In 1981, a fan of the Clean founded the Flying Nun label to release their first single, "Tally Ho." A follow-up track off one of their early EPs, "Beatnik", also achieved success, as did the second single, "Getting Older". The Flying Nun label went on to be New Zealand's biggest independent record company, championing the Dunedin Sound, a loosely-connected style of music largely produced by bands from this southern city. Others on the label included The Chills, The Verlaines, The Bats, and Sneaky Feelings.
During much of the 1980s, The Clean disbanded, and during this time the Kilgour brothers worked together on an experimental album and EP using the deliberately punning titles "The Great Unwashed" and "Clean Out of Our Minds". Reforming in the late 1980s, the band explored a slightly poppier vein of music while still retaining their experimental edge.
In June 2008 a live album recorded during the 2007 New Zealand tour was released in New Zealand on Arch Hill Records, entitled "Mashed". A new studio album, titled Mister Pop was released on September 7, 2009 on Arch Hill, and on September 8 in the United States on the Merge label.
In December 2009, The Clean announced their first European dates in more than 20 years, supporting the cult U.S band Pavement at Brixton Academy on the 10th of May. They also played at the Pavement curated ATP at Butlins Minehead on the 14th of May. Other dates on the tour included Amsterdam (May 22), Hamburg (May 23), Berlin (May 25) and Barcelona's Primavera Sound festival May 29).
Big Soft Punch
The Clean Lyrics
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and we know what it brings
and we crawl on the roof
scraping all our hands and knees
we don't need any proof
yeah they're waiting for the big soft punch
and they don't even know why
yeah they're waiting for the big soft punch
they'll need it if they're to fly
now they're inside
running on a little room
and there's no time to hide
but the rains getting close
and they crawl away to hide>
The Clean's song "Big Soft Punch" is a cryptic number that speaks about waiting for something significant to happen, even though one isn't very sure of what it is. The first verse seems to set the tone for the song by talking about waiting for the wind and its consequences. The lines "we know what it brings" suggest that the singer is aware of the significance of the wind, perhaps in a metaphorical sense. The second verse then points towards a group of people who wait for a big event, the "big soft punch," without even knowing why they do so. It's possible that the big soft punch is an event or a phenomenon that they believe will give them the power to fly or achieve something significant.
The last verse could allude to a catastrophic event, in which people are trapped inside a room and have no place to hide. The line "the rain's getting close" implies that something terrible is about to happen, and the people inside are crawling to find a hiding place. Overall, "Big Soft Punch" seems to speak about people's desire to wait for something significant, even if they don't know what it is, and the consequences that come with chasing such a desire.
Line by Line Meaning
well we wait for the day
We anticipate and long for a certain day to come.
when the wind gets on its way
Once the wind starts blowing, things will begin to happen.
and we know what it brings
We are aware of the results that the wind will bring.
and we crawl on the roof
We climb up onto the roof on our hands and knees.
scraping all our hands and knees
Our hands and knees are getting hurt and roughed up in the process.
we don't need any proof
We don't require any evidence or confirmation.
heading off with the truth
We depart with the knowledge of what's true or right.
yeah they're waiting for the big soft punch
Others are waiting for something significant to happen, even if they don't know what or why.
and they don't even know why
They are uncertain about the reasoning behind their expectations.
they'll need it if they're to fly
In order to succeed or progress, they believe they will require this significant occurrence.
now they're inside
They are presently indoors.
running on a little room
They are moving around in a small area.
and there's no time to hide
There is no opportunity to conceal or protect oneself.
but the rains getting close
A storm or difficult situation is approaching.
and they crawl away to hide
They retreat or escape to avoid being directly impacted by the storm or difficulty.
Contributed by Layla R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.