They are signed to the Wichita Recordings label, and have currently released 5 albums through this imprint - 'The Cribs' (2004), 'The New Fellas' (2005), 'Mens Needs, Womens Needs, Whatever' (2007), 'Ignore The Ignorant' (2009), and 'In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull' (2012).
Despite starting off as an underground band, The Cribs have experienced commercial success with 'Mens Needs, Womens Needs, Whatever' charting at #13 in the UK album charts, and 'Ignore The Ignorant' achieving the band their first Top Ten album, charting at #8. They also have 7 top 40 hit singles to their name, the most successful of which being 'Men's Needs' (#17). In 2008, Q magazine described The Cribs as "The biggest cult band in the UK".
The Chi-Town Songfacts says that The Cribs' fifth studio album, In the Belly of the Brazen Bull, was recorded at London's Abbey Road and Chicago's EAR studio with famed lo-fi rock engineer Steve Albini and Tarbox Road studio in New York with David Fridmann (Mercury Rev, The Flaming Lips).
After some hard times during which they were (according to an interview in DIY Magazine) "nearly losing the rights to their entire back catalogue, and coming close to calling time on the group entirely," in 2020 they released the album "Night Network."
Our Bovine Public
The Cribs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Didn't think I'd wear brown shoes
Didn't think that I'd ever have to read about this in the news
You gonna have a go
Well I don't want to know
I just thought that I should try and say hello to those who'd
Never exist without being generic
You'd never exist if you wasn't generic
You have to impress our bovine public
I'll never forget how all this begun
And I will never regret a thing I have done but
You would never exist without us
So maybe I do not have the time
Fair-weather friends of mine
A year's a long time
You're doing nothing with your life
I heard you felt alert
Well I'm hoping that it hurt
'Cause we've spent too much time in groundwork
To be ground in to the dirt by those who'd
Never exist without being generic
You'll have to impress our bovine public
You'd never exist if you wasn't generic
You'll have to impress our bovine public
I'll never forget how all this begun
And I will never regret a thing I have done
But you would never exist without us
So maybe I do
Well you say nothing
So you'll always mean nothing to me
And if what you say means nothing
Then what you say will always mean nothing to me
D'you think I have the time fair-weather friends of mine
A year's a long time to be doing nothing with your life
I heard you felt alert
Well I'm hoping that it hurt
'Cause we've spent too much time in groundwork
To be ground into the dirt by those
Who'd never exist without being generic
You have to impress our bovine public
You'd never exist if you wasn't generic
You'll have to impress our bovine public
I'll never forget how all this begun
And I will never regret the one thing I've done
But you would never exist without us
So maybe I do
The Cribs’ song ‘Our Bovine Public’ is a scathing critique of the music industry and the public’s obsession with conformity. The lyrics are sharp and witty, expressing the frustration of the artist with the pressure to conform to the mainstream market in order to achieve success. The line “You’d never exist without being generic” directly attacks the industry’s tendency to promote bland, cookie-cutter musicians, while “You have to impress our bovine public” addresses the public’s tendency to follow popular trends without thinking critically about them.
The song’s title plays on the phrase ‘bovine masses’, a term coined by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche to describe the herd mentality of society. The song’s message is that the music industry relies on the public’s unquestioning acceptance of new artists, and encourages generic, unoriginal music to avoid taking risks. The anger and impulsiveness of the lyrics reflect the band members’ experiences in the industry and their frustration with the pressure to conform.
Overall, ‘Our Bovine Public’ is a biting commentary on the nature of the music industry, attacking its lack of creativity and the public’s uncritical acceptance of bland music. The song serves as a critique of societal conformity and the dangers of a herd mentality.
Line by Line Meaning
Didn't think I'd have to choose
I never imagined I would have to make a difficult decision
Didn't think I'd wear brown shoes
I never thought I would wear unfashionable shoes
Didn't think that I'd ever have to read about this in the news
I never expected to see this story in the media
You gonna have a go
Are you going to try to criticize me?
Well I don't want to know
I don't care what you have to say
I just thought that I should try and say hello to those who'd
I wanted to greet people who might not be noticed otherwise
Never exist without being generic
You only have relevance if you fit a predefined mold
You have to impress our bovine public
People need to appeal to the mindless masses to be successful
You'd never exist if you wasn't generic
Nonconformity is not acceptable in our society
I'll never forget how all this begun
I will always remember the start of this journey
And I will never regret a thing I have done but
I stand by all of my decisions
You would never exist without us
We are the reason you have any success at all
So maybe I do not have the time
Perhaps I am too busy to deal with you
Fair-weather friends of mine
You are only around when it benefits you
A year's a long time
A single year can feel very long
You're doing nothing with your life
You are not making any meaningful progress
I heard you felt alert
I heard you were trying to improve yourself
Well I'm hoping that it hurt
I'm hoping that your efforts were in vain
'Cause we've spent too much time in groundwork
We have invested a lot of effort and resources already
To be ground in to the dirt by those who'd
We will not be destroyed by those who try to bring us down
Well you say nothing
You don't have anything to add
So you'll always mean nothing to me
You will never have any significance for me
And if what you say means nothing
If your words are meaningless
Then what you say will always mean nothing to me
Then I will never take anything you say seriously
The End
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GARY JOHN JARMAN, ROSS ANTHONY JARMAN, RYAN JAMES JARMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dino Aguirre
These guys don't get the credit they deserve and also Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand did a hell of a job on this record.
Samuel Powell
I remember listening to the first two cribs albums loads in my car driving around with my friends, we could sing every song as we listened to it so much, good times, I miss when music like this was played on the radio, it felt like a band with some good songs could actually get the recognition they deserved unlike today when it all feels so corporate, my friend is a music producer and is heavily influenced by the cribs guitar playing, I wanna throw him some love to get more recognition, please try searching Lonely Gimmick - Grumpy Days, you may be in for a surprise and he would love to hear your opinion, they are almost at 1000 subs please come and help out
Andy Traverse
Great opening tune for one of their best records
Beto 🇬🇹
I love it. Found this on Spotify weekly
medinner
The first new band i've liked in years! Got the back catalogue in Zavvi last week- £5 an album, the new one for £6- and they're amazing. Great riffs, top lyrics, proper rock star posturing. The two voice thing is great too- rarely works, but sounds great in this band.
Gilberto Gastelum
Buenisima cancion buen video!! saludos
golgti80
lindo tema!!!
Daystop Pol
One of the best song ever.
Daystop Pol
Been a long time i've came here, and today chorus came to my head without thinking, so i'm here again.
Pr Music
1:54
"NO CROWD SURFING! YOU WILL BE THROWN OUT!"
Instantly shows a shot of people crowd surfing, nobody getting thrown out
This always makes me laugh I don't even know why