The one permanent fixture amidst the Fall's ever-changing line-up was Mark E. Smith (1957 – 2018). Smith's lyrics are free, unboxed and unpredictable, touching on an extremely wide range of subjects and places, and caring little for being tied down to easily digestible messages.
Smith's singing could put off some people, but others find it a uniquely expressive instrument. Smith was not a conventionally great vocalist, but his keen sense of rhythm, his energy and personality more than made up for this.
The Fall's music changed depending on the line-up at a given time. Always experimental, Mark E. Smith claimed to invent several musical genres, including house music; "we were doing that years ago" and even the internet. "He told me I didn't understand, that we were from the bleak industrial wastes of North England, or something, and that we didn't understand the Internet. I told him Fall fans invented the Internet. They were on there in 1982." One thing that is for sure is that The Fall (and their fans) always pushed the boundaries, and were never afraid to experiment.
The Fall were a favorite group of DJ John Peel, recording 24 sessions for his BBC1 radio program over the years.
The Fall's back catalogue consists of 29 studio albums, and is very fragmented with a seemingly endless number of compilations and semi-official live albums.
In 2006, British music-critic Dave Simpson published an entertaining account of a journalist's attempt to track down all 43 former members of The Fall in the Guardian. Many previous members have been fired, often with little or no notice. Simpson's ongoing effort was subsequently described at greater length in his book "The Fallen" (2008). His effort to track down the final unaccounted stragglers of at least 50 previous members of The Fall - including drummer Karl Burns - continues in his blog. Having decried Simpson's book as a "hatchet job" in the pages of Pseud. Mag., a Fall fan-mag, Mark E. Smith countered in short order with his autobiography "Renegade: The Lives and Tales of Mark E. Smith" (Viking, 2008/Penguin 2009).
Mark E. Smith died on 24 January 2018, aged 60.
Key Albums include:
# Live At the Witch Trials (debut)
# Dragnet
# Totale's Turns (It's Now Or Nevr)
# Grotesque (after the Gramme)
# Perverted By Language
# Hex Enduction Hour
# This Nation's Saving Grace
# Middle Class Revolt
# Bend Sinister
# Extricate
# The Infotainment Scan
# Country on the Click aka The Real New Fall LP
# Fall Heads Roll
# Reformation Post TLC (new)
Compilations/Singles/B-Sides:
# 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong: 39 Golden Greats
# The Complete Peel Sessions 1978-2004
# Totally Wired: The Rough Trade Anthology (disc 1) and Totally Wired: The Rough Trade Anthology (disc 2)
# 458489 A-Sides
# 458489 B-Sides
Choc-Stock
The Fall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah? Well don't make a career out of it
Up tonight
You are chock, you are pop, you are pop-stock
(Mix my pop-stock)
Pop-stock, mix my pop-stock
Pop-stock, mix my pop-stock
We like pop-sick stickers
We like weak TV
We like chocolate animals
We eat porky piggies
Pop stock, mix my pop-stock
Pop-stock, mix my pop-stock
Pop-stock, try my pop-stock
Pop-stock, buy my pop-stock
Now all the bourgeoisie
They hate our crazy scene
'cause we dig pop-sick stickers
We like weaker tea
But they're the product of the same systems
Beyond their control
They stayed on at school
And tolerate bad manners
Pop stock, mix my pop-stock
Pop-stock, mix my pop-stock
Pop-stock, try my pop-stock
Pop-stock, buy my pop-stock
Now come on kids
You don't need a seventy-seven
You don't need Lee Cooper
You don't need three cosmic boots
You don't need no cosmic shit
Lets get this thing together
And make it bad
Why are you smiling
Why are you laughing
At or with this song
It's not like your scene, your scene
Pop stock, mix my pop-stock
Pop-stock, mix my pop-stock
Pop-stock, try my pop-stock
Pop-stock, buy my pop-stock
The Fall's song Choc-Stock is a playful and satirical commentary on the music industry and consumer culture. The opening lines of the song, "Are you doing what you did two years ago? Yeah? Well don't make a career out of it," poke fun at artists who try to replicate their past successes instead of evolving and experimenting with their sound. The chorus, "You are chock, you are pop, you are pop-stock, mix my pop-stock," repeats the phrase "pop-stock" as a reference to the commodification of pop music and the way record labels and corporations sell it as a product. The song even goes as far as to criticize the commercialization of everyday items, such as chocolate animals and "porky piggies."
The lyrics also comment on the societal divide between the "bourgeoisie" and those who enjoy pop culture. The Fall suggests that those who mock and criticize pop culture are simply products of the same system, and that even their education cannot prevent them from tolerating bad manners. The song takes a rebellious stance against societal expectations by encouraging listeners to "make it bad" and not to conform to consumerist ideals or fashion trends. Overall, Choc-Stock is a lighthearted and humorous critique of mainstream culture and a call to embrace individuality and creativity.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you doing what you did two years ago?
Are you stuck in the same routine as before?
Yeah? Well don't make a career out of it
It's not sustainable to keep doing the same thing over and over again
Up tonight
Feeling lively and energetic
You are chock, you are pop, you are pop-stock
You're filled with energy, you're lively, you're popular
(Mix my pop-stock)
Let's combine our energy and be even more popular
Pop-stock, mix my pop-stock
Let's combine our energy and be even more popular
We like pop-sick stickers
We enjoy things that are considered low-brow or tacky
We like weak TV
We enjoy TV that's not intellectually stimulating
We like chocolate animals
We enjoy simple pleasures like candy
We eat porky piggies
We indulge in unhealthy snacks
Pop-stock, try my pop-stock
Join us in our energetic and popular lifestyle
Pop-stock, buy my pop-stock
Invest in our lifestyle, it's worth it
Now all the bourgeoisie
The upper class
They hate our crazy scene
They dislike our unconventional and wild lifestyle
'cause we dig pop-sick stickers
Because we enjoy things that are considered low-brow or tacky
We like weaker tea
We enjoy simple pleasures over expensive or fancy ones
But they're the product of the same systems
The upper class is still influenced by the societal norms that they dislike in us
Beyond their control
They can't help but be influenced by these societal norms
They stayed on at school
They followed a traditional educational path
And tolerate bad manners
They put up with socially unacceptable behavior
Now come on kids
Hey, young people
You don't need a seventy-seven
You don't need expensive or trendy things
You don't need Lee Cooper
You don't need designer clothing
You don't need three cosmic boots
You don't need flashy or expensive footwear
You don't need no cosmic shit
You don't need unnecessary and extravagant things
Lets get this thing together
Let's work together and make our lifestyle great
And make it bad
Let's be wild and unconventional
Why are you smiling
Why are you amused or entertained
Why are you laughing
Why are you finding humor in our lifestyle
At or with this song
Is it because of the music
It's not like your scene, your scene
Our lifestyle and music are not for everyone
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: CRAIG ANTONY SCANLAN, MARK EDWARD SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind