By the time their third record, "Regular Urban Survivors" was released in 1996, Briptop was firmly established in the mainstream, but perhaps surprisingly Terrorvision thrived. Single "Perseverance" charted at number five (It's awesome "Whales and Dolphins" hook proving irresistable to daytime radio and indie dancefloors alike) and the album was a commercial and critical hit. In many ways a bigger, widescreen sequel to HTMFAIP (with a couple of songs suspiciously close to re-makes - Bad Actress = Middleman, Celebrity Hitlist = Discotheque Wreck...) the cover featured the band larking around as spoof filmstars and was ostensibly a soundtrack to a fictional film - an idea reflected in songs such as "Didn't Bleed Red" (sci-fi) and "Dog Chewed the Handle" (An implausible murder mystery) The band still got in a few digs in at the Briptop elite, with "Superchronic" taking a few swipes at Oasis.
The odd man out, though, of Terrorvision albums is without doubt 1998's "Shaving Peaches", a curiously restrained record which in hindsight sounds like an ill-founded attempt to gain a mainstream audience which in truth they probably already had. Basically, TV forgot how to rock. Despite the album selling poorly, it ironically spawned their biggest hit, "Tequila". Admittedly it was a Mint Royale remix of the track which reached number 2, but in truth it didn't differ that much from the original, adding only an irresistably immediate speed-mariachi tempo. The band took this in their stride - where other, cooler bands would have turned their nose up at such psuedo-success, Terrorvison cheekily just learned to play the remix live instead.
Dropped from major label EMI after "Shaving Peaches", Terrorvision finally returned in 2001 with the independently released "Good To Go". Probably knowing it would be their final record, it is very much a return to 'classic' Terrorvision and in many ways a return to form. Whilst the record lacks some of their prime period sparkle, the choruses are undeniably huge and the album brims with the band's trademark good time party vibes. "Friends And Family", in particular went down a storm at festivals, with its joyously profane "Party Over Here, Fuck You Over There!" refrain.
Terrorvision played their 'final' gig in October 2001, in their hometown of Bradford - a riotous celebration of all things TV which was eventually released as a double live album, "Take The Money And Run".
Since Terrorvision split there have been a number of side projects including Tony Wright's Laika Dog, Leigh Marklew's Malibu Stacey and Mark Yates's Blunderbuss and Boomville. Tony Wright has also released two solo albums and one country album with Ryan Hamilton, and tours with Milton "Milly" Evans performing acoustic versions of Terrorvision songs as well as his own material.
Ultimately Terrorvision were a wonderful oddity - despite coming from a undeniably Heavy Metal background, the band took the genre, (Which, lets not forget, was in terminal decline during the mid 90s) stripped away the po-faced seriousness, and fashioned a rock party band from the ashes. Often dismissed as a novelty act, TV in truth simply loved what they did, and never once considered being too cool to show it. Mark Yates's urgent, exciting guitars anchored the band musically, but it's Tony Wright's hyper-go-go vocals which truly make the band, delighting in rolling his Yorkshire vowels around wordplay which lyrically is sometimes closer to rap than rock. They never hid behind the too-common pretence of disliking success - Terrorvision celebrated every foray into the mainstream and were never afraid to show it. At the same time, they surely gave a generation of Britpop kids a taste what rock delights could await them - witness the bands cover versions of Iggy Pop's "The Passenger", Cheap Trick's "Surrender", Free's "Wishing Well" or perhaps most bizzarely, their lounge-blues version of Iron Maiden's "Take Your Daughter To the Slaughter". They even dabbled with Paul Oakenfold remixes and their very own handbag-house-rock foray, B-side "Too Stoned To Dance". All hail Terrorvision then, Bradford' finest (and most proud) musical export.
While they have never returned to music full-time, Terrorvision have reformed numerous times since their initial split. The first time was for a 'one week only' tour in 2005, for which a live album and DVD were recorded, followed by a performance at Scarborough Castle later that year.
In 2007, the band announced that they were reforming again for a small number of gigs, this time without bassist and founding member Leigh Marklew. Danny Lambert, member of Mark Yates' band Blunderbuss, stood in for Leigh. The following year Leigh returned to the band and the original lineup performed on several short tours and festival appearances over the next few years, including a tour celebrating the 15th anniversary of "How To Make Friends and Influence People", for which two live albums were made available - one recorded from the Manchester show, and one from the London show.
In 2010, drummer and founding member Ian "Shutty" Shuttleworth retired from the band and was replaced by Cameron Greenwood. Terrorvision announced that they were working on a new album, their first new music since 2001. The album, "Super Delux", was released in February 2011. The band continued to tour and make festival appearances, performing at Download Festival in 2012, their highest profile gig in some time.
The band went on hiatus from 2013-2016, returning for a one-off 'Alternative Valentines' show on the 14th of February. Later that year they embarked on a UK tour supporting Thunder, and announced a headline tour at the end of the year for the 20th anniversary of "Regular Urban Survivors". A live album was released, recorded at the Manchester Ritz, as well as a behind-the-scenes DVD film, "Wired Up and Scary".
Since 2016 the band have continued to perform on an annual basis, including a novel triple-headline tour in 2018 with Reef and The Wildhearts called "Britrock Must Be Destroyed", where the order of the bands would rotate from one gig to the next, and a 25th anniversary tour for "How To Make Friends and Influence People" in 2019.
Also in 2019, Terrorvision released their first new material since "Super Delux" eight years prior - the Christmas single "Our Christmas Song", as well as a pre-order exclusive download track "By My Side". The band have indicated their intention to release more new music during 2020, though whether this takes the form of an album, EP or individual tracks is currently unknown.
Babyface
Terrorvision Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't help the way I look,
I'm just that kind of person can't you see,
Don't worry be happy go lucky,
Couldn't really give a fuck,
I'm happy so long as you're happy,so long as you're pleased,
'cause
It's like a wonderlust,
I want to do what ever you tell me to,
It's a kind of superdrug,
When I see your Babyface,
I've seen the sweetest Babyface,
I want to be there with the whole world,you and your thing,
Babyface.
I'm greedy,I know that,
I want to keep you to myself,
Obsessive to quite a high degree,
Can't work out why I'm like that,
It's really not like me,
It's something that's just happened recently,
'cause
I never knew just what it would do,
It's like a wonderlust,
I want to do what ever you tell me to,
It's a kind of superdrug,
When I see your Babyface,
I've seen the sweetest Babyface,
I want to be there with the whole world,you and your thing,
Babyface.
My apology, how rude of me,
I didn't mean to stare,
It's just I'm sure I've seen you once before,
Can't place it, it deceives me,
Don't I know you from somewhere,
I'm looking for excuses, please stay and talk,
Babyface,
I've seen the sweetest Babyface,
I want to be there with the whole world,you and your thing,
Babyface
I never knew just what it would do,
It's like a wonderlust,
I want to do what ever you tell me to,
It's a kind of superdrug,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Whatever you tell me to I'll do,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Babyface
The lyrics of Terrorvision's song Babyface describe the singer's intense attraction towards someone, specifically their face. The singer admits to being obsessive and greedy when it comes to this person, but they can't help it. They are willing to do whatever this person wants because being around them is like a superdrug. The singer seems to have a sense of wonderlust when they are with this person, and they just want to experience everything with them.
When the singer says "I've seen the sweetest Babyface", it implies that they have been with many people before, but this person is different. This person is the sweetest, and they just can't get enough of them. The singer's obsession is so strong that they are looking for excuses to talk to this person and keep them around.
Overall, the song is about the singer's intense attraction to someone's Babyface and the desire to be around them all the time. They are greedy and obsessive, but they can't help it because being with this person is like a superdrug that they just can't get enough of.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm sorry,can't help it,
I apologize, but I can't control my behavior.
Can't help the way I look,
I cannot change my physical appearance.
I'm just that kind of person can't you see,
It's just who I am, it's part of my nature.
Don't worry be happy go lucky,
No need to stress or fret, let's be carefree and enjoy ourselves.
Couldn't really give a fuck,
I don't care at all.
I'm happy so long as you're happy,so long as you're pleased,
My happiness is dependent on your happiness and satisfaction.
'cause
I never knew just what it would do,
It's like a wonderlust,
I want to do what ever you tell me to,
It's a kind of superdrug,
I never anticipated the intensity of my feelings toward you, it's like an insatiable craving. Whatever you ask of me, I am eager to comply, as your presence has become as powerful as a drug for me.
When I see your Babyface,
I've seen the sweetest Babyface,
I want to be there with the whole world,you and your thing,
Babyface.
Upon glimpsing your face, I am overcome with admiration - it is the most beautiful face I have ever seen. I yearn to be with you and experience your world and whatever it is that makes you unique.
I'm greedy,I know that,
I want to keep you to myself,
I acknowledge that I am being selfish, but I want to have exclusive possession of you.
Obsessive to quite a high degree,
Can't work out why I'm like that,
It's really not like me,
It's something that's just happened recently,
I am experiencing an intense fixation that I cannot explain, but it is not usual behavior for me. This has only recently begun.
My apology, how rude of me,
I didn't mean to stare,
It's just I'm sure I've seen you once before,
Can't place it, it deceives me,
Don't I know you from somewhere,
I'm looking for excuses, please stay and talk,
My apologies for my impoliteness - I didn't mean to stare. I feel a familiarity with you, though I cannot recall where from. I am searching for ways to extend our conversation, please don't leave just yet.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Whatever you tell me to I'll do,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Babyface
I am eager to do whatever you instruct me to do, whether it is reasonable or not. I cannot resist you, Babyface.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN SHUTTLEWORTH, MARK YATES, ANTHONY WRIGHT, LEIGH MARKLEW, HARRY AKST, BENNY DAVIES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind