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.
baby blue
Stiff Little Fingers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Town full of losers all crying in their beer
Nobody's willing to take any chance
Drown your brain in the rave machine dance, boy dance
You got one last shot here to change your world
Yeah, one last push just might make it work
But you sit on your arse watch your life drift by
Lookin' at you, tell me, should I laugh or cry
Why can't you see who's laughing now
[Chorus]
Baby blue baby blue
What have they been telling you?
Baby blue baby blue
What have they been telling you?
Ever day you toe the same tired line
Slave to your past you just serve your time
Stand and watch as it falls apart
They've taken your mind, your will and your heart
You got one last shot here to change your world
Yeah, just get out and make it work
But you're much too scared to take the risk
In case they put your name on their endangered list
Why can't you see that it has all been lies?
Why can't you hear them laughing now?
[Chorus x2]
I'm not the sort of man
To just leave well alone
I feel we're all owed
So much more
Now they're telling us the world's gone wrong
In fact it's been like that all along
Not just the ozone but the black coal seam
We're left with the sour milk 'cause there's no more cream
This is our last shot to change the world
Yeah, our last effort to make it work
But they are much too scared to commit their wealth
It's time to force some international health
When will they realize that now's too late?
I guess they never will somehow
It's not all over now baby blue
It's not all over now baby blue
The song "Baby Blue" by Stiff Little Fingers is a critique of societal complacency and the lack of initiative to change one's own life and the world at large. The verse laments the negativity and hopelessness that seems to be pervasive in society, with people drowning their sorrows in alcohol and mindless dance music. The lyrics suggest that people have one last chance to change their world, yet they remain apathetic and let their lives drift by without taking action. The chorus poses the question, "What have they been telling you?" The use of the word "they" implies that society is being controlled and manipulated by some unknown entity that perpetuates a sense of resignation and fatalism.
The second verse builds on this message, saying that people are slaves to their past and are too afraid to take risks. They have been stripped of their will, mind, and heart by some oppressive force. The singer urges people to take their last chance to change the world and make it work. The final verse criticizes the deceitful messages of those in power, who claim that the world has only recently gone wrong, when in reality, it has always been this way. The song ends with the reassurance that it's not all over now, and there is still a chance for change.
Line by Line Meaning
Always seems to be same round here
Life has become monotonous and routine
Town full of losers all crying in their beer
People are unhappy and drinking to drown their sorrows
Nobody's willing to take any chance
People are afraid to take risks and make changes
Drown your brain in the rave machine dance, boy dance
People are trying to escape their problems by partying and dancing
You got one last shot here to change your world
This is the final opportunity to make a difference
Yeah, one last push just might make it work
With enough effort, things could turn around
But you sit on your arse watch your life drift by
You are not taking action and your life is passing you by
Lookin' at you, tell me, should I laugh or cry
The situation is so pitiful that it's difficult to know whether to laugh or cry
Why can't you realize it's all gone wrong
You cannot recognize that things have gone awry
Why can't you see who's laughing now
You do not realize that others are mocking your failure
Baby blue baby blue
What have they been telling you?
The repeated chorus is asking what lies you are being told
Ever day you toe the same tired line
Every day you continue down the same unchanging path
Slave to your past you just serve your time
Your past experiences are dictating your current situation and you feel powerless to change it
Stand and watch as it falls apart
You are observing as everything crumbles before your eyes
They've taken your mind, your will and your heart
Others have control over your thoughts, desires, and emotions
But you're much too scared to take the risk
You are too afraid to take a chance and make a change
In case they put your name on their endangered list
You are afraid of the negative consequences that may result from taking action
Why can't you see that it has all been lies?
You cannot recognize that you have been misled
Why can't you hear them laughing now?
You are oblivious to the mockery and criticism that others are directing towards you
Now they're telling us the world's gone wrong
People are acknowledging that the world is in a state of disarray
In fact it's been like that all along
The state of the world has been problematic for a long time
Not just the ozone but the black coal seam
Environmental concerns extend beyond just the ozone layer to include pollution from fossil fuels
We're left with the sour milk 'cause there's no more cream
The consequences of past actions have led to a suboptimal situation
This is our last shot to change the world
This is the final opportunity to make a difference for the betterment of society
Yeah, our last effort to make it work
This is the final attempt to achieve success
But they are much too scared to commit their wealth
Those in power are too fearful to invest their resources to help those in need
It's time to force some international health
It is necessary to implement global measures to promote wellbeing
When will they realize that now's too late?
Those in power need to act immediately as time is running out
I guess they never will somehow
It is unlikely that those in power will take meaningful action
It's not all over now baby blue
There is still hope for a better future
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JAKE BURNS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Bringham
I can't thank you enough for uploading these songs from this album!!! I've been looking for it for 15 years! Do you have the rest??
Paddy
Love it