- - -
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
Murder
The Selecter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I said murder, ooh murder
I said murder
The That's what they want you to do
Please don't kill her, please don't kill her
Selecter Please don't kill her, please don't kill her
Please don't kill her
If I had a pair of wings
Songtexte I would fly away
I would fly with the morning bird
Songtext No one would know me at all
Murder, ooh...
The Selecter's song "Murder" is a commentary on the violence that was plaguing many urban areas in the UK in the late 70s and early 80s. The lyrics of the song are a plea to someone not to commit murder, with the repeated refrain of "please don't kill her" serving as a reminder of the harm that violence can do. The lyrics also express a sense of powerlessness in the face of this violence, with the line "that's what they want you to do" suggesting that perpetrators of violence are often fueled by outside forces.
The lyrics of "Murder" are also notable for their focus on flight and escape, with the lines "if I had a pair of wings / I would fly away" suggesting a desire to leave the violence behind. The use of bird imagery throughout the song further emphasizes this desire for freedom and escape from the violence.
Overall, "Murder" is a powerful and timely commentary on the devastating impact of violence on communities and individuals.
Line by Line Meaning
Murder Ooh Murder
The singer is bringing attention to the act of murder
I said murder, ooh murder
The singer is emphasizing the seriousness of the concept of murder
I said murder
The singer is persistently bringing attention to the act of murder
That's what they want you to do
The singer implies that there are people or forces that want others to commit murder
Please don't kill her, please don't kill her
The singer is pleading with someone not to commit murder
Please don't kill her
The singer is again emphasizing that murder is not the answer
That's what they want you to do
The singer reinforces that there are external influences that may want someone to commit murder
If I had a pair of wings
The singer is suggesting an imaginary scenario to express the desire to escape
I would fly away
The singer wishes to escape from something or someone
I would fly with the morning bird
The singer suggests an idyllic image of freedom and peace
No one would know me at all
The singer fantasizes about being completely out of reach and hidden from harm
Murder, ooh...
The singer repeats the first line to show the continuing importance of the issue
Contributed by Camilla W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@MadFranko008
It's not actually about what you think it is !!!
The original 1962 version written and performed by "Leon & Owen" is actually about a women asking her partner to kill her for reasons unknown...
The original lyrics are...
"murder... that's what SHE wants you to do" and NOT "that's what THEY want you to do" as sung here in this version...
SO you seen the use of "they" instead of "she" kinda changes the meaning of the song and makes what was already quite a strange song (lyrically) to something a wee bit more stranger !!!
Still, that's the great thing about music is that we each take what we want from the lyrics that mean something to each of us and it doesn't have to match what the singer/ songwriters meaning was... 🙂
@nuttyboy11
Can't believe its took me 45 years to see this!!
@_XeroFX_
Still one of my all time faves!
@lingertooth
The best of the 2-tone lot, in my opinion.
@jmjones7897
Without question.
Legit, hard AF; still standing. One more opinion from an 80's Bootboy
@jennimadden1061
Love it! Specials memories come back !
@philwootton6709
Its taken nearly 40 years for me to see these.I didnt know they existed till now??
@MadFranko008
@ phil wootton: Must be nice though to discover a wee gem like this after nearly 40 years, just wish there was more stuff out there hidden away that perhaps none of us have ever seen that I could bring to us all... :-)
These clips where unknown to most though as the movie they were made for was never shown much in public in the cinema or on TV sadly... :-/
@PabloEmilio1000
Its great thanks I love The Selecter!
@MadFranko008
@ PabloEmilio1000: You're welcome, glad you enjoyed it... :-)
@Hibrid02
Superb.