Originally, they used the moniker 'The Nightlife Thugs'. The name "The Boomtown Rats" comes from a gang of down-and-outs from Woody Guthrie's autobiography, which the folk artist titled 'Bound for Glory'. The guys gained fame due to their often cynical tunes, having several notable singles, yet their record is overshadowed by the charity work on behalf of famine relief of their lead singer. Geldof, being nicknamed 'Bob The Gob' by the media for his big mouth, attained international fame after spearheading efforts such as 'Live Aid'.
The Boomtown Rats itself scored several Top Ten hits in the UK charts during their commercial peak, from 1978 to 79, and their most famous songs, still to this day, are "Rat Trap" (a U.K. #1) and "I Don't Like Mondays" (another U.K. #1), the latter being their biggest hit and achieving international notoriety. The track was written on a tour of the US in 1979 when Bob Geldof heard a telex machine spouting the story of Californian schoolgirl Brenda Ann Spencer, a girl that went on wild shooting spree at a San Diego high school with what seemed like no provocation before or remorse afterward. She justified her killing spree with the excuse "I don't like Mondays".
Bob Geldof has been gifted with the art of story-telling through songs. Lyrics are mostly in third person, have clever double entendre meanings, often relating some story or incident, eg "Dave". Geldof's charity work has been centred around the issue of famine relief, and includes being the organiser for the Band Aid single, for which he brought a superstar pop lineup together to record a song to aid famine relief (at the time was the fastest selling single in Britain of all time) and organizing the LiveAid concerts, a 2-continent superstar live concert that raised over 100 million dollars for famine relief.
Guitarist Gerry Cott left the band in 1981 and the band became a quintet. They disbanded in 1986 following a charity concert in Ireland. Most of the band members have now moved on to solo projects or new bands.
The Boomtown Rats reformed in 2013 going on tour again and released a new best of album Back to Boomtown : Classic Rats Hits which includes two new recorded songs.
Having My Picture Taken
The Boomtown Rats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sees things my eyes can't see.
I have it focused,
From here to eternity.
Catch the moment, catch the light, catch your breath
Let me freeze your frame.
We'll synchronize machine and brain,
But don't mind me...
I can choose
Each day who I want to be.
You can choose
Each day who you want to see,
We'll scan the crowd and pan the rounds of all those
Distant scenes,
Immortalize a slice of time,
Hey don't mind me...
I'm having my picture taken.
Flash: another instant in an instamatic,
Click: another reflex set on automatic,
Snap: another moment of the life dramatic,
You really should have been there it was so fantastic
The Boomtown Rats's song, "Having My Picture Taken," is a commentary on society's obsession with capturing and preserving moments through photography. By using the camera as a metaphor for the way society documents its experiences, the song exposes the ways in which the act of taking a photograph can both enhance and intrude upon the moment being captured.
The first verse of the song speaks to the idea that a camera can see things that our eyes cannot, suggesting that the device has the power to capture more than just what is happening in front of us. As the song progresses, the lyrics shift to focus on the act of taking pictures as a way of shaping and defining identity. The second verse suggests that each day we have the power to choose who we want to be and who we want to see, implying that the photographs we take are a reflection of the people and experiences we value most.
Throughout the song, the lyrics are delivered in a detached and almost clinical tone, suggesting that the act of taking a picture is something that is done without much thought or emotion. The repeated refrain of "don't mind me...I'm having my picture taken" emphasizes this detachment, suggesting that the person taking the photograph is almost invisible and unimportant in the grand scheme of things.
Overall, "Having My Picture Taken" is a reflection on the ways in which photography shapes our experiences and our memories. It suggests that while photography can be a powerful tool for capturing and preserving moments, it can also be a way of distancing ourselves from the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
My camera,
I have a camera that can capture things that I can't see with my own eyes.
Sees things my eyes can't see.
The camera can capture images and details that are not visible to the human eye.
I have it focused,
I have my camera set to capture a specific image or moment.
From here to eternity.
I can capture moments and images that will last forever.
Catch the moment, catch the light, catch your breath
I can capture a fleeting and beautiful moment or image that can take someone's breath away.
Let me freeze your frame.
I can capture a person or moment in time and preserve it forever in a photograph.
We'll synchronize machine and brain,
I can work in harmony with my camera to capture the perfect photograph.
But don't mind me...
Please don't be bothered by my taking pictures; I'm just doing my job.
I'm having my picture taken.
I am capturing images with my camera.
I can choose
Every day I have the freedom to decide who I want to be and how I want others to see me.
Each day who I want to be.
I have the power to create my identity and present myself to the world in a certain way.
You can choose
Others have the same freedom to choose how they present themselves to the world.
Each day who you want to see,
Everyone has the ability to see the world and others through their own unique perspective.
We'll scan the crowd and pan the rounds of all those
We can observe and examine those around us.
Distant scenes,
We can look at things that are far away and not directly in front of us.
Immortalize a slice of time,
We can capture moments and preserve them for all time.
Hey don't mind me...
Please don't be bothered by me taking pictures; I'm not trying to make anyone uncomfortable.
I'm having my picture taken.
I am capturing images with my camera.
Flash: another instant in an instamatic,
The flash from the camera illuminates and captures an instant moment in time.
Click: another reflex set on automatic,
The sound of the camera's click is like a reflex; automatic and almost unconscious.
Snap: another moment of the life dramatic,
Taking a picture can freeze a moment in time that is dramatic and memorable.
You really should have been there it was so fantastic
The images I capture are amazing and you would have loved to have seen them in person.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind