Band #1: The Royals were a R&B group active on the Federal imprint of the King label in the early 1950s.
Band #2: Jamaican vocal group the Royals were founded in 1964 by singer and writer Roy Cousins, and the original lineup consisted of Cousins, Errol Wilson, Keith Smith, and Berthram Johnson, although the Royals were completely Cousins' baby, and he remains the only constant throughout the group's history. Their signature song, "Pick Up the Pieces," was originally recorded for Coxsone Dodd in 1967 (who released it under the group name The Tempests), but Cousins re-recorded an arguably superior version of it in 1973.
#1 They rose to prominence after adding Hank Ballard as vocalist, and as the 1950s went on they were renamed first as The Midnighters, and eventually as Hank Ballard and The Midnighters, who most notably were responsible for the original version of "The Twist".
Band #2: Jamaican vocal group the Royals were founded in 1964 by singer and writer Roy Cousins, and the original lineup consisted of Cousins, Errol Wilson, Keith Smith, and Berthram Johnson, although the Royals were completely Cousins' baby, and he remains the only constant throughout the group's history. Their signature song, "Pick Up the Pieces," was originally recorded for Coxsone Dodd in 1967 (who released it under the group name The Tempests), but Cousins re-recorded an arguably superior version of it in 1973. Although the Royals worked with Dodd and other Jamaican producers like Joe Gibbs, Byron Smith and Lloyd Daley, Cousins increasingly began to produce the group's material, even starting his own record labels, Tamoki and Wambesi Records, in order to better control and distribute his productions.
Cousin's skillful writing and the immense care he took in building rhythms and crafting suburb vocals (usually featuring his own high tenor) and harmonies has made the Royals one of the most respected of the island's vocal groups. Three albums of Cousins' Royals productions were released by Ballistic, a subsidiary of United Artists, between 1977 and 1979: Pick Up the Pieces, Ten Years After, and Israel Be Wise. Cousins moved to Britain in the early 1980s, where he has continued as a producer.
Band #3: A hardcore band from Norfolk, UK. Around from 2003 to 2007. Mainly influenced by Terror, Turbonegro, Slapshot and Hatebreed.
Band #4: The Royals are a 4 piece small indie band from England, formed in 2007. According to their myspace they "mainly indie and acoustic type music" and "have a wide range of influences from The Beatles to Radiohead and from Foo Fighters to Madness".
Give It Up
The Royals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Keller's runnin' TV show.
Razor blade in action - everything is "live",
Scandal makes a paper "hot",
You may like it, you may not.
Marriage, rape, divorce, somebody's butchered wife.
Empire rise, they're built on lies,
Give it up, never ever give it up!
Little kid some place abroad,
Shot dead by the terror squad.
Only one? Just not enough to ring a bell!
TV preacher will love to tell you,
Pay a dime and God's for sale.
Don't get scared it's just another day in hell.
Empire's turn, they're built burn,
We'll never learn - I'll never...
Give it up, never ever give it up!
The Royals in their song Give it Up bring to the forefront the highly contentious issue of media manipulation, and the effect it has on society. The song begins with "Give it up, just let it flow", which could be a reference to people giving into the notion that anything on TV must be true. The reference to “Keller’s running TV show" speaks to the power dynamic that exists in the entertainment industry where few people hold the reins and can dictate what the public views. The next verse goes on to talk about how even the news is sensationalized with Razor blade in action - everything is 'live,' and scandal makes a paper hot.
The bridge of the song speaks to the nature of the human psyche and how we consume this content - "You may like it, you may not." The verse “Marriage, rape, divorce, somebody's butchered wife," shows how networks profit from human beings' struggles and how these struggles become sources of entertainment. The concept is explored further with "Empires rise, they're built on lies, in the children's eyes, I'll never…give it up, never ever give it up." which speaks to the manipulation of youth who are the ones who adopt the beliefs fed to them by the media, leaving them in a perpetual cycle. The second half of the song speaks to the suffering that is caused by the very empires that the media conglomerates have built on the back of other people's pain; "Little kid someplace abroad, shot dead by the terror squad. Only one? Just not enough to ring a bell!".
Overall, the song highlights the darker side of the media, which can convey messages that manipulate, scaremonger, and often severely distort our view of the world. It emphasizes how the media plays its part in shaping the world view of children and youth, often capturing them early in their lives and making them a part of its perpetual cycle of manipulation.
Line by Line Meaning
Give it up just let it flow
Don't resist, just go along with it
Keller's runnin' TV show
The media is controlling the narrative
Razor blade in action - everything is 'live'
The media is sensationalizing and exploiting tragedy for profit
Scandal makes a paper 'hot'
Gossip sells papers
You may like it, you may not
You can't control what the media presents to you
Marriage, rape, divorce, somebody's butchered wife
The media covers any scandalous or violent story
Empire rise, they're built on lies
Those in power are corrupt and dishonest
In the children's eyes, I'll never...
We are failing future generations by tolerating this corruption
Give it up, never ever give it up!
Don't let the corruption win, keep fighting against it
Little kid some place abroad, shot dead by the terror squad
Innocent people are dying due to violence and terrorism
Only one? Just not enough to ring a bell!
The media ignores most instances of violence and tragedy
TV preacher will love to tell you, pay a dime and God's for sale
The religious establishment is also taking advantage of people
Don't get scared it's just another day in hell
We've become desensitized to the constant conflict and tragedy in the world
Empire's turn, they're built burn, we'll never learn - I'll never...
The cycle of corruption and violence will continue as long as we allow it to
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDRE PALLE ANDERSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@srercrcr
Very progressive!