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
Straight Jacket
The Adicts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
Get down on your knees mister
You're going down for a long time Jack
Better put on that straightjacket ... straightjacket
Caught me in a corner of a public lav
Empried my pockets took what I had
Waste of time all the pain
Wrong man again
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 ... straightjacket
Chased me from here to the other side of there
Another night inside but I don't care
Beat me up in the rain
straightjacket again
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 ... straightjacket
The Adicts's song "Straight Jacket" is a punk rock song that talks about the experience of being falsely accused and arrested by the police. The singer of the song is a young man who is arrested by the police on a Saturday night. He claims that he is innocent and has never committed a crime, but the police don't believe him. They beat him up and accuse him of theft and starting a fight. He is taken to the police station and put in a straightjacket, which is used to restrain people who are aggressive or mentally unstable. The singer laments that the police are only picking on his generation and don't need any provocation to arrest them.
Throughout the song, the singer speaks to the police in a sarcastic and defiant tone. He asks them to please him and get down on their knees, but he knows that he is going down for a long time. He also recounts how he was caught in a public washroom, emptying his pockets, and beaten up in the rain. Despite all the pain and suffering he endures, he doesn't care because he knows that he is innocent.
The lyrics of "Straight Jacket" reflect the punk rock movement's distrust of authority and institutions. Punk rock music grew out of a sense of frustration and anger that young people felt towards society's norms and expectations. Through lyrics like "Better put on that straightjacket," The Adicts's song expresses a rebellious attitude towards the police and the justice system.
Line by Line Meaning
Police pulled me in on a Saturday night
I was arrested by the police on a Saturday night
Accused me of thieving and starting a fight
The police accused me of stealing something and causing a physical altercation
Never did a job I swear,
I swear I did not commit the crime I am being accused of
Cops come from everywhere
The police appeared out of nowhere
They're only picking on my generation
The police are targeting people of my age group
They don't need any provocation
The police are targeting people without any reason or provocation
Please the police please mister
Trying to please the police officers
Get down on your knees mister
Being submissive to police officers
You're going down for a long time Jack
You will be punished severely
Better put on that straightjacket ... straightjacket
You should prepare for a long time in prison
Caught me in a corner of a public lav
I was arrested in a corner of a public bathroom
Empried my pockets took what I had
The police searched and confiscated all I had on me
Waste of time all the pain
Being arrested and searched was pointless and caused suffering
Wrong man again
The police arrested me, but I didn't do anything wrong
Chased me from here to the other side of there
The police chased and pursued me far away
Another night inside but I don't care
I have been in prison before, and I am not afraid of going back
Beat me up in the rain
The police were violent towards me, even though it was raining
straightjacket again
Preparing for a long time behind bars again
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SerpentWisdom
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
Caught me in a corner of a public lav
Emptied my pockets took what I had
Waste of time all the pain
Wrong man again
They're only picking on my generation
They don't need any provocation
Chased me from here to the other side of there
Another night inside but I don't care
Beat me up in the rain
Wrong man again
They're only.....etc.
Neo Jeo
You gonna tell me this doesn't stand up to any old rock standard by the giants? No way! This is a classic!
SerpentWisdom
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
Caught me in a corner of a public lav
Emptied my pockets took what I had
Waste of time all the pain
Wrong man again
They're only picking on my generation
They don't need any provocation
Chased me from here to the other side of there
Another night inside but I don't care
Beat me up in the rain
Wrong man again
They're only.....etc.
Maria Ryan
This is a timeless song
SerpentWisdom
@Maria Ryan it really is
Every time I hear it I fucking loose my shit. And I'm in my 50s now. Cheers mate
Barney Harwell
Such a blast to hear
Brian Raappana
This song hits so much harder after I've been thrown into a straight jacket when I was literally on my knees hoping I wouldn't be shot
The Triumph of the Thrill
One of the best Punk tracks. An all-time fave.
Daniel Kistle
The best work of the band
Juanthebat12
Wish I could see em live
D W
rawr, love it