The Adicts are an English Punk rock band from Ipswich, Suffolk. They began … Read Full Bio ↴The Adicts are an English Punk rock band from Ipswich, Suffolk. They began life as the Afterbirth & The Pinz, in their hometown of Ipswich in late 1975. Popular in the 1980s, they were often in the indie charts at that time.
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

Shangri La
The Adicts Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Last night last week
A million years ago
Today or tomorrow
Freaky future show

Someone Somewhere
People near and far
All men all mankind

Look for Shangri-la

Looking for Shangri-la
Old man young girl little
Baby child
Can you remember the words

Of Oscar Wilde
Down in the gutter,
Looking at the stars

All men all mankind
Look for Shangri-la

Overall Meaning

The Adicts's song Shangri La seems to describe a kind of restless search for meaning or purpose that transcends time and place. The opening lines, "Last night last week / A million years ago / Today or tomorrow / Freaky future show" suggest a sense of timelessness and a feeling of being unmoored from a specific moment in time. The repeated refrain, "All men, all mankind look for Shangri-la," reinforces this theme of a quest that is universal and ongoing.

The imagery in the song is both fantastical and surreal. The reference to "Old man young girl little / Baby child" hints at a somewhat naive, childlike perspective on the world. Meanwhile, the reference to Oscar Wilde suggests a longing for a more sophisticated, intellectual understanding of the human condition. The final lines, "Down in the gutter, / Looking at the stars," suggest a kind of paradoxical combination of the mundane and the sublime.

Overall, the song seems to capture a sense of yearning for something beyond the everyday, for some kind of transcendence or enlightenment. The repeated use of the phrase "Looking for Shangri-la" emphasizes the idea of a search for a kind of utopian ideal, a place or state of being that is perfect and unattainable.

Line by Line Meaning

Last night last week
The passage of time is relative and subjective, and what may have felt like a mere night ago could actually have been an entire week.

A million years ago
The concept of time is vast and incomprehensible, even a single moment could feel like millions of years in hindsight.

Today or tomorrow
The future is unpredictable and could be any moment that follows the present.

Freaky future show
The unknown future could be strange, bizarre, and even scary to imagine.

Someone Somewhere
There are people searching for something, somewhere out in the world.

People near and far
Those who are seeking could be located anywhere, from the closest proximity to the farthest reaches of the world.

All men all mankind
All genders, races, and people of varying backgrounds are united in their desire to find what they are looking for.

Look for Shangri-la
These seekers are on a quest to find a place, an idea, or a feeling that epitomizes true happiness and contentment, often referred to as Shangri-la.

Looking for Shangri-la
The search for contentment and happiness is an ongoing journey, and this line emphasizes the unending nature of the pursuit.

Old man young girl little
Individuals of all ages and stages of life are seeking Shangri-la and are united in this goal.

Baby child
Even the youngest, most innocent members of society are included in the pursuit of happiness.

Can you remember the words
The quest for contentment has been sought after for generations, and the artist wonders if the words of past wisdom will guide them to it.

Of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde, a renowned writer and philosopher, is referenced here as one of many past figures who explored the topic of happiness and contentment.

Down in the gutter,
Even when one is in the most difficult, trying of circumstances - metaphorically represented by the gutter - the search for Shangri-la persists.

Looking at the stars
In moments of hardship, individuals may look to something bigger than themselves, like the vast and beautiful expanse of the stars, for hope and guidance.

All men all mankind
Again, the idea that everyone, no matter their background, is on a shared journey for happiness and contentment is emphasized.

Look for Shangri-la
The repetition of this parallel line serves to further drive home the message of the song: everyone is looking for their own version of utopia, or Shangri-la.

Lyrics © Budde Music Publishing GmbH, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JEROME LAWRENCE, ROBERT E. LEE, HARRY WARREN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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