In mid-1977 the band moved to the UK, where it became apparent that they and their label had different ideas as to how they should be marketed. EMI planned to sell The Saints as a typical punk band complete with ripped clothes. The Saints insisted on wearing collared shirts and sweaters, and left their hair long. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Chris Bailey, guitarist Ed Kuepper and Ivor Hay on drums with Kym Bradshaw and later Algy Ward on bass.
Kuepper, Hay and Ward left the band in 1978, but Chris Bailey continued touring and recording as The Saints with a revolving line-up of musicians throughout the 80's including the late Janine Hall on bass. The Saints' commercial breakthrough into the US came in 1986 with the album "All Fools Day", with the video for "Just Like Fire Would" receiving airplay on MTV.
After releasing a couple of records under his own name, Bailey reformed The Saints in 1996. Once again without any of the other founding members but they have reunited occasionally to perform live. The Saints music could often be heard in the background during episodes of Neighbours in the 1990's!
The current line-up is:
Chris Bailey - Guitar and vocals
Caspar Wijnberg - Bass
Peter Wilkinson - Drums
Other bands:
2) A Reggae Band.
3) Polish klezmer band from Cracow.
4) Saints (sans The) is an experimental group from Goleta, CA.
5) '60s British band recorded by Joe Meek.
6) An American 60's uptown soul group.
Nights in Venice
The Saints Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I feel so sick honey listen to the girls moan
My eyes they water and my knees is a-weak
And I fall down every time that you speaks
Shine on shine my little star
Up above the world honey that you are
Shine on now you don't give me no love
Come on!
Speeding down the highway you got no time to waste
Brain all used up just like the human race
Head spinning around from the 39th highball
And your sultan owns a queen who ain't nothing but a
screwball
Shine on shine my little star
Up above the world honey that you are
Shine on now you don't give me no love
Hit me like a death ray baby from above
24 hours till the end of the show, boy
If you are looking for love that don't give you much
time, boy
If your baby's by your side you are gonna see her cry,
boy
And when you look into her eyes it just won't bring you
no joy
Oh no!
Shine on shine my little star
Up above the world honey that you are
Shine on now you don't give me no love
Hit me like a death ray baby from above
Wow!
Come on!
I said take it
Take it down
Listen
I said it keep comin' down, need to calm down need you
to calm down. Sink it. A bit out of time. Shake it.
Take it. Come on, won't you take me for a ride. Won't
you shake me, out of time? Won't you take me, for a
ride? Take me down. Shake me. Little baby shake it.
Little baby shake it. Take me down. Are you there? Take
me down, down the ground. Yeah down. Yeah, drunk. Down
down down down, yeah! Ah come on sugar! Gonna
take a ride, where the girls don't come. I wanna take
your hand, go across the sand. When the girls don't
come. Come one sure, I gotta take a run where the girls
don't come. Well I take your hand, get across the sand.
Where the girls don't come, yeah walk to run. Gotta
have some, yeah I gotta be a son, ah come on! I
said people come on, I can't come no more.
East side west side it all looks the same now
Don't need nobody but you don't care nohow
Don't need no love, don't need no hate
You were screaming so loud but it was much too late
Oh no!
Shine on shine my little star
Up above the world honey that you are
Shine on now you don't give me no love
Hit me like a death ray baby from above
Wow!
Come on baby
Make it bad
Come on woman
Get it back
The Saints' song, Nights in Venice, has a very distinctive sound, which is highlighted by the raw and jagged guitar riffs that are dominant throughout the song. The lyrics seem to tell the story of a wild night out, where the singer is feeling intoxicated and disoriented.
The opening lines suggest a sense of dislocation, and perhaps even a sense of guilt. The singer feels sick as they crash into a backroom, and they can hear the sound of girls moaning. The second verse suggests that the singer has been drinking heavily, and they feel dizzy and disoriented. They seem to be searching for some kind of connection, but they can't find it, and they feel frustrated and disillusioned. The chorus, "Shine on shine my little star, Up above the world honey that you are, Shine on now you don't give me no love, Hit me like a death ray baby from above," seems to suggest this sense of hopelessness and despair.
The bridge is a poetic reflection of the singer's emotional turmoil. They feel lost and disconnected from the world around them, and they can't find their way back to a sense of normality. They long for human connection, but they can't find it, and they feel overwhelmed and alone. The final verse offers a sense of closure, as the singer comes to accept the futility of their search for love and connection. They realize that they don't need anyone else, and they don't want to be a part of the conventional world. They want to embrace their own unique identity and live life on their own terms.
Line by Line Meaning
It's so black as I crash into the backroom
Entering a dark, unknown space after what could be described as a frenzied, impulsive drive.
I feel so sick honey listen to the girls moan
Being emotionally affected and feeling unwell due to hearing the sad expressions of others.
My eyes they water and my knees is a-weak
Experiencing physical and emotional manifestations of weakness and fragility.
And I fall down every time that you speaks
Being overwhelmed by the words or actions of someone else, leading to physical collapse.
Shine on shine my little star
A call for admiration and attention to the person being addressed.
Up above the world honey that you are
The subject being addressed is being elevated above everything else and their uniqueness is being highlighted.
Shine on now you don't give me no love
A contradiction where the addressed person is being told to shine, but criticism is expressed due to a perceived lack of love or effort from them.
Hit me like a death ray baby from above
Experiencing unexpected and forceful impact from an exterior source, possibly the addressed person.
Speeding down the highway you got no time to waste
Rushing through life with a sense of urgency and not taking the time to appreciate or relax.
Brain all used up just like the human race
Feeling mentally drained and not able to keep up with the pace and expectations of society. A criticism of the state of the world and the people in it.
Head spinning around from the 39th highball
Feeling woozy and disorientated from drinking alcohol.
And your sultan owns a queen who ain't nothing but a screwball
Commenting on the abusive or oppressive relationship between a ruler and a subordinate, and highlighting the subordinate's perceived instability or irrationality.
24 hours till the end of the show, boy
An expression of the urgency or finality of a situation or event.
If you are looking for love that don't give you much time, boy
If love is what you want, time is running out and the window of opportunity is closing.
If your baby's by your side you are gonna see her cry, boy
Being in the company of someone you are close to can be painful and emotional for both parties.
And when you look into her eyes it just won't bring you no joy
No sense of happiness is derived from the gaze or presence of the person being addressed.
I said take it, Take it down, Listen
A call to action to bring down something, possibly emotions or passions which are tumultuous or excessive.
East side west side it all looks the same now
A realization that no matter where you are, everything starts to look monotonous and identical.
Don't need nobody but you don't care nohow
Not requiring anyone else but the person being addressed, but still feeling neglected or ignored by them.
Don't need no love, don't need no hate
Expressing independence at the cost of removing feelings of attachment, anger or any kind of strong emotions.
You were screaming so loud but it was much too late
Someone had given themself over to their passions or emotions, but it was too late for the situation or relationship they were in.
Come on baby, Make it bad
A request for the person being addressed to give in to their darker or more sinful instincts, within a romantic or sexual context.
Come on woman, Get it back
A call to action for the woman being addressed to regain her emotions or passion.
Contributed by Violet J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.