spent last night
The singer spent the night at a place called Madame Helga's folly
She's been married not once Not twice, but three
Mary has been married three times
And that's the livin' lovin' woman I want me to be
Despite her tumultuous life, the singer still wants to be like Mary because she embodies living and loving
There were pictures and paintings Of freaks like me
Madame Helga's folly had artwork depicting people like the singer, or "freaks"
So I drank with my devil For my company
The singer drank while surrounded by the "freaky" artwork, essentially keeping bad company for the night
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.