Early years
Prior to becoming Stiff Little Fingers, Jake Burns, vocals and guitar, Henry Cluney, guitar, Gordon Blair, bass, and Brian Faloon, drums, were playing in a rock music cover band, Highway Star, in Belfast. Upon the departure of Gordon Blair (who went on to play with another Belfast group, Rudi), Ali McMordie took over on bass. Cluney had by this time discovered punk, and introduced the rest of the band to it. They decided that Highway Star wasn't a punk enough name, and after a brief flirtation with the name "The Fast", decided to call themselves Stiff Little Fingers, after the Vibrators song of the same name.
It was while they were doing a gig at the Glenmachan Hotel that they met up with Gordon Ogilvie, who was a Marxist journalist with the Daily Express newspaper, invited along for the evening by Colin McClelland, another journalist, with whom Jake had been corresponding.
Ogilvie suggested they play material based upon their experience of the Troubles. McClelland arranged to get the band some recording time at a local radio station, and in the studio normally used to record jingles, they recorded "Suspect Device". The single was packaged in the form of a cassette, with a cover depicting a cassette bomb, apparently causing great hilarity in the group, when one record company phoned them and asked for another copy, as they'd thrown the first one in a bucket of water for fear that it was a real bomb.
A copy of the single was sent to John Peel. He played it repeatedly leading to a distribution deal through Rough Trade. The single was released on the band's own Rigid Digits label and sold over 30,000 copies. Peel would later do the same with the first single by another famous Northern Irish band, The Undertones. There were a number of well-publicised arguments between the two bands; the Undertones accused Stiff Little Fingers of sensationalising the Northern Ireland conflict, while they retorted that The Undertones ignored it.
The lyrics of many Stiff Little Fingers' songs concerning the troubles are extremely critical of the paramilitary organisations and governments involved, showing them to be exploititative of ordinary people (particularly the young) and all as bad as each other. Their second single, "Alternative Ulster", was originally intended to be given away free with the fanzine of the same name.
Inflammable Material
In the second half of 1978, they toured with the Tom Robinson Band, and in 1979, they released their first album, Inflammable Material. The band agreed a contract with Island Records, but it fell through, leaving the band to release the album on their own label. Despite the album's independent release, it reached number 14 in the UK Albums Chart and reached Silver status, selling over 50,000 copies. Inflammable Material was the first album distributed Rough Trade records, and the first independent album to chart in the UK. This inspired their move to London, which led to the departure of Brian Faloon and Colin McClelland (who along with Gordon Ogilvie had been joint manager of the band up until that point).
Jim Reilly became their drummer in time for the "Gotta Gettaway" single, and played in the Rock Against Racism tour.
Nobody's Heroes and Go for It
In mid-1979, Stiff Little Fingers signed their Rigid Digits label to Chrysalis Records, and in 1980 released their second album, Nobody's Heroes. 1981's Go for It followed. Soon after the Go for It tour, Jim Reilly left the band. His place was taken by Brian 'Dolphin' Taylor, who Jake remembered from Taylor's days with the Tom Robinson Band.
Breakup
Now Then...
In 1982 came a 4 song EP called £1.10 or Less and then their fourth studio album, Now Then... (although their fifth album, as they had released a live LP, Hanx, between Nobody's Heroes and Go for It). By this time they had diversified musically, and Now Then had an almost pop feel about it in places. This led some of their more hardcore fans to feel alienated, and in the face of low sales and concert attendances, they broke up in 1983, when Burns said: "Our last LP Now Then was to my mind the best album we have made. But it is also unfortunately the best I think we will ever make. So I have decided to call it a day." The band later revealed the original split had been somewhat acrimonious, with bandmembers apparently having fistfights rather than talking through their differences.
Reformation
They reformed in 1987; according to Burns, because they were "skint and wanted to make a bit of cash to get back to Ireland for Christmas". They released some live albums and did short tours towards the end of the 1980s, and by 1990 were thinking of reforming permanently.
Flags and Emblems
Ali McMordie decided he could not commit the time to tour full-time or record, and so left, being replaced by Bruce Foxton (previously bass guitarist in The Jam) in time to record 1991's Flags and Emblems. In Britain, the single from this album, "Beirut Moon", was withdrawn from sale on the first day of release, allegedly because it criticised the government for not acting to free hostage John McCarthy, who had been held in the Lebanon.
In 1993 Burns made what he described as one of the hardest decisions of his life and asked Henry Cluney to leave the band, and the trio of Jake Burns, Bruce Foxton and Dolphin Taylor continued for the next four years, joined on live shows by either Dave Sharp or Ian McCallum.
Get a Life
In 1994 they released Get a Life in the UK, releasing it in the U.S. in 1996. By the end of 1996 Taylor left due to family commitments. Burns called in Steve Grantley who had played drums for Jake Burns and the Big Wheel in the late 1980s.
Tinderbox - Guitar and Drum
The trio of Burns, Foxton and Grantley recorded 1997's Tinderbox album, with help from Ian McCallum who joined as a full time member for 1999's and best of all...Hope Street . This same line-up recorded 2003's Guitar and Drum.
Lineup change
On 18 January 2006, the following announcement appeared on the SLF Website. Bruce Foxton has announced that he is to leave Stiff Little Fingers with immediate effect. After 15 years of writing, recording and touring with SLF Bruce says it is time to move on and concentrate on other projects. "The situation is amicable" says Foxton. "I have enjoyed my time with Jake, Ian and Steve and will miss them. Naturally I wish them all continued success and hope to catch up with the boys during their spring tour."
Obviously, we as well wish Bruce every success in everything he goes on to do in the future. He has been a fantastic asset to the band and we'll miss him as well.
Jake, Steve, Ian.
On 23 January 2006, it was announced that original bass guitarist Ali McMordie was to rejoin the band for the duration of their upcoming March tour. The tour was a success, with many fans writing into SLF's message board saying how much they enjoyed it, and how fired up the band seemed to be. After much discussion regarding the status of McMordie within the band after the tour, on 21 April 2006, Burns posted the following on the message board.
"For the time being Mr. McMordie is happy to continue as long as his busy schedule allows. It may be that occasionally we have to bring on a "substitute", if he is up to his eyes and we need to do something, but hopefully we can avoid that.
Cheers,
Jake."
New album
On 9 March 2007, Jake Burns announced that Stiff Little Fingers would be recording a new album which would hopefully be completed by the end of 2007. They have previewed a track from the new album, "Liars Club", at live concerts. The track is named after a bar Jake drove past on his way home whilst listening to a press report about Tony Blair, George W. Bush and the Iraq War. As of February 2009, the new album is still unreleased. This is mainly due to the fact that Burns had more or less completed writing, when he decided on a change of direction, and scrapped most of the songs.
Hurricane
Stiff Little Fingers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Past that chip upon your shoulder
Come here need a word in your ear
This can't go on much longer
You break what we try to create
And I'm sure that you enjoy it
Don't care if it's proper or fair
Just as long as it's annoying
I see a stillness in your eyes
Says it's a game
And it's a shame
Hurricane
As chaos rages round you
You're sure that you're not to blame
I know your name
Hurricane
You smile as you flatter and lie
And twist the knife behind us
So what if the problems we've got
Will tie us up and bind us
It's tough no-one's calling your bluff
But I have made my mind up
Take care now you'd better prepare
I've taken my last wind up
You stand there smiling
Like you weren't the one to blame
You're in the frame
Hurricane
I stand here screaming
That I've taken all I'll take
I know your game
Hurricane
I see a stillness in your eyes
Says it's a game
And it's a shame
Hurricane
As chaos rages round you
You're sure that you're not to blame
I know your name
Hurricane
I stand here screaming
That I've taken all I'll take
The lyrics to Stiff Little Fingers' song "Hurricane" address a person who continually disrupts and sabotages efforts to create something positive. The singer is trying to communicate with this individual, who has a chip on their shoulder and delights in being annoying, conveying that their behavior cannot continue indefinitely. The individual may be manipulating and lying to those around them, causing problems that bind everyone involved. In the chorus, the "stillness in your eyes" suggests that the individual sees it all as a game and takes no responsibility for the chaos around them. Despite the singer's attempts to reason with them, the individual continues to smile and deflect blame, which leads the singer to conclude that they can no longer tolerate the situation.
The lyrics of "Hurricane" convey the frustration of dealing with someone who consistently undermines others and takes no responsibility, as well as the importance of recognizing when it is time to draw a line and walk away. The song uses the forceful imagery of a hurricane to convey the destructive impact of such an individual on others, and the urgency of taking action before the situation spirals out of control.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey you, yeah I'm trying to get through
The singer tries to get past the other person's defensive demeanor
Past that chip upon your shoulder
The other person's attitude or outlook limits their ability to understand others
Come here need a word in your ear
The singer wants to have a private conversation with the other person
This can't go on much longer
The other person's behaviour is causing problems in the relationship
You break what we try to create
The other person sabotages the efforts of the artist and others around them
And I'm sure that you enjoy it
The other person derives pleasure from creating chaos
Don't care if it's proper or fair
The other person lacks concern for ethical or moral conduct
Just as long as it's annoying
The other person is mainly interested in getting a reaction out of those around them
I see a stillness in your eyes
The other person remains calm despite the chaos around them
Says it's a game
The other person treats the situation as if it is not serious
And it's a shame
The singer laments the other person's lack of responsibility
Hurricane
The other person is like a destructive force that causes chaos and turmoil
As chaos rages round you
The situation surrounding the other person is getting increasingly chaotic
You're sure that you're not to blame
The other person refuses to take responsibility for their actions
I know your name
The singer is familiar with the other person's true nature
You smile as you flatter and lie
The other person uses deceit to manipulate those around them
And twist the knife behind us
The other person inflicts emotional pain on those close to them
So what if the problems we've got
The other person is indifferent to the issues that are affecting the people around them
Will tie us up and bind us
The other person's actions will only make things worse for everyone involved
It's tough no-one's calling your bluff
No one is challenging the other person's deceit
But I have made my mind up
The artist has decided to take a stand against the other person
Take care now you'd better prepare
The artist warns the other person of the consequences of their actions
I've taken my last wind up
The singer will no longer tolerate the other person's behaviour
You stand there smiling
The other person remains unaffected by the artist's anger
Like you weren't the one to blame
The other person refuses to accept responsibility for their actions
You're in the frame
The other person is responsible for the chaos around them
I stand here screaming
The singer is expressing their frustration and anger
That I've taken all I'll take
The artist will not tolerate the other person's behaviour any longer
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JAKE BURNS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind