The Selecter, a ska revival band from Coventry, England, formed in the late… Read Full Bio ↴The Selecter, a ska revival band from Coventry, England, formed in the late 1970s as one of the essential bands of the British ska movement. The profilic lead singer is Pauline Black. The Selecter are known for hits as 'On My Radio', 'Too Much Pressure', 'Missing Words', 'Three Minute Hero' and 'Celebrate The Bullet'. The Selecter featured a racially mixed line up, and the name of the band is a reference to the Jamaican word for a music selecter, known elsewhere as the DJ.
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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

Never Said I Love You
The Selecter Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Paradise is really hard to find
Satellites are working overtime
Free me, come on and free me
Believe me... don't let it go

Appetite is driving me insane
Socialize know how to play the game
Free me, come on and free me

Believe me... don't let it go

I never said I loved you
And I never said I don't
I don't deny I sometimes lie
But I never said I won't
I never said I loved you
And I never said I don't
Sometimes I can lie

Parasites are crawling over me
Butterflies is all they want to be
Free me, come on and free me
Believe me... Don't let it go

I never said I loved you
And I never said I don't
I don't deny
I sometimes lie
But I never said I won't
I never said I loved you
And I never said I don't
Sometimes I can lie

Suicide can be so uninspired
You had the last laugh on me
Something's can never ever be denied
You're ruining my life
You're ruining my life

Paradise is really hard to find
Satellites keep working overtime
Free me, come on and free me
Believe me... Don't let it go

I never said I loved you
And I never said I don't
I don't deny I sometimes lie

But I never said I won't
I never said I loved you etc.

Overall Meaning

The Selecter's Never Said I Love You is a song that expresses a certain level of desperation for freedom and a yearning to break free. The lyrics convey an almost conflicted feeling of wanting to be freed and at the same time, not wanting to let go of the source of the pain. The opening line; "Paradise is really hard to find" paints a picture of a person who is searching for happiness or a sense of completeness, but it seems elusive. The line "Satellites are working overtime" can be interpreted in many ways, commonly as the idea that technology has taken over our lives and we don't have control over it, or as the idea that the world is so busy and fast-paced that it's difficult to keep up.

The main chorus "I never said I loved you, and I never said I don't, I don't deny I sometimes lie, but I never said I won't" portrays an individual who is not willing to commit fully to a relationship, which could either be romantic or a personal connection. The line "Butterflies is all they want to be" suggests that some people may appear charming and innocent, but in reality, they may be parasitic and looking for their selfish gains. The closing line "You're ruining my life, you're ruining my life," indicates that the person singing the song feels trapped in this relationship or personal connection, and it's causing them a great deal of distress.

Line by Line Meaning

Paradise is really hard to find
Finding happiness and contentment is difficult

Satellites are working overtime
Life is so fast-paced that it feels like everything is constantly moving and changing

Free me, come on and free me
Help me break free from my problems and struggles

Believe me... don't let it go
Trust me and don't give up on me

Appetite is driving me insane
Desire and ambition are making me feel crazy

Socialize know how to play the game
People who are sociable know how to navigate social situations with ease

I never said I loved you
I haven't explicitly said that I love you

And I never said I don't
I also haven't said that I don't love you

I don't deny I sometimes lie
I admit that I can be dishonest

But I never said I won't
However, I've never made a promise not to lie

Sometimes I can lie
I'm admitting that I'm not always truthful