Beginning in 1987 in London, England, Bill Drummond (alias King Boy D) and Jimmy Cauty (alias Rockman Rock) released hip hop-inspired and sample-heavy records as The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu and, on one occasion (the British number one hit single "Doctorin' the Tardis"), as The Timelords. As The KLF, Drummond and Cauty pioneered the genres "stadium house" (rave music with a pop-rock production and sampled crowd noise) and "ambient house". The KLF released a series of international top-ten hits on their own KLF Communications record label, and became the highest internationally selling UK band of 1991. The duo also published a book, The Manual, and worked on a road movie called The White Room.
From the outset, they adopted the philosophy espoused by esoteric novels The Illuminatus! Trilogy, gaining notoriety for various anarchic situationist manifestations, including the defacement of billboard adverts, the posting of prominent cryptic advertisements in NME magazine and the mainstream press, and highly distinctive and unusual performances on Top of the Pops. Their most notorious performance was at the February 1992 Brit Awards, where they horrified the formal audience with a hardcore thrash version of "3 A.M. Eternal" (performed with the justifiably named Extreme Noise Terror) that also included Drummond spraying the crowd with blanks from an automatic rifle and the post-performance announcement, "The KLF have left the music industry." Topping their already extreme actions, Cauty and Drummond delivered the carcass of a dead sheep -- plus eight gallons of blood -- to the lobby of the hotel after-party. In May 1992 the duo deleted their entire back catalogue.
With The KLF's profits, Drummond and Cauty established the K Foundation and sought to subvert the art world, staging an alternative art award for the worst artist of the year and burning a million pounds sterling. Although Drummond and Cauty remained true to their word of May 1992—the KLF Communications catalogue remains deleted—they have released a small number of new tracks since then, as the K Foundation, The One World Orchestra and most recently, in 1997, as 2K. Cauty has provided remixing services for bands as diverse as Hawkwind and Placebo, under the name Scourge of the Earth.
The KLF catalogue remained absent from digital platforms until January 1, 2021, when an 8-track compilation of their 7" hit singles 1988-1991 - Solid State Logik 1 was released on streaming platforms, marking the 1st installment of a series called Samplecity Thru Trancentral.
The Lights of Baton Rouge Pass By
The KLF Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
Lyrics:
Rock radio is playing in my ear
Rock radio is playing in my ear
I hear the music
I hear the music
Radio radio radio
Radio radio radio
The lights of Baton Rouge pass by
Buffalo Billboards big enough to sky
In 1975 we sent a message into space
In 2017 we're sending one back to the base
In heaven everything is fine
In heaven everything is fine
You've got your good things
And I've got mine
In heaven everything is fine
In heaven everything is fine
In heaven everything is fine
You've got your good things
And you've got mine
Rock radio is playing in my ear
Rock radio is playing in my ear
I hear the music
I hear the music
Radio radio radio
Radio radio radio
The lights of Baton Rouge pass by
Buffalo Billboards big enough to sky
In 1975 we sent a message into space
In 2017 we're sending one back to the base
In heaven everything is fine
In heaven everything is fine
You've got your good things
And I've got mine
In heaven everything is fine
In heaven everything is fine
In heaven everything is fine
You've got your good things
And you've got mine
Rock radio
Rock radio
Interpretation:
The song opens with a repeated chorus of "Rock radio is playing in my ear, I hear the music" followed by another repetition of "Radio radio radio". This gives the impression that the singer is in some kind of trance, absorbed in the hypnotic repetition of rock music on the radio. The verses describe a journey passing through Baton Rouge, with references to the large billboards and space messages. The chorus is repeated again, and then the song ends with a final repetition of "Rock radio".
The song seems to be making a comment on the power of music to transport people and create a sense of otherworldliness. The repeated references to radio and the hypnotic quality of the music suggest that it can take us to a different realm, where everything is fine. The references to billboards and space messages also imply that there is something beyond the everyday world that we can tap into through music.
Overall, the lyrics of "The Lights of Baton Rouge Pass By" seem to be about the power of rock music and its ability to connect us with something larger than ourselves. They suggest that there is a transcendent quality to the music, which can take us beyond our mundane existence and into a world of awe and wonder.
Contributed by Elena K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.