1. A popular hard rock ba… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least six artists with this name:
1. A popular hard rock band from the United Kingdom
2. A death metal band from Germany
3. An alternative rock band from Poland
4. A Eurodance group
5. A thrash metal band from the Czech Republic
1. The Darkness are a hard rock band which formed in Lowestoft, England in 2000. The band consists of Justin Hawkins (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Dan Hawkins (guitar, vocals), Frankie Poullain (bass) and Ed Graham (drums). According to the Nothin's Gonna Stop Us Songfacts, Ed Graham inspired the band’s name as his youthful bleak moods were known as The Darkness.
They are widely regarded as a glam rock band, but the members disputed this and saw themselves as a classic hard-rock band. Their highly retro style of music was influenced by rock bands like Queen, AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, Aerosmith, Sparks, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, T. Rex, Def Leppard, Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy. They are best known for the soaring falsetto of their lead singer Justin Hawkins, whose departure in 2006 resulted in the dissolution of the band. In 2011, the band announced their return, with a third album, "Hot Cakes," to be released on Wind-up Records.
Dan had initially seen his brother's potential of being a frontman after Justin did an impressive recreation of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' at a New Year's Eve party in 1999, thrown by Justin and Dan's aunt in her pub The Swan at Gillingham just over the River Waveney in Norfolk, despite the fact that Justin was only miming to the original song. Playing at first only in pubs and bars, their pyrotechnic guitar solos and over the top performances soon brought them to public knowledge.
Achieving major success in the UK in 2003, The Darkness received considerable radio airplay of their singles, including I Believe in a Thing Called Love and the Christmas hit Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End). Their debut album, Permission to Land, reached number one in the UK charts and went on to sell one and a half million copies in the UK alone. The success of this album led to heavy touring for the band, which included headlining the Carling Festivals in 2004. The band won three Brit Awards in the same year, including Best Group, Best Rock Group and Best Album. They also won two Kerrang! awards for Best Live Act and Best British Band.
By late 2004 the band's huge success had led to a public backlash, and people claiming that the band were more a joke than a 'real' band became more common. The band responded to this criticism by touring the UK's top arenas on the "Winter-National Tour" tour with the Irish group Ash supporting them. One part of the show included Justin climbing upon a life-sized white tiger during "Love on the Rocks with No Ice" and being elevated around the audience whilst still playing guitar. The majority of the shows on the tour sold out.
On May 23, 2005 original bass player Frankie Poullain left the band during the recording of their second album, apparently due to "musical differences" with Justin Hawkins. Frankie has disputed this version of events, claiming he was "frozen out" and forced to leave the band by Justin and his longterm girlfriend (and the band's manager) Sue Whitehouse. On June 13 2005, The Darkness announced that Richie Edwards, formerly Dan's guitar technician, had replaced Frankie as bass player.
One Way Ticket, the first single from their second album, was released on 14 November 2005, debuting and peaking at number 8 on the UK Singles chart. The Darkness followed this with their second album One Way Ticket to Hell...And Back on November 28, 2005 to mixed reviews despite it having been produced by the well known Roy Thomas Baker whom has worked with bands such as Queen. Although it has been made platinum its sales do not come close to their debut's five-times-platinum rating and its chart peak at number eleven is a weak showing compared to Permission To Land's number one. The second single release from this album was Is It Just Me?, released on 20th February 2006 and charted at number eight. Soon afterwards Justin announced while performing live that the third single to be released from the album would be Girlfriend; and gained a mixed response. Released on 22nd May 2006, it charted at a disappointing number thirty-nine.
After having disappeared for quite some time the band announced that singer Justin Hawkins had left the band on 11th October 2006, after a battle against drugs.
On December 24, 2006, it was reported by Yahoo! News that bass player Richie Edwards would become the group's new frontman, with Toby MacFarlaine to join The Darkness and take over on bass. In blog entries on MySpace, Richie Edwards, Dan Hawkins and Ed Graham said that they had started recording a new album with Toby McFarlaine, and that they had formed a new band together.
On March 2, 2007, The Darkness' official website was changed, showing a photograph of the new, and as yet unnamed band. Links to the members individual Myspace pages were included, confirming the line-up of Richie Edwards, Dan Hawkins, Toby MacFarlaine and Ed Graham. Richie later added a message to the site, categorically confirming that the band would not continue under the name "The Darkness", saying "we are literally days away from announcing our new name".
It was announced on August 25, 2007 that the band had finished recording an album but no release dates or names, of either the band or album, had been decided. Record label and support has yet to be decided.
On November 9, 2007, it was announced on The University of East Anglia's student union website that the new band would be called Stone Gods. This name was confirmed on the official website on November 21, 2007. The line-up has been confirmed as Dan Hawkins (lead guitar), Toby MacFarlaine (bass), Ed Graham (drums) and Richie Edwards (vocals/guitar).
In March 2011, The Darkness announced on their newly updated website that they would be reforming the original line-up to play the Download Festival in Donington, Derbyshire. Songfacts reports that Nothin's Gonna Stop Us, the first new material from the band since they reconvened, was made available several months later as a free download from The Darkness’s official website.
The Darkness will be releasing "Hotcakes," their first album since reuniting, in 2012 on Wind-up Records. This album includes the singles "Every Inch of You" and Everybody Have a Good Time."
Bald
The Darkness Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baldness has set in
His hair, at an alarming pace
Running away from his face
He's losing his virility
And now his masculinity
Has been compromised
And his libido down-sized
Not for me, not for me, not for me, uh-uh
Not for me, not for me, heaven forbid
It's not for me you understand
Bald, slap headed and hairless
Bald he is destined to be
Bald, well tonight thank God it's him instead of me.
From what I have been reading
His scalp needs kneading
To stimulate each follicle
And reverse this diabolical
Condition that's afflicted he
For years and has cruelly
Repulsed each potential mate
And left him with a balding pate
Not for me, not for me, not for me, uh-uh
Not for me, not for me, heaven forbid
It's not for me you understand
Bald, slap headed and hairless
Bald he is destined to be
Bald, well tonight thank God it's him instead of me.
Sock it to me baby, yeah!
Not for me, not for me, not for me, uh-uh
Not for me, not for me, heaven forbid
It's not for me you understand
Not for me, not for me, not for me, uh-uh
Not for me, not for me, heaven forbid
It's not for me you understand
Bald, slap headed and hairless
Bald he is destined to be
Bald, well tonight thank God it's him instead of me.
Thank God!
Bald, slap headed and hairless
Bald he is destined to be
Bald, well tonight thank God it's him instead of me.
How?
The Darkness's song "Bald" tackles the sensitive subject of male pattern baldness with a humorous twist. The singer describes the plight of a man whose hair is running away from his face at an alarming pace, compromising his masculinity and libido. The lyrics express the singer's relief that he himself is not experiencing baldness, comically thanking God that it is happening to someone else instead.
The song's chorus is straightforward and catchy, emphasizing the subject matter: "Bald, slap headed and hairless, bald he is destined to be, bald, well tonight thank God it's him instead of me." The lyrics also suggest that the afflicted man's "scalp needs kneading" in order to reverse the "diabolical condition" of baldness.
The song could be interpreted as a playful jab at societal beauty standards that place a premium on full heads of hair, or as a reflection of the singer's personal insecurities and fears of baldness. Overall, the lyrics of "Bald" are humorous and lighthearted while also acknowledging the impact that hair loss can have on one's self-esteem and romantic prospects.
Line by Line Meaning
It would appear that male pattern
The singer has noticed that the person in question is experiencing male pattern baldness.
Baldness has set in
The person's baldness has started to become noticeable.
His hair, at an alarming pace
The person's hair is falling out quickly.
Running away from his face
The hair loss pattern is such that it makes it seem like the hair is fleeing from the person's face.
He's losing his virility
The person's hair loss is making him feel less masculine and potent sexually.
And now his masculinity
His hair loss is affecting his sense of manliness.
Has been compromised
His confidence in his masculinity is being affected by the hair loss.
And his libido down-sized
His sexual drive is decreasing as he feels less manly due to the hair loss.
Not for me, not for me, not for me, uh-uh
The singer emphasizes that he doesn't want to be in the same situation as the person experiencing hair loss.
Not for me, not for me, heaven forbid
The singer repeats that he would never want to go bald.
It's not for me you understand
The singer clarifies that he doesn't wish the same fate upon himself or anyone else.
Bald, slap headed and hairless
The singer describes the person's current state of being without hair.
Bald he is destined to be
The singer implies that this person's hair loss is irreversible and that he is doomed to be bald.
Bald, well tonight thank God it's him instead of me.
The singer expresses relief that he is not the one experiencing hair loss, despite feeling sorry for the person who is.
From what I have been reading
The singer has been doing some research on hair loss.
His scalp needs kneading
The singer suggests that massaging the scalp could potentially stimulate hair growth.
To stimulate each follicle
The singer explains that scalp massage could promote the growth of hair follicles.
And reverse this diabolical
The singer refers to hair loss as a devilish or evil condition.
Condition that's afflicted he
The person has been suffering from this condition for a long time.
For years and has cruelly
The person has been experiencing hair loss for a lengthy amount of time, and it's been cruel to him.
Repulsed each potential mate
The person's hair loss has made it difficult for him to attract romantic partners.
And left him with a balding pate
The hair loss has caused the person to have a bald spot atop his head.
Sock it to me baby, yeah!
This is a vocalization that expresses excitement or enthusiasm.
Thank God!
The singer reiterates his relief and gratitude that he is not the one experiencing the hair loss.
How?
This is not a line from the song, but rather a question that is unclear as to its meaning or purpose in this context.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DANIEL FRANCIS HAWKINS, EDWIN JAMES GRAHAM, FRANCIS GILLES POULLAIN-PATTERSON, JUSTIN DAVID HAWKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind