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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
Prisoner Of Love
The Selecter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Doesn't belong to me
Someone who can't be faithful
Knows that I have to be
Wonder if I am wrong to give her my loyalty
Why should I be a lone soul
Why can't I be my own soul
Too weak to break the chains that bind me
I need no shackles to remind me
I'm just a prisner of love
For one comand I stand and wait now
From one who's master of my Fate now
I can't escape for it's too late now
I'm just a prisoner of love
What's the good of my caring if someone is sharing
Those arms with me
Although she has another
I can't have another
For I'm not free
She's in my dreams awake or sleeping
Up on my knees to her I'm creeping
My very life is in her keeping
I'm just a prisoner of love.
Love.
The Selecter's song Prisoner of Love is about a person who is in love with someone who does not love them as much as they do. The person they love is unfaithful, yet this person feels that they have to give their loyalty to the one they love. The lyrics explore the inner turmoil of the individual and how they feel trapped and bound by their love. The singer questions whether they are wrong to give their loyalty to someone who is not faithful to them. The prison of love is the unrequited love that the singer feels.
The chorus of the song illustrates the helplessness of the person’s situation as they declare themselves ‘just a prisoner of love’. They speak of being unable to break free from the chains that bind them or escape the person who has a hold over them.
The song is poignant and emotional as it portrays the reality of unrequited love with a deep sense of heartbreak and longing. The lyrics are passionate and expressive, and the music (a mix of ska, reggae, punk, and soul) adds to the emotional intensity of the song, making it a powerful anthem about the complex nature of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Someone that I belong to
Referring to a person to whom the singer is emotionally attached
Doesn't belong to me
The person does not share the same level of attachment towards the singer
Someone who can't be faithful
The person is not able to remain loyal in a relationship
Knows that I have to be
The artist believes that loyalty is important in a relationship
Wonder if I am wrong to give her my loyalty
The artist questions the value of loyalty towards a person who cannot reciprocate it
Why should I be a lone soul
The singer questions why they should be alone, without the emotional attachment of the person they belong to
Why can't I be my own soul
The singer struggles with the idea of being emotionally independent
Alone from night to night you'll find me
The artist is emotionally isolated, without the love of the person they belong to
Too weak to break the chains that bind me
The artist feels unable to break free from the emotional attachment they have towards the person who cannot reciprocate their love
I need no shackles to remind me
The artist is aware of the emotional attachment they have towards the person they belong to, without any reminders
For one comand I stand and wait now
The singer is willing to comply with the wishes of the person they belong to
From one who's master of my Fate now
The artist's emotional attachment towards the person they belong to has an impact on the course of their life
I can't escape for it's too late now
The singer feels trapped in their emotional attachment towards the person they belong to
What's the good of my caring if someone is sharing
The singer questions the value of their own emotional attachment if the person they belong to is emotionally attached to someone else
Those arms with me
The singer longs for physical intimacy with the person they belong to
Although she has another
The person the artist belongs to is emotionally attached to someone else
I can't have another
The artist is unable to emotionally attach to someone else due to their attachment towards the person they belong to
She's in my dreams awake or sleeping
The person the singer belongs to is constantly on their mind, even when they are asleep
Up on my knees to her I'm creeping
The singer is willing to be subservient to the wishes of the person they belong to
My very life is in her keeping
The emotional attachment of the artist towards the person they belong to has a significant impact on their life
I'm just a prisoner of love.
The artist is trapped in an emotional attachment towards a person who cannot reciprocate their love
Love.
A reference to the emotional attachment towards the person the artist belongs to
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ENRIQUE ELIAS GARCIA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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