History
The band was formed in 1979 by school friends Steven ('Steve') Kent (guitar), Michael Fitzsimons ('Micky Fitz') (vocals), Nicholas ('Nick') Cunningham (drums) and Martin Smith (bass).[2] They played their first gig in front of friends in February 1980, and after taking on Lol Pryor as manager, began performing more often. The band's first release was the song "Out in the Cold" on the A Sudden Surge of Sound compilation album.[2] They played their first Oi! concert in 1981, supporting The 4-Skins, and they became closely associated with the Oi! scene from then on.[2] While the Oi! movement was labelled as far right and racist (despite the fact that several Oi! bands played at Rock Against Racism concerts), The Business took a stance against political extremism with their Oi Against Racism and Political Extremism ...But Still Against The System tour.[3] Despite standing apart from the far-right, the band also criticized communists in songs like "Suburban Rebels." [4]
In November 1981, they released their debut single, "Harry May", which spent over three months in the UK Indie Chart, reaching No. 13. The initial line-up split up in late 1981, with Kent, Cunningham, and Smith forming Q-Bow, but Fitz carried on with Pryor, recruiting Graham Ball on guitar, Mark Brennan and Steve Whale from The Blackout, and John Fisher on drums.[2] The new line-up made their live debut in January 1982, after which Ball and Fisher departed, leaving the band as a four-piece, with Kev Boyce of The Blackout on drums.[2] The new line-up recorded the Smash the Discos EP, which was a No. 3 indie hit, and after a short tour, they recorded their debut album, which was to be called Loud, Proud, and Punk. The master tapes for the album went missing after disagreements between the band's label and the studio, forcing them to re-record the album, which was released as Suburban Rebels in May 1983.[2] The album was remixed by their label, Secret, without them knowing, and Secret's financial difficulties limited promotion of the album. Frustrated by this, the band split up, with The Business members forming short-lived bands Chapter and Sabre Dance.[2]
Pryor issued a retrospective album consisting of demos and live tracks on his Syndicate label, the success of which prompted the band to reform and record a what was to be marketed as a live album, Loud, Proud, and Punk. It was actually recorded in a studio, with crowd noise dubbed in later.[2] Pryor renamed his record label Wonderful World and issued several Business albums in late 1985, with the Drinking and Driving tour following. The name of the tour caused controversy, with tabloid journalists accusing the band of condoning drunk-driving, although the title was tongue-in-cheek.[2]
In late 1986, Brennan and Pryor founded Link Records, and with Brennan becoming increasingly busy running the label, the band split up again. In 1992, Fitz performed a few songs guesting with The Elite and he reformed the band to play a benefit concert for Bobby Moore, who had recently died of cancer. Brennan later started a new record label, Captain Oi! Records and did not join the reformed band. The band's line-up then became Micky Fitz (singer), Steve Whale (guitar), Lol Proctor (bass) and Micky Fairbairn (drums). The band released a new single "Anywhere But Here" and new album Keep The Faith in 1994. After a number of tours in Western Europe, the band played their first gigs in America in August 1994. In 1997 The Business released The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But The Truth which was produced by Lars Frederiksen from Rancid. In 2000, the band joined together with Dropkick Murphys to release Mob Mentality. The band's final studio album, No Mercy For You was released in 2001. Their biggest hit song in recent times, "England 5 - Germany 1", (based on the result of a World Cup Qualifying match in 2001), became a football anthem for England and even appeared in the 2004 teen comedy EuroTrip. Despite various line-up changes, the band's popularity continued to grow.
By 2006 Fitz had rebuilt his band after overcoming his alcoholism, this year saw the band take on a 2-month tour of the US with the line-up of Fitz (singer), Robin Guy (drums), Daniel (guitar) and what would become long serving Trots (bass). In September 2006, Fitz recruited long time friend Tosh (of Section 5) to play guitar, shortly followed by Bundie on drums. The band took to the studio in Berlin and recorded three covers, this session featured Mitch Harris of Napalm Death guesting to record the title track 'Mean Girl', originally by one of Fitz's favourite bands Status Quo. This was released by Bad Dog records as an EP, the B side being a live set recorded at the legendary Marquee Club in London from 1982.
Led by a reinvigorated Fitz, the band continued to tour incessantly and broke new ground as the first British Oi! band to play in Chile in 2008, they also visited Australia and New Zealand alongside extensive European and US tours. As well as their touring they also returned to the studio and put out a split 7" with Control. The Mean Girl recordings and Marquee Tapes were combined with the split and a recording from Full Force Festival to make the US mini album 'Doing The Business'
In 2010 Tosh departed the band and after a short stint with rocker Johny Skullknuckles the band's final line-up was completed with Fish (of The Skeptix, Discharge and Demon) taking over on six string duties. Around this time the band had taken to the studio to record what would be their last release, 'Back in The Day', it saw the studio return of original guitarist and principal songwriter Steve Kent who performed guitar and backing vocals on the recording. The 7" was eventually released on Randale Records and Sailors Grave Records in 2014.
The band continued on their way, returning to South America to play São Paulo, taking on a headline tour of Australia and New Zealand, (with visits to Singapore and Bangkok along the way) and made a triumphant return to Japan in 2014, with a quick visit to South Korea while they were in the area.
In the summer of 2015 Fitz was diagnosed with cancer, as with his life he met the challenge head on and refused to let the public know of his diagnosis until after he had completed the final run of shows. The band performed what would be their final show in October 2015 in Badalona, Spain.
In April 2019, some of the classic line up (Steve Whale, Steve Kent and Micky Fairbairn) joined by JJ Pearce on bass (the Last Resort) performed at the Punk and Disorderly festival in Berlin. Roi Pearce (The Last Resort) Sebi (Stomper 98) and Mike Brands (Arch Rivals) appeared as guest singers. This marked the first time former members of The Business had performed without Micky Fitz playing The Business songs. The same line up, joined by Beki Bondage (Vice Squad) performed at Rebellion 2019. A toast was raised to Fitz's memory at both shows
Maradona
The Business Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now you can only score with a whore
All supplied by the hand of god
Out of the cup that's the way it goes
Shouldn't have had a bucket of charlie up your nose
All supplied by the hand of god
[Chorus:]
Maradona you're shit
We've waited eight years for your come up pence
Now we know weren't worth Tuppence
All supplied by the hand of god
Hairy little legs and fat little head
You once has thirty whore in your bed
All supplied by the hand of god
You claim to stand up for your god laws
While all the time you were shagging whores
All supplied by the hand of god
Crocodile tears on the commentary box
Was it cause you'd lost of been giving the pox
All supplied by the hand of god
In "Maradona," The Business takes aim at the legendary soccer player Diego Maradona, whose infamous "Hand of God" goal is referenced in the lyrics. The song's opening lines suggest that Maradona may have had a drug problem ("Whatever you sniffed you wanted more/Now you can only score with a whore"), and that his downfall is ultimately the result of his own actions ("Shouldn't have had a bucket of charlie up your nose"). The chorus makes the band's opinion of Maradona's legacy quite clear: "Maradona you're shit."
The lyrics also touch on Maradona's personal life, alleging that he had affairs with numerous women ("You once had thirty whore in your bed"). The song accuses Maradona of hypocrisy, claiming that he claimed to uphold "god laws" while engaging in such behavior himself. The reference to "crocodile tears on the commentary box" suggests that Maradona was not sincere in his public displays of emotion.
Overall, "Maradona" is a blistering condemnation of one of soccer's greatest figures. The lyrics suggest that Maradona's legacy is tarnished by drug use, infidelity, and hypocrisy. The Business may have been critical of Maradona, but they certainly did not mince words.
Line by Line Meaning
Whatever you sniffed you wanted more
You were addicted to drugs and kept wanting more of it
Now you can only score with a whore
You have lost your respect and can only have sex with prostitutes
All supplied by the hand of god
God has supplied you with everything, including drugs and prostitutes
Out of the cup that's the way it goes
You were disqualified from the cup, that's just how it is
Shouldn't have had a bucket of charlie up your nose
You shouldn't have snorted so much cocaine
[Chorus:] Maradona you're shit Maradona you're shit
The song is calling out Maradona as a bad person
We've waited eight years for your come up pence
We have waited for eight years for you to face consequences for your actions
Now we know weren't worth Tuppence
You have proven to be worthless
Hairy little legs and fat little head
You are being insulted for your physical appearance
You once has thirty whore in your bed
You have had sex with so many prostitutes
You claim to stand up for your god laws
You claim to follow religious laws
While all the time you were shagging whores
But you were having sex with prostitutes
Crocodile tears on the commentary box
You fake cried on TV
Was it cause you'd lost of been giving the pox
Was it because you lost or because you had an STD
All supplied by the hand of god
This line is repeated to emphasize that Maradona believed all his success was a result of divine intervention
Contributed by Maya O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Martin Martin
Gracias Diego Armando Maradona. Te llevamos en el alma.
Ferdinando G.
I am fan of Napoli football club , and I love Maradona and this Band..
Alverto De Mari
LA TIENEN ADENTRO PARA SIEMPRE
Toilet Paper
This song only served to make him more legendary
Darren G
Love it ,sums him up a treat
Street Larry
Esta era mi cuenta vieja y el tema se lo dedique al Diego el día que nos quedamos afuera en Sudáfrica 2010... más allá que este re quemado o haya usado un rato la camiseta de los pechos frío... el Diego es único!!
Carlos Alberto
Quieres decir que escuchó esta canción?
Lance Stone
Rest in peace to the Legendary Maradona 🏆⚽️
Miguel Sánchez
El 86 Cobraron sus hooligans en el paseo de la República mientras en el Azteca se quemaba su linda bandera y el Diego les mostraba como se juega al fútbol
Garabando Garabandi
grande diego💓