Suede were formed in London in 1989 by bassist Mat Osman, singer Brett Anderson and his then girlfriend, Justine Frischmann, on rhythm guitar. They soon added guitarist Bernard Butler – who was recruited through an advertisement in Melody Maker. Along with a drum machine as percussion, Suede were signed to RML Records, a label from Brighton. Comedian Ricky Gervais (who later found fame with The Office) managed the band for a brief period before they were signed to a record label.
With Mike Joyce (formerly of The Smiths) famously filling in as drummer, Suede’s first record "Be My God/Art", was printed but never released due to a dispute with the label. The few surviving records out of a batch of 2000 are considered amongst the rarest of Suede collectibles. Simon Gilbert soon replaced the drum machine and Suede signed to Nude Records. Though still living with Anderson, Frischmann was ejected from the band around this time because of her failure to attend rehearsals while flaunting her new relationship with Damon Albarn of Blur.
The band’s first single The Drowners was released amid a media frenzy that began before Suede had released any actual music. The band was on the cover of Melody Maker, which proclaimed them as “the best new band in Britain” prior to any official release. The debut single created an enormous amount of excitement because of its sharp contrast to the dying Madchester scene and the grunge sound of the time. Suede were further distinguished from their contemporaries by Anderson’s flamboyant looks and noticeably unique vocals, combined with Butler’s melodic guitar playing.
Surprisingly given the amount of press exposure the band had received, The Drowners featuring two strong b-sides in My Insatiable One (later famously covered by Morrissey in concerts) and To The Birds - was only a moderate hit. Success would only come with the follow-up singles Metal Mickey (written about Daisy Chainsaw/QueenAdreena frontwoman Katie Jane Garside) and Animal Nitrate, both of which reached the UK Top 20 on release a few months later.
Their first album Suede became the fastest selling debut since Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Welcome To the Pleasuredome and was catapulted onto the charts after a breakthrough performance on the 1993 BRIT Awards. Featuring heavily-layered production by Ed Buller, the album showed influences from The Smiths, David Bowie, and many other glam rockers, but managed to filter and blend them together, creating its own trademark sound. However, the fan hysteria that surrounded Suede in Britain would be shortlived, and never duplicated by the American public.
Their American success was limited, despite securing a tour slot with the Cranberries, who had support from MTV. Moreover, a lounge singer’s lawsuit forced the band to stop using the trademarked American name “Suede” (a fate also suffered by fellow UK band The Charlatans/The Charlatans UK). For the North American market, the band would release all of their future albums under the moniker The London Suede.
Some possible factors cited to explain the band’s lack of U.S. success are their quasi-androgynous look and distinct British sound, both of which might have alienated North American audiences. Despite this, the band retained a cult following in the U.S. Following the release of their debut album, the band began work on their highly anticipated follow up single and album in late 1993 and much of 1994. The hectic schedule the band was facing hinted the problems that were soon to come.
In February of 1994, the band released the single “Stay Together”, which as well as being a massive critical success, also became their highest charting at the time, reaching number three. Despite their growing profile, tensions within the band mounted as they began working on the second album. Anderson and Butler fought constantly; a major issue was the production of the album (again done by Ed Buller). Things reached a head when Bernard Butler quit the band altogether in the middle of the recording sessions, leaving behind tapes containing his ideas for the songs that had been written. The remainder of the guitar work on the album was reputedly completed (depending on the source) either by studio musicians or Brett Anderson himself.
When Dog Man Star (1994) finally appeared, its sales were generally sluggish, though the album was critically acclaimed. The record was vastly different sounding than the band’s debut. It featured a large sound, backed by strings and a horn section in much of it. The year that Blur’s Parklife and Oasis’ Definitely Maybe were fighting for pop supremacy, Suede explored darker territory with Dog Man Star. Their image, however, was tainted by the departure of Butler, as they searched for someone to fill his undeniably large shoes.
The vacancy was soon filled by 17 year-old guitarist Richard Oakes (initially nicknamed by the UK music press as “Little Dickie”) before an international tour to promote the album. Many critics and fans alike had their doubts about the ability of the band to move on without Bernard Butler, who was an integral part of the band’s songwriting. However, the band broadened their sound when they were joined by keyboardist and backing vocalist Neil Codling in the making of their third album, Coming Up (1996). This would be the album which gained the group their most mainstream success. The first single from the album, “Trash” was immensely popular and tied with “Stay Together” as the group’s highest charting UK single, reaching number 3.
The album was a hit throughout Europe, Asia and Canada, but still not in the U.S. It did, however, answer those who questioned whether Anderson and company could produce another hit without Butler. Suede had again changed sound drastically; Coming Up featured more of a glam tinted pop/rock sound, as opposed to the darker elements that the previous albums had showcased. Reviews were again mixed, but the album topped the UK chart and became the band’s biggest-selling release. The band was finally getting the mass video and radio play that they lacked during the Dog Man Star period and in many ways fulfilling the hype that characterized much of the early part of their career. The album brought the band five straight top 10 singles, a remarkable feat by any standards.
The band’s next venture was a collection of b-sides and rarities entitled Sci-Fi Lullabies, which charted well for such a compilation, reaching #9 on the UK chart. The band were well respected for their b-sides, which were often regarded by critics and fans as being equal to or exceeding the quality of the a-sides they backed.
By the time the compilation was released in 1997, though, the Britpop movement was noticeably waning in popularity, and the band had decided to split with long-time producer Ed Buller before commencing work on their follow up to Coming Up.
Despite being backed by the popular lead single “Electricity”, Suede’s fourth album, Head Music (1999) was something of a critical disappointment, though it once again took the band to number one on the album charts. A synth-infused album that focused less on guitar riffs and more on keyboards, it was produced by Steve Osborne, who had worked with Happy Mondays and New Order. Critical opinion was sharply divided; many felt the record was too shallow and lacking in substance, while others thought the album was the group again taking a different direction and charting new territory.
The next three singles released from the album failed to crack the top 10, breaking a run stretching back to 1995’s “New Generation”. The b-sides for the singles were also arguably not up to par with their usual standard, which hinted at the drying up of the creative well. Anderson also began being criticized more by fans for his often use of redundant vocabulary and limited lyrical themes. Despite this, even with their drop in mainstream popularity, the band still maintained a large core group of fans.
Not long after the release of Head Music, Nude Records effectively ceased to exist. Like many of their labelmates, Suede ended up signing to Nude’s parent company/distributor Sony to record their fifth album, A New Morning (2002). The long and troubled gestation of the album saw keyboardist Neil Codling leave the band, citing chronic fatigue syndrome, to be replaced by long-time band associate Alex Lee, formerly of Strangelove.
In concerts, Lee played second guitar, as well as keyboards, backing vocals and, at one point, harmonica. The album title, according to Anderson, referred to “a fresh start, a new band and a new fresh outlook” - the singer had reportedly been addicted to heroin and crack cocaine for a number of years by this time, which was having an increasingly deleterious effect on his health. He was quoted at the time as saying “we’ve all cleaned up our drug problems …which is nice.”
Despite the rejuvenation of the group’s health, the album was a commercial disappointment and failed to crack the top 20. Produced by “big name” Britpop producers John Leckie (who famously produced The Stone Roses’ debut LP, as well as records for Radiohead and Muse) and Stephen Street (most famous for his work with The Smiths and Blur), A New Morning was considered a solid enough outing by fans of the band, but critical reaction was decidedly lukewarm and the mainstream public interest had long disappeared. Only two singles, “Positivity” and “Obsessions,” were released from the album, the fewest singles taken from any of the band’s albums, and neither charted particularly well.
In Autumn 2003, after the release of their Singles compilation album and accompanying single “Attitude”, Suede played five nights at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts, dedicating each night to one of their five albums and playing through an entire album a night – with B-sides and rarities as encores – in chronological order. After these shows, the band announced there would be no more projects under the Suede name for the foreseeable future – effectively announcing the end of the band.
Their last concert at London’s Astoria on December 13, 2003 was a two-and-a-half hour marathon show, split into two parts (plus encore) with the first part being “songs we want to play”. Brett made an announcement that “there will be another Suede album” to everyone’s delight, but added “…but not yet”. “See you in the next life” was their closing remark.
Following persistent rumours, the boss of the band's former label, Nude Records' Saul Galpern officially announced on 15 January 2010 that Suede would be playing together again. "It's [for] a one-off gig," he explained of the show, which featured the band's second incarnation. The band played London's Royal Albert Hall as part of the 2010 Teenage Cancer Trust shows on 24 March 2010. Despite the gig initially being billed as a one night only reformation, when questioned on German radio station MotorFM in early February, Anderson refused to confirm that the band wouldn't continue. The band subsequently announced two UK 'warm up' gigs prior to the Royal Albert Hall show, at the 100 Club in London and the Ritz in Manchester. The trio of gigs were very well-received by critics, including a glowing two-page review in the NME.
Appearances at the Smukfest festival in Denmark on 7 August, Parkenfestivalen in Bodø, Norway on 21 August, the O2 Arena in London on 7 December and a mini European tour covering Belgium, France, Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany have since been confirmed. Although the band have so far refused all media request for interviews and it is unconfirmed whether the band will work on new material together, it has been reported in the press that a new record deal with Warner Music Group is on the table.
On 22 September 2010 the band has announced a new compilation album The Best of Suede, to be released on 1st November.]
Suede continued to perform in 2011. After they had completed their biggest show ever at London's O2 Arena, Brett confirmed that Suede were in the mood for more shows. They have performed at various festivals all over the world, including Blackberry's Live & Rockin' Festival on 19 March 2011, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on 16 April 2011 and the SOS 4.8 Festival in Murcia, Spain on 7 May 2011. They played Latitude Festival in Suffolk on 17 July 2011. The Berlin Festival is the last date Suede were pencilled in for. They played Berlin on 9 September 2011. This directly followed the Asian tour in August.
In June 2011, following on from the success of the compilation album, the band released remastered and expanded editions of all five studio albums. They also performed their albums Suede, Dog Man Star and Coming Up at London's O2 Brixton Academy over three nights on 19, 20 and 21 May 2011,[92] and at Dublin's Olympia Theatre on May 24, 25 and 26.
Suede embarked on a full Asian tour where they played Jisan, Singapore, Taipei, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Osaka and Tokyo. The band commenced their eight-date tour in late July in Jisan, South Korea and finished up at the Summer Sonic festival in Tokyo, Japan on 14 August 2011.
They then performed in Athens on 11 September 2011, and wrapped up their touring commitments in Russia on 16 and 18 December 2011 where they showcased new songs "Falling Planes", "The Only", "Someone Better", "I Don't Know Why", "Cold War", "Future Nightmare" and "Sabotage".
Suede began recording a new album with Ed Buller in 2012 and Brett Anderson stated that of the songs showcased in Russia, only "Sabotage" was thus far in contention. He also stated that the album sounding like, "...probably like some artist on some drug, engaged in a game of quoits with some other artist on another drug. You can adopt your own journalistic cliche if you haven't grown up yet."
On 3 December 2012 Suede announced on their official website a "Brand new album out spring 2013".
There is another artist with the same name:
2. Suede is a lounge singer from Baltimore, Maryland. She sued the British rock band in 1993, resulting in music from the group being released under the name "The London Suede" in the US.
Daddy's Speeding
Suede Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Took the film to No. I
Crashed the car and left us here
Broken glass for teenage boys trapped in steel and celluloid
Crashed the car and left us here.
And daddy burned a million eyes
Dared the dogs to criticize
He crashed the car and I was born
And daddy turned a million heads
Took the teenage dream to bed
He crashed the car and left us here
With dreams of gasoline drying our eyes
Green fields of destiny high in the sky
But oh can you see him?
Oh Daddy's speeding
Whiplash caught the silver son
Killed the sad American
Crashed the car and left us here
And sorrow turns his eyes to mine
Come with me now it's your time
Let's crash the car and I'll be born
And sorrow breaks the silent day
Takes the teenage boys away
They crash the cars and leave us here
With dreams of gasoline drying our eyes
Green fields and death machines high in the sky
But oh can you see him?
Oh, when Daddy's speeding
The song Daddy's Speeding by Suede is a haunting portrayal of the culmination of a series of reckless and destructive actions of a father. The lyrics speak of a tragic turn of events, where the father crashes the car, leaving behind broken glass, teenage boys trapped in steel and celluloid. The father burns a million eyes and dares the dogs to criticize. He is a risk-taker, and in doing so, he crashes the car and the singer is born. The imagery connotes violence, destruction, and the birth of a new life amidst tragedy.
The second verse speaks of how the father took the teenage dream to bed and turned a million heads. He lives a fast-paced life, filled with danger and excitement. The father crashes the car again, leaving dreams of gasoline drying the eyes and high green fields of destiny in the sky. The lyrics depict that even in the moments of sorrow, the father continues to race, speeding while causing destruction.
The song's final verse speaks of the singer, who is now ready to follow in the father's footsteps, ready to crash the car, be born again, and leave the teenage boy's sorrows away. The song concludes with the image of green fields of destiny and death machines high in the sky. The lyrics are open to different interpretations, but the song aims to showcase the impact of reckless behavior, the cycle of destruction, and the desire to hold on to the dreams of freedom and excitement, despite the consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
Whiplash caught the silver son
A sudden jerk or jolt caught the young boy who was riding in the silver car
Took the film to No. I
The accident was so serious that it became a headline making it to news channel number one
Crashed the car and left us here
The father got into a car accident and left his child and everyone behind
Broken glass for teenage boys trapped in steel and celluloid
The shattered glasses hurt the teenage boys trapped inside the car due to the impact on the steel and film of the car
Crashed the car and left us here.
The father crashed the car that never left them all and left them to bear the consequences
And daddy burned a million eyes
The father's actions caused many people to be upset and angry at him
Dared the dogs to criticize
The father did unconcerned things without worrying about people's opinions or judgments
He crashed the car and I was born
The artist was born as a result of the car accident involving their father
And daddy turned a million heads
The father did bold and attention-grabbing things that made a lot of people turn their heads to notice
Took the teenage dream to bed
The father seduced and took advantage of a young girl's dream or hope for something
He crashed the car and left us here
The father left his family behind after causing a car crash
With dreams of gasoline drying our eyes
Their eyes were dry like the gasoline dreams they had or maybe their eyes got dry from the smell of gasoline
Green fields of destiny high in the sky
The future is unknown, and it's like something high in the sky that is hard to reach which seems like a green field from far away
But oh can you see him?
Can you notice him among all these things happening around?
Oh Daddy's speeding
The father is doing something reckless, such as driving too fast
Whiplash caught the silver son
The young boy gets hurt by the sudden jolt or impact of the car
Killed the sad American
The car accident resulted in the death of someone who was sad or unhappy with life
Crashed the car and left us here
The father got into a car accident and left the family behind in a difficult situation
And sorrow turns his eyes to mine
The singer sees sadness in the eyes of the person they are talking to
Come with me now it's your time
Let's go now since it's the right time for us to do that
Let's crash the car and I'll be born
Let's do something dangerous, and I'll be reborn or transformed from that experience
And sorrow breaks the silent day
Sadness is so overwhelming that it breaks the silence of the day
Takes the teenage boys away
In some cases, sadness can lead to depression or suicide, which takes young boys' lives
They crash the cars and leave us here
The youths got into car accidents and left their families behind to deal with the consequences
With dreams of gasoline drying our eyes
Their eyes filled with tears from the smell of gasoline or possibly the dreams fueled by gasoline, which are impossible to achieve
Green fields and death machines high in the sky
The future full of opportunities that exist along with the expensive machines of destruction
But oh can you see him?
Can you see the reckless father in this mess?
Oh, when Daddy's speeding
The father does many dangerous things, which fits here since it contradicts what society thinks is right
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRETT ANDERSON, BERNARD BUTLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@harrydragonz
I got this album over 20 years ago. The piano still makes my skin freeze even now. Genius.
@Allerster
Best track on Dog Man Star.
@hanasuzukii
this is absolutely great.
@johannesjuanes
superb song !
@ibrahimbeytekin8124
Just some creepy sounds from Brett, love it.
@kieron63
Class!
@happy--radio
Dear Spotify: put this god damn masterpiece of an album on the American Spotify servers or whatever
Thanks
@josephgaudet67
Good Lord...so much Bowie here. Not to mention that this song was probably the inspiration for Wicked Little Town off of the Hedwig soundtrack. Hedwig is basically a reworking of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust. Bowie babies really do stick together
@juancontreras6728
... crashed the car and left us here ...
@JBinOtown
RIP Paul Walker