Originally, the Australian band was called The Boys Next Door, comprising Cave, Howard, Mick Harvey (guitar, drums, organ, piano), bassist Tracy Pew, and drummer Phill Calvert. After the Door Door album and Hee Haw EP under that name, the band moved to London and switched its name to the deceptively benign Birthday Party. Once they arrived in Britain, their demented, knotty post-punk began to gel. They released their first international album, Prayers On Fire, in 1981, earning critical praise in the U.K. and U.S. While the band was preparing to record the follow-up, Pew was jailed for drunk driving; former Magazine member Barry Adamson, Harry Howard, and Chris Walsh filled in for the absent Pew on 1982's Junkyard.
After the release of Junkyard, Calvert joined Psychedelic Furs and the band moved to Germany, where they began collaborating with such experimental post-punk acts as Lydia Lunch and Einstürzende Neubauten. Harvey left in the summer of 1983. The group briefly continued with drummer Des Heffner, but it soon disbanded after a final concert in Melbourne, Australia. Cave had the most successful solo career, recording a series of albums in the '80s and '90s that maintained his status as a popular cult figure; Harvey joined Cave's band Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Howard joined Crime & The City Solution, which also featured his brother Harry and Harvey. Tracey Pew toured with The Saints before dying of an epileptic seizure in 1986.
--Review from AMG Allmusic Guide
Kewpie Doll
The Birthday Party Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
well I love that kewpie doll
well I love that kewpie doll
yeah I bought her in a show
I dressed her up in a cheap red cotton dress
but everything was either fished-out or spat-out
fished-out or spat-out
well I love that kewpie doll
well I love that kewpie doll
but I could not make it stick
only she could save my soul
she put her hands inside of me
well I love that kewpie doll
dressed her in a cheap-red-cotton-dress
fished it out now spat it out now
spat it out in front of me
well I love that kewpie doll
but I could not make it stick
doll doll doll doll doll doll doll doll
I held her in my cheap arms
she believed in me, she believed in me
her soul and my arms
well I love that kewpie doll
I told her phoney stories
well I love that kewpie doll
she believed in me
doll doll doll doll doll doll doll doll
kewpie on a stick
I can see her coming even now
kewpie on a stick
I can see her walking to me even now
well I love that kewpie doll
I can see her walking to me even now
well I love that kewpie doll
I can see her walking to me even now
well I love that kewpie doll
but I could not make it stick. end.
The Birthday Party's song "Kewpie Doll" tells the story of a man's infatuation with a cheap toy doll he bought at a show. The lyrics repeat the phrase "well I love that kewpie doll" throughout the song, emphasizing the man's obsession with the object. He dresses the doll up in a cheap red cotton dress but realizes it is nothing special and all the charm has been taken away. The man then expresses his desire to be saved and acknowledges that only the doll could do it.
In the later verses, the man continues to describe his relationship with the doll, stating that he could not make the love between them work. He confides in the doll with phony stories and praises her for believing in him. As the song progresses, he talks about seeing the kewpie doll walking towards him, indicating that he may be delusional or lost in his own world. The song ends on a melancholic note, with the man acknowledging that he could not make it stick.
The song's haunting melody and repetitive lyrics create a feeling of desperation and isolation. The lyrics also touch on themes of loneliness, disillusionment, and how people can create their own meaningful relationships, no matter how insignificant or mundane the object of desire may seem.
Line by Line Meaning
well I love that kewpie doll
The singer expresses their love and admiration for the kewpie doll throughout the song.
yeah I bought her in a show
The singer purchased the kewpie doll at a show.
I dressed her up in a cheap red cotton dress
The singer clothed the kewpie doll in a low-quality, red cotton dress.
but everything was either fished-out or spat-out
Everything around the artist felt empty and meaningless.
only she could save my soul
The artist believed that the kewpie doll had the power to save them emotionally.
she put her hands inside of me
The kewpie doll provided comfort and support to the singer.
but I could not make it stick
Despite their love for the kewpie doll, the singer was unable to form a lasting connection with it.
I held her in my cheap arms
The artist embraced the kewpie doll in their arms.
she believed in me, she believed in me
The artist felt that the kewpie doll had faith in them.
her soul and my arms
The artist felt a spiritual connection with the kewpie doll while holding it.
I told her phoney stories
The singer shared false tales with the kewpie doll.
kewpie on a stick
The artist imagines the kewpie doll on a stick, perhaps alluding to its manufactured and artificial nature.
I can see her walking to me even now
The singer reminisces about the kewpie doll approaching them.
but I could not make it stick. end.
The singer continues to express their love and connection to the kewpie doll, despite their inability to form a lasting bond with it.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
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