Gwenno and Ani Saunders were singers in the group with Gwenno occasionally taking to the keyboard.
The Pipettes, at that time consisting of Julia Clark-Lowes, Rose Elinor Dougall, and Becki Stephens and their backing band, The Cassette, formed at a seaside party in Brighton in 2003 and entertained audiences with their trademark polka dot dresses, doowop anthems and choreographed hand movements.
Their first major single, Dirty Mind, reached #61 in the UK singles charts with the follow-up, Your Kisses Are Wasted on Me, reaching #35 in April 2006. Their album, We Are the Pipettes, was released on 17th July including the new single, Pull Shapes which reached #26 in the UK Top 40 Singles Chart, after being released on 3rd July. We Are the Pipettes reached #41 in the album charts after its first week of release. Judy was the 4th single to be released from We Are the Pipettes; it failed to reach the UK Top 40, coming in at #46. However, it did reach #1 on the Indie Chart.
In 2005, The Pipettes completed successful headline tours in the UK and Europe, as well as high-profile support slots with The Magic Numbers, Graham Coxon, British Sea Power and The Go! Team, that has won them fans in high places including Radio One DJ Huw Stephens, and Radio 2's Mark Radcliffe.
A very small tour of America took place in early 2007; every show played was sold-out, culminating in six successful showcases at SXSW 2007. A tour of the UK and Europe in April and May 2007 was followed by a tour across north america, coinciding with the release of the EP Your Kisses are Wasted on Me in the US which reached #5. Through summer 2007 they played a number of festivals in Europe and Japan. October saw a tour of North America, although delayed by visa difficulties, along with the US launch of We Are The Pipettes, including two new songs. A Japanese launch followed with a Japanese tour in December, and 2008 was seen in by the band with a mini-tour in Australia.
In February 2008, Gwenno and Becki appeared at several events without Rose, namely a DJ set in Glasgow and three gigs with Mark Ronson in Brighton and London, leading to speculation that he would be producing their second album.
On April 18th 2008, The Pipettes announced the departure of Rose and Becki, meaning that the group now featured none of the original singers. They were replaced with Ani (Gwenno's sister) and a BRIT School graduate, Anna McDonald. They also reported they were currently demoing twenty to twenty-five new songs with a view to recording their second album in the summer of 2008.
The new lineup made its debut at Corsa Presents Bandstand with Mark Ronson on May 3rd 2008. The band performed Because It's Not Love (But It's Still A Feeling).
On November 12th 2008, the band announced another departure; this time of Anna, who had only been in the band for seven months. Anna's unexpected decision to leave and concentrate on her songwriting meant the band had to cancel their appearance at Sŵn Festival.
On February 11th 2009, the band posted a video blog on their website to introduce the newest Pipette, Beth Mburu-Bowie. With Beth, they are currently finishing work on their second album.
Previous members of the band include Julia Clark-Lowes (now of The Indelicates), Rose Elinor Dougall, Becki Stephens, Joe van Moyland (now of Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong) and Anna McDonald.
http://www.thepipettes.co.uk
Baby Just Be Yourself
The Pipettes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you thought what you love would last forever
But I can see that you're unhappy
And it's getting you down
And that pretty face of yours looks bad wearing a frown
Look him in the face and tell him that you're leaving
It'll be too late if you leave it until tomorrow
But forgive him now and you'll forgive your heart for wasting any time
Baby, just be yourself (2x)
We've had this conversation too many times
I see it every day, how much you compromise
It's so clear to everyone that he makes you blue
Look inside yourself, I know you know just what to do
Look him in the face and tell him that you're leaving
It'll be too late if you leave it until tomorrow
Oh, I know it's hard and he tore your soul apart
But forgive him now and you'll forgive your heart for wasting any time
Baby, just be yourself (x5)
The Pipettes's song Baby Just Be Yourself encourages a woman to break free from a toxic relationship and stand up for herself. The lyrics suggest that the woman has been unhappy for some time and has been putting up with her partner's bad behavior for too long. The opening lines acknowledge that she has had good times in the past, but the current situation is taking a toll on her. The singer urges her to leave her partner and not put it off any longer, as it will only get worse. The chorus repeatedly tells her to "just be yourself," implying that she has been suppressing her true self in order to please her partner.
The second verse acknowledges that the woman has been compromising too much for her partner and that everyone can see how he makes her sad. The singer encourages her to look inside herself because she already knows what she needs to do. The bridge acknowledges that leaving is difficult, especially if she has been hurt by her partner in the past. However, forgiving him and moving on is the only way to heal her heart and stop wasting her time.
Overall, the message of the song is empowering and encourages women to prioritize their own happiness and well-being.
Line by Line Meaning
I know you've had good times
I understand that you have been happy before
And you thought what you love would last forever
You believed that your happiness would last forever
But I can see that you're unhappy
Currently, I can see that you're not happy
And it's getting you down
It's affecting your whole mood and energy
And that pretty face of yours looks bad wearing a frown
Your beauty fades when you're unhappy
Look him in the face and tell him that you're leaving
Face him and let him know you want to leave
It'll be too late if you leave it until tomorrow
Don't wait until the next day to leave, it could be too late
Oh, I know it's hard and he tore your soul apart
I understand it's difficult since he caused you emotional pain
But forgive him now and you'll forgive your heart for wasting any time
Forgiving him will help you stop regretting wasting your time with him
We've had this conversation too many times
We have talked about this a lot of times before
I see it every day, how much you compromise
I can see how much you are sacrificing every day for this relationship
It's so clear to everyone that he makes you blue
It's evident to everyone that he makes you sad
Look inside yourself, I know you know just what to do
Take a moment to reflect and trust yourself, you know what you need to do
Baby, just be yourself
Don't change who you are for anyone else including him
Contributed by Aria O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.