The original lineup consisting of Kody Templeman, Zack Rawhauser, Cory Laurence, and Tim (Timmy V) O'Hara as a four-piece only recorded the first 7",I Lost My Marbles, produced by Joe King of The Queers for his More Bounce to the Ounce compilation. The band continued as a three-piece after Zack quit.
Their first full-length album, titled Shit Out of Luck, was released on Clearview Records in 1996. Following the release of their first album the band changed their lyrical focus. In 1999 they went into the studio with producer-engineer Mass Giorgini to record a new LP. This was done with the band's own money, and without the benefit of a record label. The result was Death By Television, an album that took sci-fi movie-themed songs such as War Of The Worlds and Invasion Of The Saucermen and combined them with tracks that made references to other retro themes, such as X-Ray Specs. The recordings instantly created a buzz. Successful label Fat Wreck Chords offered to release the album, but the band had already accepted an offer of Panic Button Records, an imprint of influential punk label Lookout! Records that was overseen by Ben Weasel of Screeching Weasel fame.
The band spent the next two years touring heavily within the punk scene and disbanded after teaming with Giorgini for their final Panic Button/Lookout! release, the spy-themed LP The Backchannel Broadcast, which was released in February, 2001. The album included the song Wait It Out, written by Ben Weasel and later re-recorded by The Riverdales for their record Phase Three.
John Jughead (of Screeching Weasel and Even in Blackouts) filled in as second guitar on many tour stops on the Death by Television and Backchannel tours. Other notable appearances on these tours include Ben Weasel (at The Fireside in Chicago, his first stage appearance since 1995), and Lurch Nobody. Timmy V left the band after Death by Television and was replaced by Austin, Texas drummer Scott.
Red Scare Industries reissued Death By Television (remastered) and Backchannel Broadcast in 2005.
The band split for a few years before reuniting with all original members to release an album, [album artist=the lillingtonsThe Too Late Show in 2006, with no plans on reuniting for a tour to support due to the members' other commitments.
In 2017 they released an album [album artist=the lillingtons]Stella Sapiente.
Frontman Templeman is currently a member of Laramie, Wyoming pop punk band Teenage Bottlerocket.
Drummer Timmy V is currently playing as a hired hand with Albuquerque, New Mexico all girl three-piece The Eyeliners, and plays drums in his own project Stabbed in Back, with a hardcore/punk album entitled A Portrait of Noise.
I Saw the Apeman
The Lillingtons Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I saw the apeman, walking on the moon
I saw the apeman, he’s lookin’ fine
I saw the apeman, drinking turpentine
Put him the rocket, put him on the blimp
Send the apeman up instead of the chimp
I saw the apeman, walking on the moon
I saw the apeman, he’s lookin’ fine
I saw the apeman, drinking turpentine
Put him the rocket, put him on the blimp
Send the apeman up instead of the chimp
I saw the apeman, walking on the moon
I saw the apeman, walking on the moon
I saw the apeman, he’s havin’ a bad day
Because Neil Armstrong, took his banana away
Put him the rocket, put him on the blimp
Send the apeman up instead of the chimp
[x2]
I saw the apeman
I saw the apeman on the moon
[x4]
The Lillingtons's song I Saw the Apeman is a fun, light-hearted tune that can be easily enjoyed even without much background information. The first line of the song is a direct reference to the Neil Armstrong's famous words at the moment he stepped onto the moon's surface in 1969, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." From here on, the lyrics take a humorous turn, with the singer claiming to have seen an "apeman" walking on the moon. The apeman is "lookin' fine" according to the singer, but his mood changes once Neil Armstrong "took his banana away." The reference to the ape's stolen banana seems to be a nod to the iconic monkey experimentations that took place in the early days of space exploration.
Musically, the song is upbeat with a catchy melody, and combines punk rock guitar riffs with an almost doo-wop-style chorus. Moreover, the song is notable for its straightforward and simple lyrics, which add to its charm.
Overall, The Lillington's I Saw the Apeman is a lighthearted and amusing track that incorporates a sense of humor into the topic of space exploration.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw the apeman, walking on the moon
The singer claims to have seen an ape-like creature walking on the surface of the moon
I saw the apeman, he’s lookin’ fine
The singer believes that the apeman is in good health and condition
I saw the apeman, drinking turpentine
The singer witnessed the apeman consuming a poisonous liquid called turpentine
Put him the rocket, put him on the blimp
The artist suggests that the apeman be sent into space using either a rocket or a blimp
Send the apeman up instead of the chimp
The artist suggests that the apeman be used instead of a chimpanzee for space exploration
I saw the apeman, he’s havin’ a bad day
The singer believes that the apeman is in a negative emotional state
Because Neil Armstrong, took his banana away
The apeman's negative emotional state is attributed to the real-life astronaut Neil Armstrong taking his food
I saw the apeman
The artist reiterates that they have seen the apeman
I saw the apeman on the moon
The artist confirms that the apeman was seen on the moon
[x4]
Repeats the previous line for emphasis or effect
Contributed by Lucas B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.