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.
You Can't Say Crap on the Radio
Stiff Little Fingers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We really shocked the local rock disc jock
Oh crumbs oh boy oh sugar me
The poor bloke nearly went right off his block
We only told him what we did and didn't like
And then we used that word and he jumped on the mike
You can't say that on the radio
Yes, we all do it but you can't refer to it
You can't say that on the radio, radio, radio
Oh flip oh gosh oh golly gee
We said the word and got our knuckles rapped
But if he didn't want to know
Why did he ask our views on all that crap?
Oh now we've done it and we've really got it wrong
Not even Uncle John will get to play this song
'Cause you can't say crap on the radio
You can't say crap on the radio
We all do it but you can't refer to it
You can't say crap on the radio
Of course we teach freedom of speech
Say as we say and not what we preach
We know your sort, you little guttersnipe
Don't give us none of that shit
Oh flip oh gosh oh golly gee
But now we know how we touched on his sore spot
Oh crumbs oh boy oh sugar me
It's plain to see what got him bothered and hot
We thought that it was just something that you said
But then we realized that it was all he played
'Cause he can play crap on the radio (on the radio)
You can play crap on the radio (play crap on the radio)
Be careful what you say
And you can play shite all day
'Cause you can play crap on the radio, radio, radio
Crapital radio
Crapital radio
Crap on the radio
Crap on the radio
The song "You Can't Say Crap on the Radio" by Stiff Little Fingers is a commentary on the censorship and restrictions placed on free speech in the media. The lyrics sarcastically poke fun at the hypocrisy of those in charge of what can and cannot be said on the radio. The use of euphemisms such as "oh flip", "gosh", "golly gee", "crumbs", "boy" and "sugar me" throughout the song emphasizes the absurdity and ridiculousness of the situation. The band's frustration with the situation is evident in lines such as "We all do it but you can't refer to it" and "We thought that it was just something that you said, but then we realized that it was all he played."
The chorus of the song repeats the title phrase "You can't say that on the radio" to drive home the central message of the song. The line "Of course we teach freedom of speech, say as we say and not what we preach" is a biting commentary on those in power who claim to promote free speech but only permit speech that aligns with their own views. The song also highlights the power dynamic between the disc jockey and the band, with the disc jockey having the ability to control what is played on the radio and the band having to conform or face consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh flip oh gosh oh golly gee
We were expressing surprise and astonishment at the reaction of the local rock disc jock, we did not expect him to take such offense.
We really shocked the local rock disc jock
We were able to shock the local rock disc jock with our expression of disapproval, which he did not expect.
Oh crumbs oh boy oh sugar me
The poor bloke nearly lost his mind when we used the word we used, it's like he wasn't prepared for us to say it.
The poor bloke nearly went right off his block
The rock disc jock was taken aback when we used that word and his reaction was excessive and irrational.
We only told him what we did and didn't like
We only shared with him our personal opinions but his reaction made us feel like we had done something wrong.
And then we used that word and he jumped on the mike
The moment we used that word, the rock disc jock pounced on us and started airing his dissatisfaction on the radio.
You can't say that on the radio
There are certain things that are considered taboo and we must be careful not to violate them, especially on the radio.
Yes, we all do it but you can't refer to it
We are aware that certain things are common, but just because they are prevalent doesn't mean they should be talked about openly.
We said the word and got our knuckles rapped
We used the word we said we did not like and the radio station punished us for it.
But if he didn't want to know, why did he ask our views on all that crap?
If the rock disc jock was not willing to accept our feedback, he shouldn't have asked us in the first place.
Oh now we've done it and we've really got it wrong
We've made a grave mistake and paid the price for it.
Not even Uncle John will get to play this song
Our song is too controversial and won't be played by anyone, even Uncle John, a friendly DJ.
We all do it but you can't refer to it
The things we talk about are common knowledge, but we must be careful how we discuss them as some things are still considered taboo.
Of course we teach freedom of speech
While we believe in free speech, we still need to acknowledge what is acceptable and what is not.
Say as we say and not what we preach
We expect our listeners to transmit our message verbatim, even if we don't follow our own advice.
We know your sort, you little guttersnipe
We are aware of the kind of person you are, someone who will say anything just to gain attention.
Don't give us none of that shit
We won't tolerate anyone being crude or vulgar in their communication with us.
But now we know how we touched on his sore spot
We have learned that touching on certain topics can be a trigger for some people and result in unexpected reactions.
It's plain to see what got him bothered and hot
We are beginning to understand that what we said, while not intended to be offensive, was extremely provoking for the rock disc jock.
We thought that it was just something that you said
We had no idea that what we said would have such a significant impact on the rock disc jock.
But then we realized that it was all he played
We came to the realization that the rock disc jock, who was so quick to judge us, spent most of his time playing music that was just as controversial.
Be careful what you say
In the public arena, one must always be cautious of what they say as it can quickly affect people's perception of them.
And you can play shite all day
While we can't say certain things on the radio, the station is permitted to play music that is just as offensive.
Crap on the radio
Offensive and vulgar language is not only commonplace, but also a staple of radio programming.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JAKE BURNS, GORDON ARCHER OGILVIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind