They soon changed their name to The Adicts and became known for their distinctive Clockwork Orange 'Droog' image, which, along with their urgent, uptempo music and light-hearted lyrics, helped set them very much apart from the rest of the genre. Temporary 1980s name changes to ADX and FUN ADICTS, for a children's TV appearance, also occurred.
Their song "Viva La Revolution" was featured in the video game Tony Hawk's Underground.
The band still has all its original members, uncommon for a band with such longevity.
The music of The Adicts proves that punk music is a very broad genre, often featuring extra instruments and sound clips such as carousel music (How Sad), violin played by Derick Cook (Joker in the Pack), gongs and keyboard percussion by Anthony Boyd (Chinese Takeaway), and even completely different songs like the switch to Gain To Lose's Tune #24 at the end of G.I.R.L..
The look of the majority of the bandmates is that of the Droogs from the Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange based on the book by Anthony Burgess. All white with black combat boots and black bowler hats. The band says that the look appealed to them because of the teenage angst associated with A Clockwork Orange. Singer "Monkey" wears full joker make-up and his clothes are wild, patterned suits, flared trousers, colorful dress shirts, and other such things. His favorites seem to be checkerboard patterns, or polkadots. And of course, there's the obligatory bowler hat and gloves. Along with the look come stage antics involving streamers, confetti, playing cards, joker hats, toy instruments, and glitter just to name a few things.
members:
Keith 'Monkey' Warren - Vocals.
Mel (Spider)Ellis - Bass
Pete Dee Davison - Guitar
Michael 'Kid Dee' Davison - Drums
John 'Scruff' Ellis (Mel’s brother) - Guitar
Dan Gratziani - Violin,Piano,Mandolin
A.D.X. Medley
The Adicts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey you
Shake shake rattle, bang your head
Whoa, Zimbabwe-gimme some Guinness
Zimbabwe rockers are go
Whoa, hey hey hey, Zimbabwe-droogs are we
Whoa, Zimbabwe-gimme some Guinness
Zimbabwe rockers are go
(Straight Jacket)
Police pulled me in on a Saturday night
Accused me of thieving and starting a fight
Never did a job I swear,
Cops come from everywhere
They′re only picking on my generation
They don't need any provocation
Please the police please mister
Get down on your knees mister
You′re going down for a long time Jack
Better put on that straightjacket
Shake rattle, bang your head
Hey
The lyrics to The Adicts's song A.D.X. Medley consist of two distinctive parts with different messages. The first part is about partying and having fun, regardless of where you are from. The lyrics "Shake, rattle, bang your head / Hey you / Zimbabwe rockers are go" encourage shaking and banging your head while praising Zimbabwe and its rockers. The phrase "gimme some Guinness" also contributes to the party atmosphere of the song. The second part of the song focuses on social issues and police brutality towards the younger generation. The lyrics "They′re only picking on my generation / They don't need any provocation" criticize the police for unjustly targeting young people. The phrase "Better put on that straightjacket" symbolizes the oppression felt by the younger generation, pressured to conform to societal norms.
The contrast between the two parts of the song highlights the different perspectives of the band. On the one hand, they celebrate the joy and excitement of being young and reckless. On the other hand, they recognize the difficulties and challenges faced by young people who feel trapped and oppressed by societal expectations. Overall, the song encourages listeners to enjoy life and have fun while also being aware of the societal and political challenges that exist.
Line by Line Meaning
Shake, rattle, bang your head
Get ready to rock and roll, headbang and enjoy the music
Hey you
Addressing the listener, to grab their attention
Shake shake rattle, bang your head
Repeating the instruction to get the audience pumped up
Whoa, Zimbabwe-gimme some Guinness
Excitement for Zimbabwe, celebratory toast with Guinness beer
Zimbabwe rockers are go
Zimbabweans are ready to rock and party
Whoa, hey hey hey, Zimbabwe-droogs are we
Proudly declaring that Zimbabweans are a group of mates or buddies
Hey-yah hey-yah hey-yah
Nonsensical words to keep up the energetic rhythm
(Straight Jacket)
Introduction to a new part of the song
Police pulled me in on a Saturday night
Narrating the situation of getting arrested on a weekend
Accused me of thieving and starting a fight
Police accused the artist of theft and fighting
Never did a job I swear,
Narrator denying criminal allegations
Cops come from everywhere
Describing the situation of cops surrounding him
They′re only picking on my generation
Narrator's belief that the police is unfairly targeting young people of his generation
They don't need any provocation
Police taking unnecessary action without any reason
Please the police please mister
Displeasure with the government and police's conduct
Get down on your knees mister
Mocking the police's attitude and request
You′re going down for a long time Jack
Warning that the artist is going to jail for a long time
Better put on that straightjacket
The singer is going insane because of his arrest and impending prison sentence
Shake rattle, bang your head
Trying to keep up the liveliness despite the harsh reality of the arrest
Hey
Addressing the listener again to stay engaged
Writer(s): Michael Davison, Peter Davidson, Keith Warren, Melvin Ellis
Contributed by Thomas K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@fannymartinez5613
My favorite
@paulkraft7694
One of my favorite bands and I like all music equally including rap.
@gasutrias9961
😍
@paulobrisolla6898
Hey hey hey hey......🎪🎭🃏♠️♣️♦️♥️....ViVa...!🇧🇷
@rata666vsgato
genial como me encanta esta rola!!pinches adicts los mejores!
@ADDX182
Makes me happy
@ericojeda3364
seeing them tomorrow Here in Santa Ana
@budbundy0073
Did they throw out a pack of cards into the crowd? They did when I saw them in Seattle 10 years ago.
@pauloeduardomirandabrisoll7834
ViVa...!
@rafabohemio734
vivaaaaaaaa!!