Their line-up has rotated much over the past couple of decades, with husband and wife Lux Interior and Poison Ivy--the lead singer and lead guitarist, respectively--as the only permanent members.
Lux picked up Ivy when he was driving on the highway. Ivy had raised her hand for an auto stop, Lux stopped his car and ...fate brought them together.
They were part of the early CBGB's punk rock movement that had emerged in New York, although they had formed several years earlier in California. The band is credited as a prominent factor in terms of influence on the gothabilly genre.
Their sound was heavily influenced by early rockabilly and proto-rock'n'roll like Link Wray and Hasil Adkins, 1960s surf music acts such as The Ventures, The Surfaris and Dick Dale, 1960s garage rock artists like The Standells, The Gants, The Trashmen, The Green Fuz and The Sonics, as well as the post-glam/early punk scene from which they emerged. They also were influenced to a degree by The Ramones as well as Screamin' Jay Hawkins, who is often credited for having pioneered their style of theatrical horror-blues.
On February 4, 2009, Lux Interior died of a pre-existing heart condition at the age of 62.
Discography:
Albums & EPs:
Gravest Hits
Songs The Lord Taught Us
Psychedelic Jungle
A Date with Elvis
Stay Sick!
Look Mom No Head!
Blues Fix
Flamejob
Big Beat from Badsville
Fiends of Dope Island
Live albums:
Smell of Female
Rockin n Reelin in Auckland New Zealand
Singles:
"Surfin' Bird" / "The Way I Walk" "Human Fly" / "Domino" "Fever" / "Garbageman" "Garbageman" / "TV Set" "Garbageman" / "Drug Train" "Drug Train" "Goo Goo Muck" "The Crusher" "Faster Pussycat" "I Ain't Nuthin' But a Gorehound" "Can Your Pussy Do the Dog?" "What's Inside a Girl?" "Kizmiaz" "Get Off the Road" "Bikini Girls with Machine Guns" "All Women Are Bad" "Creature from the Black Leather Lagoon" "Eyeball in My Martini" "Let's Get Fucked Up" / "How Come You Do Me?" "Ultra Twist!" "Naked Girl Falling Down the Stairs" "Like a Bad Girl Should" "Big Black Witchcraft Rock"
Compilations
...Off the Bone Bad Music for Bad People How to Make a Monster The Secret Life of the Cramps
What's Inside a Girl?
The Cramps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Cramps's song "What's Inside a Girl?" is a playfully provocative and suggestive ode to the mysterious and alluring nature of female sexuality. The song starts by questioning "what's inside a girl?" and dismisses the notion that they are hollow as they have been told by their mother, suggesting that there is a whole other world inside a woman that they are curious about. The lyrics then describe the physical features of a woman, such as a pointed bra, a ten-inch waist, and long black stockings, before asking what she might be hiding underneath it all. The song continues with a playful, almost childlike tone, as the singer compares the challenge of discovering what's inside a girl to a child taking apart their toys.
The lyrics are both tongue-in-cheek and subversive, with the song seemingly poking fun at male fascination with and desire for women while also celebrating it. The title itself, "What's Inside a Girl?" is a play on the notion of what's inside a wrapped present, with the song suggesting that women themselves are a kind of gift that needs to be unwrapped and explored. The playful tone and sense of curiosity that pervades the song make it an entertaining and infectious listen, with the underlying message being that women are complex, intriguing, and worth discovering.
Line by Line Meaning
Whoa...there's some things baby I just can't swallow.
I am not comfortable with everything you do or have done.
Mama told me that girls are hollow.
My mother taught me that girls have nothing inside them.
Uh-uh...What's inside a girl?
I am curious about what really goes on inside a girl.
Somethin's tellin' me there's a whole nuther world.
I have a strong intuition that there is more to girls than meets the eye.
Ya gotta pointy bra...ten inch waist.
You wear a bra that accentuates your breasts and have a very thin waist.
Long black stockings all over the place.
You wear black stockings that cover much of your legs and are very sexy.
Boots...buckles...belts outside.
You wear boots, buckles, and belts on the outside of your clothing to make a statement.
Whatcha got in there yer tryin' a-hide? Hmmm?
What exactly are you hiding underneath all of that clothing?
Ain't no hotter question in a so-called civilized world.
There is no more intriguing question in our supposedly civilized society.
Can't see it by satellite baby that's cheatin'.
I cannot use technology to see what is truly inside of you. That is not fair.
The President's callin' an emergency meetin'.
The leader of our country is being forced to address the issue of what is inside a girl.
The King of Siam sent a telegram sayin' "Wop bop a loop a lop a lop boom bam!"
Even the king of another country recognizes the importance of understanding what is inside a girl.
Wooee...What's inside a girl?
Wow, what could possibly be inside of you that is so intriguing?
Whatcha got...whatcha got...Whatcha got in the pot?
What exactly do you have hidden away?
In the bottom of your bottomless bodypit.
There is something inside of you that seems never-ending and infinite.
You got somethin' and I gotta get it.
There is something about you that I find irresistible and I need to have it.
Come onnn...What's inside a girl?
Please, tell me what is really going on beneath the surface.
Like da itty bitty baby takes apart his toys.
Just as a small child takes apart their toys to see how they work, I want to see what is inside of you.
I'm gonna find what's rilin' up the boys.
I want to know what is causing the boys to be so fascinated by girls.
Sugar and spice is just a bluff.
The idea that girls are only made up of sweetness and goodness is a false front.
You can tell me baby...what is that stuff?!
Please share with me what is inside of you that makes you so alluring.
Come on...What's inside a girl?
I am begging you, show me what is really under your skin.
That wavy gravy got my head in a whirl.
All of this intrigue and mystery is making my mind spin in confusion.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: IVY RORSCHACH, LUX INTERIOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind