They are notable for being the first of the British punk bands to release a single, put out an album, and tour the United States. Their debut album, Damned Damned Damned, was released six months before The Sex Pistols' debut, Never Mind The Bollocks.
The Damned have dissolved and reformed many times, with singer Dave Vanian remaining the sole constant. They have incorporated many styles in their music, most notably garage rock, psychedelic music, the British theatrical rock of Screaming Lord Sutch and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, and New Romantic.
In addition to serving as inspiration for many of the young bands who created hardcore punk in the US, The Damned are also generally regarded as one of the founders of goth music.
Original members Dave Vanian (David Lett), Captain Sensible (Raymond Burns), and Rat Scabies (Chris Millar) were all members of the semi-legendary Masters of the Backside which included future Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde.
Original guitarist Brian James (Brian Robertson) was a member of the early punk band London SS, a unit that never played live, but whose members later found fame in bands including The Clash and Generation X. Rat Scabies was also tried as the drummer for London SS, but was rejected.
Maintaining the goth connection, between 1996 and 2004 the bass guitarist of the Damned was one-time the Sisters of Mercy / the Sisterhood / Gun Club member Patricia Morrison. Morrison married Dave Vanian in 1996 but left the band after the birth of their daughter Emily. She originally joined the band after bassist Paul Grey was injured during a concert.
Discography:
Damned, Damned, Damned – February 25, 1977 (# 36)
Music For Pleasure – November 18, 1977
Machine Gun Etiquette – November 2, 1979 (# 31)
The Black Album – October 20, 1980 (# 29)
Strawberries – October 1, 1982 (# 15)
Phantasmagoria – July 15, 1985 (# 11)
Anything – December 5, 1986 (# 40)
Not of This Earth – November 11, 1995 (Retitled I'm Alright Jack & The Beanstalk in the UK, Germany and Sweden)
Grave Disorder – August 21, 2001
So, Who's Paranoid? – October 28, 2008
Evil Spirits – April 13, 2018
Darkadelic - April 28, 2023
Lovely Money
The Damned Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The tourists flock from far and near
They do the tower and try the beer
The picking pockets cost your life
And every jury has a price
They bring the kids and show the wife
And take their summer piccies
To drink at night in Soho bars
And end up feeling sickie
And we're all making money
Lovely money
Rubber necks with cash to burn
Export criminals return
They keep on coming, never learn
They fill their diaries page by page
And make it sound so thrilling
They're searching for the real thing
They're flushed and they are willing
And we're all making money
Lovely money
The victors of the opium wars
Now take their trips and open doors
They stand upon the actual floors
Actual floors, actual floors
It makes them proud to be around
And take their summer piccies
To drink at night in Soho bars
And end up feeling sickie
More money, more money
More money, more money
Now off you go, away you fly
We've had your money now goodbye
We fleeced you good we bled you dry
Goodbye goodbye
(repeat to fade)
The Damned's "Lovely Money" is a song about the negative impacts of tourism in London. It paints a picture of tourists flocking to the city to explore its darker side, including the Tower of London and Soho bars. The opening lines of "They come to see the dungeons here/The tourists flock from far and near/They do the tower and try the beer" set the ironic tone for the song, highlighting that the same city which offers so much history and entertainment for tourists is also dangerous, with pickpockets lurking around every corner.
The lyrics go on to describe how every jury has a price, hinting at the corruption among the justice system, and how tourists are eager to take pictures of everything they experience, feeling proud to have visited such places of historical significance. The chorus emphasizes the central theme of the song, which is the profit that tourism creates. The lyrics highlight how everyone is making money from the tourists, from those who pickpocket to those who own Soho bars.
The final lines of the song "Now off you go, away you fly/We've had your money now goodbye/We fleeced you good we bled you dry/Goodbye goodbye" capture the irony and frustration felt by locals towards tourists. Despite enjoying the benefits of tourism, locals also feel that tourists take advantage of the city and its residents, leaving them dry after extracting as much money as possible.
Line by Line Meaning
They come to see the dungeons here
Tourists come to see the dungeons here
The tourists flock from far and near
Tourists come from far and near
They do the tower and try the beer
They visit the tower and try the beer
The picking pockets cost your life
Pickpockets cost you your life
And every jury has a price
Every jury can be bought
They bring the kids and show the wife
They bring their kids and spouse to show them around
It makes them proud to be around
They feel proud to be around
And take their summer piccies
And take photos during summer
To drink at night in Soho bars
To drink at night in Soho bars
And end up feeling sickie
And end up feeling sick
And we're all making money
Everyone is making money
Lovely money
Money is great
Rubber necks with cash to burn
Curious people with a lot of money
Export criminals return
Criminals return from abroad
They keep on coming, never learn
They keep coming and never learn
They fill their diaries page by page
They fill their diaries with experiences
And make it sound so thrilling
And exaggerate it to sound thrilling
They're searching for the real thing
They're searching for authenticity
They're flushed and they are willing
They're excited and eager
The victors of the opium wars
The winners of the opium wars
Now take their trips and open doors
Now travel abroad and have opportunities
They stand upon the actual floors
They stand on the real floors
Actual floors, actual floors
Real floors, real floors
More money, more money
More money is desired
Now off you go, away you fly
Now you leave and fly away
We've had your money now goodbye
We've taken your money so goodbye
We fleeced you good we bled you dry
We tricked you and took all your money
Goodbye goodbye
Goodbye
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Not Kidding
on Shakin’ All Over
English artist
Pierre Clary
on Feel the Pain
DROP SOME BLUES = take some 3french blues3 pills -popular amphetamine and barbiturate drug since the '60's, see movie Quadrophenia