The Housemartins was a British indie-pop/alternative rock band which formed… Read Full Bio ↴The Housemartins was a British indie-pop/alternative rock band which formed in 1983 in Kingston upon Hull, England. After breaking up in 1988, band members Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway formed The Beautiful South, while bassist Norman Cook found success as an electronic dance music DJ and music producer founding the groups Beats International, Pizzaman and Freak Power, before rebranding himself as Fatboy Slim.

At its formation the band consisted of Paul Heaton (vocals), Stan Cullimore (guitar), Ted Key (bass) and Chris Lang (drums). The band's membership changed frequently throughout its existence. Ted Key was replaced by Norman Cook (who later became internationally famous as big beat musician Fatboy Slim) and drummer Chris Lang was replaced by Hugh Whitaker, former drummer with The Gargoyles, who in turn was replaced with Dave Hemingway. The band split in 1988.

The band often referred to themselves as "the 4th best band in Hull," referring to Kingston upon Hull, the city in England where the band formed in 1983. (The three bands that were "better" were Red Guitars, Everything but the Girl, and The Gargoyles.)

In 1986, the band broke through with the single Happy Hour, which reached No. 3 in the UK charts helped by a claymation animated pop promo of a type that was in vogue at the time. At the end of the same year, they had a No. 1 single with a cover version of Isley Jasper Isley's Caravan of Love.

The band released three albums: London 0 Hull 4, The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death, and the greatest bits compilation Now That's What I Call Quite Good. A new collection, Best of the Housemartins, was released in 2004, and was available in a expanded edition with a DVD collecting their music video clips.

The Housemartins lyrics were an odd mixture of Marxist politics and born-again Christianity, reflecting Paul Heaton's beliefs at the time.

The band split in 1988, but the members have since remained friends and worked on each other's projects. Norman Cook has enjoyed significant success with both Beats International and then as Fatboy Slim, while Heaton, Hemingway and roadie Sean Welch formed The Beautiful South. Stan Cullimore has become an author of children's books. Despite repeated requests from fans, they have never reformed.

In 1993, former drummer Hugh Whitaker was convicted of assault after attacking his business partner James Hewitt with an axe. Whitaker was subsequently released from prison and now resides in Leeds, where he occasionally drums with local band Percy. Whitaker is also a member of The Malkies fronted by Alistair Hulett.

Freedom
The Housemartins Lyrics

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I used to think you understood
Taught me right and learnt me good
Made things simple for my brain
Told the truth and made it plain

But the implications I mistook
Until I found out whose side you took
And now with paper in my hand

I'm beginning to understand

So this is freedom
(They must be joking)
They must be joking
(If they think its true)

So this is freedom
(I doubt their truth)
So this is freedom
(For me and you)

From the front page news to the interviews
Its sink the reds and left the blues
They pretend they're differing points of view
But it's only different shades of blue

But the implications I mistook
Until I found out whose side you took
And now with paper in my hand
I'm beginning to understand

So this is freedom
(They must be joking)
They must be joking
(If they think its true)

So this is freedom
(I doubt their truth)
So this is freedom
(For me and you)

So this is freedom
(They must be joking)
They must be joking
(If they think its true)

So this is freedom
(I doubt their truth)
So this is freedom
(For me and you)

F.R.E.E.D.O.M.
They locked us up once
So they'll do it again

C.H.A.I.N.E.D.

They locked up my friends
Now they're coming for me

Overall Meaning

The Housemartins’ “Freedom” is a song that questions what freedom truly means, especially in the context of politics and media. The lyrics talk about how the singer used to think someone understood the world and taught him what was right and wrong, but when he found out what side the person took in politics, he began to doubt what they taught him. The song highlights how the media presents differing viewpoints, when in reality, they are just different shades of the same thing. The song repeats the phrase “So this is freedom,” which suggests that the idea of freedom may not be as free as people think it is.

The lyrics “From the front page news to the interviews, it's sink the reds and left the blues” shows the political biases of certain media outlets during that time. The song was written during the Thatcher era in the UK, and the phrase “sink the reds” refers to the Conservative government’s campaign to defeat the socialists or left-wing parties. The lyrics suggest that the media is not presenting accurate information but is trying to push a specific agenda.

In the chorus, the lyrics “They must be joking / If they think it’s true” highlight the irony in the idea of freedom. The song suggests that freedom may not actually exist because of the political and media biases that exist in society. The final lines of the song spell out “FREEDOM CHAINED,” which may suggest that while society may claim to have freedom, there are still chains holding people back.

Line by Line Meaning

I used to think you understood
I once believed that you understood things

Taught me right and learnt me good
You taught me correctly

Made things simple for my brain
You made things understandable for me

Told the truth and made it plain
You were honest and straight to the point

But the implications I mistook
I misunderstood the consequences

Until I found out whose side you took
I discovered which side you are on

And now with paper in my hand
With a document in my possession

I'm beginning to understand
I am starting to comprehend

So this is freedom
This is supposedly freedom

(They must be joking)
(I seriously doubt that)

They must be joking
It must be a joke