- - -
The Selecter are a British ska revival band from Coventry, formed in the late 1970s as one of the essential bands of the British ska movement.
Much of what set apart The Selecter from many of the other ska bands at the time was the voice of Pauline Black. She had to disguise herself as a man in order for the band to get gigs, but once they did, there was no disguising her voice. Like other ska bands of this movement, The Selecter featured a racially mixed line up, and songs about violence, politics, marijuana, a fictional spy's theme song, James Bond, and reggae classics. The name of the band is a reference to the Jamaican word for a music selecter, known elsewhere as the DJ. Also typical to the style is the mix of one vocalist singing, and the other toasting in a Jamaican style, a precursor to rapping.
The Selecter's first recording Too Much Pressure was recorded at the end of 1979 and beginning of 1980 and issued on the pre-eminent 2 Tone/Chrysalis label. Their second recording Celebrate the Bullet was issued in 1981. Though the band has continued to regroup and reform on and off, most of the many recordings available are recompiled selections from these first two albums, either live or studio recordings. The Selecter's first two albums are essential British ska recordings.
Pauline Black has been the singer in The Selecter since its formation in 1979 when the band spearheaded the Two Tone movement alongside The Specials releasing the singles "The Selecter", "Three Minute Hero", "The Whisper", "Missing Words" and "On My Radio" as well as two albums; "Too Much Pressure" and "Celebrate The Bullet". The Selecter were also featured in the cult film Dance Craze. The band split in 1982, Pauline carved out a career in TV and theatre, appearing in dramas like The Vice, The Bill, Hearts and Minds and 2000 Acres of Sky. She won the 1991 Time Out award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in the play All or Nothing At All and starred next to Christopher Lee in the schlock horror film The Funny Man. She reformed The Selecter in 1991 and has released several new albums and has toured all over the world.
Nick Welsh is probably best known for being the bassist in The Selecter and formerly Bad Manners but he has worked with some of the biggest names in Ska and Reggae, Prince Buster, Laurel Aitken, Rico Rodriguez, Dave Barker and most recently Lee "Scratch" Perry with whom he received a Grammy Award Certificate for his work on the CD Jamaican ET which won The Best Reggae Category in 2002. Nick also writes music for TV which has been used world-wide on shows as diverse as WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), The Osbournes and even adverts for Ariel soap powder.
Neol Davies the founder and writer of the classic hits returns with a brand new band in 2010.
neoldaviesakatheselecter plays the mainstage at Bestival 2011 with new album and remixes.
Original line-up
Pauline Black : vocals
Compton Amanor: guitar
Charley Anderson: bass guitar
Charley Bembridge: drums
Desmond Brown: Hammond keyboard
Neol Davies: guitar
Arthur Hendrickson: vocals
Anderson and Brown left The Selecter in 1980. They were replaced by James Mackie: Hammond organ and Adam Williams: bass guitar
Reformed line-up: 1991
Pauline Black: vocals
Neol Davies: guitar
Arthur 'Gaps' Hendrickson - vocals
Martin Stewart: keyboards
Nick Welsh : bass
Perry Melius : drums
The Selecter 2010 lineup includes
Founder and songwriter Neol Davies- vocals/guitars
Lead Vocals- John Gibbons
Daniel Crosby- Drums
Andre Buyani- Bass
Tim Cansfield- Guitar
Victor Travino- Congas & Percussion
Dean Ross- Hammond Organ
Selecter Horns
Johnny Too Bad
The Selecter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With an old blade in your hand,
Johnny too bad, that's what they say
Walking down the road
With a blade in your waist,
Johnny too bad, Johnny too bad
Don't you play come faking,
You're looking and mistaking,
You're hurrying and you're shooting,
You're losing, told you,
You're too bad
Just one of these days,
You're going to make your woman cry,
Ooh, Johnny too bad
One of these days,
You're going to make your woman cry,
'Cause Johnny, you're so bad,
That's what they tell me about you
With you looking and sticking
Switchblade a-picking,
Too bad
Oh I told you, yes you did it,
Don't you, I told you, too bad
That's what they say about you
Walking down the road,
You're going to hear a voice say
Go, Johnny, where you're going to run to,
Come that sweet day.
You may be walking down the road,
You're might hear a voice say
Go, Johnny, where you're going to run to,
Come that sweet day
You might run to the rock for rescue,
You'll find a rock, you'll find a rock there
Run to the rock for rescue,
There will be no rock, be no rock at dawn
Walking down the road,
With a blade in your waist
(Johnny too bad)
Johnny too bad, Johnny too bad
Walking down the road,
With a blade in your, with a blade your waist
You're too bad Johnny, too bad Johnny, too bad Johnny
With your blade a picking, switchblade licking,
Too bad
With you licking and sticking, blade come picking,
Too bad, that's what they say about you
With your blade come licking, licking, sticking,
That's what they say about you
Licking, sticking, too bad
(J-J-J-J-J-J-Johnny)
Johnny go walking
Johnny go talking
Johnny go walking
Johnny go talking
Johnny go walking now
Johnny go talking
Johnny
The Selecter's "Johnny Too Bad" is a reggae-infused song about a man named Johnny who is known for carrying a blade and causing trouble. The lyrics describe Johnny as "too bad" to the extent where he is going to make his woman cry. The chorus repeats "Johnny too bad" several times, highlighting his negative reputation. The verses depict Johnny as being reckless and dangerous, suggesting that he will not heed any warnings and will continue on his violent path. Despite this, the lyrics offer a glimmer of hope, with the belief that one day Johnny may seek refuge in a rock, which could be interpreted as a symbol of salvation.
The song appears to be a cautionary tale, warning against the type of behavior exhibited by Johnny. It emphasizes the negative consequences of violence and the importance of seeking redemption. The use of reggae rhythms and instrumentation gives the song a laid-back feel, which is in contrast to the intense subject matter. Overall, "Johnny Too Bad" is a commentary on the dangers of living a life filled with violence and aggression.
Line by Line Meaning
Walking down the road
Johnny is walking down the road
With an old blade in your hand,
Johnny is carrying an old blade in his hand
Johnny too bad, that's what they say
People call him Johnny Too Bad
Walking down the road
Johnny continues his walk
With a blade in your waist,
Johnny is carrying a blade around his waist
Johnny too bad, Johnny too bad
People call him Johnny Too Bad again
Don't you play come faking,
Don't pretend to be something you're not
You're looking and mistaking,
People are getting the wrong idea about you
Too bad
It's a shame
You're hurrying and you're shooting,
Johnny is rushing and shooting things
You're losing, told you,
He is losing, as someone warned him
You're too bad
He's not good at what he's doing
Just one of these days,
One day in the future
You're going to make your woman cry,
Johnny will hurt his woman's emotions
Ooh, Johnny too bad
He is so bad
One of these days,
In the future
You're going to make your woman cry,
Johnny will make his woman cry again
'Cause Johnny, you're so bad,
Because Johnny is not good at what he does
That's what they tell me about you
People are gossiping about Johnny
With you looking and sticking
Johnny is looking around and holding something
Switchblade a-picking,
He is picking up a switchblade
Too bad
It's a pity
Oh I told you, yes you did it,
Someone warned Johnny about his behavior
Don't you, I told you, too bad
He should have listened to the warning
That's what they say about you
People are talking about Johnny again
Walking down the road,
Johnny continues his walk
You're going to hear a voice say
Someone is going to speak to Johnny
Go, Johnny, where you're going to run to,
The voice will ask Johnny where he will go
Come that sweet day.
It will happen someday
You may be walking down the road,
At some point in the future
You're might hear a voice say
He might hear a voice calling for him
Go, Johnny, where you're going to run to,
The voice will ask him for a place he will run to
Come that sweet day
It will happen someday
You might run to the rock for rescue,
He might run to a rock for safety
You'll find a rock, you'll find a rock there
He will find a rock to hide behind
Run to the rock for rescue,
The voice advises Johnny to run to the rock for safety
There will be no rock, be no rock at dawn
He won't find safety forever
You're too bad Johnny, too bad Johnny, too bad Johnny
People repeat calling him Johnny Too Bad
With your blade a picking, switchblade licking,
Johnny picks up the blade and licks the switchblade
With you licking and sticking, blade come picking,
Johnny keeps picking up the blade and stick it somewhere
Too bad, that's what they say about you
People are still gossiping about Johnny
With your blade come licking, licking, sticking,
Johnny continues to pick up and stick the blade
That's what they say about you
People are talking about Johnny again
Licking, sticking, too bad
It's a pity he keeps doing it
(J-J-J-J-J-J-Johnny)
A nickname or a way of teasing him
Johnny go walking
Johnny walks around
Johnny go talking
Johnny talks to people
Johnny go walking
Johnny keeps walking around
Johnny go talking
Johnny is still talking to people
Johnny go walking now
Johnny walks away
Johnny go talking
He still talks to people
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: DERRICK CROOKS, HYLTON BECKFORD, TREVOR WILSON, WINSTON BAILEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind